Happy Friday Everyone! Today’s newsletter: 1,161 words…4.4 mins
🗞 Today’s Edition: NATO’s Game of Drones, Kirk Assassin Nabbed, Brazil’s Bolsonaro Sentenced, Nepal’s Gen Z Get New PM, Sabrina Carpenter’s Dunkin’ Collab, Winklevoss’s Gemini IPO Debut… & much more!
🚨 Watch For:
Erika Kirk set to deliver first public remarks this evening
France braces for downgraded credit rating this evening
President Trump addresses the United Nations General Assembly in New York: Sep 23rd
📜THE HIGHLIGHT
One killer insight to stash in your back pocket
Left: Mugshots of Tyler Robinson; Right: Tyler in his dorm room
🕵 Kirk Assassin Caught
President Trump announced this morning on Fox & Friends, that the prime suspect in Charlie Kirk’s murder was apprehended and is currently in custody.
Who:
22 yr old Tyler Robinson - Utah local
No record, no priors.
A quiet student with a scholarship who drifted into political obsession online.
The break:
His father Matt Robinson, a 27-year law enforcement veteran spotted him in FBI photos and—through a minister (and family friend) who moonlights as a U.S. Marshal—helped arrange the capture. This familial role underscores the tragedy’s intimate dimensions—a household torn between duty and blood.
Investigators pieced it together in <48 hours through Antifa Discord servers, campus surveillance footage, matching clothes, and a stashed Mauser rifle with bullets engraved with political messages.
Inscriptions on casings read: "Notices bulges OwO, what's this?", "Hey fascist! Catch!", "Oh bella ciao, bella ciao, bella ciao ciao ciao", "If you read this, you are gay LMAO."
Governor Spencer Cox framed the killing as a "watershed in American history," echoing 1960s-era political violence.
“This is a watershed [moment] in American history…Is this the end of a dark chapter in our history or the beginning of a darker chapter in our history…?”
What’s next: Robinson is booked in the Utah County jail where he awaits charges.
⚡ Bottom Line: The killer might have been caught, but this story’s far from over, as America…and the whole world grapples with how we move beyond online radicalization, hatred and intolerance towards speech you disagree with.
♟️THE CHESSBOARD
Geopolitics Decoded In 3 Moves
🛡NATO's "Eastern Sentry": Game of Drones, Eastern Edition
NATO Sec. General Mark Rutte just launched Operation Eastern Sentry - a flexible defense mission - with Denmark's F-16s, French Rafales, German Eurofighters, and UK assets.
The trigger: Russian drones crossed into Polish airspace Sept. 10—the first direct NATO-Russia breach since 2022.
The real game: This isn't just air defense—it's "dynamic deterrence" that can pivot anywhere from Baltics to Romania in hours.
NATO is signaling agility and unity—deterring Russia without tipping into full confrontation. Russia’s not officially responded, but expect diplomatic friction and potential countermeasures.
💡 Bottom line: Putin's drone "oopsie" just gave NATO an excuse to park fighter jets on his doorstep permanently. Calibrated escalation at its finest.
🇳🇵 Nepal’s First Woman PM Rises From the Chaos
After protests toppled PM KP Sharma Oli’s Marxist-Leninist regime, Nepal swore in Sushila Karki, 73, ex–chief justice, as its interim PM. Karki is the first female and the first non-partisan Prime Minister in Nepal’s history.
Gen Z power: Youth-led uprisings over corruption and “Nepo Kids” left 51 dead, 1,300 injured, and forced a military-brokered transition.
Her mandate: Karki—picked by protesters, President, and army—promised corruption probes, justice for protest deaths, and elections within a year.
💡 Why it matters: This development signals a potential shift toward youth-influenced governance in Nepal. Internationally, Kathmandu’s political realignment will be closely watched by India, China, and Western donors, all of whom have a stake in Nepal’s stability and democratic transition.
🇧🇷 ⚖ Bolsonaro Gets 27 Years—Democracy on Trial
Brazil’s Supreme Court sentenced ex-president Jair Bolsonaro to 27 years in prison for plotting a coup after losing in 2022. He’s under house arrest in Brasília, calling it a “witch hunt.”
Next moves: His lawyers will appeal to the full 11-justice court, but odds of reversal are slim. A proposed amnesty law is his best shot.
U.S. backlash: Sec. of State Marco Rubio slammed the ruling and targeted Justice Alexandre de Moraes—already sanctioned by Washington for “political prosecutions.” And President Trump piled on, comparing the case to his own court battles.
Brazil’s government rejected U.S. criticism as interference, while new U.S. tariffs and sanctions stoke a brewing Washington–Brasília showdown.
💡 Bottom line: What started as Bolsonaro’s trial is now a U.S.–Brazil cage match over democracy, sovereignty, and who gets to define “witch hunt.”
🗽THE EMPIRE FILES
Political, Entertainment & Culture From DC To NYC
Left: Sabrina’s ad campaign; Right: POTUS at the Yankees Stadium
🇺🇸 Sabrina Fans on Espresso Patrol
Dunkin’ is dropping free reusable Sabrina Carpenter cups on Sept. 12 — but only with a purchase of her Daydream Refresher collab drinks, priced at $6.
The ombré pink-orange cups feature her iconic red lips + signature, and fans are already planning pre-dawn Dunkin’ runs.
Fan reactions: "I'm waking up at 5AM" and "I could cry" over... a plastic cup.
After December's "Espresso" collab success, Dunkin's milking the pop star pipeline harder than a TikTok dance trend. Supplies are limited, so expect a caffeine-fueled stampede.
⚡ Bottom line: Sabrina’s “Espresso” hype train isn’t slowing — it’s caffeinated.
🇺🇸 ⚾ Trump Hits Yankee Stadium on 9/11
POTUS marked the 24th anniversary of 9/11 with a high-profile stop at the Yankee Stadium. He visited the clubhouse and met with the entire Yankees team and staff.
Told Aaron Judge "you're going to win it all" - channeling late Yankee’s owner George Steinbrenner's winning legacy.
Yankees President Randy Levine was seen with Trump in the suite, alongside Trump’s entourage.
On the jumbotron: The President received a classic New York reception—mix of deafening "USA! USA!" chants and scattered boos from 41,000 fans.
💡 Bottom line: Blending solemn 9/11 remembrance with America's pastime—Aaron Judge called it "surreal," but sometimes that's exactly what unity looks like.
🤖 CODES & POWER
Tech Wars, Crypto Chaos, and AI’s Black Mirror Moments
🤖 Winklevoss Moonshot
Gemini — the Winklevoss twins’ crypto exchange — rocketed more than 20% in its Nasdaq debut Friday after raising $425M in its IPO.
Shares opened at $37, spiked to nearly $46, and valued the company at $3.3B.
Losses are still heavy ($283M in H1 2025), but the twins are betting big: they told CNBC bitcoin’s headed to $1M within a decade.
⚡Bottom line: Wall Street just swiped right on crypto’s OG twins.
🚕 Amazon Enters Robotaxi Race
Amazon’s Zoox is officially rolling out free robotaxi rides on the Las Vegas Strip, marking its U.S. debut.
Unlike Waymo or Tesla, Zoox’s fully autonomous, steering-wheel-free vehicles seat four, move bidirectionally, and prioritize rider experience over retrofitted cars.
💡 Bottom line: Amazon’s gamble is long-term: perfect safety isn’t the goal—safer than humans is. With massive scale plans and Las Vegas as launchpad, Zoox is betting big on the autonomous future.
📺 FUN FACTS & TRIVIA
Left: Grand Central Facade; Right: The Vanderbilt Tennis Club
The Secret Tennis Court
The iconic Grand Central Terminal has a secret tennis court. It's located on the fourth floor in a former waiting room and is known as the Vanderbilt Tennis Club, named after the family that built the station.
💀 THE ROAST
