Midwest
Flashback: Dem candidate fundraised with commentator who mocked Charlie Kirk death
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As conservatives across the nation remember Charlie Kirk on his first birthday since his assassination, some are also remembering how many on the left, including elected officials, refused to condemn those mocking his death, or who even stood by them.
Just over a week after Kirk’s murder, Michigan state Sen. Mallory McMorrow, a Democrat currently running for U.S. Senate, participated in a fundraiser for her campaign hosted by liberal commentator Rebecca Schoenkopf who posted on social media mocking Kirk hours after his shooting.
Schoenkopf, who runs a leftist Substack blog, mockingly reposted a news story on Bluesky with the caption “o.o” about people paying witches on Etsy to curse Kirk.
The day after Kirk’s killing, Schoenkopf criticized the firing of professors who mocked Kirk and sarcastically called Kirk “a hero to the end,” blaming him for building an environment of hostility.
TOP CONSERVATIVE SPEAKERS VOW THEY ‘WILL NOT BE SILENCED’ AFTER CHARLIE KIRK’S ASSASSINATION
Michigan state Sen. Mallory McMorrow (right), who is running for the U.S. Senate, participated in a fundraiser for her campaign with a liberal commentator who mocked Charlie Kirk (left) after his death. (Alex Brandon/The Associated Press; Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/AFP via Getty Images)
“Boy sure seems like we’re firing a lot of professors this week for bull**** made up specious selectively edited reasons. Charlie Kirk built that. A hero to the end,” wrote Schoenkopf.
In a blog post that same day she wrote, “Anyway, Charlie Kirk got shot at Utah Valley University yesterday, and he is dead … Kinda seems like we should do something about guns.”
The next day, she criticized the firing of a person who she said, “correctly pointed out that Charlie Kirk unfortunately espoused a lot of hate.”
Her blog, which previously called Kirk a “racist, antisemitic, oppressed-by-sign-language, short-pants wearing human Adobe pinch tool,” has also posted several pieces mocking Kirk’s death.
WATCH: BIPARTISAN GROUP OF LAWMAKERS EXPRESS SHOCK, GRIEF AFTER CHARLIE KIRK’S KILLING
Charlie Kirk speaks before he is assassinated during Turning Point’s visit to Utah Valley University in Orem, Utah, Wednesday, Sept. 10, 2025. (Tess Crowley/The Deseret News via AP)
In one article posted on the blog, titled “Second Amendment Comes For Charlie Kirk,” the author wrote that Kirk “was an enthusiastic participant in the drive to push American politics toward constant outrage and violent rhetoric.”
The author concluded by writing that “it seems that with his murder, we’re now getting closer to that moment a Kirk fan dreamed of right down the road from me in Idaho, when patriots could finally start shooting Democrats.”
Another post published on Schoenkopf’s blog titled “The Evil That Men Do Lives After Them,” called Kirk a “professional s***lord” and “low-rent troll,” and argued that “being the victim of a senseless assassination doesn’t ennoble anything the man did in his career of trolling, lying, and pushing hate.”
Another blog post concluded with a video of Virginia Baptist pastor Howard-John Wesley calling Kirk “an unapologetic racist, sowing seeds of hate and division,” and saying, “I am sorry, but there is nowhere in [the] Bible where we are taught to honor evil, and how you die does not redeem how you lived. You do not become a hero in your death when you are a weapon of the enemy in your life.”
EXPERTS WARN LEFTIST CELEBRATIONS OF CHARLIE KIRK’S DEATH SIGNAL A DANGEROUS MAINSTREAM SHIFT IN POLITICS
An image of slain conservative commentator Charlie Kirk is placed at a memorial in his honor, at Utah Valley University in Orem, Utah, Sept. 29, 2025. (Jim Urquhart/Reuters)
McMorrow has taken a very different tone, posting on the day that Kirk was shot, “I’m horrified by the shooting of Charlie Kirk in Utah. Violence like this is abhorrent, and is never, ever acceptable,” and “even if we virulently disagree, we stand for free speech, and nowhere should free debate be more encouraged or protected than college campuses.”
Despite this, McMorrow participated in a fundraiser hosted in Schoenkopf’s Detroit home on Sept. 21, eleven days after Kirk’s killing.
Schoenkopf wrote a blog post explaining her support for McMorrow, saying, “she’s tired of offering olive branches to people who f****** light them on fire.”
“I want a senator who’s good and f****** mad, and who understands how good and f****** mad we are, and who won’t s*** on progressives (or centrists, or libs) to make herself look better to some Democratic consultant in the sky,” wrote Schoenkopf.
On the day of the fundraiser, McMorrow herself wrote on social media that “since the assassination of Charlie Kirk, we’ve seen too many use his murder as an excuse to divide, to blame the so-called ‘radical left,’ from the President of the United States to colleagues in my own legislature.”
FOLLOWING KIRK’S ASSASSINATION, LAWMAKERS REACT TO LETHAL POLITICAL CLIMATE: ‘VIOLENT WORDS PRECEDE VIOLENT ACTIONS’
Michigan state Sen. Mallory McMorrow holds up a Project 2025 book during the Democratic National Convention at the United Center in Chicago, Illinois, on Monday, Aug. 19, 2024. (David Paul Morris/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
“Political violence has no party, and if we can’t come together on both sides of the aisle to bring our states and our country together and to speak out in a unified voice against anyone who would seek to settle differences with violence instead of in conversation or at the ballot box, then our nation will stay divided. Stoking hate, division, anger, and fear only serves to continue this horrible cycle,” wrote McMorrow.
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In response to Fox News Digital’s request for comment, a campaign representative for McMorrow pointed to her two social media posts addressing Kirk’s killing.
Fox News Digital also reached out to Schoenkopf for comment but did not immediately receive a response.
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Illinois
Firefighter faces arson charges after Illinois wildfire burns hundreds of acres
A volunteer firefighter is facing arson charges after he allegedly set a fire in a Lee County wildlife preserve, scorching hundreds of acres.
According to authorities, 21-year-old Trent Schaefer, a volunteer firefighter in Ohio, Illinois, was charged with one count of arson in connection to a fire that occurred in the Green River State Wildlife Management Area Friday.
On that date, temperatures had soared into the 60s, winds were whipping at more than 30 miles per hour, and humidity plunged below 30%, leading the National Weather Service to issue warnings on the danger of wildfires in Illinois.
It is alleged that Schaefer was seen by witnesses getting out of a vehicle and igniting multiple small fires within the nature preserve, which then coalesced into a larger blaze.
Those witnesses were able to restrain the suspect until Lee County sheriff’s deputies arrested him.
Image taken by Lee County Sheriff’s Office
By the time firefighters arrived on scene the blaze had already spread, and multiple departments were called in to assist with the fire, including the Illinois Department of Natural Resources.
Firefighters were able to bring the blaze under control by the late afternoon, but not before it burned more than 700 acres, according to authorities.
Schaefer is also a suspect in several other arsons around Lee County, but he has not been charged in any other fires at this time.
Illinois State Police are assisting with the investigation, and no further information was immediately available.
Indiana
Coast Guard investigates death of mariner working barge in Jeffersonville
WATCH: Barges keep moving on icy Ohio River in Louisville, Kentucky
Days of extremely cold weather during the first several weeks of 2026 left the Ohio River covered in sections of ice.
U.S. Coast Guard officials are investigating March 1 after a mariner died while working on a barge in Jeffersonville, Indiana.
An incident involving the mariner occurred the afternoon of Feb. 27 at mile marker 597 of the Ohio River, said Lt. Cmdr. Steve Leighty, public affairs officer for the U.S. Coast Guard Ohio Valley Sector. Leighty declined to provide further details about the mariner and the circumstances of their death, citing the ongoing investigation.
Officials with the Clark County Sheriff’s Office are also investigating the incident, Leighty said.
Reach reporter Leo Bertucci at lbertucci@usatodayco.com or @leober2chee on X, formerly known as Twitter
Iowa
Nebraska Men’s Basketball’s Week Ahead: Crucial Games at UCLA and Home vs. Iowa
Nebraska men’s basketball faces a critical week that will determine its Big Ten Conference and NCAA Tournament seeding.
The Huskers play at UCLA on Tuesday night and finish the regular season next Sunday at home vs. Iowa.
The Huskers are currently tied for second place in the Big Ten with Michigan State. Both teams have four conference losses. They are one game in the loss column ahead of Illinois and Purdue, with five losses. Wisconsin has six losses.
The top four teams earn the coveted triple bye for the Big Ten Tournament. Regular-season champion Michigan has one spot locked up.
Here are the remaining schedules of the contenders for the triple bye, with conference record in parentheses:
Nebraska (14-4)
* Tuesday: at UCLA
* Sunday: vs. Iowa
Michigan State (13-4)
* Sunday: at Indiana
* Thursday: vs. Rutgers
* Sunday, March 8: at Michigan
Illinois (13-5)
* Tuesday: vs. Oregon
* Sunday, March 8: at Maryland
Purdue (12-5)
* Sunday: at Ohio State
* Wednesday: at Northwestern
* Saturday: vs. Wisconsin
Wisconsin (12-6)
* Wednesday: vs. Maryland
* Saturday: at Purdue
Maintaining an NCAA seed no worse than 3 should benefit the Huskers, who wouldn’t have to play, theoretically, the No. 1 seed until the Elite Eight game.
It’s a ton to play for in the final week of a historic regular season for Nebraska. But that’s what March is all about.
Nebraska at UCLA
When: Tuesday, 10 p.m. CT
Where: Pauley Pavilion, Los Angeles
Records: Nebraska, 25-4, 14-4 in Big Ten; UCLA, 19-10, 11-7 in Big Ten
TV: FS1
Rankings updated based on games through Saturday.
UCLA rankings
* Associated Press Top 25: Not ranked
* NCAA Net Ratings: 40
* USA Today Coaches Poll: Not ranked
* Kenpom.com: 41
* ESPN Power Index: 34
* Top 25 and 1: Not ranked
* Team Rankings.com: 41
In Joe Lunardi’s latest Bracketology projections for ESPN, UCLA is a 9-seed for the 68-team NCAA Tournament. The next Bracketology will be released Tuesday.
Nebraska rankings
* Associated Press Top 25: 12
* NCAA Net Ratings: 12
* USA Today Coaches Poll: 10
* Kenpom.com: 11
* ESPN Power Index: 15
* Top 25 and 1: 8
* Team Rankings.com: 11
In Joe Lunardi’s latest Bracketology projections for ESPN, Nebraska is a 3-seed for the 68-team NCAA Tournament.
Nebraska-UCLA analysis
The Bruins are coming off a strange week. They crushed visiting rival USC, 81-62, on Tuesday, then lost at Minnesota, 78-73, on Saturday.
UCLA is 16-1 at home, its only loss to Indiana, 98-97, in double overtime on Jan. 31.
The game will be a homecoming for Huskers forward Berke Buyuktuncel, who played at UCLA in 2023-24, his freshman season. Buyuktuncel has started 27 games and averages 6.7 points and 5.6 rebounds per game this season for the Huskers and frequently earns praise from coach Fred Hoiberg.
Nebraska thoroughly dispatched USC on Saturday, 82-67, an impressive performance on the road against a Trojans team desperate for a statement win to help — or save — their NCAA hopes.
Pryce Sandfort scored 32 points — one short of his career high — as the Huskers won their 14th conference game, a school record. Nebraska is 7-2 on the road in conference games.
This should be a great matchup — UCLA a strong team playing at home vs. a Nebraska team playing well and full of confidence. This feels like a one-possession game.
Iowa at Nebraska
When: Sunday, March 8, 4 p.m. CT
Where: Pinnacle Bank Arena
Records: Nebraska, 25-4, 14-4 in Big Ten; Iowa, 20-9, 10-8 in Big Ten
TV: Fox
Rankings updated based on games through Saturday.
Iowa rankings
* Associated Press Top 25: 33
* NCAA Net Ratings: 28
* USA Today Coaches Poll: 30
* Kenpom.com: 24
* ESPN Power Index: 35
* Top 25 and 1: Not ranked
* Team Rankings.com: 31
In Joe Lunardi’s latest Bracketology projections for ESPN, Iowa is an 8-seed for the 68-team NCAA Tournament.
Nebraska rankings
* Associated Press Top 25: 12
* NCAA Net Ratings: 12
* USA Today Coaches Poll: 10
* Kenpom.com: 11
* ESPN Power Index: 15
* Top 25 and 1: 8
* Team Rankings.com: 11
In Joe Lunardi’s latest Bracketology projections for ESPN, Nebraska is a 3-seed for the 68-team NCAA Tournament.
Nebraska-Iowa analysis
The Hawkeyes are coming off a puzzling, 71-69 loss at Penn State on Saturday. Iowa led 67-62 with 3:49 to play, and then scored only one more basket. Iowa plays host to Michigan on Thursday.
Nebraska will get a final curtain call at Pinnacle Bank Arena, where the Huskers are 15-2.
Nebraska should have revenge on its mind after losing at Iowa, 57-52, on Feb. 17, in Sandfort’s return to Iowa City, where he played for two seasons.
Whatever Nebraska nerves were a factor at Iowa shouldn’t be in play at Pinnacle Bank Arena. Nebraska shot only 21 percent from distance in Iowa City. Sandfort scored 13 points, his lowest total since Jan. 10, when he scored 12 at Indiana.
Iowa’s Bennett Stirtz scored 25 points. That won’t happen in this game. Neither will Nebraska’s ice-cold shooting from distance, especially if the game could determine the triple bye for the Huskers.
More From Nebraska On SI
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