President Donald Trump recently awarded late Turning Point USA founder and CEO Charlie Kirk the Presidential Medal of Freedom just over one month after the activist was assassinated. Kirk was outspoken about his conservative and pro-life views, and his legacy has inspired a new wave of activism.

Shawn Carney, the president and CEO of 40 Days for Life, praised President Donald Trump as “the most pro-life president we’ve ever had,” telling Fox News Digital that pro-life Americans were delighted to see the president honor Kirk.

“It was so beautiful to see him honor Charlie,” Carney said. “He represented freedom, and there would be no pro-life movement without free speech. Free speech is what 40 Days for Life is built on, it’s what the pro-Life dialogue is built upon. It’s [what] Charlie gave his life for, and it was really, really beautiful for all pro-life Americans to see him honored with the highest honor we have in our nation.”

CHARLIE KIRK POSTHUMOUSLY AWARDED MEDAL OF FREEDOM ON WHAT WOULD HAVE BEEN HIS 32ND BIRTHDAY

Kirk was known for participating in debates across the country and the globe, often confronting his harshest critics. Carney believes that Kirk’s willingness to go into tough arenas as well as his approachable and “authentic” nature drew young people to him and the pro-life movement.

“Charlie was open and was honest, and he was also humble and willing to talk to you,” Carney told Fox News Digital, adding that being approachable, as Kirk was, is crucial in pro-life activism.

“So many people have been hurt by abortion. So many people feel strongly in support of reproductive rights. And you just can’t go in and yell or say you’re going to burn in hell. You have to approachable, you have to use reason, you can’t be afraid to share your faith, as Charlie wasn’t,” he added.

Pro-life organization 40 Days for Life has seen an uptick in interest in the wake of Turning Point USA’s founder and CEO Charlie Kirk’s assassination. ( Paul Chinn/The San Francisco Chronicle via Getty Images; Trent Nelson/The Salt Lake Tribune/Getty Images)

CHARLIE KIRK’S COLLEAGUES AND PASTORS PRAISE HIS PATRIOTISM AS TRUMP READIES HIGHEST CIVILIAN HONOR

Carney said that 40 Days for Life has seen an uptick in interest, particularly among young activists, in the wake of Kirk’s assassination.

“His tragic assassination was just two weeks before we kicked off one of our largest fall 40 Days for Life campaigns around the world,” Carney said. “Over 700 cities participating, and we saw a huge uptick, a 36% increase in participation. We had so many young people come out… who knew who Charlie Kirk was, and were inspired by him to participate in 40 Days for Life, who then brought their parents out to pray at our vigils.”

An image of slain conservative commentator Charlie Kirk is placed at a memorial in his honor, at Utah Valley University in Orem, Utah. (Jim Urquhart/Reuters)

ERIKA KIRK SHOWS TPUSA STAFF CHARLIE’S MEDAL OF FREEDOM: ‘YOU GUYS ARE ALL PART OF THE LEGACY’

He recalled one young woman — who he did not name — who said she was “so afraid” to participate in pro-life activism prior to Kirk’s death. Carney noted that despite the “horrible images” of the assassination, many felt empowered and compelled to speak up about their beliefs.

“You thought the opposite would happen, that she’d be more afraid and others would be more afraid, but that didn’t happen,” he said. “It literally inspired her to overcome years of fear.”

Carney also spoke about a TPUSA chapter leader whose mother tried to talk her son out of participating in either TPUSA or 40 Days for Life. The young man apparently told his mother that Charlie would have wanted him to speak out and not to run from culture wars.

Members of the pro-life 40 Days For Life group hold a vigil near to the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital on March 05, 2025 in Glasgow, Scotland.  (Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images)

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When asked what Kirk’s message to pro-life activists would be if he were still alive, Carney said it would be to not give up. Carney added that he has heard newcomers inspired by Kirk say they believe that the TPUSA founder would want them to be outspoken and not to “cower.”

“Right now in our culture, there’s a lot of reasons to be afraid, we can’t give in to them, we have to go out, we have to speak the truth and love, and that is what changes hearts and minds, and that’s the best way we can honor Charlie,” Carney told Fox News Digital.

SACRAMENTO — A vital 17-miles stretch of Interstate 5 in Southern California was cut for hours Saturday after military officials confirmed that live-fire artillery rounds will be shot over the freeway during a military event at Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton.

The southbound 5 Freeway grounded to a halt about half a mile ahead of the El Camino Real exit, the second-to-last exit before the closure.

The previous three freeway exits – Avenida Palizada, Avenida Pico and Avenida Vista Hermosa – all had flashing freeways signs warning of the impending closure.

Those brave or foolish enough to venture beyond Avenida Palizada endured a minimum of 30 minutes trying to exit the freeway.

The closure will stretch from Harbor Drive in Oceanside to Basilone Road near San Onofre and will be in effect from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Amtrak also is shutting down train service between Orange and San Diego counties midday.

Some vehicles on the interstate illegally made nearly 90-degree turns on the freeway heading southbound to break through the bottleneck by exiting the vacant El Camino Real onramp for about 15 minutes. A Highway Patrol officer eventually rode up the ramp and shut off access.

Gov. Gavin Newsom criticized the White House for failing to coordinate or share safety information ahead of the Marine Corps 250th anniversary celebration, which will feature Vice President JD Vance.

“The President is putting his ego over responsibility with this disregard for public safety,” Newsom said in a statement Saturday. “Firing live rounds over a busy highway isn’t just wrong — it’s dangerous.”

Oceanside’s assistant police chief John McKean told The Times he’s been in meetings with Camp Pendleton officials about the celebration for the last month. The closure of the interstate “came up overnight from Governor Newsom’s office.”

In a statement to The Times, the city of Oceanside said it was notified of the interstate closure at 7:30 a.m. via a California Highway Patrol update.

“Marine Corps was not even aware that [the interstate] was going to be closed, this was something from Sacramento to Cal Trans to CHP,” McKean said.

The assistant police chief has lived in the Oceanside area since 1996 and said this is the first time “any training other than fires that I can remember closing down the I-5, this is not a normal thing.”

McKean also said he has spent 20 years in the Marine Corps and “I’ve had artillery shot over me plenty of times,” but he said, “it can be a distraction for drivers, for sure, and I think Governor is doing it in abundance of caution.”

Terry Gorman Brown, spokesperson for the city, said the closure will add hours to the trip of anyone trying to get from San Diego to Los Angeles.

The freeway closure comes despite the Marine Corps and White House saying it is unnecessary. It also underscores the deepening strain between California and the Trump administration — which has been escalating in recent months after the White House deployed National Guard troops to Los Angeles to clamp down on protests, ramped up immigration raids and pressured California universities to comply with his agenda.

The Marine Corps said in a statement that Saturday’s event will be a “historic Amphibious Capabilities Demonstration, showcasing the strength and unity of the Navy-Marine Corps team and ensuring we remain ready to defend the Homeland and our Nation’s interests abroad.”

A spokesperson for the Marines said artillery was shot from Red Beach into designated ranges on Friday evening as part of a dress rehearsal.

“M777 artillery pieces have historically been fired during routine training from land-based artillery firing points west of the I-5 into impact areas east of the interstate within existing safety protocols and without the need to close the route,” the statement said. “This is an established and safe practice.”

The governor’s office said it was informed earlier in the week that the White House was considering closing the freeway and when no order materialized by Wednesday, state officials began weighing whether to do so themselves. Driving that decision, they said, were safety concerns about reports that live ordnance would be fired over the freeway and onto the base.

Newsom’s office said Thursday it was told no live fire would go over the freeway, only to be informed Friday that the military event organizers asked the California Department of Transportation for a sign along the I-5 that read “Overhead fire in progress.”

Earlier Saturday morning, the state was told that live rounds are scheduled to be shot over the freeway around 1:30 p.m, prompting California Highway Patrol officials to recommend the freeway closure because of the potential safety risk and likelihood it would distract drivers.

The military show of force coincides with “No Kings” rallies and marches across the state Saturday challenging President Trump and what critics say is government overreach. Dozens of protests are scheduled Saturday across Southern California, with more than 2,700 demonstrations expected across the country.

During “No Kings” protests in June, President Trump held a military parade in Washington, D.C., which included a 21-gun salute, to celebrate the U.S. Army’s 250th anniversary.

“Using our military to intimidate people you disagree with isn’t strength — it’s reckless, it’s disrespectful, and it’s beneath the office he holds,” Newsom said in a statement. “Law and order? This is chaos and confusion.”

The Marine Corps said in a statement to The Times on Thursday that a detailed risk assessment was conducted and “no highways or transportation routes will be closed” for the event titled “Sea to Shore — A Review of Amphibious Strength.”

Capt. Gregory Dreibelbis of the I Marine Expeditionary Force said that no ordnance will be fired from a U.S. Navy ship during the event, but Marines will fire high explosive rounds from artillery known as M777 Howitzers into designated ranges “with all safety precautions in place.” Simulated explosives and visual effects will also be used, he said.

William Martin, the communications director for Vance, said the Marine Corps determined the training exercise is safe and accused Newsom of politicizing the event.

“Gavin Newsom wants people to think this exercise is dangerous,” Martin said in a statement.

Caltrans said in a press release that the closure is “due to a White House-directed military event at Camp Pendleton involving live ammunition being discharged over the freeway” and that drivers should expect delays before, during and after the event.

Caltrans advised drivers in San Diego County that the detour to head north will begin at State Route 15 in southeast San Diego. Travelers west of SR-15 along the I-5 corridor in San Diego are advised to use SR-94, SR-52, SR-56, or SR-78 to Interstate15 north.

Drivers heading from San Diego to Los Angeles County are advised to use I-15 north to State Route 91 west into Los Angeles. For those starting in Los Angeles and heading south to San Diego, use SR-91 east to I-15 south.

To get to Orange County from San Diego, drivers should take I-15 north to SR-91 west, then SR-55 south. If heading from Orange County south to San Diego, drivers should use SR-55 north to SR-91 east to I-15 south.

The Trump administration previously had plans for a major celebration next month for the 250th anniversary of the Navy and Marines, which would have included an air and sea show — with the Blue Angels and parading warships — to be attended by Trump, according to the San Diego Union-Tribune. Plans to host that show in San Diego have been called off, the paper reported.

Camp Pendleton is a 125,000-acre base in northwestern San Diego County that has been critical in preparing troops for amphibious missions since World War II thanks to its miles of beach and coastal hills. The U.S. Department of Defense is considering making a portion of the base available for development or lease.

President Donald Trump announced on Truth Social Friday that he commuted the sentence of disgraced former Rep. George Santos, R-N.Y., after several campaign finance violations.

“George Santos was somewhat of a ‘rogue,’ but there are many rogues throughout our Country that aren’t forced to serve seven years in prison,” Trump wrote. 

“I started to think about George when the subject of Democrat Senator Richard “Da Nang Dick” Blumenthal came up again…. This is far worse than what George Santos did, and at least Santos had the Courage, Conviction, and Intelligence to ALWAYS VOTE REPUBLICAN!” President Trump added.

“George has been in solitary confinement for long stretches of time and, by all accounts, has been horribly mistreated. Therefore, I just signed a Commutation, releasing George Santos from prison, IMMEDIATELY.”

FORMER CONGRESSMAN GEORGE SANTOS DELIVERS ‘GLAMOROUS’ FAREWELL BEFORE GOING TO PRISON: ‘THE CURTAIN FALLS’

Santos had reported to serve his sentence in federal prison at the end of July earlier this year, with a theatrical X post in which he wrote, “Well, darlings… The curtain falls, the spotlight dims, and the rhinestones are packed.”

The former representative pleaded guilty in 2024 to wire fraud and aggravated identity theft. Santos was assessed the maximum sentence in April by U.S. District Judge Joanna Seybert. Seybert also ordered Santos to pay nearly $374,000 in restitution and forfeit more than $205,000 in fraud proceeds.

Santos “traded in his integrity for designer clothes and a luxury lifestyle,” Nassau County District Attorney Anne T. Donnelly said in a statement at the time.

The former representative and his campaign treasurer had doctored donor reports to qualify for national Republican Party funding, including falsely reporting a $500,000 loan from Santos when he had under $8,000 cumulatively in his accounts.

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Former U.S. Rep. George Santos arrives at court in Central Islip, N.Y., Monday, Aug. 19, 2024. (AP Photo/Stefan Jeremiah)

According to the DOJ, Santos made unauthorized charges to fund both campaign and personal expenses from stolen donor credit card information, including those from “victims he knew were elderly persons suffering from cognitive impairment or decline.” He also used a fake political fundraising company to solicit tens of thousands of dollars which he spent on “designer clothing.”

Santos flipped New York’s third congressional district in 2022 for the GOP despite falsifying his biography, including claiming his family had ties to 9/11 and the Holocaust that were debunked at the time.

Rep. George Santos, R-N.Y., poses for a photo outside the U.S. Capitol after the House failed to pass the Spending Reduction and Border Security Act, Sept. 29, 2023. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)

Santos was expelled by the House of Representatives in December 2023, after a scathing ethics report, making him the sixth member of Congress in history to have been removed.

In Santos’ July X post, he added, “I may be leaving the stage (for now), but trust me legends never truly exit.”

“Good luck George, have a great life!” the President concluded.