John Curtis

Plans announced by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to livestream the firing squad execution of Nidal Hasan, the former Army major who killed 13 people in the 2009 Fort Hood shooting, are drawing bipartisan criticism. The execution is scheduled for Dec. 3 at Fort Hood, the site of the attack; the U.S. military has not carried out an execution since 1961, and no public execution has occurred in the country since at least 1936.

Utah Sen. John Curtis became one of the first congressional Republicans to publicly oppose the plan, warning that broadcasting the execution "cultivates an appetite for executions as a form of entertainment" and urging Hegseth to reconsider. Sen. Thom Tillis called it "beyond disgusting" and compared it to practices in authoritarian states, while Rep. Austin Scott likened it to tactics used by jihadists. Democrats including Sen. Mark Kelly said Hegseth should be removed from his post over the plan. Vice President JD Vance cast doubt on whether the livestream would actually happen. Legal questions remain over whether social media platforms can or should carry the event live.

Utah GOP Sen. John Curtis has called for a Senate Judiciary Committee investigation into Donald Trump Jr. following reports that Russian oligarch Umar Kremlev, a Putin ally, paid hundreds of thousands of dollars toward Trump Jr.'s Bahamas wedding afterparty, including renting a private island and a fireworks display. Curtis sent a letter to Sens. Chuck Grassley and Dick Durbin urging subpoenas for both Trump Jr. and Hunter Biden to examine "use of presidential family relationships for private financial benefit."

Curtis's letter also cited the Trump family's cryptocurrency venture World Liberty Financial, Trump Jr.'s defense-sector investments, and his board seat at prediction market company Kalshi as areas raising conflict-of-interest concerns. He linked the scrutiny to a separate $500 million UAE investment in World Liberty Financial ahead of Trump's inauguration, after which chip-export restrictions to UAE-linked firms were loosened. Curtis argued that congressional oversight standards should apply consistently regardless of which party controls the White House.

Utah Gov. Spencer Cox has designated Sept. 10 as "Charlie Kirk Day," marking one year since the conservative activist was fatally shot while speaking at Utah Valley University in Orem. Cox's official declaration says the day honors Kirk's legacy of civil discourse while rejecting political violence. Utah Sens. Mike Lee and John Curtis, Rep. Mike Kennedy, and Arizona Rep. Andy Biggs offered tributes praising Kirk's advocacy for free speech, and the White House called him "a fearless patriot" whose influence "changed the course of American history."

Turning Point USA, the organization Kirk founded in 2012 and now led by his widow Erika Kirk, held a memorial event, "Freedom Built to Last: Honoring Charlie Kirk," at UVU's UCCU Center Thursday evening, featuring commentators Michael Knowles and Glenn Beck. A separate memorial formed outside TPUSA's Phoenix headquarters, and President Trump honored Kirk at the RNC's midterm convention in Dallas.

Tyler Robinson, accused of shooting Kirk, faces trial on seven charges including aggravated murder, which carries potential death penalty eligibility under Utah law. A judge has ruled he will stand trial on all counts; Robinson has pleaded not guilty.