MSNBC fired senior political analyst Matthew Dowd after he suggested on air that slain conservative activist Charlie Kirk’s own radical rhetoric may have contributed to the shooting that killed him.

During his appearance on Katy Tur Reports, Dowd suggested that Kirk’s rhetoric may have contributed to the violence that claimed his life. Kirk, 31, had a history of rightwing provocation and Christian nationalism, and frequently espoused bigoted rhetoric about Islam, women , LGBTQ+ communities and people of color.

“Hateful thoughts lead to hateful words, which then lead to hateful actions,” Dowd said, adding: “You can’t stop with these sort of awful thoughts you have and then saying these awful words and then not expect awful actions to take place.”

Dowd also speculated about the circumstances of the shooting, saying: “We don’t know if this was a supporter shooting their gun off in celebration. So we have no idea about this.”

The network issued an apology and announced Dowd’s dismissal, which came shortly after Kirk was shot dead during a question-and-answer session at Utah Valley University in Orem, Utah, where he was kicking off a nationwide campus debate tour. MSNBC president Rebecca Kutler described Dowd’s comments as “inappropriate, insensitive and unacceptable” in a statement posted to social media.

“We apologize for his statements, as has he,” Kutler wrote. “There is no place for violence in America, political or otherwise.”

The network almost immediately severed ties with Dowd, with Deadline reporting that MSNBC had cut its relationship with the analyst citing “furor over remarks he made in the aftermath of the shooting”.

Dowd, who served as chief strategist for George W Bush’s 2004 presidential campaign and was formerly a political analyst for ABC News, issued his own apology following the controversy.

Writing on Bluesky, he said: “My thoughts & prayers are w/ the family and friends of Charlie Kirk. On an earlier appearance on MSNBC I was asked a question on the environment we are in. I apologize for my tone and words. Let me be clear, I in no way intended for my comments to blame Kirk for this horrendous attack. Let us all come together and condemn violence of any kind.”

Kirk, co-founder of Turning Point USA and a prominent figure in conservative youth politics who had been credited with boosting the Maga youth vote during the 2024 election, was fatally shot in the neck during the campus event on Wednesday afternoon, with multiple videos of the moment spreading across social media.

Federal authorities are investigating the shooting, with two persons of interest initially taken into custody before being released. Both were briefly detained but released without charge, and a suspect is still at-large.

The killing has drawn sharp criticism from across the political spectrum.

VILNIUS, Lithuania (AP) — Belarus freed 52 political prisoners on Thursday, as the United States announced it was lifting sanctions on the isolated country’s national airline.

Belarus, a close ally of Russia, has been repeatedly slapped with Western sanctions both for its authoritarian government’s crackdown on human rights and its role in Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Its president, Alexander Lukashenko, has ruled the nation of 9.5 million with an iron fist for more than three decades, and allowed the Kremlin to use Belarusian territory to send troops and weapons into Ukraine.

But for more than a year, Lukashenko has sought to mend ties with the West in the hopes of easing the sanctions and the country’s international isolation. He has regularly released prisoners as a way to win favor.

In June, Belarus freed Siarhei Tsikhanouski, a key dissident figure and the husband of exiled opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, and 13 others following a visit by a senior envoy of U.S. President Donald Trump.

Shortly before the release became public on Thursday, Belarusian state media posted a video of U.S. envoy John Coale announcing that Washington had lifted sanctions on Belarus national air carrier, Belavia. The airline was sanctioned by the European Union, the U.S., and others after Belarusian flight controllers ordered a commercial jet traveling from Greece to Lithuania to land in Minsk. Once the plane landed, authorities arrested Raman Pratasevich, a dissident journalist who was on board.

The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The concession from the U.S. comes a day after Poland denounced an incursion of Russian drones into its territory — some from Belarus — in what Western officials called an act of aggression. NATO jets were scrambled and shot some of the drones down. Russian and Belarusian troops have been gathering for war games scheduled to start Friday.

Trump, whose country is the major military power in NATO, offered an ambiguous initial response to the incursions, posting, “What’s with Russia violating Poland’s airspace with drones? Here we go!” on his Truth Social platform.

Tsikhanouskaya, Belarus’ opposition leader in exile, warned that lifting sanctions could create new leverage for both Minsk and Moscow, whose aviation industry has been heavily sanctioned.

“We understand that this is part of the deal,” she told The Associated Press. “But lifting sanctions without systemic changes in the country could open loopholes that both the Lukashenko regime and Russia will use to circumvent the sanctions.”

Among those released Thursday was Ihar Losik, a journalist for U.S. government-funded broadcaster Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, according to human rights group Viasna. The 33-year-old was convicted of “organizing mass riots, taking part in mass disorder, inciting social hatred,” and several other charges that remain unclear, according to the broadcaster. He was sentenced to 15 years in prison in December 2021.

Also among those freed were 14 foreigners — six Lithuanians, two Latvians, two Poles, two Germans, one French national and one U.K. national — according to the Belarusian presidency’s press service.

Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda said the prisoners safely crossed into his country and left “behind barbed wire, barred windows and constant fear.”

“I am deeply grateful to the United States and personally to President @realDonaldTrump for their continued efforts to free political prisoners. 52 is a lot. A great many. Yet more than 1,000 political prisoners still remain in Belarusian prisons and we cannot stop until they see freedom!” Nauseda wrote on X.

Almost 1,200 political prisoners remain behind bars in Belarus, according to Viasna.

Lukashenko has relentlessly cracked down on the opposition and independent media, especially after tens of thousands of people poured into the streets to protest his reelection in August 2020, in a vote widely seen as rigged. They were the largest protests in the country’s history.

In the ensuing crackdown, tens of thousands were detained, with many beaten by police. Prominent opposition figures either fled the country or were imprisoned.

Lukashenko has since extended his rule for a seventh term following a January 2025 election that the opposition also called a farce.

Trump and Lukashenko spoke last month about the release of more prisoners, as the Belarusian leader sought to mend ties with the West.

Coale, Trump’s deputy Ukraine envoy, met Thursday with Lukashenko in the Belarusian capital, where he announced the lifting of sanctions against Belavia.

Founded in 1996, Belavia is Belarus’ only national air carrier. In addition to imposing sanctions after the plane diversion to arrest Pratasevich, outraged EU leaders barred Belavia from EU airspace and airports and directed European carriers to avoid Belarus’ airspace.

As a result, Belavia slashed its fleet from 29 to 14 aircraft.

___

Karmanau reported from Barcelona, Spain. Associated Press writers Dasha Litvinova in Tallinn, Estonia, and Katie Marie Davies in Manchester, England, contributed.

Nothing shared the first full image of its next wireless earbuds today. The design of the new Ear 3 earbuds and their charging case appear very similar to the Ear 2 that debuted in 2023, but Nothing has revealed that the case is now partly made of 100 percent recycled anodized aluminum. For the first time, the Ear 3’s charging case will also feature a microphone called the Super Mic, and a dedicated “talk” button.

The company says it’s introducing metal components on the Ear 3 “for greater durability and a premium finish,” and that it has “reengineered the metal antenna” in the earbuds to achieve an ultra-slim design. Unfortunately, details about what the charging case’s microphone and talk button can be used for, as well as performance details about the new wireless earbuds, won’t be revealed until September 18th, 2025 at 8AM ET.

Over the past week Nothing has shared additional teaser images of the Ear 3 through its X account, but the close-up photos have only revealed fine design details so far. The talk button and microphone are interesting additions, but it’s not known exactly how they’ll be used. Will it just be for summoning a smart assistant, or will the Ear 3’s charging case double as a wireless mic like those from DJI and Insta360?