HOT TOPICS | Charlie Kirk Shooting Fallout EXPLODES! - September 17th, 2025

Don takes you inside the halls of Congress with Rep. Johnny Olszewski for a candid conversation about the state of politics in America right now. From the deepening divisiveness to the urgent need for unity, they walk and talk about what it will take to move the country forward. They also dive into one of the biggest stories shaking Washington, the Epstein files. What do the files reveal, what can we expect moving forward, and how do we make sure the truth comes to light? Real talk. Real accountability. Directly from the Capitol. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Tonight on The Don Lemon Show, we’re searching for answers. The killing of Charlie Kirk still leaves so many unanswered question, yet MAGA has wasted no time exploiting the tragedy to demonize the left. We’ll break down what we know, what we don’t, and the dangerous political spin already underway. Then, we turn to Mississippi, where the body of a Black student was found hanging from a tree at Delta State University. The investigation is ongoing, and the community is demanding answers. Two tragedies, two stories raising urgent questions about truth, justice, and accountability in America. Don is live tonight to confront them head-on. This episode is brought to you by ZBiotics. Go to https://zbiotics.com/LEMON and use LEMON at checkout for 15% off any first time orders of ZBiotics probiotics. This episode is sponsored by Mint Mobile. Quit stalling and start saving when you make the switch. Shop plans at https://MINTMOBILE.com/DONLEMON. Upfront payment of $45 required (equivalent to $15/mo.). Limited time new customer offer for first 3 months only. Speeds may slow above 35GB on Unlimited plan. Taxes & fees extra. See MINT MOBILE for details. This episode is sponsored by Shopify. Sign up for your one-dollar-per-month trial and start selling today at https://shopify.com/lemon Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Don sits down with Senator Jacky Rosen for a conversation about the state of the country. From skyrocketing food prices to the cost of healthcare, jobs, and overall affordability, the challenges her constituents in Nevada are facing are the same issues weighing on families across America. Sen. Rosen makes it clear that these aren’t partisan problems, they’re everyday problems. But while people are desperate for solutions, Trump continues to show he doesn’t care about actually fixing them. This is a candid look at where America stands right now, and what’s at stake if these issues aren’t addressed. This episode is brought to you by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at betterhelp.com/donlemon and get on your way to being your best self. This episode is brought to you by Wild Alaskan. Not all fish are the same! Get seafood you can trust. Go to https://wildalaskan.com/LEMON for $35 off your first box of premium, wild-caught seafood. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Good morning, we’re live from D.C. with the latest fallout after the murder of Charlie Kirk. MAGA leaders are now vowing revenge, with Pam Bondi going so far as to say that anyone engaging in so-called “hate speech” against MAGA supporters will be prosecuted. Let’s be clear, that’s not only chilling, it’s flat-out unconstitutional. Do they not understand the First Amendment, or do they just not care? Don will be joined by Tara Setmayer to break it all down: the rhetoric, the threats, and the dangerous precedent this could set for free speech in America. This episode is brought to you by ZBiotics. Go to https://zbiotics.com/LEMON and use LEMON at checkout for 15% off any first time orders of ZBiotics probiotics. This episode is sponsored by Mint Mobile. Quit stalling and start saving when you make the switch. Shop plans at https://MINTMOBILE.com/DONLEMON. Upfront payment of $45 required (equivalent to $15/mo.). Limited time new customer offer for first 3 months only. Speeds may slow above 35GB on Unlimited plan. Taxes & fees extra. See MINT MOBILE for details. This episode is sponsored by Shopify. Sign up for your one-dollar-per-month trial and start selling today at https://shopify.com/lemon Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

🚨 LIVE from Washington, D.C. 🚨 Don is on the ground at the Capitol today, bringing you real, unfiltered conversations with lawmakers from across the aisle. From Rep. Nancy Mace to Rep. Greg Casar, Rep. Becca Balint, and Rep. Mark Pocan, Don is asking the tough questions, pressing them on the issues that matter, and holding them accountable in real time. No spin. No hiding behind talking points. Just straight answers from the people making the decisions. Tune in, join the conversation, and see how your representatives respond when it’s Don asking the questions. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We’re digging into the latest updates in the Charlie Kirk shooting case. New evidence shows the shooter’s roommate, who happens to be transgender, has been overwhelmingly cooperative and helpful to police. But predictably, MAGA is already weaponizing this fact to fuel even more anti-trans hate. This moment is dark and deeply troubling, not just for the trans community but for all Americans who care about safety, truth, and equality. Don will break down what this means, the dangerous narrative being pushed, and why we can’t look away. Joining us tonight to break it all down is friend of the show, Reecie Colbert. This episode is brought to you by ZBiotics. Go to https://zbiotics.com/LEMON and use LEMON at checkout for 15% off any first time orders of ZBiotics probiotics. This episode is sponsored by Mint Mobile. Quit stalling and start saving when you make the switch. Shop plans at https://MINTMOBILE.com/DONLEMON. Upfront payment of $45 required (equivalent to $15/mo.). Limited time new customer offer for first 3 months only. Speeds may slow above 35GB on Unlimited plan. Taxes & fees extra. See MINT MOBILE for details. This episode is sponsored by MSI Choices. Go to https://msiunitedstates.org or text “lemon” to five eleven five eleven. Text “lemon” to 511511 and see all the Wonderful services they provide. Text Fees May Apply. This episode is brought to you by Wild Alaskan. Not all fish are the same! Get seafood you can trust. Go to https://wildalaskan.com/LEMON for $35 off your first box of premium, wild-caught seafood. This episode is sponsored by Shopify. Sign up for your one-dollar-per-month trial and start selling today at https://shopify.com/lemon Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This morning, we’re zeroing in on MAGA’s escalating attack on free speech. In the wake of Charlie Kirk’s tragic death, the right is weaponizing a tragedy as a tool for censorship. Pam Bondi is now floating the idea that certain comments will be labeled “hate speech” and prosecuted. Donald Trump is suing The New York Times, and the administration looks like it’s on a warpath against anyone who refuses to fall in line. Here’s the twist: even some MAGA voices are starting to speak out against this blatant disregard for the First Amendment. Will the administration really be able to push this through? And what does it mean for the future of free expression in America? Let’s break it down. This episode is brought to you by ZBiotics. Go to https://zbiotics.com/LEMON and use LEMON at checkout for 15% off any first time orders of ZBiotics probiotics. This episode is sponsored by Mint Mobile. Quit stalling and start saving when you make the switch. Shop plans at https://MINTMOBILE.com/DONLEMON. Upfront payment of $45 required (equivalent to $15/mo.). Limited time new customer offer for first 3 months only. Speeds may slow above 35GB on Unlimited plan. Taxes & fees extra. See MINT MOBILE for details. This episode is sponsored by MSI Choices. Go to https://msiunitedstates.org or text “lemon” to five eleven five eleven. Text “lemon” to 511511 and see all the Wonderful services they provide. Text Fees May Apply. This episode is brought to you by Wild Alaskan. Not all fish are the same! Get seafood you can trust. Go to https://wildalaskan.com/LEMON for $35 off your first box of premium, wild-caught seafood. This episode is sponsored by Shopify. Sign up for your one-dollar-per-month trial and start selling today at https://shopify.com/lemon Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Tonight, we’re once again digging into the MAGA response to the killing of Charlie Kirk, and it’s getting even darker. JD Vance and Stephen Miller are now vowing revenge, twisting the tragedy to claim that violence only comes from the left, and openly threatening to go after so-called “left-wing organizations.” How did we get here? At a moment when the nation desperately needs unity and calm, MAGA’s leaders are choosing to inflame division and stoke fear. It’s a grim reminder of just how dangerous this political moment has become. This episode is brought to you by ZBiotics. Go to https://zbiotics.com/LEMON and use LEMON at checkout for 15% off any first time orders of ZBiotics probiotics. This episode is sponsored by MSI Choices. Go to https://msiunitedstates.org or text “lemon” to five eleven five eleven. Text “lemon” to 511511 and see all the Wonderful services they provide. Text Fees May Apply. This episode is sponsored by Mint Mobile. Quit stalling and start saving when you make the switch. Shop plans at https://MINTMOBILE.com/DONLEMON. Upfront payment of $45 required (equivalent to $15/mo.). Limited time new customer offer for first 3 months only. Speeds may slow above 35GB on Unlimited plan. Taxes & fees extra. See MINT MOBILE for details. This episode is brought to you by Wild Alaskan. Not all fish are the same! Get seafood you can trust. Go to https://wildalaskan.com/LEMON for $35 off your first box of premium, wild-caught seafood. This episode is sponsored by Shopify. Sign up for your one-dollar-per-month trial and start selling today at https://shopify.com/lemon Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Don Lemon sits down with activist Cameron Kasky for a wide-ranging conversation on some of the biggest issues shaping America right now. From the fight against oligarchy, to the crisis in Israel and Gaza, to the generational and gender divides within Gen Z, no topic is off the table. They also take a hard look at the Democratic Party’s missteps, and what Democrats must do if they want to move forward, inspire voters, and meet the urgency of this moment. Thoughtful, sharp, and unfiltered, this is a conversation you won’t want to miss. This episode is brought to you by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at betterhelp.com/donlemon and get on your way to being your best self. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This morning, Don takes a hard look at just how dark things have gotten in America. First up: the MAGA response to the Charlie Kirk killing. Political violence is always wrong, but now MAGA world is on a warpath, calling for the firing of anyone who said anything short of absolute adoration for Kirk. Funny how the folks who claim to be champions of “free speech” only mean it when you agree with them. Then, we turn to Fox News host Brian Kilmeade, who actually suggested on air that we should kill homeless people. He has since apologized, but seriously, WTF?! From glorifying violence to silencing dissent, the rhetoric is getting darker by the day. Where does this end? This episode is brought to you by ZBiotics. Go to https://zbiotics.com/LEMON and use LEMON at checkout for 15% off any first time orders of ZBiotics probiotics. This episode is sponsored by MSI Choices. Go to https://msiunitedstates.org or text “lemon” to five eleven five eleven. Text “lemon” to 511511 and see all the Wonderful services they provide. Text Fees May Apply. This episode is sponsored by Mint Mobile. Quit stalling and start saving when you make the switch. Shop plans at https://MINTMOBILE.com/DONLEMON. Upfront payment of $45 required (equivalent to $15/mo.). Limited time new customer offer for first 3 months only. Speeds may slow above 35GB on Unlimited plan. Taxes & fees extra. See MINT MOBILE for details. This episode is brought to you by Wild Alaskan. Not all fish are the same! Get seafood you can trust. Go to https://wildalaskan.com/LEMON for $35 off your first box of premium, wild-caught seafood. This episode is sponsored by Shopify. Sign up for your one-dollar-per-month trial and start selling today at https://shopify.com/lemon Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices