Kirk Preliminary Hearing Opens

The preliminary hearing for Tyler Robinson, the man accused of assassinating Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk, began Monday in Provo, Utah.

Kirk’s widow, Erika, his parents, and Donald Trump Jr. sat in the gallery. Charlie Kirk built Turning Point into a conservative youth powerhouse and made metro Phoenix its headquarters. Erika Kirk now serves as the organization’s CEO.

Over five days, prosecutors will lay out evidence to persuade Judge Tony Graf to send Robinson to trial, including DNA that allegedly links Robinson to the rifle used in the killing.

Robinson, charged with aggravated murder and six other counts, has not entered a plea, and his attorneys have said nothing about his guilt or innocence.

Base Gets Space Mission

The U.S. Space Force is bringing a new mission to Fort Huachuca in Sierra Vista, strengthening Arizona’s growing role in national security and military space operations.

The unit will process data from ground-based sensors to track satellites and monitor other objects in orbit, supporting GPS, military communications, and other defense systems.

The other objects include decommissioned satellites and satellite debris, said Col. Brandon Alford, commander of Space Forces Southern at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base in Tucson. “We have to keep track of everything that goes into space, and a lot of that is not active payloads. A lot of that is just pieces of satellites,” he said.

U.S. Rep. Juan Ciscomani, R-Tucson, and other state leaders began pushing for the project a year ago, citing the region’s existing military intelligence operations, dark skies, and dry climate.

Guide Completes Epic Row

Grand Canyon river guide Kelsey Pfendler successfully rowed her 21-foot boat solo from California to Hawaii in 43 days, breaking the women’s and men’s crossing records.

Pfendler, 32,  set out from Monterey on May 21 and pulled into Honolulu’s Ala Wai Boat Harbor on Friday night to a cheering crowd after rowing more than 2,400 miles. Her time broke the women’s record of 86 days and the men’s mark of 52 days.

Pfendler spent eight years guiding trips on the Colorado River and has raced on the USA women’s raft team.

She made the crossing partly to raise money for the Whale Foundation, a nonprofit that supports the mental and physical health of Grand Canyon river guides. The foundation has drawn more than $30,000 in direct donations since she launched.

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➤ Statewide: An extreme heat warning was issued for most of Arizona this week, with high temperatures in some regions expected to hit 115 degrees. (More)

➤ Glendale: A memorial service Sunday in Grand Junction, Colorado, honored Glendale native Nick Hutcherson and two other firefighters killed in a wildfire near the Colorado-Utah border. (More)

➤ Page: Lake Powell dropped to its lowest level of 2026 and is nearing its all-time low, now less than a quarter full and threatening the dam’s hydropower generation. (See Details)

➤ Tucson: The American Antique Mall on Grant Road plans to close after 33 years, with a liquidation sale scheduled for the fall. (See Details)

➤ Kingman: Mohave County will use anti-counterfeiting Ballot Guard election ballot paper for the first time in the July 21 primary. (See Details)

➤ Paradise Valley: The affluent Phoenix suburb of 13,000 ranks as the richest in Arizona, with the nation’s second-highest average home value of $3.3 million. (More)

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➤ Arizona Diamondbacks pitcher Eduardo Rodriguez and outfielder Corbin Carroll were named to the National League All-Star team. (See Roster)

➤ Arizona Cardinals quarterback Carson Beck is generating buzz as a potential starter after an encouraging offseason, though veteran Jacoby Brissett is still in the mix. (More) 

➤ Phoenix Suns forward Dillon Brooks said his goal for the 2026-27 season is to avoid picking up a league-leading 17 technical fouls again. (More)

➤ Phoenix Suns and Mercury CEO Josh Bartelstein is finalizing a contract extension after helping engineer the Suns’ turnaround from a lottery team to a playoff contender. (More) 

➤ Yesterday’s Results: World Cup | Wimbledon | MLB | WNBA

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➤ Technology distributor Ingram Micro Services will close its Chandler facility and lay off 75 workers by Dec. 31, consolidating operations at sites in California and Indiana. (See Details)

➤ Gov. Katie Hobbs signed the Groseta Act, requiring lab-grown meat sold in Arizona to be labeled “cell-cultivated” or “cell-cultured.” It is named for the late Cottonwood rancher Andy Groseta. (More)

➤ Gas prices are falling, with Arizona’s average down to just under $4 a gallon from more than $4.60 in June. (See Details)

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➤ Phoenix’s Urban Farm is teaching residents to harvest backyard mesquite pods and mill them into a naturally sweet, gluten-free flour. The practice revives a Sonoran Desert food that Native Americans have used for generations. (Read Story)

➤ Vitalant held Arizona’s largest blood drive at the Tempe Center for the Arts, aiming to rebuild supplies during what the blood bank calls the leanest stretch of the summer. (See Details)

➤ Marco Peralta, an Arizona State University graduate, served as the Spanish-language public address announcer for the Mexico-England World Cup match at Mexico City’s Estadio Azteca on Sunday. The 27-year-old interned with the Phoenix Suns before calling his first World Cup in Qatar in 2022. (Watch)

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The following stories are featured exclusively on The Flyover Podcast—a daily show that gives you the most important headlines in under 15 minutes. Clicking the links will take you directly to these stories:

➤ Skip the expensive creams, because here are five sure-fire remedies to calm sunburned skin and speed recovery. (Hear Details)

➤ Charlie Kirk’s suspected assassin heads to a Utah courtroom this week, where prosecutors are seeking the death penalty. (Hear Episode)

➤ China test-fired a long-range ballistic missile from a submarine into the South Pacific, inside a decades-old nuclear-free zone. (Listen Now)

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