Kyle Rittenhouse acquitted: Protests erupt from New York to California: LIVE UPDATES

When a Wisconsin jury acquitted Kyle Rittenhouse of murder charges last week, that development hampered the progress of science, a Virginia university's chemistry department suggested in a series of online posts that at least one critic is deriding as inappropriate "politicized rhetoric.

"The communications on James Madison University's official Instagram account also briefly included a so-called "student takeover" video in which a JMU student lamented the "murdering" of "two beautiful Black lives" – even though the jury agreed that Rittenhouse acted in self-defense and the two men he fatally shot were both White.

"Reminder: it is hard to focus on science if you are worried you might be legally shot or run over at a protest," the JMU Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry tweeted on Saturday, the day after Rittenhouse's acquittal. The department continued, referencing various shootings of Black men that the Black Lives Matter movement has turned into rallying cries.

JMU's official Instagram account also shared a video featuring student Deaquan Nichols. In the video, Nichols addresses "The verdict in the Kyle Rittenhouse case."

"We scream ‘Black Lives Matter’ but it doesn't matter enough for these people who are in power – the jury, the judge, anybody – to charge this man with murdering and taking away two beautiful Black lives," Nichols says. 

Tina Ramirez, founder of the religious freedom nonprofit Hardwired Global and a Republican candidate for Congress in Virginia's 7th Congressional District, shared the Nichols video on Twitter – and accused the university of "pushing political propaganda."

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In a report for "Face the Nation," reporter Mark Strassman falsely claimed that Kyle Rittenhouse crossed state lines "armed for battle."

On Sunday, the CBS program featured a news package on the recent jury ruling over 18-year-old Rittenhouse. In August 2020, the then-17-year-old Rittenhouse shot three men attempting to attack him during the Kenosha riots in Wisconsin. The shots later killed two of his attackers, Joseph Rosenbaum and Anthony Huber, while wounding a third, Gaige Grosskreutz.

Rittenhouse then faced several charges, including first-degree intentional homicide. His attorneys claimed he had fired the weapon in self-defense.

Strassman reported on the events leading up to the riots, including the police shooting of Jacob Blake. Regarding Rittenhouse, Strassman described him as having been "drove in from Illinois armed for battle."

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Kyle Rittenhouse's mother Wendy Rittenhouse told Fox News on Sunday that there's no "winning or losing" in the wake of her son's acquittal in the murder trial that gripped the nation for the past two weeks.

Wendy's 18-year-old son was on trial for first-degree intentional homicide, two counts of first-degree intentional homicide and two counts of first-degree reckless endangerment after shooting and killing two men and wounding another during riots in Kenosha, Wisconsin in August 2020 following the police shooting of Jacob Blake. 

His critics largely convicted him as a murderer, while the defendant and his legal team argued Kyle had been acting in self-defense. The jury found him not guilty on all charges Friday.

"It's not about winning or losing," Wendy told Fox News correspondent Alexis McAdams. "There were two people that did pass away and families have grieved."

"He does have remorse," she said of her son, later adding, "He would have never went down there if this would have ever happened again. He would never."

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Kyle Rittenhouse told Tucker Carlson in an exclusive interview that he "had to do it" and was attacked.

"I tell everybody there what happened, I said 'I had to do it, I was just attacked, I was dizzy, I was vomiting, I couldn't breathe,'" Rittenhouse said.

Watch the full interview on Monday at 8 p.m. Eastern time on "Tucker Carlson Tonight."

The mainstream media is under fire for alleged false reporting throughout the Kyle Rittenhouse murder trial and defense lawyer Mark Richards confirmed with NewsNation Now that coverage from some outlets was just plain wrong.

"Much of the coverage at the beginning was wrong," he told "Banfield" host Ashleigh Banfield, who previously worked for CNN, Sunday. "The trial proved that."

Richards mentioned outlets like CNN and MSNBC who blatantly spread misinformation, such as MSNBC host Joe Scarborough detailing that Rittenhouse shot his firearm 60 times.

Another false claim fueled by the media was that Rittenhouse's firearm possession was illegal, while multiple media outlets also inaccurately reported that Rittenhouse illegally crossed state lines with his rifle. In reality, the AR-15 he used during the riot was already at a friend's house in Kenosha. 

"That’s wrong," he said. "When I hear some guest host on Joy Reid say my client drove four hours to go to a riot with his AR, that’s wrong. It’s false." 

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Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said Sunday that there’s "a lot to be upset about" following the not-guilty verdict in the Kyle Rittenhouse trial.

Buttigieg was asked by NBC News anchor Chuck Todd to weigh in on the case, which concluded Friday after a jury acquitted Rittenhouse in the fatal shooting of two men during a riot last year in Kenosha, Wisconsin.

"Look, there’s a lot of pain in this country, and that pain and that frustration was aroused by the entire case, including the verdict," Buttigieg said. "And for a lot of us, there’s just a lot to be upset about, a lot to be concerned about, but we’ll move forward as a country. 

"The president continues to believe and this administration continues to believe in America and we’ve got to continue working to bring Americans together," he said.

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The show spent much of its political punch Saturday focused on Kyle Rittenhouse's acquittal.

"Hopefully he got all of that shooting out of his system before he becomes a cop," Weekend Update co-anchor Michael Che joked. Che also suggested to protesters who took to the streets Friday to decry the verdict: "Maybe don’t tempt him" since he "just got off on shooting protesters." 

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Trevor Bauer, the Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher accused of sexual assault, used the Kyle Rittenhouse acquittal to take a shot at "the media."

"I guess it's important to know all the facts before jumping to conclusions, huh? Apparently not everything written in the media is true," Bauer tweeted. 

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Liberal MSNBC host Tiffany Cross blasted Republican members of Congress as "White supremacists" on Saturday, one day after a Wisconsin jury acquitted Kenosha shooter Kyle Rittenhouse.

Cross, host of "The Cross Connection," specifically took aim at U.S. Reps. Matt Gaetz of Florida and Paul Gosar of Arizona, Mediaite.com reported. Her comments came during a conversation with The Nation journalist Elie Mystal, who was also critical of the GOP.

During the conversation, Cross referred to 18-year-old Rittenhouse as "this little murderous White supremacist," even though the jury agreed Rittenhouse acted in self-defense last year when he shot three people, killing two, and that all three people he shot, like Rittenhouse, were White.

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Black Lives Matter organized a protest in Chicago that attracted around 1,000 marchers Saturday afternoon.

Holding signs that said statements like: “STOP WHITE SUPREMACY” and “WE’RE HITTING THE STREETS TO PROTEST THIS RACIST INJUSTICE SYSTEM" the protesters spoke out against Kyle Rittenhouse's acquittal.

“While I am not surprised by yesterday’s verdict, I am tired. I am disappointed. I am enraged. … I have lost every ounce of faith in this justice system,” Tanya Watkins, executive director of Southsiders Organized for Unity and Liberation, told protesters before the march.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Hundreds of marchers demonstrated in downtown Minneapolis Saturday afternoon against Rittenhouse's acquittal, at times blocking intersections and traffic, FOX 9 in Minneapolis reported.

"It's not self-defense if you carry a rifle, a loaded weapon, to a protest that's not even in your community," one protester told the station.

No vandalism or arrests were reported.

George Floyd was killed in the city by then-Minneapolis Police Officer Derek Chauvin during an arrest on May 25, 2020. Chauvin was convicted of his murder earlier this year.

 'Justice with Judge Jeanine' host reacts to Kyle Rittenhouse's acquittal in opening monologue

Golden State Warriors coach Steve Kerr has called a Wisconsin jury's decision to acquit Kyle Rittenhouse "really scary and concerning."

Rittenhouse, 18, faced a mandatory life sentence if convicted of first-degree intentional homicide in the 2020 Kenosha shootings that left two people dead and another severely injured.

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Wisconsin Republican Bryan Steil reacts to demonstrations following the acquittal of Kyle Rittenhouse on 'Fox Report'

A source with the Chicago Police Department on the ground told Fox News Digital that last night around 6:30 pm the department mobilized 323 vehicles to be on standby for deployment if needed.

The directive included, 75 vehicles from Chicago Department or Transportation, 127 vehicles from Chicago Department of Streets and Sanitation, and121 vehicles with Chicago department of Water Management.

Several Chicago businesses near Michigan Avenue, including Prada and Rolex, were boarded up in anticipation of protests turning violent.

Fox News' Jeff Paul has the latest as Rittenhouse acquittal prompts protests across U.S.