Two protesters at Daily Wire host Michael Knowles’ debate on transgenderism at the University of Pittsburgh were indicted by a federal grand jury on Friday.

The U.S. Attorney’s office named the two protesters indicted as Brian DiPippa, 36, and his wife, Krystal DiPippa, 40. Both have been charged with conspiracy and obstruction of law enforcement, according to a U.S. Attorney’s Office news release. Brian DiPippa was additionally charged with using an explosive to commit a federal felony.

“The DiPippas participated in a protest at the O’Hara Student Center on the University of Pittsburgh campus, at which time Brian DiPippa ignited and dropped two homemade smoke bomb containers in and around a line of persons waiting to enter the O’Hara Student Center to attend a scheduled event featuring guest speakers,” the release said. “The Indictment further alleges that, when Pitt Police officers gathered and formed a barrier to prevent the protesters from entering the rear of the building, Brian DiPippa, concealed by his wife, Krystal DiPippa, ignited and threw a large explosive firework into the group of Pitt officers, causing a loud explosion and injuries to several officers.”

The charges of conspiracy and obstruction of law enforcement come with a maximum of 10 years in prison, a $500,000 fine, or both. Using an explosive to commit a federal felony carries a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years in prison and a maximum fine of $250,000.

In reaction to the charges, Knowles tweeted, “Very pleased to see the FBI arrest a couple of the anarchists who set off an explosive at one of my campus events this semester!”

On April 18, Michael Knowles participated in a debate at the University of Pittsburgh with libertarian journalist Brad Polumbo, titled “Should transgenderism be regulated by law?” Polumbo was a last-minute substitute, as the original opponent, transgender-identifying University of Illinois-Chicago professor Deirdre McCloskey, canceled. The original event between Knowles and McCloskey was scheduled as a discussion of “Transgenderism and Womanhood,” more generally, however, the topic was changed to a discussion on policy after McCloskey dropped out.

The event faced considerable backlash as 11,000 individuals signed a petition for the event’s cancellation. Knowles was also shouted at multiple times during his remarks, with protesters chanting “trans rights are human rights.” As previously reported by The Daily Wire, hundreds of protesters were gathered outside of the event when it was reported that an “incendiary device” was set off.

“There they are,” an unfazed Knowles quipped. “That sounds like they’ve gotten into harmony. It’s not even melody anymore. I guess there was an opening act.”

Many protesters, smoke, and a cacophony of shouts and drums can be observed in video of the protests.

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The protesters at @michaeljknowles debate at Pitt set the street on fire pic.twitter.com/cKbqmmgOlC

— Daily Wire (@realDailyWire) April 18, 2023

Democratic Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards has vetoed a bill that would have protected children from life-altering transgender surgeries and hormone procedures. 

Edwards vetoed the “Stop Harming Our Kids Act,” a bill that would have prohibited a wide range of transgender procedures on children, including giving girls who identify as boys double mastectomies. It would also have banned giving children cross-sex hormones and puberty blockers.

“Just as conservative courts have found in Alabama, Florida, Indiana, Kentucky, Arkansas, and Tennessee, I believe that there is no legitimate state interest and no rational basis that justifies harming this very small population of children, their families, and the healthcare who care for them or for the cruel and extreme consequences imposed on children through the overt denial of healthcare by this bill,” Edwards claimed in a letter to Louisiana House Speaker Clay Schexnadyer explaining his veto.

He claimed that the law would be a violation of the 14th Amendment and claimed that lawmakers believing in limited government should not support the bill, which he characterized as part of a “targeted assault on children.”

Despite the governor’s veto, the bill could still have a path forward as there is a supermajority of Republicans in the state’s House and Senate. The bill passed the Senate by a vote of 29-10 and the House by a vote of 75-25.

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A Republican state senator previously held up the bill in committee before it was moved to another committee from where it advanced. Initially, Republican state Senator Fred Mills joined Democrats in a 5-4 vote on the Health and Welfare Committee to block the advancement of the bill. Edwards reportedly pressured lawmakers on the committee to kill the bill. 

Roughly 20 states have passed bans on life-altering transgender procedures on children, including Kentucky, which is also governed by a Democrat. The Republican legislature was able to override his veto before portions of the law were just blocked by a federal judge.

The laws have faced an uphill battle, with federal judges in Arkansas, Alabama, Tennessee, Indiana, and Florida blocking portions or all of the bills, largely claiming the legislation could violate the 14th Amendment.

Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti filed a motion for an emergency stay from the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals after U.S. District Judge Eli Richardson placed a temporary injunction on Tennessee’s prohibition of cross-sex hormones and puberty blockers for children, which have been shown to have life-altering impacts.