75 m. ago Obama warns US at ‘inflection point’ after Charlie Kirk shooting

Former president called recent attacks ‘horrific’ and urged leaders to lower political temperatureBarack Obama addressed the recent killing of Charlie Kirk and told a crowd in Pennsylvania this week that the country was “at an inflection point”, but that political violence “is not new” and “has happened at certain periods” in US history.Obama added that despite history, political violence was “anathema to what it means to be a democratic country”. Continue reading...

Events

7 h. ago Trump is demanding a crackdown on the ‘radical left’. But a new study shows more political violence comes from right

President Donald Trump has promised retribution to left-wing groups in the wake of Charlie Kirk’s killing. However, the data does not back up his claims

Politics

8 h. ago US rocked by political violence as murders and plots grip the nation

Five cases tied to political violence are playing out this week

Events

22 h. ago From Utah to New York, key developments in cases of US political violence

Political violence has rocked the U.S. multiple times in recent months, culminating with the killing of conservative activist Charlie Kirk at a Utah university

Politics

30 h. ago JD Vance backs mass ‘doxing’ campaign to find and harass Charlie Kirk critics

US vice-president encourages ‘calling out’ anyone who celebrates Kirk’s murder, including notifying employersA mass “doxing” effort to track down, intimidate and harass people perceived not to have sufficiently mourned the killing of the rightwing activist Charlie Kirk was endorsed on Monday night by JD Vance.The US vice-president guest-hosted Kirk’s podcast on Monday and said that people who “see someone celebrating Charlie’s murder” should “call them out”. He added: “Hell, call their employer. We don’t believe in political violence, but we do believe in civility, and there is no civility in the celebration of political assassination.” Continue reading...

Events

45 h. ago JD Vance says national unity is impossible with those celebrating Charlie Kirk's killing

Vice President JD Vance says the national unity he's “desperate” for after the assassination of conservative political activist Charlie Kirk cannot be had with people who condone political violence

Events

3 d. ago Utah governor blames social media for fomenting US political violence

Spencer Cox said accused shooter of Charlie Kirk had been a ‘very normal young man’ who was radicalised online

Politics

3 d. ago Charlie Kirk’s killing was a tragedy. But we must not rewrite his life | Moira Donegan

In the wake of horror, honest accountings of his life have not only become rare – they have also become dangerousMaybe it is the gruesome suddenness of his death that has made so many people forget the realities of Charlie Kirk’s life. After the 31-year-old rightwing influencer was shot dead at a college campus appearance in Utah on Wednesday, many commentators rushed to condemn political violence, on the one hand, and to issue warm tributes to Kirk’s life, on the other. The former of these is legitimate: that political policy should not be determined by force, or political disagreements settled through homicidal violence, is a baseline precondition of not just a democratic form of government, but of any functional society. The latter, perhaps, can be explained by the admirable human impulse towards gentleness and reconciliation. The horror and shock of Kirk’s assassination prompted some to offer their generosity, and their sympathy, to the dead man.Perhaps it was these noble gestur...

Events

3 d. ago Charlie Kirk’s death raises fears of ‘beginning of a darker chapter’ for US violence

Social media and widespread availability of lethal weapons make this era more dangerous than the 1960s – and the violence may increaseCharlie Kirk’s killing came amid a rise in political violence in the US, the kind now so frequent that it moves swiftly out of news cycles it would once have dominated.The list is long and growing. From the two assassination attempts on Donald Trump during his campaign last year to Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro’s home burnt in an arson attack in April and the Democratic Minnesota state lawmaker and her husband gunned down by a man dressed as a police officer in June, to name a few. Continue reading...

Events

4 d. ago Minneapolis suburb's candidates campaign amid fear and violence after political assassinations

As the nation grapples with the assassination of conservative influencer Charlie Kirk, two candidates are vying for a legislative seat left open by another political attack in Minnesota

Politics

4 d. ago ‘No idea what you’ve unleashed’: Erika Kirk, Charlie Kirk’s widow, gives statement after husband’s shooting – follow live

Tyler Robinson, 22, the suspect in the shooting is expected to be charged on TuesdayCharlie Kirk shooting: Utah governor confirms arrest of suspectWhat we know after suspect’s arrest: details of messages and gun casings emergeA video, a pastor and a tense meeting: timeline of suspect’s arrestHere are some images coming to us via the wires.Democracy is the way that we have diverse societies that don’t kill each other, largely,” Lilliana Mason, a leading scholar of partisanship, observed recently. She added: “As soon as we stop believing in it, it disappears.” Dr Mason’s own research suggests that there is sharply rising tolerance of political violence. On Wednesday, it claimed one more victim. Continue reading...

Events

4 d. ago Charlie Kirk shooting: suspect set to face aggravated murder charge

Tyler Robinson, 22, expected to be charged on Tuesday; family friend contacted authorities after being told he had shot rightwing activist Charlie Kirk shooting: Utah governor confirms arrest of suspectWhat we know after suspect’s arrest: details of messages and gun casings emergeA video, a pastor and a tense meeting: timeline of suspect’s arrestHere are some images coming to us via the wires.Democracy is the way that we have diverse societies that don’t kill each other, largely,” Lilliana Mason, a leading scholar of partisanship, observed recently. She added: “As soon as we stop believing in it, it disappears.” Dr Mason’s own research suggests that there is sharply rising tolerance of political violence. On Wednesday, it claimed one more victim. Continue reading...

Events

5 d. ago The US is on the brink of another era of political violence – and Donald Trump ‘couldn’t care less’ | Jonathan Freedland

In their humane responses to the killing of Charlie Kirk, Democrats are observing the old norms. Things are different now: anger and division ruleSign up for our new weekly newsletter Matters of Opinion, where our columnists and writers will reflect on what they’ve been debating, thinking about, reading and moreThe killing of Charlie Kirk has left the US and those who care about it on edge. The arrest of a suspect, Tyler Robinson, has hardly settled the nerves, not when the revelation of any supposed political allegiances could touch off a fresh round of recriminations. The fear is that the country is about to descend into a new era of political violence, becoming a place where differences are settled not with words and argument but by guns and blood. After all, it has plumbed those depths before.The US was born in violence, fought a civil war less than a century after its founding and in living memory seemed to be on the brink of another one – with a spate of assassinations in the ...

Politics

5 d. ago Charlie Kirk shooting latest: Utah governor confirms identity of suspect and says family friend turned him in

Spencer Cox says Tyler Robinson, 22, told family friend he had shot Kirk; FBI director says suspect was taken into custody on Thursday eveningCharlie Kirk shooting suspect arrested, says Trump: ‘We have him in custody’How Charlie Kirk pushed a new generation to the rightHere are some images coming to us via the wires.Democracy is the way that we have diverse societies that don’t kill each other, largely,” Lilliana Mason, a leading scholar of partisanship, observed recently. She added: “As soon as we stop believing in it, it disappears.” Dr Mason’s own research suggests that there is sharply rising tolerance of political violence. On Wednesday, it claimed one more victim. Continue reading...

Events

5 d. ago Charlie Kirk shooting latest: Utah governor confirms suspect named Tyler Robinson arrested over killing

Spencer Cox says 22-year-old told family friend he had shot Kirk; FBI director says suspect was taken into custody at 10pm mountain timeCharlie Kirk shooting suspect arrested, says Trump: ‘We have him in custody’How Charlie Kirk pushed a new generation to the rightHere are some images coming to us via the wires.Democracy is the way that we have diverse societies that don’t kill each other, largely,” Lilliana Mason, a leading scholar of partisanship, observed recently. She added: “As soon as we stop believing in it, it disappears.” Dr Mason’s own research suggests that there is sharply rising tolerance of political violence. On Wednesday, it claimed one more victim. Continue reading...

Events

5 d. ago Charlie Kirk shooting latest: Trump says ‘with high degree of certainty’ suspect is in custody

President makes remark during interview with Fox News at their studio in New YorkHere are some images coming to us via the wires.Democracy is the way that we have diverse societies that don’t kill each other, largely,” Lilliana Mason, a leading scholar of partisanship, observed recently. She added: “As soon as we stop believing in it, it disappears.” Dr Mason’s own research suggests that there is sharply rising tolerance of political violence. On Wednesday, it claimed one more victim. Continue reading...

Politics

5 d. ago Charlie Kirk’s shocking killing sets the stage for a federal crackdown | Moustafa Bayoumi

Maga leaders blame a mythically powerful left for political violence. Now, they are bent on destroying anyone who opposes themI disagreed with Charlie Kirk on pretty much everything, but his shocking and morally repugnant assassination is deeply concerning, and not just because it’s another example of the lethality of our politics. Kirk’s killing is also sending prominent conservatives on a warpath, setting the stage for a dangerous expansion of federal government repression.Kirk was a social media megastar and the founder of Turning Point USA, the foremost rightwing youth organization in the country. His political positions were to the far-right, and his language was often combative, to say the least. He called Martin Luther King, Jr “awful” and said “we made a huge mistake when we passed the Civil Rights Act in the 1960s”. He believed in the so-called great replacement theory, which asserts that elites are encouraging mass migration to undermine white people in western countries. ...

Events

5 d. ago Political violence expert reveals his biggest worry after Charlie Kirk’s assassination

The fatal shooting of prominent conservative activist Charlie Kirk brought renewed attention to the climate of political violence in America

Politics

5 d. ago Charlie Kirk shooting latest: killer still at large as video of suspect released

‘We cannot do our job without the public’s help,’ Utah’s governor said, adding the FBI had received more than 7,000 leads and tips so farHere are some images coming to us via the wires.Democracy is the way that we have diverse societies that don’t kill each other, largely,” Lilliana Mason, a leading scholar of partisanship, observed recently. She added: “As soon as we stop believing in it, it disappears.” Dr Mason’s own research suggests that there is sharply rising tolerance of political violence. On Wednesday, it claimed one more victim. Continue reading...

Events

5 d. ago Utah officials share video of Charlie Kirk shooting suspect as governor pledges death penalty

Briefing follows release of four new images of suspect and reward offer of $100,000Hunt continues for suspect who fatally shot Charlie KirkHow the shooting unfolded – in maps, videos and imagesA UK offshoot of a US conservative group set up by Charlie Kirk is to hold a vigil in London after he was shot dead, reports the PA news agency.Turning Point UK has said its activists will gather on Friday evening by the Montgomery statue in Whitehall and called on others to “join us in remembering Charlie”.It’s absolutely shocking, we’re heartbroken over here in the UK.My thoughts this evening are with the loved ones of Charlie Kirk.It is heartbreaking that a young family has been robbed of a father and a husband.Political violence has no place in our societies.Our thoughts and condolences are with his family.An atrocious murder, a deep wound for democracy and for those who believe in freedom.My condolences to his family, to his loved ones, and to the American conservative community. Continue...

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