The United States
It has been a very busy week here in the U.S. The assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk on Wednesday saw bipartisan condemnation from political figures on both the left and the right. However, even before a suspect had been named (whom we will not name or describe due to the presumption of innocence until proven guilty), many Republican and right-wing political figures had prematurely placed blame on Democrats and the left for having supposedly killed Charlie Kirk, with some calling for war and vengeance. Among these voices included the President of the United States, who irresponsibly addressed the nation following the shooting by blaming the “radical left” for Charlie Kirk’s death and other recent deaths.
A man mourns Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk outside the Turning Point USA headquarters in Phoenix, Arizona. Source: Getty Images
Trump’s speech, however, makes it seem as if the right is exclusively the target of political violence. Notably missing from President Trump’s speech is the fact that three months ago, a right-winger had assassinated Democratic lawmaker Melissa Hortman, her husband, and their dog in Minnesota, and had attempted to kill another Democratic lawmaker and his wife. Not a single line in the president’s speech mentions any violence that has occurred against Democratic officials. It is this one-sidedness that is hypocritical, as all political violence deserves to be condemned. Now, it is true that some on the left wing of the political spectrum, particularly random people online, have indeed celebrated and made fun of this murder. After all, Charlie Kirk made several controversial statements and actions, and like most political figures, he is not beloved universally. But some on the right wing who are calling the left out rightly for this have also failed to show any sympathy when the same kind of political violence happened to Democratic politicians and figures. A perfect example of this can be seen when Senator Mike Lee (R-Utah), now mourning the death of Charlie Kirk, made fun of the shootings of Minnesota Democratic lawmakers back in June, writing on social media that “This is what happens When Marxists don’t get their way” and “Nightmare on Waltz Street”, the latter referring to Minnesota Governor Tim Walz. He later removed these posts, but it should be a universally held position that violence on all political spectrums must be condemned, and clearly, not all people adhere to that position. We must, as Governor Spencer Cox (R-Utah) said in remarks about the shooting on Friday, find an “off ramp” from political hostility and turn down the rhetoric that is polarizing this country.
Overshadowed by the news of Kirk’s assassination was the publication of the full 50th birthday album belonging to serial sex offender Jeffrey Epstein by the House Oversight Committee and the Epstein estate. The contents included messages from many prominent people. Among the prominent people who wrote letters was the current President, who wrote a letter that included several lines of typewritten text imagining a conversation between himself and Epstein, all written on the outline of a naked girl. For his part, Trump has denied writing the letter, although the signature on the letter matches past signatures he has written in the same time period. Another political figure included was former President Bill Clinton, who wrote in his letter, “It’s reassuring isn’t it, to have lasted as long, across all the years of learning and knowing, adventures and errors, and also to have your childlike curiosity, the drive to make a difference and the solace of friends”.
Trump’s alleged birthday letter to Epstein. Source: Reuters
The contents of this album are quite disgusting and startling, and an immediate consequence occurred from this release with the firing of British Ambassador to the United States Peter Mandelson on Thursday, who had written a letter in this book. The contents of this album merit the further release of all Jeffrey Epstein-related documents currently in the government’s custody. President Trump has opposed releasing further files, calling it a “dead issue”, and most House Republicans have refused to go along with it either. Currently, a discharge petition (which would remove a bill from being considered in committee and advance it to the full floor of the House of Representatives) that would mandate the release of all Epstein-related records is being circulated by Rep. Tom Massie (R-Kentucky), and it is inching closer to the 218 signatures needed for it to be successful. It had reached 217 on Wednesday, with the swearing-in of James Walkinshaw (D), who was elected to fill a vacancy in Virginia’s 11th congressional district. All Democrats and four Republicans in the House have signed on to the petition. This discharge petition must pass to finally provide full accountability to all those who had known of or had collaborated with Jeffrey Epstein in his criminal schemes.
Meanwhile, a fight is brewing on Capitol Hill over a deadline to keep the government funded. Congressional Democrats are vowing to fight over healthcare, which would force a government shutdown and the ceasing of many of the government’s operations unless Republicans agree to undo Medicaid cuts passed by the One Big, Beautiful Bill in July and approve an extension of Obamacare subsidies. If the Obamacare subsidies expire, Democrats claim, millions of Americans are likely to be forced to pay more for health coverage if they are not covered. President Trump has told congressional Republicans not to make deals with the Democrats, which would mean that it would be entirely up to the GOP to make sure that the government gets funded with or without Democratic votes.
Finally, on Friday, the Missouri Senate approved a new congressional map that now heads to the governor’s desk for approval. It is expected to be signed into law, and if legal challenges do not prevail, this new map would net Republicans one more House seat. The new map carves up the Kansas City-based seat of Democratic Rep. Emanuel Cleaver and makes it into a safe Republican district. The 2nd district, which comprises the suburbs of St. Louis and is represented by Republican Rep. Ann Wagner, is also redrawn to make it more Republican-leaning and further prevent any chance of Democrats flipping it. Missouri becomes the second state, following Texas, to increase the number of Republican-leaning seats in its congressional map through a mid-decade redraw, which has become key to President Trump and the Republicans’ midterm strategy to keep the House of Representatives in 2026. Several other states are considering redraws of their own, and we will see how this shifts the fight for power in 2026.
The proposed Missouri congressional map, which would split heavily Democratic Kansas City between two Republican congressional districts. Source: The Associated Press
The World
The week started off with big international news in the resignation of Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba on Sunday. In office since October 2024, Ishiba’s resignation is in response to those in his Liberal Democratic Party calling on him to take responsibility for the heavy losses the party incurred in July’s parliamentary election in the country. The centrist had at first resisted calls to resign from the right-wing factions in his party, not wanting to cause a power vacuum. What is important to watch in the election of Japan’s incoming prime minister is whether or not they will come from a centrist or right-wing faction of the LDP, as both factions have been feuding within the ruling party for quite some time.
In Europe, alarm sounded as up to twenty-three drones allegedly belonging to Russia entered Polish airspace on Tuesday. This is significant as Poland is a member of NATO. This incursion caused an immediate response from Poland and other NATO members, who immediately shot the drones down. Poland has invoked Article 4 of the North Atlantic Charter, which allows any member country to request consultations with the alliance when its territorial integrity, political independence, or security is threatened. This incident further raises tensions between NATO and Russia, draws increasing skepticism that Moscow will ever agree to a ceasefire in neighboring Ukraine, and poses the question in the hypothetical scenario of what defenses neighboring European states would install in the event of a further Russian incursion.
In New York, on Friday, the United Nations General Assembly overwhelmingly backed the New York Declaration, which would lay out a roadmap to a two-state solution that would provide for a Palestinian state. 142 countries voted in favor of the measure, while 10 countries voted against. 12 countries abstained and 29 others were not present at all.
The vote on Friday. Source: The United Nations
It is interesting to see the coalition of countries that voted against the measure. Israel and its staunch ally, the United States, voted against. The eight other countries that backed it all did so for interesting reasons. Argentina, Hungary, and Paraguay are all led by conservative governments that have supported Israel in recent years. The other five countries that opposed are a smattering of Pacific Island nations: the Federated States of Micronesia, Nauru, Palau, Papua New Guinea, and Tonga. What has been an interesting pattern in UN resolutions that Israel opposes is that there has consistently been a bloc of Pacific island nations that align with Israel. This is due to Israel and the United States’ close diplomatic ties and foreign aid to these countries, all of which have developing country status. In particular, Micronesia and Palau, along with the Marshall Islands, which used to consistently back Israel’s position at the UN, are all in a Compact of Free Association with the United States. The U.S. had formerly owned these three countries and had agreed to provide for the defense, funding grants, and access to U.S. social services for all three. As such, these countries have usually aligned with the U.S. position, which is almost always aligned with Israel. The Pacific island countries’ large Christian populations play a role, too, with such populations viewing Israel very positively. It is remarkable that a group of countries that are not widely known in the rest of the world have been among the staunchest supporters of Israel amid backlash to its conduct in the war in Gaza.
Finally, something remarkable happened in the central Asian country of Nepal. On Monday, many young people, later referred to as the Gen Z protesters due to their general age, took to the streets of Nepal to protest widespread government corruption. Following the deaths of dozens in clashes between protesters and police, the protests escalated violently, with many government buildings being set ablaze in the chaos, including the parliament building. Residences of prominent politicians were attacked and raided, and many politicians were harassed in the streets. Prime Minister K.P. Sharma Oli resigned on Tuesday along with several other politicians. The protests started to die down after this resignation and the chaos that accompanied it. But what is truly remarkable is how the new government was selected. Many gathered on the digital platform Discord to elect the next Prime Minister of Nepal. 100,000 users met virtually to debate and discuss, and they chose Sushila Karki, a former chief justice of Nepal’s supreme court, to lead the nation as interim prime minister and the first female ever to hold the position. What makes this even more remarkable is that the army, the only remaining stable institution left in the country, agreed to this position. In the span of less than a week, Gen Z protesters have successfully thrown their government out of office and have chosen a new leader in their own way. It remains to be seen whether this endeavor is successful, but this appears to be the first of many efforts by young people to take charge in their own unique way of how a country is being run.
Nepal’s parliament was set ablaze.
Emil Ordonez, a rising college freshman, is the founder and editor-in-chief of Polinsights. He has been deeply passionate about politics and history since learning every U.S. President at the age of five. He was compelled to start this blog after meeting many people who were misinformed or had become apathetic about how society worked. He hopes to provide factual knowledge and insights that will encourage people, especially the young, to get more engaged in their respective communities. In his free time, he edits for Wikipedia and makes maps for elections. He aspires to work in Congress or even the White House in the future.
Leave a Reply