Entertainment
Experts warn of ‘vicious spiral’ in political violence after Kirk killing
The assassination of right-wing influencer Charlie Kirk marks a watershed moment in a surge of US political violence, one that some experts fear will inflame an already-fractured country and inspire more unrest.
”This event is horrifying, alarming, but not necessarily surprising,” said Mike Jensen, a researcher at the University of Maryland, which has tracked such violence in a terrorism database since 1970.
In the first six months of the year, the US experienced about 150 politically-motivated attacks — nearly twice as many as over the same period last year, said Jensen. “I think we are in a very, very dangerous spot right now that could quite easily escalate into more widespread civil unrest if we don’t get a hold of it,” Jensen said. “This could absolutely serve as a kind of flashpoint that inspires more of it.”
Experts in domestic terrorism cite a convergence of factors for increased violence in the US: economic insecurity, anxiety over shifting racial and ethnic demographics, and the increasingly inflammatory tone of political discourse. Traditional ideological divides — once centered on policy disagreements — have morphed into a deeper, more personal animosity. That anger is amplified by a mix of social media, conspiracy theories and personal grievances.
Reuters identified last year at least 300 cases of political violence across the US between the January 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol and the 2024 presidential election, marking the most significant and sustained surge in such violence since the 1970s.
“Extreme political violence is increasingly becoming the norm in our country, and the shooting of Charlie Kirk is indicative of a far greater and more pervasive issue: acts of violence are becoming more common, even without any clear ideology or motive,” said Jon Lewis, a research fellow at the Program on Extremism at George Washington University.
“There’s really a concern about what the blowback to something like this will look like.”
Other experts who study political violence agreed. “People are reluctant to engage in violence first, but they’re much more willing to engage in violence as retaliation,” said Lilliana Mason, a political science professor at Johns Hopkins University. “No one wants to be the one to start it, but lots of people want to be able to finish it.”
Kirk, a close ally of US President Donald Trump and founder of the conservative student group Turning Point USA, was addressing an outdoor crowd of about 3,000 at Utah Valley University when a gunshot rang out, sending him tumbling from his chair and attendees fleeing in panic.
Authorities had not yet publicly identified a suspect by Wednesday evening, nearly six hours after the shooting. FBI Director Kash Patel said an unnamed “subject” had been detained for questioning and then released.
Kirk, 31, was a pioneer in the conservative movement and harnessed the power of social media to lure millions of young Americans into Trump’s MAGA base.
“No one understood or had the Heart of the Youth in the United States better than Charlie,” Trump said in a social media post announcing Kirk’s death. Republican House of Representatives Speaker Mike Johnson told CNN there has been a “deluge” of lawmakers calling for stronger security in the wake of Kirk’s killing.
‘Vicious spiral’
Trump himself was the subject of two assassination attempts last year. In one, the shooter was killed by authorities seconds after he fired. In the other, a man was arrested carrying a rifle and scope near a Palm Beach golf club where Trump was playing. His trial began this week.
In addition to those, two recent high-profile attacks by right-wing conspiracy theorists this year shook lawmakers and government workers across the country. In June, a Christian nationalist murdered a senior Democratic state lawmaker and her husband in Minnesota, and wounded a second Democrat. In August, a gunman obsessed with COVID-19 conspiracies sprayed gunfire at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention headquarters in Atlanta, killing a police officer.
Since January, at least 21 people have been killed in political violence incidents, 14 of them in an attack in New Orleans by an assailant who claimed loyalty to the Daesh group early on New Year’s Day.
In July, a group of at least 11 militants in black military-style clothing attacked an immigration detention center in Texas, the Justice Department said. The group set off fireworks, spray-painted “traitor” and “ICE Pig” on vehicles, and shot a responding police officer in the neck, wounding him, while another sprayed gunfire at detention guards, the FBI said.
Since returning to office, Trump has scaled back efforts to counter domestic extremism, redirecting resources toward immigration enforcement and citing the southern border as the top security threat.
Jensen, the University of Maryland researcher who tracks violence for the National Consortium for the Study of Terrorism and Responses to Terrorism, said the future appears grim.
“This is an administration that, whether you agree with it or not, has made profound changes to this country in the eight months it’s been in office,” he said. “Some people love it, some people hate it. The people that hate it are starting to act out. People who love it are going to act out against those people that hate it, and it becomes a vicious spiral that could lead us into something really, really bad.”
Selena Gomez has recently revealed the reason why she reprised her role in Wizards Beyond Waverly Place.
During an interview with Allure, the American actress and singer candidly discussed her experience of filming the series and its reboot.
Recalling when she was 15 years old, the actress said, “I was in these crucial years of my brain developing,” referring to the series’ premiere in October 2007.
Talking about the cast members of the series, she continued, “And all of those people that are on the show with us have grown and evolved, and I want them to be in my life.”
Gomez plays Alex Russo, the main protagonist and a rebellious middle child who struggles with her wizard training in the series alongside David Henrie, Jennifer Stone, Jake T. Austin, and David DeLuise.
Referring to her guest appearance in Wizards Beyond Waverly Place, she told the publication, “I think that’s why I always go back. I genuinely feel like I owe a big part of my life to that show.”
Meanwhile, the Only Murders in the Building actress shared that her 12-year-old half-sister, Gracie, from her mother’s second marriage, is watching the reboot.
Before concluding, Selena Gomez said, “It’s a home. It’s safe. My sister just gets a kick out of it, so half the reason I’m doing it is for her.”
Wizards Beyond Waverly Place season 2 kicks off with a two-episode premiere on Friday, September 12, 2025.
A friend of Prince Harry just dropped some major news regarding his emotional state.
Its all been shared with The Standard, and the outlet claims Prince Harry’s pals are seeing Spike (his nickname among his old school friends) acting “seriously homesick.”
So much so that “he’s started reaching out to us more and more,” they said.
“It started with very long and earnest WhatsApps. We actually all made a decision when we started getting them not to take the p*** out of them.”
According to the same pal this is “something we couldn’t have imagined doing a few years before. Anyway, gradually, he seems to be sounding more normal.”
Before concluding the pal also added, “whenever anyone goes to America they try to see him. It never seems to be with Meghan though. We think he is beginning to pine for home.”
Following this news, a royal courtier also came forward with some comments of their own.
According to the palace source, “Harry seems to have forgotten this but his father always absolutely adored him. He always called him ‘my darling boy’ and was so affectionate.”
Because when “people always seem to think that Harry inherited all his charm from his mother, but lots of the things he is good at, being attentive and always remembering people’s names, is something that comes directly from the King.”
- PMD forecasts partly cloudy weather in Karachi in next 24 hours.
- Light rain, drizzle likely in metropolis today, says Met Office.
- City has been experiencing light to heavy rains since Monday.
Karachiites woke up to yet another round of early morning showers on Thursday — marking the fourth consecutive day of relentless monsoon rains that have left large swathes of the city submerged, rivers overflowing, and hundreds displaced.
Light to moderate downpours were reported in several parts of the city this morning, including MA Jinnah Road, II Chundrigar Road, Clifton, University Road and Gulistan-e-Jauhar, briefly wetting the roads and adding to the city’s already rain-soaked atmosphere.
According to the Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD), light rain and drizzle are expected to continue over the next 24 hours, with partly cloudy and humid conditions forecast for the city.
Today’s showers came on the heels of three days of torrential downpours that wreaked havoc across the metropolis from September 8 to 10, leading to widespread urban flooding, infrastructure damage, and multiple fatalities.
Over the past three days, heavy rains caused the Lyari and Malir rivers — along with several other streams — to overflow, inundating low-lying neighborhoods and prompting emergency rescue operations.
In some areas, water entered homes, displacing hundreds of residents. Rescue teams, including Rescue 1122, the Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA), and the Pakistan Army, evacuated more than 350 people from flood-affected zones.
The city reported multiple deaths from drowning in the overflowing Gadap River, while search for the missing continues.
Rainfall figures released by the Met Office show that Surjani Town received the highest rainfall, with 143.8 millimetres recorded from September 8-10. Other significant readings include Gulshan-e-Maymar (109.8mm), Gulshan-e-Hadeed (92mm), Korangi (92mm), North Karachi (81.6mm), and DHA (74.5mm). Sharea Faisal recorded 64mm, while other areas such as Nazimabad, Saadi Town, and University Road also saw substantial rainfall.
Although water has now been cleared from major thoroughfares like Sharea Faisal, the M-9 Motorway, and Lyari Expressway — which have reopened for traffic — several localities remain waterlogged.
The PMD has said that the weather system that brought days of heavy rain to Karachi had now moved away from the city, ruling out chances of another spell of intense downpours.
The depression over the North Arabian Sea shifted westwards in the past six hours and is currently located about 110 kilometres east-southeast of Pasni, having exited Karachi. The system is expected to weaken into a well-marked low-pressure area within the next 12 hours, the Met Office said on Wednesday.
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