A Watershed Moment: How 33 Hours May Have Changed Everything

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I saw a headline this week that read "Social media is the worst place to be right now." And, I felt that. The news was already difficult and social media amplified it, making it almost unbearable. If you managed to avoid it all, be happy you did.

This week's top stories:

• Kirk Assassination: Police arrested a 22-year-old for the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk as he spoke at a Utah university.
• Colorado High School Shooting: A 16-year-old allegedly shot and wounded two students at a Colorado high school before dying of a self-inflicted gunshot.
• Israel's Attack on Hamas: Israel brazenly attacked a Hamas office in Qatar as the group was meeting to consider a ceasefire proposal, killing six people.
• Israeli Settlements: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu signed an agreement to double the number of illegal Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank.
• Epstein's "50th Birthday Book": Lawyers for Jeffrey Epstein’s estate gave Congress his infamous 50th birthday book, which reportedly includes a card from Trump that the White House now claims was forged.

More on all of these below, but first...

THE ASSASSINATION OF CHARLIE KIRK

Police in Utah arrested 22-year-old Tyler Robinson on Thursday night for the assassination of controversial conservative activist and Trump ally Charlie Kirk, 31. Kirk was shot and killed as he spoke to thousands of students on Tuesday at an outdoor event at Utah Valley University (UVU).

Police say Robinson, perched atop a nearby building with a rifle, fired a supersonic bullet that pierced Kirk’s neck in a gruesome public execution. The event was caught on camera and widely shared on social media. Police have not revealed Robinson’s motive.

Kirk was a revered figure on the right, and his murder has sparked a political firestorm as each side blames the other. More importantly, Kirk was the father of two young children and husband to his wife, Erika, who on Friday night called him a “martyr.”

33 HOURS OF CHAOS

The story of what unfolded during the 33 hours between Kirk’s killing and Robinson’s arrest could be a tense political thriller—one that no country wants to be the star of.

Social media was on fire with gaslighting, blame-gaming, and vitriol between lawmakers, journalists, commentators, and everyday folks, all of whom had zero information on the suspect or their motives.

The algorithms pushed a graphic video of Kirk's death to pop up--with so many not knowing what they were about to see. The platforms have since agreed to remove the video.

Here is just a sample of the notable events from those +/- 33 hours:

Before Robinson’s arrest:

• On Wednesday, FBI Director Kash Patel twice claimed a suspect had been caught, only to retract the statements later, undermining the public’s confidence in the FBI—an agency that many experts and Democrats have long said Patel is not qualified to lead.
• The Wall Street Journal, quoting a source inside the ATF, said that bullet casings recovered from a rifle found near the scene were etched with phrases “expressing transgender and anti-fascist ideology”—only for the New York Times to contradict their reporting with an ATF source who said no one had confirmed that. The Wall Street Journal did not issue a retraction until a day later, long after the damage had been done.
• Confident that the shooter was a diabolical liberal transexual, Republicans called for the death penalty, accused Democratic leaders of fueling violence, and promised to wage war on the left to avenge Kirk’s death. Democrats condemned the killing but did not shy away from acknowledging Kirk’s record of racist, misogynistic, homophobic, and Islamophobic ideology.
• It didn’t help that President Trump, speaking to the nation from the Oval Office Wednesday night, pointed the finger at Democrats, saying, “for years those on the radical left have compared wonderful Americans like Charlie to Nazis… this kind of rhetoric is directly responsible for the terrorism that we're seeing in our country today and it must stop right now.”
• Kirk’s body was flown on Air Force 2—at taxpayer expense—from Utah to his home state of Arizona, accompanied by Vice President JD Vance. Trump ordered the flags flown at half-mast and announced he will posthumously award Kirk the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
• Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu oddly inserted himself immediately, calling Kirk a friend and suggesting that Muslims were responsible for his killing—without a shred of evidence or a suspect in custody.
• On Friday morning, President Trump appeared on FOX to announce that officials had a suspect in custody and, again, blamed liberals for dangerous rhetoric.

After the arrest:

• Utah Governor Spencer Cox told press that Robinson’s father recognized his son in the photos released that day by the FBI. The father urged his son to turn himself in.
• Robinson is registered as an “unaffiliated” voter and has not voted in the last two general elections; he is not a registered Republican or Democrat, despite what you may see on social media. His parents are registered Republicans.
• Gov. Cox said a family member told officials that Robinson had become “more political” in recent years and had criticized Kirk in a prior conversation.
• Robinson is being held on three charges, including aggravated murder, which could mean the death penalty. Formal charges will be filed next week.
• Gov. Cox said the bullet fired at Kirk said: “notices bulges OWO what’s this?”
• There were three unfired casings in the rifle engraved with phrases. The first two had phrases known in the gaming world and refer to specific video games.
  1. “hey fascist! catch!” with an up arrow symbol, right arrow symbol, and three down arrow symbols.
  2. “oh bella ciao bella ciao bella ciao ciao ciao,”
  3. “if you read this you are gay lmao.”

THE BLAME GAME

• Rep. Derrick Van Order (R-WI) blamed the media, scolding them as they tried to ask questions. “You are responsible for that assassination yesterday... You should be ashamed of yourself, it’s disgusting.”
• Rep. Clay Higgins (R-LA) wants social media companies to ban anyone who “celebrated” Kirk’s death. “I’m going to use Congressional authority and every influence with big tech platforms to mandate immediate ban for life of every post or commenter that belittled" Kirk, Higgins wrote on X.
• Defense Sec. Pete Hegseth has ordered his staff to look for any members of the military who have mocked or celebrated Kirk’s murder online. Several service members have already been relieved of duties.
• MSNBC fired analyst Matt Dowd for saying that “hateful thoughts lead to hateful words which lead to hateful actions. And I think that’s the environment we’re in.”
• South Dakota Governor Larry Rhoden claims a professor at the University of South Dakota who posted negative sentiments about Kirk’s ideology will be fired.
• Someone has set up a database where they will share “over 20,000 individuals celebrating” Kirk’s murder on a public website. (Sorry I lost this link!)
• The State Department wants people to report any “foreigners” who are “praising, rationalizing, or making light of the event.”

A NATION ON EDGE

• A midshipman at the U.S. Naval Academy in Maryland mistook a police officer for an active shooter during a lockdown and struck him in the head. The officer then shot the midshipman, who is expected to be okay.
• Five historically Black universities were locked down after officials said they received “credible threats” of violence.
• Police and first responders descended on UMass Boston after someone called 911 to report shots fired. This is the second lockdown for the school in the last two weeks. It was a false alarm.
• Someone called in bomb threats to the DNC headquarters in DC.
• An entire school district in NJ was in lockdown after someone mistakenly accused an employee of making a divisive video about Kirk. “As a result of this misidentification, the Linden School district has been flooded with threats of violence.”
• Politicians are canceling public events fearing for their safety.

Israel and Gaza

• The death toll in Gaza is at 64,700 people; officials say 413, including 143 children, have starved to death since October 2023. The Gaza Health Ministry’s death count has long been considered an undercount.
• This week, retired Israeli military commander Herzi Halevi claimed Israel has actually killed closer to 200,000 Palestinians, saying, “This isn’t a gentle war. We took the gloves off from the first minute. Sadly not earlier.”
• Israel continues its assault on Gaza City, forcing Palestinians there to leave with nowhere to go. According to the UN, nearly one million people do not have “safe or viable options.”
• Secretary of State Marco Rubio is en route to Israel to meet with Netanyahu and told reporters he’s going because Trump “wants this to be finished with.”
• The UN General Assembly voted 142-10 to support a Palestinian state. The U.S. and Israel voted against the resolution.
• More than 3,900 movie industry professionals, including actors Joaquin Phoenix, Emma Stone, and Javier Bardem, pledged not to work with Israeli film institutions that participate in Israel’s genocide and apartheid.
• Meanwhile, Jerry Seinfeld told a crowd at Duke University that the “Free Palestine” movement is worse than the KKK.

Qatar

The Israeli attack on Qatar killed five Hamas members and one Qatari security officer, according to officials. Hamas said the senior leaders that Israel was targeting survived. Israel threatened to try again. The U.S. says Israel did not consult with them beforehand and had tried to warn Qatar.

Qatar called Israel’s attack “state terrorism.” Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani “said the attack was aimed at Hamas' negotiating team as it was studying a new U.S. proposal that could end the war in Gaza, but he said Israel has worked to sabotage every attempt at achieving peace.” Critics, including the UN and EU, said the attack was a violation of the UN charter and Qatar’s sovereignty, which threatens to destabilize the region and jeopardize ceasefire negotiations.

In fact, Israel resorted to missiles because Israeli intelligence agency Mossad refused to participate in a ground operation targeting Hamas. “The Mossad director, David Barnea, opposed killing the Hamas officials in Qatar partly because such an action could rupture the relationship he and his agency had cultivated with the Qataris, who had been hosting Hamas and mediating ceasefire talks between the militant group and Israel, these people said.”

Trump and Vice President Vance met with Qatari officials in New York on Friday night to try and patch things up, presumably; they didn’t share details of what was discussed.

The Occupied West Bank

• On Monday, Israeli police say Palestinian gunmen opened fire at people waiting at a bus stop in occupied East Jerusalem, killing six. Hamas claimed credit for the attack.
• Israeli military detained more than 100 men in the city of Tulkarem after they claimed an explosive device injured two Israeli soldiers. The city’s governor said “Israeli forces were ‘arbitrarily and unjustly’ carrying out mass arrests, storming homes, destroying property and “terrorising children and women” in a form of collective punishment. Footage of the arrests shows dozens of men being marched out en masse.
• The Israeli Supreme Court unanimously ruled that the government has not been feeding Palestinian detainees enough, especially since October 7. As a result, many are suffering from malnutrition and starvation.

• The White House claims the Epstein card was forged, but preliminary comparisons between the signature on the card and other documents signed by Trump show the signatures are similar.
• Meanwhile, across the pond, UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer fired ambassador to the U.S. Peter Mandelson for his ties to Epstein. The Sun alleges that Mandelson sent an email to Epstein after his 2006 indictment for soliciting sex with a minor—or what I would call attempted rape—telling him, “I think the world of you and I feel hopeless and furious about what has happened.” President Trump is expected to visit the UK this week.
• Coming up: The Treasury Department has agreed to hand over Epstein’s financial records to the House Oversight Committee to track any unusual payments that may have been made to him.
• President Trump says he’ll send the National Guard to Memphis to fight crime, with thanks from the state's Republican governor. (AP)
• On Monday, President Trump announced the Department of Education will release new guidelines on allowing prayer in schools. “To have a great nation, you have to have religion—I believe that so strongly,” Trump said. “There has to be something after we go through all of this, and that something is God.” (White House | America Prays)
• Remember Lisa Cook—a member of the Federal Reserve—whom President Trump tried to fire, accusing her of mortgage fraud by claiming two homes as her primary residence? It turns out he lied. Documents show Cook listed a second home as a vacation home. (NPR)
• Net inflation is up 2.9% from one year ago, according to the Labor Department; prices on everything from groceries to gas are up. (NPR)
• Earlier this month, the U.S. military fired on a Venezuelan boat, killing 11 people, claiming they were drug smugglers and heading for U.S. shores. Two American sources say the boat had actually turned around when it was hit. No matter the direction they were heading, killing civilians without due process is against international law. Venezuela said the U.S. is lying and accused the government of “murder.” (New York Times)
• This week, the Supreme Court:
  • ruled 6-3 that it’s okay for government agents to racially profile anyone in Los Angeles as part of their immigration enforcement plans. A lower court judge—whose ruling was overturned by the Supreme Court—said there was a “mountain of evidence” that the government is violating the Constitution.
  • said it will hear a case on whether Trump’s tariffs are legal. Lower courts have found them unconstitutional.
• The SCOTUS has also overruled numerous lower court decisions, handing victories to Trump, and the judges are not happy about it. The judges also say the justices are simply making rulings and not writing opinions that would explain their reasoning.
• Brazil’s former president Jair Bolsonaro—and Trump ally—was sentenced to 27 years in prison for a coup attempt in 2022.
• In her new book 107 Days, former Vice President Kamala Harris writes that in hindsight, letting former President Joe Biden run for another term was “reckless.” The book comes out September 23.

Have suggestions, feedback, or questions? Email me at huma@fromthefifth.com.

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