In recent years, a common narrative has emerged across media, academia, and entertainment suggesting that progressive or far-left views represent the cultural majority in the United States. However, the data in this infographic tell a very different story: most Americans remain rooted in conservative or moderate values, and the perception of a liberal-dominated culture is more the result of amplification than actual representation.

The assassination of Charlie Kirk, a prominent conservative and founder of Turning Point USA, sent shockwaves across the country. In a healthy democracy, political violence is expected to trigger universal condemnation, regardless of ideology.

Instead, what followed was division — and for many Americans, disillusionment.

While a few Democratic leaders offered brief, formal statements of condemnation, their words were drowned out by something louder and far more jarring: an avalanche of celebration, mockery, and gloating from democratic leaders, self-identified Democrats and left-leaning voices on X, TikTok, Reddit, and Facebook. Memes, “he deserved it” comments, and outright cheering spread rapidly across social media.

For millions, it wasn’t just the killing that disturbed them. It was the celebration.

In a world marked by rapid shifts and deepening crises, PowerMentor Global Watch provides a weekly glimpse into pressing developments across Africa, Asia, and the Pacific. From armed conflicts and humanitarian emergencies to natural disasters and political turmoil, this brief delivers clear, reliable insights to help you stay informed, advocate strategically, and respond with purpose.

The assassination of conservative Charlie Kirk on September 10, 2025, during a speaking event at Utah Valley University shocked the nation. Kirk, founder of Turning Point USA, was gunned down with a single shot from a rooftop while answering a student’s question about transgender individuals and mass shootings.

Authorities quickly identified the alleged shooter as Tyler Robinson, 22, and took him into custody. Evidence recovered at the scene and from his residence has fueled intense public debate—not only about his apparent connections over the years to online antifa-type groups as a potential motive, but also about his living situation with a transgender partner, which has become part of a larger national conversation about the role of ideology and identity in recent acts of transgender active shooter violence.

The United States is reeling after the assassination of the beloved conservative activist Charlie Kirk, who was gunned down during a speaking event at Utah Valley University (UVU) on September 10, 2025. Kirk, 31, was addressing a crowd of more than 3,000 students and community members as part of his “American Comeback Tour” when a single high-powered round struck him in the neck, killing him instantly.

This marks one of the most high-profile political assassinations on U.S. soil in decades, sending shockwaves through political, media, and academic circles and raising grave concerns about the future of free expression.

On September 8, 2025, the U.S. Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) announced sanctions against nine individuals and entities tied to the cyber scam hub in Shwe Kokko, Karen State. This crackdown is part of Washington’s broader campaign to dismantle Southeast Asia’s billion-dollar scam industry that cost Americans over US$10 billion in 2024.

While the sanctions primarily targeted the Karen State Border Guard Force (BGF)/Karen National Army (KNA) and their Chinese partners, a deeper look reveals that the Karen National Union (KNU)—long regarded as the political representative of the Karen cause—has also been entangled in these operations. High-level KNU leaders, including Padoh Kwe Htoo Win and Padoh Roger Khin, were directly connected to KK Park, a project overlapping with the same scam ecosystem cultivated by BGF leader Brigadier General Saw Chit Thu.

Across the United States, law enforcement faces a crisis not only of crime but of confidence. Many officers are hesitant to take proactive enforcement action—not because they lack training or will, but because they fear what may follow. Concerns about departmental support, public trust, and legal repercussions have left officers caught in a dilemma: take action and risk personal and professional fallout, or hesitate and watch community safety decline.

This dynamic has reshaped the way officers work. Where proactive policing once served as a pillar of public safety, today hesitation and disengagement often take its place. The result is a cycle where crime festers in the absence of intervention, communities lose faith in the system, and officers retreat further into self-preservation.

1. Danish Twin Cohort Study (2025) – BMC Public Health

• Title: Tattoo ink exposure is associated with lymphoma and skin cancers – a Danish study of twins

• Key findings: Tattooed individuals had significantly higher risks:

  • Skin cancer risk (excluding basal cell carcinoma): hazard ratio (HR) 1.62 (95% CI: 1.08–2.41)

  • For tattoos larger than a palm of hand: HR 2.37 (95% CI: 1.11–5.06) for skin cancer, and HR 2.73 (95% CI: 1.33–5.60) for lymphoma

  • Cohort study design also showed HR 3.91 for skin cancer and HR 2.83 for basal cell carcinoma
    PubMedBioMed CentralRenal and Urology News

• Media summary: Reinforced by articles emphasizing increased risks and concerns about ink migrating to lymph nodes; larger tattoos posed especially higher risk ecancerPowers Health.

Māori and the Haka: A Living Tradition

The Māori are the Indigenous people of Aotearoa New Zealand, with traditions deeply tied to the land, language, and ancestors. Among their most powerful cultural expressions is the haka—a posture dance of fierce gestures and chants that embodies strength, unity, and defiance. Historically performed before battle or in times of challenge, the haka remains a living declaration of identity and resilience.

“He aha te mea nui o te ao? He tāngata, he tāngata, he tāngata.”
What is the most important thing in the world? It is people, it is people, it is people.

This wisdom frames Māori worldviews: true power lies in people standing together.

Here’s a high-level summary of the facts contained in the newly released study, titled “Debunking the Genocide Allegations: A Reexamination of the Israel-Hamas War from October 7, 2023 to June 1, 2025” published by the Begin-Sadat Center for Strategic Studies213-2.9.2025-Edited.

Purpose

This report examines allegations that Israel committed genocide during the 2023–2025 Gaza conflict. The authors focus strictly on factual, historical, and statistical analysis, not legal or ethical conclusions.

Narcotics as a Weapon of War

History has shown that narcotics can be deployed as instruments of war. The Opium Wars devastated China in the 1800s; today, adversaries appear to be flipping the script, using drugs as modern tools of destabilization.

Cocaine from Venezuela, fentanyl precursors from China, and methamphetamines and opium from Burma’s Golden Triangle are not just criminal enterprises. They are weapons of proxy warfare, deliberately eroding the stability of the United States and Thailand. Addiction has become the silent battlefield.

Since the fall of Bashar al-Assad’s regime on December 8, 2024, Syria’s Christian communities—already scarred by a decade of war—have faced escalating violence, intimidation, and systemic discrimination. From the burning of churches and homes in Sweida, to the bombing of St. Elias Church in Damascus, to the murder of Pastor Khaled Mazher and his family, a chilling pattern of religiously motivated violence has emerged.

These assaults highlight both the fragility of Syria’s minorities and the failure of President Ahmed al-Sharaa’s Transitional Government to provide protection or accountability. Meanwhile, Turkey’s support for armed militias implicated in sectarian crimes has compounded the danger.

When Spain’s Supreme Court upheld the conviction of a Spanish–Moroccan man who fought with al-Qaeda’s Syrian affiliate, it did more than close one case. It revealed the uncomfortable truth that Turkey has long been both a transit corridor and a staging ground for European jihadist fighters, while also highlighting the urgent gaps in judicial cooperation between Ankara and the European Union.

Implications of Anutin’s Election

• Political shift & instability: Anutin, the leader of the Bhumjaithai Party, has secured the premiership amid continued political turbulence. He leads a minority government, backed by a deal with the opposition People’s Party promising constitutional reform and an early election—expected within four months. ReutersAP NewsThe Guardian

• Decline of the Shinawatra dynasty: His rise signals a sharp setback for the influential Shinawatra line, particularly after the ouster of Paetongtarn Shinawatra and the departure of her father, Thaksin, who fled to Dubai ahead of a parliamentary vote. The GuardianReutersThe Wall Street Journal

• Domestic focus on reform: Anutin, known for championing cannabis decriminalization, now faces challenges governing without a stable majority, in a country beset with economic issues like household debt and sluggish demand. AP News+1ReutersThe Guardian

In the United States, discussions of marriage, divorce, and custody too often center on adults—rights, freedoms, finances, or control—while the well-being of children remains secondary. From skewed custody patterns to the devastating impacts of father absence, from policies that ease separation but do little to promote reconciliation, to weaponized custody battles, the cumulative evidence shows a system that consistently puts the best interests of children last.

On September 2, 2025, the U.S. military carried out a precision strike in the southern Caribbean, sinking a speedboat believed to be transporting cocaine and other narcotics from Venezuela. The operation resulted in the deaths of eleven suspected members of Tren de Aragua, a transnational gang with roots in Venezuela, and underscored the willingness of U.S. forces to take decisive action against organized crime threatening American communities.

A Precise and Risky Operation

The strike was part of a larger counter-narcotics buildup in the Caribbean, where U.S. destroyers and Marines were recently deployed to deter smuggling routes. Officials described the crew as “narcoterrorists,” emphasizing their links to the Tren de Aragua, which the U.S. has formally designated as a terrorist organization.

The Russian invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022, marked a turning point in European security. To understand the roots of this war, it is necessary to examine Ukraine’s policies on Crimea, its deepening ties with NATO and the United States, and Russia’s perception of encirclement. The record shows a mixture of legitimate defensive actions, political aspirations, and contested narratives—elements that Moscow used to justify its aggression.

The world is entering a profound geopolitical transition. At the recent Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit, India, Russia, and China projected a clear message: the West is no longer indispensable. While no leader uttered those words directly, their coordinated rhetoric and behavior revealed a shared vision of a multipolar order designed to weaken U.S. influence and reorient global power.

This shift carries immediate and lasting implications for countries caught in the struggle between Western norms and Eastern-backed authoritarianism—most notably Burma (Myanmar) in Southeast Asia and Venezuela in Latin America.

In a world increasingly defined by authoritarianism, censorship, and ideological conformity, millions across the globe still view the United States as the final bastion of true freedom—a nation founded not on bloodlines or monarchs, but on ideals: liberty, justice, and individual rights. For those living under oppressive regimes, the USA is not just a country; it's a symbol of hope, a beacon of resistance, and for many, the only superpower still willing to fight for freedom beyond its borders.

Freedom in Retreat: A Global Cry for Help

From the tightening grip of the Chinese Communist Party, to theocratic regimes in Iran, to brutal military dictatorships like Burma (Myanmar), the tide of freedom has been receding in many corners of the world. Protesters in Hong Kong waved American flags. Dissidents in Iran chant “Death to the Dictator” while quoting the U.S. Constitution. Refugees escaping North Korea risk their lives just to taste what Americans often take for granted.

In a nation gripped by political repression, economic instability, and mounting international pressure, Venezuela Watch offers a focused lens into the realities facing the Venezuelan people. From government crackdowns and human rights violations to environmental emergencies and transnational tensions, this briefing brings timely and accurate insights to the forefront. Our mission is to inform, empower, and amplify the call for freedom, accountability, and dignity for the people of Venezuela—reminding the world that silence enables suffering, but awareness fuels change.