USA-NewsblogUS-Vice Vance remembers the dead activist Kirk
September 11, 2026, 5:30 am|
A year ago, Charlie Kirk was shot - the right-wing activist made Trump more popular among young people. While Republicans in Dallas remember him, support among this very group of voters is dwindling.
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Lucia Geier
US Vice Vance remembers dead activist Kirk
One year after the fatal attack on right-wing American activist Charlie Kirk, US Vice President JD Vance paid tribute to him at the Republican Party Convention. "It will go down in history that your father was a great man," Vance said in Dallas, Texas, in remarks addressed to Kirk's children. The crowd then erupted in chants of “Charlie, Charlie.”
The right-wing American activist Charlie Kirk was shot dead on September 10, 2025 while speaking outdoors on a university campus in the state of Utah. Kirk made a name for himself in conservative circles as a champion of free speech. With his organization Turning Point USA, he visited universities and challenged students - especially those with different political views - to debate. Critics accused him of racist, homophobic, transphobic and sexist views.
As a prominent representative of the Make America Great Again (MAGA) movement, Kirk helped make US President Donald Trump more popular among young voters. He was considered a close confidant not only of Vance, but also of Trump's eldest son, Donald Trump Junior. The president's son praised Kirk at the Republican convention as a fighter for "faith, family, freedom and patriotism."
Lucia Geier
Republicans fear for young voters
A year after the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk, President Donald Trump's Republican Party faces growing resentment among young voters. Although the organization Kirk co-founded, Turning Point USA (TPUSA), has grown significantly since his death, parts of the young electorate are turning away from Trump.
The main reasons for dissatisfaction are the high cost of living, the war against Iran and the publication of files related to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. According to a Harvard University survey, half of Americans ages 18 to 29 said they were severely affected by inflation. In addition, the Iran war is met with the greatest rejection by this age group. "The divides that are opening up among younger conservatives and in the party in general - attitudes toward Israel play a big role in that," said Nicole Hemmer, a history professor at Vanderbilt University. There is a lot of anger about the economy and Trump's foreign policy.
With midterm elections approaching in November, declining support among young voters could be crucial for Republicans. A Tufts University poll suggests high voter turnout among this age group. Kirk's companions emphasized that Kirk lacked the ability to respond to the concerns of young people.
Lucia Geier
US court stops Trump's tightening of postal voting rules
A U.S. appeals court has halted an attempt by President Donald Trump's administration to tighten mail-in voting rules ahead of November's congressional elections. A three-judge panel of appeals court in Boston declined to lift an injunction blocking implementation of the United States Postal Service's (USPS) new rule. However, the final decision now rests with the US Supreme Court, which the government has already appealed to.
The Justice Department had argued that it was a “minor” regulation on mail delivery. The court saw it differently. The US Constitution states that the states and Congress are responsible for regulating elections, not the executive branch. The court agreed with the lower court's assessment that the rule "is likely to result in the disenfranchisement of millions of voters across the country while providing minimal, if any, benefits in combating voter fraud."
The regulation, issued by the postal service at Trump's direction, requires states to provide the USPS with lists of postal vote recipients. In addition, all envelopes used to send ballots back and forth must have unique barcodes. The postal service could refuse to deliver ballots that do not meet these standards. Trump signed the order in March. He has been calling for stricter rules for postal voting for years and spreading the false claim that his defeat in the 2020 presidential election was the result of massive voter fraud.
California Attorney General Rob Bonta, who helped lead the lawsuit from several Democratic-led states, welcomed the decision. A USPS spokesman referred to a previous statement from postal chief David Steiner that the agency "acted within its legal authority at all times." A whistleblower report released by a Democratic senator had previously warned that the USPS was rushing to implement a system that could jeopardize the delivery of ballots in the election.
Lucia Geier
Report: Pentagon is negotiating a billion-dollar loan for AI startup
According to a media report, the US Department of Defense is negotiating a loan of around five billion dollars for the AI startup Fluidstack. This is intended to strengthen the US supply chain for data centers, reported the Wall Street Journal, citing insiders. The money would be provided by the Pentagon's Office of Strategic Capital. Fluidstack would therefore use the loan to expand the supply chain and production capacities for certain data center components instead of directly financing a new AI facility.
The US Department of Defense and Fluidstack did not immediately respond to a request for comment. US President Donald Trump issued a decree last month banning the use of foreign equipment in the US power grid, which is also used by data centers.
Lucia Geier
Diesel prices in the USA rise to a record high
According to the price portal "GasBuddy", the average diesel price in the USA has risen above the six dollar mark per gallon (1.36 euros per liter) for the first time. The record prices are likely to fuel inflation again along the entire supply chain. Every truck trip, every delivery, every package and every grocery purchase has now become more expensive. According to the portal, the price is around $2.30 per gallon higher than last year.
The US and Israeli war against Iran as well as Ukrainian attacks on Russian oil facilities have reduced supply. Because of the escalating Iran conflict, oil futures contracts also climbed back above $100 per barrel. On Thursday they reached their highest level since mid-May.
Lucia Geier
Trouble with regulators: Kimmel won't show interview on TV
Because of trouble with the US telecommunications regulator, US moderator Jimmy Kimmel, who is critical of Trump, only wants to show an interview with a politician on the Internet. Due to “unusual circumstances,” his planned conversation with Democratic Senate candidate James Talarico from Texas this evening will not be broadcast on ABC, but rather on the “Jimmy Kimmel Live” YouTube channel. The presenter announced this on his show on Wednesday (local time).
The media regulator FCC had threatened him, his show, ABC and its partner channels and local stations, Kimmel explained - "based on simple, traditional editorial decisions, guest bookings that they don't seem to like." The decision was made out of consideration for the local broadcasting stations. The FCC has not yet commented on this.
According to the New York Times, TV host Stephen Colbert did a similar thing in February when he only showed Talarico's appearance on his “Late Show,” which is usually broadcast on CBS, only on YouTube. According to the newspaper, the background is an FCC directive from January, according to which entertainment-oriented talk shows broadcast on local stations are obliged to offer the same amount of airtime to politicians who are running for the same office.
The FCC actually has a traditionally neutral role as the grantor of licenses for radio and television in the USA. But US President Donald Trump appointed his loyal ally Brendan Carr as boss at the beginning of his second term in office. Since then, according to critics, the state agency has increasingly become an instrument of Trump's agenda, for example by threatening broadcasters with the revocation of their licenses because of programming decisions.
Already in the spring, after Talarico's appearance on ABC's "The View," the FCC accused the broadcaster of violating its obligation to provide equal treatment. Critics saw this as an attempt to restrict press freedom and influence reporting ahead of the fall congressional elections.
In Texas, Talarico is in a tight race for a Senate seat with Republican candidate and Trump protégé Ken Paxton. A victory would be historic for the Democrats, who have not had a senator from the state in more than three decades.
Lucia Geier
Trump promises every US citizen $5,000 if the Republicans win the election
US President Donald Trump promised at the Republican National Convention a payment of $5,000 to every adult citizen in the US if the Republicans retain control of Congress in the midterm elections in November. Because of the country's economic strength, he will pay out a corresponding dividend if his party wins the House of Representatives and the Senate, Trump said in Dallas. The only condition is that the money must be spent in the United States, he added. The distribution should be understood as a profit share in companies.
But unlike companies, which usually pay out profits based on profits, the US government is doing shit: the budget deficit is high, and the entire mountain of debt only recently exceeded the $40 trillion mark. Trump's proposal, roughly estimated, would cost more than $1 trillion for more than 245 million adults in the country, about as much as the superpower's entire defense budget. A corresponding decision in Congress therefore seems neither politically nor financially realistic.
The idea of direct payments to US citizens is not new: Trump had already brought up a direct payment of $2,000 last year, but then did not pursue it further. The money should allow Americans to contribute to the USA's customs revenue - with the exception of higher earners.
You can read more about the topic here:
Lucia Geier
Trump on midterms: one of the most important elections in US history
US President Donald Trump has described the midterm elections, which are coming up in just under two months, as “one of the most important elections in the history” of the USA. Leaving the future of the country to the “radical left Democrats” will set the United States back for the next decade, Trump warned at his Republican party conference in Dallas, Texas. “That would be a tragedy,” he continued.
Trump, who is prone to superlatives and has previously described votes as the most important in US history, emphatically called on his compatriots to vote for the Republicans. In the so-called midterms on November 3rd, around a third of the seats in the Senate will be allocated and the entire House of Representatives will also be re-elected. It is usual for the president's party to lose seats. Trump mentioned this in his speech - and was combative: "We will change that."
In his speech, Trump also repeated the false claim that he was cheated out of victory in the 2020 presidential election, to cheers from his supporters. At that time he was defeated by Democrat Joe Biden.
Lucia Geier
Democrat surprises with video at Republican party conference
Almost two months before the congressional elections in the USA, Democrat John Fetterman caused a surprise at the Republican Party Convention. "Why am I standing here speaking to you today? Because, well, I'm a common-sense Democrat," the Pennsylvania senator said in a video message at the Republican convention in Dallas. "I will always stand with America. I will always reject extremes, socialism and this anti-American way of life."
Fetterman portrayed President Donald Trump as a champion of the steel industry, a key issue for the senator. Fetterman is considered a borderline crosser in Congress. There was always speculation about a possible change of party.
With his comments he was apparently referring to the democratic socialists in his party, who prevailed against moderate competitors in many primaries. US media interpreted his message to Republicans as evidence of growing alienation from his party. Fetterman's video message introduced a speech from Republican David McCormick, the other senator from Pennsylvania. McCormick is a “great American” and a “great senator,” even though he belongs to a different party, Fetterman said.
Lucia Geier
USA and Ecuador want to intensify the fight against drugs
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio wants to further expand cooperation with Ecuador in the fight against drug cartels. To do this, he will ask Congress to provide an additional 45 million US dollars (around 39 million euros) for the South American country, as Rubio announced in the Ecuadorian capital Quito. There should also be funds to combat illegal mining and ships to strengthen the coast guard. Ecuador has become an important transit country for cocaine from neighboring countries such as Colombia and Peru. The security situation in the country has deteriorated significantly.
Rubio met President Daniel Noboa there, among others. The liberal consensus
