Charlie Kirk railed against transgender rights. His killing has further fueled the fight

America’s already roiling debate around transgender rights sharply escalated in recent days after Charlie Kirk — one of the nation’s most prominent anti-transgender voices — was fatally shot by a suspect whose life and social circles have been meticulously scrutinized for any connection to the transgender community.

Taking over Kirk’s podcast Monday, top Trump administration officials suggested they are gearing up to avenge Kirk by waging war on left-leaning organizations broadly, despite law enforcement statements that the shooter is believed to have acted alone. Queer organizations took that as a direct threat.

Kirk railed against transgender rights in life, and just prior to being shot on a Utah college campus last week was answering a question about the alleged prevalence of transgender people among the nation’s mass shooters — an idea he had personally stoked, despite pushback from statistical researchers.

Those circumstances seemed to prime the resulting outrage among his conservative base to be hyperfocused on any transgender connection.

—Los Angeles Times

What do Americans make of US military operations abroad? Poll shows a shift

A growing share of Americans have a negative view of U.S. military operations abroad, according to a new YouGov poll. A strong majority also oppose the U.S. invading Venezuela to topple President Nicolás Maduro.

The poll — conducted Sept. 5-8 with 1,114 U.S. adults — comes as tensions between the U.S. and Venezuela have risen in recent weeks.

On Sept. 2, Trump ordered a military strike on a vessel in the Caribbean, saying it carried narcotics bound for the U.S. and was run by “Tren de Aragua Narcoterrorists ... under the control of Nicolás Maduro.” He announced a second strike on Monday, following the deployment of naval assets to the region, and announced a third strike on Tuesday.

In response, Venezuelan officials moved to increase their own military presence along the coast to stave off drug trafficking, according to Reuters. U.S.-Venezuela relations have long been tense, with Washington maintaining sanctions on the country for years and accusing the Maduro government of human rights abuses.

—Miami Herald

West Nile virus case reported in Lexington. Officials to spray for mosquitoes

A West Nile virus case has been confirmed in Lexington, according to the Lexington-Fayette County Health Department.

West Nile virus is most commonly spread through the bite of an infected mosquito, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. It is the leading cause of mosquito-borne disease in the contiguous United States.

The health department did not provide further information about the case, including when it was contracted. Most cases feature mild, flu-like symptoms, but some can become severe and result in hospitalization or death, according to the CDC.

More than 1,300 people in the U.S. develop severe symptoms from the virus each year, and more than 130 die, according to the CDC.

—Lexington Herald-Leader

Israel committing genocide in Gaza, UN-commissioned report says

A United Nations-commissioned report concluded Israel is committing genocide against Palestinians in Gaza, and called for the international community to fulfill its legal obligations to end it and “punish those responsible.”

The findings were released Tuesday as a long-threatened ground offensive on Gaza City starts. The operation into the de facto capital of the Palestinian territory is the latest escalation of the country’s near two-year war against the Iran-backed militant group Hamas.

“It is clear that there is an intent to destroy the Palestinians in Gaza through acts that meet the criteria set forth in the Genocide Convention,” said Navi Pillay, who chairs the commission in charge of the legal analysis, referring to the U.N. directive adopted in 1948.

Israel’s foreign ministry slammed the report, rejecting it as “distorted and false” and saying the findings are based on “Hamas falsehoods.”

—Bloomberg News