Political Violence Surges as the Use of Force Becomes Mainstream
Americans, especially on the left, are growing tolerant of using force to achieve ideological goals.
Violence
Syria's Revolution Has Betrayed Its Promise
After Assad’s fall, Syria was poised for liberation. Instead, ethnic violence, sectarian dogma, and unchecked power are threatening to turn victory into yet another nightmare.
Mel Gibson Controversy Highlights a Bigger Scandal: Many Americans Lose Their Gun Rights for No Good Reason
Millions of people are barred from owning firearms even though they have no history of violence, and they have essentially no recourse under current law.
Trump Declares Tesla Vandals 'Domestic Terrorists'
It's far from the first case of terrorism inflation.
Ecuador's Second Presidential Election of 2025
Incumbent Daniel Noboa and challenger Luisa González have different economic visions, but both support militaristic crime policies.
A Sex Worker Called 911 In Distress. Cops Came to Her Hotel Room and Shot Her.
Linda Becerra Moran died on February 27 after nearly three weeks on life support. On Sunday, the LAPD released video of her being shot.
Mexico Aims To Reshape the U.S. Firearm Industry by Suing Gun Makers
The Supreme Court will decide whether this threat to the Second Amendment is legally viable.
The Role Where Gene Hackman Was State Violence Personified
Hackman's performance as "Little Bill" Daggett in Unforgiven is an unflinching portrayal of how far the state will go to protect its corrupt monopoly on violence.
Why the Internet Celebrated a Killer
Combine moral zealotry with increasingly blurred lines between political speech and violence long enough, and the outcome is predictable.
Covering for Their Own Failures, U.K. Officials Blame Violent Crime on Access to Knives
Politicians who’ve dropped the ball inevitably see the solution as reducing people's freedom.
The Country's Largest Police Union, Which Repeatedly Endorsed Trump, Is Dismayed by His Capitol Riot Pardons
The Fraternal Order of Police mistakenly thought that the president "supports our law enforcement officers" and "has our backs."
Biden and Trump Show Presidents How To Abuse Clemency
Biden’s preemptive pardons and Trump’s blanket relief for Capitol rioters both set dangerous precedents.
Trump's Blanket Clemency for Capitol Rioters Excuses Political Violence
The president drew no distinction between people who merely entered the building and people who vandalized it or assaulted police officers.
Pulp Pleasure and Political Propaganda
Revolution in 35mm is a collection of essays exploring an era of political violence in cinema.
Review: The Radicals Who Tried To Kill Gerald Ford
The Rip Current podcast is a good reminder that political division and even violence are not new in America.
Top-Down Political Cowardice Helped Make Charlie Hebdo a Lonely Target
From Jimmy Carter to Hillary Clinton to Barack Obama to John Kerry, politicians have led the abandonment of free speech.
We Don't Need Terrorism Laws When Murder Is Already Illegal
The government has given itself special powers to deal with crimes that it could already prosecute.
7 Ways To Mark the International Day To End Violence Against Sex Workers
December 17 is a day for mourning sex workers lost to violence and for drawing attention to conditions—like criminalization—that put sex workers at risk.
AOC's Justifications of Violence
Plus: City-owned grocery stores, commentary on the OnlyFans sex stunt, and more...
Just What the CEO Shooting Needs: A Video Game Moral Panic!
NBC reports the assassin's video game habits, as if they matter.
U.S. Taxpayers Are Funding Police Brutality in Brazil
With U.S.-supplied weapons and training, Brazil’s militarized police fuel a cycle of violence that claims thousands of lives each year while destabilizing the region.
Federal Judge Enjoins Enforcement of the Illinois 'Assault Weapon' Ban
U.S. District Judge Stephen McGlynn says the law bans firearms covered by the Second Amendment and is not supported by historical precedent.
The Georgia Case Against a School Shooter's Father Treats an Inattentive Parent As a Murderer
The charges, which could send Colin Gray to prison for the rest of his life, are part of a broader attempt to criminalize parental failures.
The FBI's Quiet Revision of Its 2022 Crime Numbers Adds Fuel to an Argument Between Harris and Trump
While it is not true that "homicides are skyrocketing," recent trends in other kinds of violent crime are murkier.
Highly Regulated Germany Considers New Laws To Deter Terrorists Who Don't Obey Laws
Few problems can be resolved by grandstanding politicians threatening new penalties.
October 7 Offered a Stark Choice Between Good and Evil
When civilians are the targets, terrorists’ grievances don’t matter; it’s time to hunt the perpetrators.
New FBI Data Further Deflate Trump's Claim That Crime Is Rising
Violent crime fell by 3 percent last year, the agency estimates. That includes a 12 percent drop in homicides.
Heated Political Rhetoric Is Usually Not Fatal
Trump and Vance should stop blaming Democratic rhetoric (and vice versa).
Decoding the Sex Trafficking Case Against Sean 'Diddy' Combs
Diddy’s indictment turns the typical sex trafficking charge on its head.
Trump Targeted Again Amid Rising Tide of Political Violence
Politicians and partisan fanatics spur each other to extremes in what they see as a struggle against evil.
Why Do They Keep Shooting at Donald Trump?
Plus: A listener asks the editors to ponder which election was the most important one in their lifetimes.
New Survey Data Undermine Trump's Narrative of Rising Crime
According to Trump's preferred source, violent victimizations fell slightly in 2023, although the difference was not statistically significant.
Second Trump Assassination Attempt Raises Questions About Secret Service Competence
Plus: cat rumors, TikTok in court, and an earthquake
Massachusetts Ex-Cop Charged With Strangling Pregnant Woman and Staging Her Death as a Suicide
Matthew Farwell allegedly murdered a 23-year-old woman who was pregnant with his child. Their relationship is said to have began when she was 15. He was 27.
'María Knew She Was Being Targeted': The Arrest of a Venezuelan Activist Exposes Maduro's Brutal Crackdown
María Oropeza's arrest during a livestream highlights the dangers faced by opposition leaders in Venezuela and the regime's relentless efforts to silence dissent.
The Afghan Allies Left Behind in the Graveyard of Empires
Thousands of people who helped the U.S. in Afghanistan are still looking for an escape.
Neither Harris Nor Her Party Perceives Any Constitutional Constraints on Gun Control
The 2024 Democratic platform devotes five paragraphs to firearm restrictions but does not even allude to the Second Amendment.
Trump's New, More Sophisticated Take on Crime Still Does Not Show 'Homicides Are Skyrocketing'
Although his campaign rejects the FBI's numbers as "garbage," they are broadly consistent with evidence from other sources.
Trump Falsely Claims That 'Homicides Are Skyrocketing,' an Imaginary Trend He Blames on Kamala Harris
Trump's campaign dismisses recent crime data while glossing over the fact that he was president during the huge homicide spike in 2020.
The Wave of Political Violence Has No End in Sight
Politics have become too high stakes for Americans to back away from the brink.
A Federal Judge Reluctantly Concludes That New Jersey's AR-15 Ban Is Unconstitutional
The decision shows that the Supreme Court has forced judges who like gun control to respect the Second Amendment anyway.
She 'Came at Me With Boiling Water,' a Cop Charged With Murder Claims, Contradicting What Video Shows
An Illinois sheriff's deputy with a spotty employment history shot Sonya Massey in the face after responding to her report of a prowler.
Promising To Restore 'Law and Order,' Trump Falsely Claims Crime Is Rising
The most notable recent increase happened on the former president's watch, when homicides spiked.
Is Violent Rhetoric To Blame for the Trump Assassination Attempt?
Plus: Is Biden fit to be president today, let alone stand for reelection?
