Political Violence Surges Because Politics Matter Too Much
We’ve made government so powerful that people will fight rather than surrender control to the enemy.
Violence
Trump Argues That He Can Take Over a State's National Guard Whenever He Feels Like It
The government's lawyer told a 9th Circuit panel the president's deployments are "unreviewable," so he need not even pretend to comply with the statute on which he is relying.
Israel Strikes Iran. Is Escalation Inevitable?
U.S. involvement in the new Middle East conflict, political violence at home, and the No Kings protests
Whether or Not Trump Invokes It, the Insurrection Act Is Antiquated and Dangerously Broad
On its face, the law gives the president sweeping authority to deploy the military in response to domestic disorder.
Masked ICE Agents Are a Danger to Both the Public and Themselves
When cops don't look like cops, they run a greater risk their target will fight back.
The Restraining Order Against Federalizing the California National Guard Highlights Trump's Lawlessness
U.S. District Judge Charles Breyer concluded that the president failed to comply with the statute he cited—and violated the 10th Amendment too.
Gavin Newsom Defends Federalism Against Trump's Unilateral National Guard Deployment
In a federal lawsuit, California's governor argues that the president's assertion of control over "the State's militia" is illegal and unconstitutional.
Protesters March, Police Surround, and the Cycle Resets: Dispatch From L.A.
As hundreds gathered to oppose ICE raids, a familiar pattern played out: peace by day, flash-bangs by night.
In Dangerous Times, Train for Self-Defense
My wife and I built our defensive skills with six days of sweat, dust, and the right mindset.
Could 2025 See the Lowest Murder Rate Ever Recorded?
While it's too early to say for sure, the data are extremely encouraging.
Israeli Embassy Staffers Killed
Plus: Trump bill passes the House, Danish father of five detained in ICE custody in Louisiana, and more...
FBI Warns of Swatting Amid a Wave of Politically Motivated Attacks
As partisan violence rises, emergency services are weaponized against mostly conservative targets.
U.S. Government: We Didn't Use 'Political Violence' in Iraq
A training slideshow reveals how deluded American leaders continue to be about the Iraq War, more than two decades later.
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.
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.
