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New York Times
7 hours ago
- Politics
- New York Times
Political Violence Is Part of the American Story. It Is Also Changing.
Minnesotans awoke on a recent Saturday to reports that an assassin had spent the night ticking his way down a list of Democratic targets, wounding one state lawmaker and his wife and then, just as the police closed in, killing another, along with her husband and their dog. It was shocking. But it quickly seemed to become just another episode in a recent spate of political violence. Since last July, two people have tried to assassinate Donald J. Trump, an arsonist set fire to the Pennsylvania governor's mansion while the family slept, an assailant fatally shot a couple leaving the Capital Jewish Museum in Washington and a man was charged with attempting to kidnap the mayor of Memphis. The result is a troubling sense that political violence has become more brazen, and its motives more difficult to comprehend. The increase is not just public perception; experts agree that attacks on political figures have been increasing. The Armed Conflict Location & Event Data project, a nonprofit that tracks conflicts around the globe, has recorded 21 acts of violence against politicians, their families or their staffs in the United States since it began counting them in 2020. A vast majority have occurred since 2022. The rise comes as vicious and dehumanizing language and images become common in American politics. Online culture is a potent vector, seeming to only amplify rather than calm or contextualize, while offering plenty of encouragement to would-be imitators. And guns have been deregulated in many states, becoming easier to acquire. Political violence can encompass a broad range of actions, from torching Tesla charging stations to premeditated sniper attacks, making it difficult to quantify. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
New York Post
12-06-2025
- Politics
- New York Post
How GOP governors are leading the charge against antisemitism — and for civil rights
The heartless execution of a young couple outside Washington's Capital Jewish Museum. The terrorist who used a makeshift flamethrower and Molotov cocktails to injure elderly pro-Israel rally-goers in Boulder, Colo. The arson attack on the home of Pennsylvania's Jewish governor. These headlines, and many others in recent weeks, brought home a growing threat we governors have been tracking with great alarm: A new generation of Americans has been conditioned to hate Jews with an intense bigotry experienced by no other minority group. It's time for leaders of conscience to draw a bright line, translating rhetoric into robust action to protect all members of the Jewish community from the scourge of antisemitism. Advertisement How did we arrive at today's disturbing reality — where our nation's small Jewish population endures 68% of all religion-based hate crimes? Jews have long been a convenient scapegoat for extremists of all stripes, but today antisemitism has become an elite phenomenon, erupting with particular vehemence on college and university campuses. Antisemitic incidents across the United States spiked by over 600% since September 2023, a recent Combat Antisemitism Movement study found, with most of the increase coming on college campuses. Advertisement Students are not born bigoted. Someone is teaching them to hate. Indeed, some teachers have exploited their privileged positions at the front of the classroom to propagandize and manipulate the impressionable young minds in their care. Meanwhile, many school administrators have lacked the intellectual and moral clarity to forcefully counter the antisemitism spilling out into the quad and amplified on social media. College officials who set aside 'safe spaces' and promoted narrow campus speech codes to prevent 'micro-aggressions' and 'triggers' hypocritically dropped those standards when Jewish students found themselves blocked from classrooms and libraries (or, as at Cooper Union College, trapped within one as a mob raged outside). Advertisement Bigotry that would have been instantly and rightly crushed had it targeted other minorities was instead condoned — and even sometimes celebrated. Let us be clear: No student should face threats in the classroom or on campus, nor feel targeted because of their religion or heritage. All bigotry, religious, ethnic, racial or otherwise, is wrong, absolutely un-American, and cannot be tolerated. Advertisement As governors, we are responsible for the safety of our constituents, especially students in our schools. To fight the rising tide of hatred, we have all signed executive orders and legislation in recent months to combat antisemitism. Our directives require public schools to tackle antisemitism in the same manner as any other form of discrimination prohibited by state or federal law. To help confused school officials, we require student codes of conduct to clearly define antisemitism via the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance standard, and mandate protections guaranteed under Title VI of the 1965 Civil Rights Act. Tennessee, Arkansas and Oklahoma now designate a Title VI coordinator to monitor, review and investigate antisemitic complaints and incidents of discrimination in public K–12 and post-secondary schools. Similarly, Virginia established a cross-government and stakeholder work group to carry out these same responsibilities. The group submits an annual report clearly documenting any antisemitic incidents in the state, ensuring that those affected can pursue the justice they deserve. Currently, we are each creating or strengthening statewide oversight mechanisms to ensure all reported antisemitic incidents are investigated and remedied. Accountability reassures victims that their complaints will be met with a vigorous response. Advertisement We are also incorporating and deepening education on antisemitism and Jewish-American history into our K-12 and higher ed classes — desperately needed, as surveys indicate declining knowledge about the Holocaust among American students. We have come to see the struggle against antisemitism as a pillar of American civil rights. Just as racial reactionaries once disingenuously invoked 'states' rights' and 'majority rule' to impede progress, leftists today cynically and disingenuously invoke 'free speech' to justify the deliberate intimidation of Jewish students — a disturbing echo of attempts to drive black students from campuses even after the law compelled desegregation. Advertisement We believe in free speech, but the First Amendment does not protect acts of violence or threats of physical harm. Yet standing up to bigotry takes courage. Too many school leaders — and state leaders, too — have become paralyzed by the politicization of antisemitism across our society. We, however, are proud to champion this fight, the civil rights movement of our time, and we call upon governors and state legislators across the country to join us. Advertisement Taking firm action against antisemitism can unite all citizens of good will in a righteous effort to restore the American promise for a new generation. Bill Lee, Sarah Sanders, Kevin Stitt and Glenn Youngkin are the Republican governors of Tennessee, Arkansas, Oklahoma and Virginia.
Chicago Tribune
12-06-2025
- Politics
- Chicago Tribune
Ald. Brendan Reilly: You can't separate anti-Zionism from antisemitism — and we must stop pretending you can
Our Jewish brothers and sisters are under siege in America. That's not hyperbole — that's fact. In recent months, the escalation of antisemitic violence has been horrifying. These are not online threats or symbolic protests — they are physical, targeted and fueled by a vicious ideology masquerading as activism. During Passover this year, Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro — one of the most prominent Jewish governors in America — sat down with his family for Seder in the governor's mansion. Outside, someone threw a firebomb into the house. Just weeks later, a Chicagoan yelled, 'Free Palestine,' as he gunned down two Israeli nationals in broad daylight outside the Capital Jewish Museum in Washington, D.C., authorities say. In Boulder, Colorado, a man shouting 'Free Palestine' hurled Molotov cocktails into a crowd of Jewish seniors — including a Holocaust survivor — who were participating in a peaceful event to raise awareness for hostages held by Hamas. Eight people were injured. This is not a coincidence. This is a pattern. And the common thread is this: These victims were not targeted based on their political views. They were targeted simply because they are Jews. Let's be clear: There has never been a meaningful distinction between anti-Zionism and antisemitism. Anti-Zionism claims to oppose a government, but victims of hate crimes are never screened for their opinion of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu or the Likud party. No one asked those seniors in Boulder what they thought of Israeli settlement policy. No one asked Shapiro's children whether they support a two-state solution. They were simply Jewish — and therefore, in the eyes of the attackers, legitimate targets. This is not geopolitics. It is bigotry. And it's now being mainstreamed by far-left activists and social media echo chambers that treat Jewish identity as interchangeable with state power — a grotesque and dangerous lie. Worse yet, the Democratic Party has lurched ever leftward in recent years. It has become home to a growing number of far-left extremists who excuse these hateful acts of violence as a 'noble cause.' The violence is rising. Roughly 23 million Americans — about 9% of adults — believe force is justified against government officials, a 2023 survey by the University of Chicago's Project on Security reported. While that number is alarming across the board, what's even more concerning is that support for political violence now spans the ideological spectrum. Of the 23 million, 7.6 million identify as Democrats and 4.8 million as independents. Political violence is no longer a uniquely right-wing threat. The Boulder firebombing wasn't an outlier. It's part of a growing wave of violent extremism dressed in the language of 'resistance.' Jewish students at the University of California-Los Angeles have been physically prevented from attending class. Across college campuses, mobs shout, 'From the river to the sea,' and post lists of 'Zionists' for public harassment. Now is a moment that demands moral clarity — especially from Democratic Party leaders. If we believe in equality, dignity and pluralism, then we must also believe that violence against Jews — under any banner — has no place in American life. That means speaking up. That means drawing the line. That means saying, without euphemism or apology, that antisemitism cloaked as anti-Zionism is still antisemitism. When someone chants 'Free Palestine' while lighting Jewish people on fire, this is not a misunderstanding of policy — it's an embrace of hate. There is no such thing as anti-Zionism without antisemitism. In the real world — not in theory, but in practice — the two are indistinguishable. When anti-Zionism licenses dehumanization, mob intimidation, firebombings and terror, then it is not opposition to a government. It is a campaign of hate against a people. The mask has slipped. And it's time my fellow leaders in the Democratic Party stopped pretending otherwise.
Yahoo
11-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Opinion: First Lady Melania and Pope Leo are right — it's 'unum' time
In a season of tragedy and division, two powerful voices — one from the Vatican, one from the White House — reached for the same ancient word: Unum. Last month, after the horrific shooting outside the Capital Jewish Museum in Washington, D.C., First Lady Melania Trump offered her condolences by quoting our national motto: E Pluribus Unum — 'Out of many, one.' Days earlier, Pope Leo XIV, the first American pontiff, delivered his inaugural message with a similar phrase etched into his papal crest: In Illo Uno Unum — 'In the One, One.' And with the horrifying attack on Jewish families in Boulder, Colorado, earlier this month, the same call to unity remains. These aren't just old, dusty Latin words. They were calls to unity in a time when America — and the world — feels dangerously divided. We are living through a season of immense high conflict, spilling over into hate-fueled violence. But from Rome to D.C., this month reminded us that Unum — unity — is not just a relic. It's a lifeline. Let's be honest: unity sounds soft. It can feel like wishful thinking. But today, invoking unity is a bold act. It takes guts to say, 'We still belong to each other,' especially when everything around us screams otherwise. I see signs of that courage every day. In an exhausted middle of Americans who are tired of the yelling, the blaming and the endless outrage. They're not perfect — but they're trying. Trying to build bridges instead of burning them. Trying to find common ground without giving up their convictions. That's the heart of Unum. It doesn't erase conflict or pretend we all agree. It's not utopia. It's the hard, daily work of choosing coexistence over chaos. Unum means Jewish and Muslim Americans grieving side-by-side. It means a First Lady who grew up Catholic in Slovenia invoking a motto that speaks across American synagogues, mosques and churches alike. It means a Pope who spent years in Latin America calling for peace — not as an abstract dream, but as an urgent task. And in Washington last week, that task was made painfully real. The shooting near the Israeli Embassy wasn't just another violent act. It was a national alarm. A young couple was killed. Jewish Americans and foreign diplomats had gathered at a museum dedicated to the hard work of remembering history and resisting hate. They came in peace. They fled in terror. If that doesn't shake us, what will? I mourn every loss — from D.C. to Gaza. As a former diplomat and humanitarian worker, I've seen the cost of war up close. The humanitarian crisis in Gaza is heartbreaking: tens of thousands dead, aid blocked, civilians suffering. Hostages still not home. Israelis and Palestinians alike living in fear and grief. But pain doesn't have to harden us. It can humble us. It can move us to action — not vengeance. In moments like these, we face two temptations. One is despair: to give up, to believe the divisions are too deep. The other is rage: to blame, punish and retreat into our tribes. Neither will save us. The harder path — the braver one — is to build bridges anyway. Pope Leo XIV said it plainly: 'Be bridgebuilders, peace seekers, and companions on the journey.' That's not just a prayer. It's a plan. Because in a world driven by algorithms that divide and outrage that sells, choosing Unum is radical. It means staying at the table when you'd rather storm out. It means believing that pluralism — people of different faiths, races, beliefs and stories — can still build a shared life. You could say that in an interfaith nation like America, that is our common wealth — a society where deep differences don't divide us, they deepen us. The First Lady's words last month were not just a prayer — they were a call to action. Quoting our centuries-old motto E Pluribus Unum — 'Out of many, one' — was a reminder that belonging isn't partisan. It's American. It always has been. So let's hold on to that fragile hope. Let's say Unum again — and mean it.
New York Post
10-06-2025
- New York Post
Inside Israeli Embassy shooter Elias Rodriguez's fan club
Elias Rodriguez is accused of brutally murdering two Israeli embassy staffers — but a sick fan club cheering on his action is growing around him. A twisted online community has exploded supporting the suspected terrorist: Writing him letters in jail, petitioning for his release, and celebrating his crime as part of the so-called 'global intifada.' The Post infiltrated several popular Telegram channels which circulate op-eds, petitions and even stickers in support of the accused murderer. 8 Elias Rodriguez was arrested for allegedly shooting Yaron Lichinsky and Sarah Pilgrim in May. Katie Kalisher via Storyful Rodriguez, 31, is charged with shooting Yaron Lichinsky, 28, and Sarah Pilgrim, 26, late on May 21 as they were leaving a Young Diplomats Reception held at the Capital Jewish Museum in DC. The victims, who were a couple, both worked at the Israeli Embassy. Chicago native Rodriguez is now charged with two counts of first-degree murder and is being held in jail as prosecutors determine a full list of charges against him. Depraved Rodriguez, who had ties to radical left-wing groups, reportedly claimed responsibility for the attack that night while chanting 'Free Palestine' which has since made him the subject of praise online. A video of Rodriguez's arrest posted to Resistance News Network, a pro-Palestinian Telegram channel with more than 165,000 followers, received tremendous positive attention. 404 users reacted with a heart-on-fire emoji, and 192 more with a salute emoji. 8 A message posted to the Tariq el-Tahrir Youth and Student Network Telegram channel encouraged members to post stickers of Rodriguez 'everywhere.' Telegram Individuals on the Tariq el-Tahrir Youth and Student Network Telegram channel were encouraged to print out stickers of Rodriguez and to 'distribute them everywhere! Long live the armed anti-imperialist resistance!' Especially disturbing strings of comments about Rodriguez and racist hate directed towards Lichinsky and Pilgrim were left by members of GAZA NOW IN ENGLISH, a Telegram channel with more than 200,000 members. An image of Rodriguez posted to the channel the day after the attack praised him for, 'in a moment of courage, [deciding] to make his voice heard and [confronting] the murderers with boldness,' despite both of his victims being entirely innocent diplomats. 8 Stickers of Elias Rodriguez were circulated on Telegram groups to be downloaded by users. 8 Reactions on Telegram to Lichinsky and Pilgrim's murder were viciously antisemitic. Telegram 'Great man even though he's a Christian/atheist worm,' one channel member responded. Another wrote, 'Blessed… two zionists off to their promised land in HELL!!!' 'Go go go rodriguesz [sic], another shooter are welcomed,' a third user wrote. Another said, 'This should happen all over the world in each and every country.' Responses to a photo of the two victims were equally depraved. Heart emojis, Palestinian flags, poop emojis, and inverted red triangles, used by Hamas in military footage to indicate an Israeli target before an attack, littered the comment section. 'Welcome to hell,' someone emboldened by their anonymity wrote. Another chimed in, 'Those things are not 'people' they are demons.' 'Thank you… let all iarelist [sic] and zionist be killed,' a commenter added. 'Killing jews ia [sic] service to humanity. Kill more of these terrorist children killers,' someone wrote. 8 Many users on the GAZA NOW IN ENGLISH Telegram channel celebrated the murders. Telegram Multiple Telegram channels, including the United Liberation Front for Palestine and Resistance News Network, circulated a petition to free Rodriguez, written by the anonymous Free Elias Rodriguez Organizing Committee. 'Elias Rodriguez's targeted attack on two israeli [sic] diplomatic staff on May 21, 2025 was a legitimate act of resistance against the zionist state,' it reads, condoning murder on US territory for political ends. 8 Rodriguez's image was photoshopped onto a Palestinian flag, superimposed with a hammer and sickle. Telegram They compare Rodriguez to alleged United Healthcare CEO killer Luigi Mangione, 'whose alleged actions,' the petition argues, 'also helped to balance the scales of justice.' 'We are saying that such counter-violence is legitimate. It is justice. Elias Rodriguez's act was fully justified, at that place where legal and moral duties meet.' 8 Several Telegram groups circulated a petition to free Elias Rodriguez from prison. Telegram Jewish groups have warned that many channels like these are actually seeded and fuelled by Hamas to spread its anti-Israel propaganda. 'The Telegram app has a channel where anyone can find English translations of propaganda from groups like Hamas. It's not necessarily like there's a menu of options from Hamas, it's not that official. They just create online spaces where people can access and circulate their propaganda. 'It serves Hamas by portraying them as a legitimate resistance instead of the bloodthirsty terrorists that they are. It has dangerous consequences and makes people feel like they are not alone in their resistance, which can make them more damaging,' Oren Segal, the Anti-Defamation League's SVP for Counter-Extremism and Intelligence, recently told The Post. 8 A 'zine' version of Khaled Barakat's op-ed was circulated for download on several channels. Telegram Telegram groups, including Resistance News Network, the Tariq el-Tahrir Youth and Student Network, and United Liberation Front for Palestine, which were identified to The Post by the Foundation for Defense of Democracies as especially extreme channels, have also shared an especially inflammatory op-ed celebrating Rodriguez. The piece is written by Khaled Barakat, an individual identified by the US Department of Treasury as a Specially Designated National for his association with the designated terrorist organization Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine. Published originally in Arabic in a Lebanese newspaper, the piece has been converted into a 'zine' form that Telegram users are circulating in a printable PDF form. Barakat's message reads: 'Rodriguez's operation represents a cry in the face of the American system, and a message that resistance is … an identity, and an ethical and political stance that allows for no compromise.'
