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Abbreviated Pundit Roundup: On the brink [1]
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Date: 2025-06-15
We begin today with J. Patrick Coolican of the Minnesota Reformer pointing out that right-wing conspiracy mongers could not wait to spew disinformation about the assassination of Minnesota’s Democratic House leader Melissa Hortman.
Just hours after Minnesotans learned that Democratic House leader Melissa Hortman had been assassinated, right-wing influencer Collin Rugg, who has 1.8 million followers on X, posted a “report” that hinted that she’d been killed because of a recent vote on ending undocumented adults’ ability to enroll in MinnesotaCare, a subsidized health insurance for the working poor. Mike Cernovich, another right-wing influencer who has 1.4 million followers on X, took Rugg’s post and amped it up, but in the “just asking questions” style of many conspiracy theories: “Did Tim Walz have her executed to send a message?” They were deeply ignorant about the MinnesotaCare issue. [...] The “theory” of Hortman’s killing was further undercut by the vote of Democratic Sen. John Hoffman — who was also targeted by the suspect — against rolling back MinnesotaCare for undocumented Minnesotans. Rugg and Cernovich’s posts were shared widely and just the start of the disinformation.
Brian Klaas of The Atlantic sees the latest incident of political violence in Minnesota as more indications of a society coming apart at the seams.
Political violence—and assassinations in particular—are notoriously difficult to predict, precisely because the violence is often carried out by “lone wolf” attackers. Just one deranged zealot is sufficient to carry out an act of consequential violence. In a country of 340 million people and even more guns, there will always be a small pool of potential killers eager to wreak havoc on the political system. That’s why researchers who study political violence, including myself, try to understand what elevates or reduces the risk of violence, even if it can never be fully eradicated. In a context such as the United States, three key factors stand out: easy access to deadly weapons, intense polarization that paints political opponents as treasonous enemies rather than disagreeing compatriots, and incitements to political violence from high-profile public figures. When you combine those three social toxins, the likelihood of political violence increases, even as it remains impossible to predict who will be targeted or when attacks might be carried out. [...] Trump often makes a brief show of condemning political violence—as he has with the killings in Minnesota. While trying to play both the arsonist and the firefighter on social media, his actions in power make clear where his true loyalties lie, sending much stronger signals. One of his first official acts at the start of his second term was to pardon or grant clemency to people convicted for their involvement in the January 6 riots, including those who had violently attacked police officers and were targeting lawmakers. In recent weeks, Trump has floated the possibility of pardoning the far-right zealots who sought to kidnap Governor Whitmer in Michigan. The message is unmistakable: Use violence against my political opponents and there may be a pardon waiting. Joe Biden abused his pardon power to protect his son from tax-evasion charges. Donald Trump abused his pardon power to condone those who attacked cops and hoped to murder politicians. Both abuses were bad. But they are not the same.
I happened to be in downtown Chicago as yesterday’s No Kings protests began. I snapped a few photos. I saw a lot of American flags (some were carried upside down) which I was really pleased to see.
John Blake of CNN interviews author Rutger Bregman about a famous 1936 photograph from Germany and, more generally, about some ways in which Americans can show some “moral ambition” in these troubled times.
BLAKE: Critics say the Trump administration is placing tremendous pressure on corporations, universities, law firms and others to bend the knee. Some of them have agreed to policy changes, and others, like Harvard University, are fighting back. As a historian, how do you see this dynamic playing out? BREGMAN: Resistance is incredibly important. My fellow historian, Timothy Snyder, always says that we should not obey in advance, right? We shouldn’t, even before the order goes out, start behaving as if we live in an authoritarian system. I was very glad to see Harvard show some courage, especially after the very cowardly behavior of some of the big law firms. Acts of resistance can be highly contagious, just as cowardice can be contagious. [...] But what gives me hope is that after the Gilded Age came the Progressive Era, with people like Theodore Roosevelt, a Harvard graduate (and a powerful progressive reformer), someone who grew up in a privileged environment. And then so many things happened in such a short period of time that were unthinkable: the (introduction of) income tax, labor and environmental regulations, the shorter work week, the breakup of big monopolies and corporate power. It was quite incredible.
Teddy Roosevelt, Harvard College graduate and former student of pacifist philosopher William James.
Gustavo Arellano of The Los Angeles Times gives a brief summation of the long history behind anti-Mexican sentiments.
Arellano is probably the only reason I would ever link to an article at the LA Times. Well, Arellano and LZ Granderson.
Adam Mahoney of Capital B News reports on the ambivalence of some Black Angelenos about the ICE raids in Los Angeles County.
The mass immigration raids across LA County triggered a lot more people in the region, home to the second-most undocumented migrants in the country. Still, the protests that erupted over the weekend told a story as much about who showed up as who stayed home. Thousands of demonstrators filled the streets outside the federal building downtown. Local police doused protesters with tear gas and fired flash-bang grenades. Protesters hurled fireworks back at the police lines. And by Sunday night, President Donald Trump took an aggressive approach, deploying over 4,000 National Guard troops and 700 Marines to the city. The question hanging over the protests for Black Angelenos quickly moved beyond just immigration policy to who belongs in neighborhoods and in the city where belonging itself has been contested for decades. Across social media and in homes across the country’s largest county, Black residents sparked heated debate about solidarity, displacement, and the complex racial dynamics that have reshaped one of America’s most powerful cities over decades.
Mahoney’s reporting has a close connection with Brandon Tensley’s story, also at Capital B News, about the desire for justice for the surviving loved ones of the 2015 murders by white supremacist Dylann Roof at Mother Emanuel.
Malcolm Graham, who moved to Charlotte, North Carolina, for college, was getting ready for bed when he saw a news report about a shooting at the church that’s been a haven for his family for more than half a century. After he learned that his sister had attended Bible study at Mother Emanuel that night and couldn’t be found, he began preparing for the worst. Within days, some of the victims’ family members said that they had forgiven the gunman, stressing that “hate won’t win,” and political leaders praised this spirit of forgiveness. Graham underscored that he respects that everyone walks in their faith differently. He also appreciates that, sometimes, forgiving is more about helping a victim’s loved ones to move on than about absolving a perpetrator of their sins. Even so, in the 10 years since the shooting, Graham and others in the Mother Emanuel community feel as if the focus on forgiveness has come at the expense of crucial conversations on issues such as the ongoing dangers of racism and political action that might protect against hate crimes.
Black people are tired, I’m tellin’ y’all.
Finally today, James Landale of BBC News reports that the hostilities between Israel and Iran will overshadow everything else at the G7 summit which begins today in Kananaskis, Alberta, Canada.
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