Author: Thomas L. Knapp

Source: The Intercept
by Natasha Lennard

“There’s not a lot to glean so far about Cole Tomas Allen of Torrance, California. A since-deleted Bluesky account reportedly linked to the suspect included run-of-the-mill criticisms of the Trump administration; he lists himself as a self-employed video game designer and part-time teacher. According to reports, he studied mechanical engineering and computer science, was part of a Christian fellowship, and also a nerdy-sounding club for students to have battles with foam toys. He reportedly donated $25 to ActBlue in 2024 earmarked for Kamala Harris’s presidential campaign. He was a registered voter with ‘no party preference’ in California. From the evidence available so far, the suspect seems to be a normie. Trump’s regime can give rise to a normie suspected assassin because the brutality and violence it has so wholly normalized, and the impunity it has reveled in, is deranging.” (04/27/26)

https://theintercept.com/2026/04/27/white-house-correspondents-dinner-shooting-trump/

Source: Los Angeles Times
by James Piazza

“There are several important drivers of political violence at work in the U.S. today, according to my own research and research by other scholars. The United States is currently very politically polarized, meaning that Americans are sharply divided against one another along partisan lines. They are suspicious and hostile toward one another, and this produces a tense and volatile environment for politics and public life. This has produced a ‘zero-sum’ environment in which every election and political contest is perceived as a ‘do or die’ moment. There is also a moral dimension to polarization in the U.S. Each side views members of the other party not as merely having a different view on politics but rather as evil or immoral.” (04/27/26)

https://archive.is/NKa1i

Source: UnHerd
by Sohrab Ahmari

“Spectacular events — such as this weekend’s attempted assassination of President Trump and his Cabinet in Washington — can tempt us into thinking that ours is an unprecedented moment: uniquely turbulent, uniquely violent. The slightest friendship with a history book, however, gives the lie to such presentism. Case in point: from Hamilton’s death-by-duel to Lincoln’s demise to the JFK assassination, political violence has run parallel to American constitutional stability. Just because some things are historical constants, however, doesn’t mean their essential characteristics remain unchanged.” (04/27/26)

https://archive.is/LACX0

Source: Freedom and Flourishing
by Winton Bates

“Even after my visit to the Ajanta caves, I did not fully understand why merchants supported Buddhism in ancient India. I reasoned that the occupation of being a merchant would make a person disinclined to accept a religious doctrine which denies their own existence. Idle people may ponder their own existence, but merchants would be expected to be too busy pursuing their occupation. So, wouldn’t Buddhism’s ‘no self’ doctrine be unpalatable to merchants?” (04/27/26)

https://www.freedomandflourishing.com/2026/04/why-were-merchants-attracted-to.html

Source: Mother Jones
by Alex Nguyen

“While Elon Musk and Sam Altman squabble over OpenAI’s corporate structure, the company has openly relinquished responsibility of ensuring safety.” (04/27/26)

https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2026/04/the-girls-are-fighting-ai-edition/

Source: Electronic Frontier Foundation
by Matthew Guariglia

“Speaker Johnson has introduced a new fig leaf over the American surveillance state, the Foreign Intelligence Accountability Act. Introduced with only days to go before Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) expires and the U.S. government loses one of its most invasive surveillance programs, the bill does nothing to make any of the substantial changes privacy advocates have been asking for — most notably, it fails to give us a real warrant requirement for the FBI to snoop through the private conversations of people on U.S. soil.” (04/27/26)

https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2026/04/congress-must-reject-new-insufficient-702-reauthorization-bill

Source: The Price of Liberty
by Nathan Barton

“The biggest story of the weekend, politically and socially, was the attempted assassination of several members of the current regime in DC. Apparently just in the Executive Branch. And apparently an attempt made by a man who shocked everyone by his behavior: more and more questions about what is going on and why. But one question is again answered: the mainstream media is again demonstrating a complete lack of morality and a complete unwillingness to tell the truth.” (04/27/26)

https://thepriceofliberty.org/2026/04/27/an-eventful-weekend-and-more-proof-of-what-is-wrong-with-our-current-situation/