Why has political violence become so common?

Here & Now Anytime

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4.1 • 953 Ratings

🗓️ 28 April 2026

⏱️ 26 minutes

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Summary

A man has been charged with trying to assassinate President Trump at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner. But threats against public officials are rising across parties. Political violence researcher Jacob Ware explains the deeper forces shaping modern violence.

Then, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis unveiled a new plan this week to redraw the state’s congressional map to give Republicans four extra seats. Tampa Bay Times reporter Romy Ellenbogen shares what this would mean for voters.

And, a CNN investigation exposed a vast underground network of virtual Telegram group chats teaching men how to drug and rape their wives and partners. CNN Paris correspondent Saskya Vandoorne was part of the investigative team and shares more details from the report.

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Transcript

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0:00.0	WBUR Podcasts, Boston.
0:06.0	We are in a heightened threat environment, and public office today comes with a degree of danger and risk.
0:15.2	Authorities deemed last weekend's shooting an assassination attempt on the president.
0:19.8	What's fueling political violence in this country?
0:32.0	It's Tuesday, April 28th, and this is here and now anytime from NPR and WBUR Boston.
0:38.6	I'm Shiko Theuri.
0:41.7	Today on the show, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis wants to redraw the state's congressional map,
0:47.6	a move that could give Republicans four extra seats, but it raises some legal questions.
0:53.4	The Florida Constitution does have that ban on
0:56.3	redrawing a district with a political party in mind, with political favor in mind. And a CNN
1:02.7	investigation unveils a vast underground network of men drugging and raping their wives.
1:08.9	Photos or videos of your wife or partner are treated as currency.
1:13.6	This is a way of making sure you can trust the other person that is like-minded.
1:19.0	So it's like, hey, can I trust you send me a picture of your wife?
1:22.5	But first, we're learning new details about a California man, Cole Allen, who has been charged with trying to assassinate the president at the White House Correspondence Dinner.
1:32.3	He also faces federal gun charges after attempting to storm the event with multiple weapons.
1:37.9	In the days since the shooting, the White House press secretary has blamed Democrats and journalists for what she calls divisive rhetoric that she says is fueling political violence in the U.S.
1:48.8	Is this something new or part of a much longer story in American politics?
1:54.3	Jacob Ware has some thoughts. He studies domestic terrorism and political violence and teaches at Georgetown University.
2:02.4	He's also the co-author of God, Guns, and Sedition. Here's his conversation with Indira Lakshmanan. So when something like this
2:09.1	happens, it can feel like things are getting worse, especially on the back of two other attempted
2:15.2	assassinations against President Trump since the 2024 campaign.
	...

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