April 28, 2026 - First the Shooting, Then the Conspiracies

We all know political violence is out of control. In the aftermath of the third attempted assassination of President Trump last Saturday night, the talking heads are engaged in the usual debate about whether more animus is coming from the left or the right. So predictable. And they're missing a bigger picture.
While violence against national figures understandably commands most of the attention, I continue to think the real impact is local. Since 2019, Princeton University has hosted the Bridging Divides Initiative, a nonpartisan effort to track and mitigate political violence in the United States.

The eye-opener for me is their tracking of hostility toward local officials — think school board members and township supervisors. On their website, you'll find data plotted across four categories: Insulted, Harassed, Threatened, and Attacked.

Reflecting on the current moment, BDI executive director Shannon Hiller put it plainly: "The data is clear: The risk of political violence intensified last year, and it's continued to worsen so far in 2026."

Ask yourself — who will step forward to run for office and serve in local government if this trend continues? A void will form, and extremists will fill it. The fringe actors who show up at public meetings not to offer thoughtful input, but to torment good people trying to do the right thing for little or no pay.

All politics is local. Our problem is not just at the level of the White House Correspondents' Association Dinner.  You can watch an interview I did seven months ago with Hiller and Robert Pape from the University of Chicago — recorded in the aftermath of the assassination of Charlie Kirk — Hiller has studied political violence for 30 years.

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After a shooting disrupted the White House Correspondents’ Dinner, unfounded conspiracy theories rapidly spread across the political spectrum claiming the attack was staged to boost support for President Trump and his proposed White House ballroom, despite no evidence supporting those claims.

The Washington Post

The Supreme Court appeared divided over whether law enforcement’s use of a geofence warrant to obtain a suspect’s location data violates the Fourth Amendment, with some justices signaling interest in a narrower ruling to clarify warrant standards without fully resolving broader privacy concerns.

SCOTUSblog

Americans’ financial anxiety remains dominated by affordability, with inflation and rising living costs still the top concern while a record 55% say their personal finances are getting worse.

Gallup

A proposed California ballot measure to impose a one-time 5% tax on billionaires has qualified for the November election after organizers gathered more than 1.5 million signatures, setting up a high-stakes debate over funding public services and potential economic fallout.

CBS News

Across the United States, winters have grown significantly shorter and warmer since the 1950s—cutting weeks of freezing days—and the shift is already reshaping economies, ecosystems, water supplies, and even the spread of disease.

USA Today

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has unveiled a proposed mid-decade redistricting map that could boost Republican U.S. House seats ahead of the midterms, though it faces legal challenges and political uncertainty.

NPR

Although Secret Service agents successfully stopped an armed attacker before he could reach the White House Correspondents’ Dinner, the incident exposed significant vulnerabilities in the event’s layered but ultimately porous security setup.

The Atlantic

President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump renewed calls for Jimmy Kimmel to be fired from ABC after he joked that the first lady had “the glow of an expectant widow,” as Kimmel defended the line and tensions over political rhetoric escalated following the recent security scare at the White House correspondents’ dinner.

Associated Press

Despite negative reviews, "Michael" smashed box office records with a $217 million global debut, proving that nostalgic performances, fan loyalty to Michael Jackson, and a crowd-pleasing theatrical experience outweighed critical skepticism.

Variety

The Philadelphia Eagles took a low-risk gamble in the 7th round by drafting Uar Bernard, a 6' 4" tall Nigerian athlete with no football experience who weighs 306 pounds with 6% body fat, banking on his rare physical traits and raw potential to develop into something special.

Barstool Sports