Air Date: 5–9-2026

Today we examine how political violence has always been woven into the fabric of American life and who gets to decide what counts as violence in the first place. We'll hear about presidential assassinations, the assassination of Fred Hampton, the MOVE bombing in Philadelphia, and the long history of state-sanctioned violence. And I'll discuss the only real way to bend the curve back away from endemic violence in the US.

Full show notes

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TOP TAKES

KP 1: The Real 'Political Violence' in America - Taylor Lorenz - Air Date 9-12-25

KP 2: The Largely Forgotten History of Philadelphias Police Bombing of Black Organization MOVE - PBS NewsHour - Air Date 5-17-25

KP 3: America's History of Assassinations and Political Violence - Front Burner - Air Date 7-16-24

KP 4: America's Addiction to Gun Violence, Racism, and White Rage Will Be Its Downfall Part 1 - The Chauncey DeVega Show -Air Date 9-19-25

KP 5: "Slow Civil War" Author Jeff Sharlet on the Growing NormalAation of Violence at Home & Abroad - Democracy Now! - Air Date 4-27-26

KP 6: The World Is Broken and on Fire. Use Your Anger to Remake It for the Better - The Chauncey DeVega Show - Air Date 3-25-26

(00:50:50) NOTE FROM THE EDITOR

Why Billionaires Now Fear Civil War

DEEPER DIVES

(01:04:57) SECTION A: THE FRAMING WARS

A1: The White House Correspondents Dinner Shooting: What the "Political Violence" Framing Is Hiding - Resistance History with Tad Stoermer - Air Date 4-26-26

A2: Who's to Blame for Political Violence? - WSJ Opinion: Free Expression - Air Date 9-17-25- Air Date 9-17-25

A3: We're MASSIVELY Overstating Our Political Violence Problem — and That's Dangerous! | Sean Westwood - People Who Read People: A Behavior and Psychology Podcast - Air Date 9-16-24

A4: Assassination Nation – Start Your Week with Ros Taylor - The Bunker – News Without the Nonsense - Air Date 4-27-26

(01:32:09) SECTION B: THE LONG AMERICAN TRADITION

B1: The Pen or the Sword? How Lincoln and John Brown Disagreed on Achieving Emancipation Part 1 - History Unplugged Podcast - Air Date 2-23-21

B2: A History of US Political Violence - Americast - Air Date 11-2-22

B3: The Pen or the Sword? How Lincoln and John Brown Disagreed on Achieving Emancipation Part 2 - History Unplugged Podcast - Air Date 2-23-21

(01:52:52) SECTION C: STATE VIOLENCE AND ANTI-BLACKNESS

C1: WATCH: "The Assassination of Fred Hampton: How the FBI and Chicago Police Murdered a Black Panther" - Democracy Now! - Air Date 12-4-14

C2: America's Addiction to Gun Violence, Racism, and White Rage Will Be Its Downfall Part 2 - The Chauncey DeVega Show -Air Date 9-19-25

(02:12:44) SECTION D: THE RIGHT-WING ENGINE

D1: Political Violence In The U.S. Part 1 - The NPR Politics Podcast - Air Date 6-16-25

D2: Timothy McVeigh and the Rise of Right-Wing Extremism - The Lawfare Podcast - Air Date 5-25-23

D3: Political Violence In The U.S. Part 2 - The NPR Politics Podcast - Air Date 6-16-25Political Violence In The U.S. The NPR Politics Podcast Jun 16, 2025

(02:36:23) SECTION E: THE SYSTEM AND WHAT COMES NEXT

E1: Assassin Nation with Patrick Blanchfield - The Dig - Air Date 12-18-24

E2: Holding Out for a Hero Feat. Hasan Piker - Chapo Trap House - Air Date 4-27-26

E3: The Cole Hard Truth - The Muckrake Political Podcast - Air Date 4-28-26

Produced by Jay! Tomlinson

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