'BradCast' 6/25/2021 (Guest: Dr. Brian Hughes on far-right radicalization as a public-health issue)

On today's 'BradCast':  Donald Trump's family business, the Trump Organization, could face criminal charges in Manhattan as soon as next week on allegations of bank and tax fraud (not Trump himself yet, or his family members or employees).  The Justice Department is suing the state of Georgia over its massive new voter suppression law that erects new barriers and restrictions aimed at making it harder for Americans -- specifically minorities -- to vote. As the toll of dead and missing rises in the collapse of a high-rise building in South Florida, experts say subsidence and rising sea levels may have been factors, raising the specter of coastal retreat for billions of dollars in coastal development. DR. BRIAN HUGHES of American University's Polarization and Extremism Research and Innovation Lab (PERIL) explains how far-right domestic extremism has now spread into the mainstream, and conventional methods of dealing with it as isolated issues of security and law-enforcement are insufficient, and should be expanded to include public health in order to tackle its root causes. Dr. Hughes also discusses the influence of online misinformation and disinformation, social media, and politicians, media outlets and astro-turf groups seeking to stoke 'white rage' and other culture war issues, even as the country moves toward a new, collective understanding of the effects of systemic racism in the U.S.  Hughes offers solutions and actions that state/local governments and individuals can take, particularly at the local level, including resources for parents, teachers and caregivers to get involved in helping to address root causes and prevent radicalization long before it begins.