OUR PICKSFirst-Ever U.S. National Strategy to Counter Antisemitism | The Psychology Behind Left-Wing Antihierarchical Aggression | New York City Is Sinking under Its Own Weight

US Warns of Heightened Extremist Threat Ahead of 2024 Presidential Election  (Rabia İclal Turan, Anadolu Agency)
The US remains in a ‘heightened threat environment’ ahead of the 2024 presidential election, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said Wednesday. ‘In the coming months, DHS expects the threat environment to remain heightened and that individuals may be motivated to violence by perceptions of the 2024 general election cycle and legislative or judicial decisions pertaining to sociopolitical issues,’ said the National Terrorism Advisory System Bulletin issued by Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas. ‘U.S. critical infrastructure, faith-based institutions, individuals or events associated with the LGBTQIA+ community, schools, racial and ethnic minorities, and government facilities and personnel are likely targets of potential violence,’ it added. Mayorkas said ‘recent tragic events’ highlight the continued heightened threat environment the US faces. He added that these threats are ‘driven by violent extremists who seek to further their ideological beliefs and personal grievances.’  The latest bulletin is the eighth one issued since Jan. 21, replacing the previous bulletin, which expired today, informing the public every few months about the terrorism threat landscape in the US.

Antagonistic Narcissism and Psychopathic Tendencies Predict Left-Wing Antihierarchical Aggression, Study Finds  (Eric W. Dolan, PsyPost)
Narcissistic individuals and those with psychopathic tendencies are more likely to strongly endorse left-wing antihierarchical aggression, according to new research published in Current Psychology. Antihierarchical aggression refers to a specific type of hostility aimed at challenging or opposing hierarchical power structures or authority figures. The new findings shed light on psychological mechanisms that motivate some individuals to participate in violent political activism.
The majority of research on authoritarianism has focused on individuals with right-wing political ideologies. This focus has resulted in a gap in understanding authoritarianism among individuals who support left-wing political ideologies, which the authors behind the new work sought to address.

Texas Mall Shooting Suspect’s Alleged Extremism Part of Growing Trend in US: DHS Bulletin  (Luke Barr, ABC News)
The suspect accused of shooting and killing eight people at a mall in Allen, Texas, earlier this month ‘fixated on mass shootings and held views consistent with racially or ethnically motivated violent extremist … ideologies,’ according to a new bulletin released Wednesday by the Department of Homeland Security. ABC News has previously reported the suspect in the Allen, Texas, mall shooting had tattoos of Nazi symbols on his body, and on a call with reporters, senior DHS officials told ABC News the shooter in Texas had a ‘neo-Nazi ideology.’ ‘Recent tragic events highlight the continued heightened threat environment our nation faces, and these threats are driven by violent extremists who seek to further their ideological beliefs and personal grievances,’ said DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas. Officials said it is a pattern they have seen in the United States and internationally. ‘It is something unfortunately that we are seeing with greater frequency,’ a senior official said. ‘And not just here in the United States, but it’s something that seems to be gaining frequency internationally as well.’

U.S. Unveils First-Ever U.S. National Strategy to Counter Antisemitism  (White House)
Administration announces over 100 new actions and over 100 calls to action to combat antisemitism, including new actions to counter antisemitism on college campuses and online; whole-of-society strategy includes new stakeholder commitments.

California’s Cliffs Are Crumbling as Climate Change Reshapes the Coast  (Scott Wilson, Washington Post)
Planners always knew choices would have to be made whether to keep building along the edge of the Pacific. They just didn’t think it would happen so quickly.

How Solar Farms Took Over the California Desert: “An Oasis Has Become a Dead Sea”  (’ Oliver Wainwright, Guardian)
Residents feel trapped and choked by dust, while experts warn environmental damage is “solving one problem by creating others.”

Arizona’s Farms Are Running Out of Water, Forcing Farmers to Confront Climate Change  (Ximena Bustillo, NPR)
Farmers in Arizona are facing the brunt of climate change as the Colorado River experiences shortages. Even in rural and conservative areas, most agree something needs to change.

New York City Is Sinking under Its Own Weight  (Meghan Bartels, Scientific American)
Home to 8.8 million people as of 2020, New York City is by far the most populous city in the U.S. And the mass of the buildings needed to support all those residents—and the work they do—really adds up. New research published on May 8 in Earth’s Future suggests that the weight of the city itself is pressing down on the land it occupies and contributing to local sea-level rise that increases flood risks.