The Retribution Has Begun | Is Antifa a Terrorist Group? | U.S. Will Institute $100,000 Fee for Skilled Worker Visas, and more

I tackle these issues in this essay by applying the guidelines of the Global Terrorism Database (GTD) to determine whether the actions by antifa supporters during the Charlottesville incident constitute terrorism. I conclude that while the events share many characteristics of terrorist attacks, they do not include all of the elements of terrorism required by the GTD. I also question whether antifa can be considered to constitute a “group” at this point in time. My essay highlights how complicated it is to distinguish terrorism from other forms of illegal violence.

Why Florida’s Plan to End Vaccine Mandates Will Likely Spread to Other Conservative States  (Anindya Kundu, The Conversation)
As a sociologist, I study how education policy shapes democracy, social cohesion and inequality. I am also a professor of educational policy studies.
DeSantis’ plan is indicative of Florida’s general approach to approve education policy that is aligned with conservative priorities on “woke politics” and culture war issues, such as book bans.
Other Republican-led states, such as Alabama, Arkansas and Iowa, are typically quick to follow Florida’s lead and implement their own versions of Florida’s educational and social policies.

Political Witch Hunts and Blacklists: Donald Trump and the New Era of McCarthyism  (Shannon Brincat, Frank Mols, and Gail Crimmins, The Conversation)
A modern-day political inquisition is unfolding in “digital town squares” across the United States. The slain far-right activist Charlie Kirk has become a focal point for a coordinated campaign of silencing critics that chillingly echoes one of the darkest chapters in American history.
Individuals who have publicly criticized Kirk or made perceived insensitive comments regarding his death are being threatened, fired or doxed.
Teachers and professors have been fired or disciplined, one for posting that Kirk was racist, misogynistic and a neo-Nazi, another for calling Kirk a “hate-spreading Nazi”.
Journalists have also lost their jobs after making comments about Kirk’s assassination, as has the late-night television host Jimmy Kimmel.
A website called “Expose Charlie’s Murderers” had been posting the names, locations and employers of people saying critical things about Kirk before it was reportedly taken down.
This is far-right “cancel culture”, the likes of which the US hasn’t seen since the McCarthy era in the 1950s.

Threatening Broadcasters, Trump Takes a Page from the World’s Autocrats  (Damien Cave, New York Times)
The tactics President Trump has embraced place the United States in awkward company as freedom of expression is declining in dozens of countries.

Wired for Failure: The Undersea Cable Emergency That Could Sink America’s AI Aspirations  (Kevin Frazier, Lawfare)
The undersea cable system faces threats from deep-sea mining, geopolitical sabotage, and AI-driven demand, requiring immediate federal action.

Proud Boy Enrique Tarrio: MAGA Has Figured Out How to “Play Dirty”  (Ali Breland, The Atlantic)
Inside the far-right network that is working to get people fired for what they say about Charlie Kirk

Trump Says the U.S. Will Institute $100,000 Fee for Skilled Worker Visas  (Tyler Pager and Hamed Aleaziz, New York Times)
Administration officials said the charge would help American workers’ wages by discouraging companies from using the visas to bring in lower-wage international workers.