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Luigi Mangione and the Making of a ‘Terrorist’
Discretion is crucial to the American tradition of criminal law, Jacob Ware and Ania Zolyniak write, noting that “lawmakers enact broader statutes to empower prosecutors to pursue justice while entrusting that they will stay within the confines of their authority and screen out the inevitable “absurd” cases that may arise.” Discretion is also vital to maintaining the legitimacy of the legal system. In the prosecution’s case against Luigi Mangione, they charge, “That discretion was abused.”
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Financial Surveillance Is Expanding—but So Is the Resistance
The last few months were hectic, but not all bad. Amidst the government surveilling cash, prosecuting people in bad faith, and creating new surveillance mechanisms, there were significant wins: Courts pushed back on overreach and Congress began to offer reforms to correct past mistakes.
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In Latest Attack on Jewish Community, Suspect in Museum Shooting Posted Manifesto Calling to 'Bring the War Home'
On the evening of 21 May 2025, shortly after 9:00 pm, Elias Rodriguez, 30, of Chicago, Illinois, allegedly shot and killed two Israeli embassy staff members as they were leaving an AJC (American Jewish Committee) Young Diplomats event at the Capital Jewish Museum in Washington DC. As he was taken into custody, Rodriguez shouted, “Free, free Palestine.” An online manifesto posted on X lays out the reasons for the attack.
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Safety and Security at Institutions of Higher Education
Ensuring the safety of students, faculty, and staff is a multifaceted challenge that requires institutions of higher education to navigate myriad threats, hazards, and risks.
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Security Theater REALized and Flying without REAL ID
After multiple delays of the REAL ID Act of 2005 and its updated counterpart, the REAL ID Modernization Act, in the United States, the May 7th deadline of REAL ID enforcement has finally arrived. Does this move our security forward in the skies?
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Trump Administration Moves to Block the U.S. Travel of Mexican Politicians Who It Says Are Linked to the Drug Trade
In what could be a significant escalation of U.S. pressure on Mexico, the Trump administration has begun to impose travel restrictions and other sanctions on prominent Mexican politicians whom it believes are linked to drug corruption.
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States Are Telling Sheriffs Whether They Can — or Can’t — Work with ICE
Cooperation between sheriffs and ICE lies at the heart of Trump’s immigration policy.
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For First Time, U.S. Charges Sinaloa Cartel Leaders with Narco-Terrorism
Federal prosecutors on Tuesday charged alleged Sinaloa Cartel leaders with narco-terrorism and material support of terrorism for trafficking fentanyl, cocaine, methamphetamine and heroin into the United States. It is the first time prosecutors charged alleged drug traffickers with terrorism-related charges.
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Under the Radar: Militias Use New Terminology to Hide in Plain Sight
Across the United States, militia groups are redefining how they identify themselves and each other, signaling a broader effort to soften their image and manipulate public perception.
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Measuring Change in Terrorist Engagement: Challenges and Future Directions
Changes in risk and protective factors can signal disengagement, enabling risk management resources to be allocated where they are needed most.
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Protecting Our Borders: Leveraging Technological Assets and Local Knowledge in Remote Communities
Along its northern and southern borders—some areas of which are vast, often forbidding wilderness—the United States confronts threats from foreign adversaries, their proxies, and transnational criminal organizations. Fighting back requires more advanced technological tools combined with knowledge of the terrain from tribal populations or other communities around the borderlands.
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Chicago Economist Argues for Social Intervention on Gun Violence
In his new book, University of Chicago’s Jens Ludwig makes the case for a pragmatic approach. Instead of waiting for the U.S. to solve gun violence by addressing its social problems, incarcerating people, and reducing the number of guns in circulation, he argues for a short-term solution: social intervention in places most affected by interpersonal violence.
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States Push to Combat Human Trafficking Amid Federal Funding Cuts
States are moving to strengthen protections against human trafficking, but some advocates warn that some programs might not have the resources to help survivors.
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Trump Pick to Run DEA Could Challenge America’s Already Tense Relations with Mexico
In 22 years at the agency, Terry Cole never rose to its top ranks, but he is a vocal supporter of the president’s goal of going after Mexican officials who are complicit with drug cartels.
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What We’ve Learnt About Lone-Actor Terrorism Over the Years Could Help Us Prevent Future Attacks
Politically motivated attacks, carried out by lone individuals lacking direct affiliation with any terrorist group, have become more common in Europe during the last few decades. Lone-actor attacks are difficult to prevent precisely because they are not a systemic threat in the way that coordinated, group-based terrorism can be. Its danger lies in isolated bursts of violence rather than in sustained campaigns. But there are patterns worth following that could help prevent future incidents.
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The long view
Why Was Pacific Northwest Home to So Many Serial Killers?
Ted Bundy, Gary Ridgway, George Russell, Israel Keyes, and Robert Lee Yates were serial killers who grew up in the Pacific Northwest in the shadow of smelters which spewed plumes of lead, arsenic, and cadmium into the air. As a young man, Charles Manson spent ten years at a nearby prison, where lead has seeped into the soil. The idea of a correlation between early exposure to lead and higher crime rates is not new. Fraser doesn’t explicitly support the lead-crime hypothesis, but in a nimble, haunting narrative, she argues that the connections between an unfettered pollution and violent crime warrant scrutiny.