Dani Schulkin

Co-Hosts Tess Bridgeman and Rachel Goldbrenner are joined by Rebecca Ingber and Brian Finucane to examine the escalating U.S. campaign of killings of suspected drug traffickers at sea under “Operation Southern Spear” following the January 2026 capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro.

Terrorism is intended to send a violent message, targeting persons who symbolize or encapsulate the perpetrator’s animus. Even though the details concerning Charlie Kirk’s assassination have been the subject of ideological rancor, his death is the latest politically motivated murder that tragically distills human life into the collateral damage allegedly required to communicate an assailant’s censorious message. For Americans, assassinations always strike a profoundly unsettling chord.

The first half of 2025 has seen significant developments to curb the use of spyware, software that can extract users’ data, such as videos, photos and emails, and can turn phones and computers into surveillance devices. In April, the Pall Mall Process, steered by the United Kingdom and France, issued a non-binding, voluntary Code of Practice to tackle threats posed by spyware. As of July, 25 States have signed on.