THE INTERVIEW | Kirk’s Killing Raises Warning: Violent Extremism as Expression Means Social Upheaval

Hilary Golston spoke with Hal Kempfer, a former Marine intelligence officer, who says the assassination of Charlie Kirk is a stark reminder of what happens when anger curdles into action. Kempfer warns that if violent extremism becomes the only way Americans express themselves, the country could slip into a state of social upheaval, echoing earlier chapters of domestic strife from the Civil War to the unrest of the 1960s. He says Kirk, despite his polarizing views, represented a commitment to civil discourse and that the loss of even controversial voices through violence raises urgent questions about how to confront radicalization and protect the public square.