Accessibility links
Odette Yousef Odette Yousef is a National Security correspondent focusing on extremism.
Odette Yousef headshot
Stories By

Odette Yousef

Wednesday

Why the Highland Park suspect represents a different kind of violent extremism

Law enforcement personnel secure the scene after a mass shooting Monday at a Fourth of July parade in downtown Highland Park, a Chicago suburb. Nam Y. Huh/AP hide caption

toggle caption
Nam Y. Huh/AP

National

Why the Highland Park suspect represents a different kind of violent extremism

The Highland Park shooting suspect doesn't seem to be associated with a ideological or political bent. But extremism researchers say these kinds of acts may actually be part of a troubling new trend.

Tuesday

National Security

Experts say the digital footprint of the Highland Park suspect fits into a new trend

The Highland Park shooting suspect doesn't seem to be associated with a ideological or political bent. Extremism researchers say these kinds of acts may actually be part of a troubling new trend.

Experts say the digital footprint of the Highland Park suspect fits into a new trend

Listen · 4:07
Transcript
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/1109883834/1109883835" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript

Friday

National Security

Some fear Christian nationalism is getting legal legitimacy through the Supreme Court

Three recent SCOTUS rulings have been celebrated by an extreme far right wing pushing conservative Christian values. Some see the decisions as evidence this ideology has found legitimacy on the bench.

Some fear Christian nationalism is getting legal legitimacy through the Supreme Court

Listen · 4:11
Transcript
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/1109470737/1109470738" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript

Monday

Idaho's fight against the far right, then and now

An anti-LGBTQ protester carries a semi-automatic rifle as he monitors Coeur d'Alene's "Pride in the Park" event on June 11, 2022. Jim Urquhart for NPR hide caption

toggle caption
Jim Urquhart for NPR

National

Idaho's fight against the far right, then and now

The arrest of white nationalists in North Idaho gained national attention. But it has deeper significance for residents who say the region has a history of attracting — and fighting — extremists.

Idaho's fight against the far right, then and now

Listen · 11:19
Transcript
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/1106828549/1107961621" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript

Wednesday

National Security

Counterterrorism researchers say they lack the data to prevent future violence

A year ago, the Biden administration launched a national plan to counter domestic terrorism. But are federal agencies hampering anti-terrorism efforts by failing to report basic data?

Counterterrorism researchers say they lack the data to prevent future violence

Listen · 4:00
Transcript
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/1105162576/1105162577" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript

Sunday

National

31 members of a white nationalist group were arrested for planning to riot at Pride

A far-right group protested Pride festivities in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho, on Saturday, reflecting a larger movement across the country that has made LGBTQ communities feel less safe.

31 members of a white nationalist group were arrested for planning to riot at Pride

Listen · 5:00
Transcript
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/1104418170/1104418173" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript

Saturday

31 members of the white nationalist Patriot Front arrested near an Idaho Pride event

Law enforcement detains and arrest 31 members of the white nationalist group Patriot Front on suspicion of conspiracy to riot after they were removed from a U-Haul truck near the LGBTQ community's Pride in the Park event in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho, June 11, 2022. Jim Urquhart for NPR hide caption

toggle caption
Jim Urquhart for NPR

National

31 members of the white nationalist Patriot Front arrested near an Idaho Pride event

Police said the men came from at least 10 states and were planning to riot at a Pride event in the city of Coeur d'Alene.

31 members of the white nationalist Patriot Front arrested near an Idaho Pride event

Listen · 5:00
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/1104405804/1104429933" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">

Wednesday

National Security

The Proud Boys indictment comes as political violence evolves

The indictment of multiple former Proud Boys leaders pins seditious conspiracy charges on them for their alleged role in Jan. 6. But it barely registered a response on Proud Boys social media.

The Proud Boys indictment comes as political violence evolves

Listen · 4:22
Transcript
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/1103785058/1103785059" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript

Thursday

The Uvalde shooting conspiracies show how far-right misinformation is evolving

Crosses adorn a makeshift memorial for the shooting victims at Robb Elementary School. NPR has not independent verified the names. CHANDAN KHANNA/AFP via Getty Images hide caption

toggle caption
CHANDAN KHANNA/AFP via Getty Images

Uvalde elementary school shooting

The Uvalde shooting conspiracies show how far-right misinformation is evolving

Rumors, misinformation and conspiracy theories were rampant on right-wing social media before verifiable information came out about the gunman who killed 21 people at a Texas elementary school.

The Uvalde shooting conspiracies show how far-right misinformation is evolving

Listen · 4:05
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/1101479269/1101479543" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">

National Security

Social justice group examines how deeply the far-right has penetrated state politics

The results of a study released this month find that at least one in five Republican state legislators across the country are affiliated with far-right groups on Facebook.

Social justice group examines how deeply the far-right has penetrated state politics

Listen · 3:51
Transcript
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/1101423586/1101423587" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript

Wednesday

National

Soon after the Uvalde shooting, conspiracy theories took off among the far right

Rumors, misinformation and conspiracy theories were rampant on right-wing social media before verifiable information came out about the gunman who took at least 21 lives at a Texas elementary school.

Soon after the Uvalde shooting, conspiracy theories took off among the far right

Listen · 4:05
Transcript
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/1101307609/1101307610" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript

Friday

The Buffalo shooting suspect's online footprint prompts questions about red flags

People gather at the scene of a mass shooting at Tops Friendly Market at Jefferson Avenue and Riley Street on Monday, May 16, 2022 in Buffalo, NY. Kent Nishimura/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images hide caption

toggle caption
Kent Nishimura/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images

Buffalo Tops Mass Shooting

The Buffalo shooting suspect's online footprint prompts questions about red flags

A digital log believed to be linked to the accused Buffalo gunman documents six months of planning the terrorist attack. Researchers are looking through it and asking: Were there any red flags?

Wednesday

National Security

Alleged Buffalo shooter's digital log lays out the 6 months leading up to the attack

The alleged Buffalo gunman appears to have kept a detailed digital log of his activities while planning the attack. Researchers are learning more about his progression into violence and red flags.

Alleged Buffalo shooter's digital log lays out the 6 months leading up to the attack

Listen · 4:46
Transcript
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/1099874032/1099874033" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript

Tuesday

The 'great replacement' conspiracy theory isn't fringe anymore — it's mainstream

Hundreds of white nationalists, neo-Nazis and members of the "alt-right" march down East Market Street toward Emancipation Park during the "Unite the Right" rally August 12, 2017 in Charlottesville, Virginia. Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images hide caption

toggle caption
Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

Race

The 'great replacement' conspiracy theory isn't fringe anymore — it's mainstream

A racist conspiracy theory is believed to have motivated the suspected gunman in the Buffalo attack. It was once a fringe belief, but it's found its way into the mainstream.

Monday

The NPR Politics Podcast

How Replacement Theory Moved From The Fringe To The Mainstream

The suspected gunman in Saturday's shooting in Buffalo, N.Y. is alleged to have written a racist screed explaining his motivations. One of the topics discussed is "replacement theory," a talking point that has made its way to statements made by Republican lawmakers and Fox News hosts despite its past as a fringe idea in racist forums. Today, a look at what replacement theory is, how it became amplified & what implications that has on the political process.

How Replacement Theory Moved From The Fringe To The Mainstream

Listen · 14:37
Transcript
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/1099257491/1198977965" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript