In October 2020, federal agents uncovered a plot to kidnap Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, put her on trial and possibly start a civil war. Given America’s current political climate, the idea may not have been so far-fetched.

Historian Thomas Zimmer explains why he’s not terribly worried about the far-right in Germany, even though the xenophobic Alternative for Germany party now leads the opposition in parliament. And Constanze Stelzenmüller, an expert on foreign relations, credits Angela Merkel for holding democratic ideals together in Europe with a firm hand.

Despite new regulations, Facebook groups and Twitter bots are still luring naive users into a world of suspicion, lies and terrorism, says social media researcher Renée DiResta.

The attraction to violent far-right extremism often begins with innocent online chatter before it’s fed by degrees — and algorithms, says Cynthia Miller-Idriss, a sociologist and education expert who tracks such groups.