The Roots of Conspiratorial Beliefs in Extremism

Early on Friday, an intruder broke into the San Francisco home of Nancy Pelosi and bludgeoned Ms. Pelosi’s husband, Paul, with a hammer.

The shocking attack underlined fears about the growing number of threats against members of Congress and the woeful lack of security around those lawmakers.

Guest: Catie Edmondson, a congressional correspondent for The New York Times.

Background reading: 

• A trail of strained relationships. An itinerant life that included a stint living in a storage unit. A personality that was “consumed by darkness.” Who is the man accused of attacking Mr. Pelosi?
• The assault at the Pelosi home comes as threats against members of Congress have increased in recent years.

For more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily. Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday. 

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