Recent violence sparks security concerns

And in New York, federal prosecutors say two men were inspired by ISIS when they threw homemade bombs at a crowd on Saturday. The 18 and 19-year-old are charged with using a weapon of mass destruction for throwing improvised explosive devices outside Gracie Mansion. That's the home of New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani. I'm joined now by Dan Byman, a Director at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. Dan, thank you so much for your time today. Just how big of a threat are we talking about here as this war against Iran continues? So the threat has increased. But from a US Homeland point of view, I think, it's important to say that there are a lot of limits, as well. Iran, of course, has been a supporter of terrorism for many decades. And the US government has developed a lot of expertise on this and has devoted a lot of resources to stopping Iran. So while there is more danger than usual, there is also a lot of effort into trying to disrupt any plot.

But we've also seen more violence here in the US with the recent mass shooting in Austin, Texas, that killed three people there. So are these clear indications that these attacks are reactions to the war or from more organized groups? So, so far, at least, it doesn't appear to be organized groups. It appears to be individuals who read something online or are otherwise inspired and either are acting on their own or in small groups. But heightened tension, of course, around the world makes people more likely to act in the name of a particular cause. However, the flavor of the cost varies. Sometimes, it's Israel-Palestine. Sometimes, it's domestic politics. Now, the war with Iran, of course, is dominating headlines.

And is there something you think the US government can do or is doing to keep people not just safe physically, but also mentally? Because I'm sure as people watch and hear of these news stories, there's that sense of, am I safe, are my kids safe, is my family safe? So, as I mentioned, there's been a lot of resourcing of the Iran threat really for decades, and that's very positive. However, unfortunately, the Trump administration has cut a lot of the expertise in the FBI, the Department of Justice, and Homeland Security on threats like Iran. So something the government can do is to start to improve resourcing on this area. And as your question indicated, there also needs to be strategic communication with the US people to let them know the level of threat and very importantly, to reassure them that the government is taking this threat seriously, and has devoted a lot of resources to stopping it.

OK. Dan Byman, thank you so much for joining us today. We appreciate your insight.