US warns midterms could spark calls for extremist violence

By BEN FOX
Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Department of Homeland Security warns that unsubstantiated claims of fraud that have haunted the U.S. since the 2020 election could return for the upcoming midterms. DHS officials and a new national terrorism advisory note that the midterms are emerging as a rallying point for domestic extremists and foreign adversaries seeking to disrupt the U.S. and incite violence. The terrorism alert broadly warns of potential violence in what the government calls a “heightened threat environment” that is fueled by a volatile mix that includes foreign and domestic misinformation campaigns, conspiracy theories and lone actors with grievances rooted in racial and ethnic hatred.