Sen. Chris Coons: The internet "is driving extremism in our country" [View all]
Source: CBS News
Updated on: September 14, 2025 / 2:19 PM EDT
Sen. Chris Coons, a Delaware Democrat, said Sunday that amid efforts to foster bipartisan discourse, the internet "is driving extremism in our country," saying slain conservative activist Charlie Kirk "should not have paid with his life for the opportunity to speak out."
"No matter how much I might deeply disagree with his political views, the idea that he would be killed in such a grotesque and public way has to bring all of us to reflect about how hard it's getting, because the internet is an accelerant," Coons said on "Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan."
Kirk was shot and killed at Utah Valley University last week in what officials described as a "targeted attack." The assassination has spurred calls for lowering the political temperature nationwide, along with efforts to improve bipartisan dialogue in Washington.
Sen. James Lankford, an Oklahoma Republican, appeared alongside Coons on Sunday as the two men made an appeal to bipartisanship amid the divisive political climate. Lankford echoed Coons' concerns about the internet and extremism to CBS News' chief Washington correspondent Major Garrett, saying calls for bipartisanship can be drowned out because "the algorithm pushes people to the most extreme."
Read more: https://www.cbsnews.com/news/chris-coons-james-lankford-congress-extremism-internet/
= new reply since forum marked as read