Latest news with #fear
Yahoo
14 hours ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
‘They're going to run away': NYC Councilwoman says Mamdani victory ‘unacceptable for Jewish community
Fox News Digital spoke to NYC Councilwoman Inna Vernikov about how Zohran Mamdani's anti-Israel rhetoric has stoked fear in the Jewish community.
New York Times
a day ago
- Politics
- New York Times
The Fear Is the Point
Like the fog in Carl Sandburg's poem, fear has come on little cat feet, seeping silently into various parts of American society. It sits, looking over not just harbor and city, but all of America. I have seen and been affected by this fear over the past several months. It has seeped into our military, our civil service, universities, law firms, C-suites and the leadership of nonprofit organizations. It wasn't always this way. During George W. Bush's presidency, I worked with a number of organizations that opposed his administration's torture program — euphemistically called 'enhanced interrogation' — that was employed by the C.I.A. against suspected terrorists after 9/11. After President Barack Obama signed an executive order ending the program, my colleagues and I held a small party to celebrate. At that party, I remarked that we should be grateful for the fact that we lived in a nation where we could publicly oppose the policies of our government without fear of what that government might do to us. We didn't worry about being arbitrarily arrested or investigated, having any government funding for our organizations cut off, or being personally and viciously attacked on social media and in the press. I cannot make that statement today. President Trump does not accept dissent and is using fear to try to suppress it. Let's start with our military and civil service, communities with which I have had a lifetime of experience and maintain close contact. The fear in the Pentagon today is palpable. The firings of general officers without cause have sent a chilling message to everyone in uniform. I served through several changes in political leadership as an Army officer and later as a Defense Department civilian. Both the targeted removals of senior military leaders and the mass firings of members of our federal civil service that are taking place are unprecedented and clearly designed to eliminate dissent, replace professionals with political loyalists and create a climate of fear. Next, the lawyers, another community that I am part of. The Trump administration is attempting to coerce major law firms into refusing to represent clients whom it disfavors and to represent clients it favors. Among the many lawyers I know, this is widely seen as a direct assault on the foundation of our legal system. But for many of those lawyers, fear of losing work that requires access to government buildings, including courts, is a strong motivator. A few law firms have fought back, but some have been anxious enough about the threatened loss of business or access that they have cut 'deals' with the administration. Recently, I spoke to a group of graduate students and professors at Harvard. All were concerned about the effect of the administration's unmistakable attacks on academic freedom and freedom of speech on campus. While Harvard as an institution has the resources and will to fight back, the loss of funding for research and the fear of interrupted studies are very real for the faculty and students there and elsewhere. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
Forbes
2 days ago
- Business
- Forbes
Perplexity CEO Gives A Key Lesson On Leadership, Competition, And Fear
Aravind Srinivas highlights an overlooked leadership lesson. The modern business environment is undergoing significant volatility and disruptions, requiring CEOs and senior leaders to expand their capacity continually. While much focus in leadership has rightly shifted toward well-being and resilience, one crucial element, often overlooked, can still trip up even the best of executives: fear. Typically, fear is framed as something to conquer, avoid, or eliminate. However, fear doesn't have to be the enemy. It can instead serve as an effective tool sharpening leaders' instincts, accelerating their decisions, and fending off complacency. Aravind Srinivas, co-founder and CEO of Perplexity, captured this perspective during a talk at Y Combinator's AI Startup School: "There's real benefit from embracing that fear and sleeping with that fear and waking up every day and feeling excited about what you're going to build because that's the only thing that'll keep you going." This type of perspective is "healthy paranoia." Here are four specific advantages healthy paranoia offers leaders: 1. Healthy Paranoia Sharpens Your Thinking Whether it's a tiger in the wild or a sudden threat to your market share, fear has a universal effect: it sharpens your focus. In moments of real or perceived threats, whether physical, emotional, financial, or strategic, the brain cuts through distractions and focuses on what matters most. For leaders, healthy paranoia channels that same response. It forces sharper thinking and clearer questioning. Where are we vulnerable? What feels safe but isn't? Srinivas articulates this well: 'You should assume OpenAI, Anthropic, and Google will build it too. The only moat is speed.' In an era where ideas and initiatives are easily replicated, speed and continuous refinement have become essential competitive advantages. Rather than fearing imitation, healthy paranoia demands pinpointing the area in which leaders can truly excel and executing relentlessly toward mastery. This kind of thinking drives ruthless prioritization and strategic clarity. 2. Healthy Paranoia Fuels Urgency Without Chaos Healthy paranoia doesn't paralyze, it catapults. Unlike panic-driven urgency that generates chaos, healthy paranoia encourages consistent forward motion rooted in clarity and conviction. Srinivas characterizes running Perplexity as a marathon at "extremely high velocity," emphasizing the need to "move fast and keep shipping." In leadership (and life in general, most of the time), procrastination is natural until the stakes become clear and impossible to ignore. Healthy paranoia distills these stakes and causes decisive action. It shortens the gap between idea and implementation, providing sustained momentum that's deliberate rather than reactive. 3. Healthy Paranoia Prevents Complacency Former New Orleans Saints coach Sean Payton used the phrase "Don't eat the cheese," warning players against succumbing to praise and external validation. Similarly, healthy paranoia protects executives against complacency. Success, while desirable, can breed complacency and even a sense of entitlement, thus diluting urgency. Srinivas intentionally reads comments predicting Perplexity's downfall, acknowledging, "I love reading them. It reminds us that no one is entitled to survive." Leaders who thrive in hyper-competitive and volatile environments never assume safety; they continuously reinforce their competitive edge even in periods of success. 4. Healthy Paranoia Demands Physical And Mental Durability Healthy paranoia isn't purely psychological, as it places substantial demands on a leader's physical, emotional, and mental operating systems. Srinivas frequently engages directly in addressing operational challenges, an approach that requires high stamina and sharp cognitive functioning. In high-stakes and competitive business landscapes, resilience is not a luxury: it is a necessity. It's a non-negotiable. Leaders with audacious goals must maintain a robust physical and mental infrastructure to withstand pressure, remain focused, and continue building while under stress. Healthy paranoia can catapult a leader forward, but only if their internal system can keep pace. Without that foundation, paranoia doesn't sharpen leaders' performance. Instead, it erodes it. Why Healthy Paranoia Is A Leadership Advantage Perspective shapes leadership. Reality exists independently, but our responses to it depend entirely on how we interpret it. For some, fear triggers contraction and defensiveness. For others, it sparks expansion and proactive adaptation. Healthy paranoia, when embraced strategically, becomes an essential asset for leaders, providing more mental acuity, urgency, and vigilance against complacency, while demanding the durability necessary to excel consistently at the highest levels.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Maurene Comey issues fiery memo after ouster from US attorney's office
Maurene Comey, a career federal prosecutor and the daughter of former FBI Director James Comey, issued a fiery memo a day after being ousted from her job at the U.S. attorney's office for the Southern District of New York (SDNY), telling colleagues that 'fear is the tool of a tyrant, wielded to suppress independent thought.' 'Do the right thing, the right way, for the right reasons without fear of retribution and without favor to the powerful,' Maurene Comey wrote in the Thursday message, which was obtained by multiple outlets. 'For the majority of my nearly ten years in SDNY, fear was never really conceivable. We don't fear bad press; we have the luxury of exceptional security keeping us physically safe; and, so long as we did our work with integrity, we would get to keep serving the public in this office,' she said. Comey was fired Wednesday from her post at the U.S. attorney's office, where she worked for nearly a decade. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters at a briefing Thursday that the decision came from the Justice Department. Comey's father has had a contentious relationship with President Trump; he was fired during Trump's first White House term after helping kick-start the investigation into alleged ties between Trump's 2016 campaign and Russia. Maurene Comey's firing was largely seen as connected to her father. She worked on criminal cases against Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell. She was part of a team that brought sex trafficking charges against Epstein, the disgraced financier and convicted sex offender who died by suicide while awaiting trial in 2019. Comey was also on the team that handled the prosecution of Sean 'Diddy' Combs. 'Our focus was really on acting 'without favor.' That is, making sure people with access, money, and power were not treated differently than anyone else; and making sure this office remained separate from politics and focused only on the facts and the law,' Comey said in the memo, adding, 'but we have entered a new phase where 'without fear' may be the challenge.' 'If a career prosecutor can be fired without reason, fear may seep into the decisions of those who remain. Do not let that happen. Fear is the tool of a tyrant, wielded to suppress independent thought,' she continued. 'Instead of fear, let this moment fuel the fire that already burns at the heart of this place. A fire of righteous indignation at abuses of power. Of commitment to seek justice for victims. Of dedication to truth above all else.' James Comey recently came under criticism for posting a photo of seashells on the beach arranged to form the numbers 86-47, with the president claiming it was a call for his assassination. The former FBI chief called the backlash a 'distraction.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Adam Schiff's On-Air Message To Trump Had Colbert's Audience Cheering. Then He Went Further.
Sen. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) pulled no punches Thursday night when talking about Donald Trump's second-term intimidation tactics. Trump has been far more effective at cultivating 'a climate of fear' since returning to the Oval Office than he ever was in his first term, Schiff said on the (soon-to-be-canceled) 'The Late Show with Stephen Colbert.' Law firms, universities, judges, immigrants, news organizations and even Republicans in Congress are all in Trump's crosshairs, said the lawmaker. Schiff reminded viewers of Trump's attacks on him. 'Ever since I led his first impeachment, he's threatened me with jail, prosecution, called me a traitor, accused me of treason… blah blah blah,' he said. Then Schiff turned directly to the camera with a message for the president. 'Donald, piss off,' he declared, earning thunderous applause from the studio audience. After the cheers died down, Schiff added with a smirk: 'But Donald, before you piss off — would you release the Epstein files?' Watch here: Related... Comedians Pull Off Brazen Epstein Prank Inside Trump Tower Gift Shop Gavin Newsom Exposes A Sketchy Detail In Trump's Epstein Denial Trump White House's 'Golden Age' POV Clip Triggers Massive Cringe Fest Online Seth Meyers Just Pinpointed MAGA's Deepest Dilemma Over The Epstein Files
