This week, Epstein and the National Guard were locked in a toxic orbit for America’s attention. We’ll get to that. But first, a story I wish I didn’t have to tell.
Last Wednesday, one week after the Annunciation Catholic School shooting, I watched a line of police cars scream past me toward my son’s high school. Seconds later, Jess and I got a text:
“We’re in lockdown. In the corner of Algebra class.”
It was our 15-year-old. SWAT was entering the school. Another kid heard officers yelling “Drop the weapon!” to someone hiding in a nearby bathroom.
Fifteen minutes later, the school sent an alert with the subject line “safety and security.” More information trickled in, and about 30 minutes later, the school confirmed everyone was safe and that they had shifted from a full lockdown to “shelter in place” while they wrapped up an investigation.
Turns out it wasn’t a shooter. It was a swatting call. Someone—probably with AI tools—faked a call to 911 about an active gunman in the courtyard.
And just like that, our high school joined the growing list of “lucky” schools that only got traumatized by a militarized police response.
This is what The Drift is built to track.
“Swatting” didn’t break into the top 10 this week. Neither did “school shootings.” And that’s the point.
We’ve become so emotionally numb to children being gunned down in classrooms—or hiding from a credible threat of being shot—that it barely registers anymore.
What does register?
Epstein.
And a draft-dodging TACO-loving president declaring war on an American city via meme.
📉 Where were the gun groups?
Only one org—Sandy Hook Promise—ran ads after the Annunciation shooting. That’s it. And it was an ad they’ve run before and simply relaunched, one that didn’t even mention what had just happened. One group. Zero urgency.
I get it. It’s hard to act when the horror is constant. But that’s the moment you have to. You have to surf the wave, especially if it’s made of grief, rage, or absurdity.
And right now, gun groups are willfully ceding ground. Swatting is a symptom of the gun culture these groups are fighting, and it’s regularly traumatizing families. Yet as far as I can tell, there’s no attempt to organize victims or even tell a story to bring swatting into the narrative of ending gun violence.
The opportunity is ripe:
It’s happening weekly, sometimes daily.
Parents are furious.
Students are exhausted.
There’s almost no coverage. No campaigns. No creative. There are zero ads mentioning “swatting” in the public ad libraries.
What exactly are we waiting for?
📊 The Drift — Week of September 8
This week’s narrative vortex:
Epstein holds the top spot again. Trump’s favorite pedophile haunts us all.
National Guard surges yet again, fueled by Trump’s saber-rattling about Chicago and a broader "law and order" revival.
Everything else—Medicaid, Gaza, Inflation—is buried under the noise.
We’re watching a live test to see if paramilitary cosplay and internet sleaze can fully dominate our political psyche. So far? It’s working. In case this isn’t clear yet: Distraction isn’t a glitch. It’s the strategy.
I don’t have all the answers for these trying times, but I do know that shifting more of our strategy to be nimble as the waves of zeitgeist rise and fall is critical. We need to be ready to capture energy when it is forming and cresting, not after it’s crashed. At the same time, we can’t let small, choppy waves distract us from waiting for our one big one.
We need a “sorting hat” for the Left. Something to tell people what their primary focus must be, no matter the distraction. If only we were spending more energy figuring out how to organize around different houses of interests and building alliances between them instead of manipulating old folks into donating.
If you work in gun safety…
I want to talk.
The next shooting is coming. The next swatting is coming. If we’re not building infrastructure to meet those moments when they happen—not a week later—we’re not serious about winning.
👉 Email me.
And now a quick reminder:
📍What Is The Drift?
The Drift is a weekly signal report from The Forecast—tracking the narratives, trends, and digital movements shaping progressive politics.
Each issue analyzes what’s rising and falling across social media, search, news, ads, and email, and offers strategic takeaways you can actually use. Built for campaigners, funders, and anyone serious about winning hearts, minds, and power.
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