Read, Watch or Listen

An Arizona high school was engulfed in threats after a Halloween photo of Cienega High math teachers in blood-blotched Problem Solved T-shirts spread online and was falsely tied to the fatal shooting of conservative activist Charlie Kirk. Despite the district’s explanation that it was a math joke, right-wing influencers and some Republican politicians amplified the image; posts drew tens of millions of views, shared staff names and phone numbers, and triggered more than 3,000 hateful messages and dozens of death threats. Phones were unplugged, deputies boosted patrols, teachers stayed home, and students felt unsafe.

Prepared by Lauren Mitchell and reviewed by editorial team.