There’s been something of a furor over the invitation of the rapper Common to the White House. Common is typically associated with so-called “positive” hip-hop; however, his politics are very left-wing and some of his lyrics have romanticized left-wing terrorist groups. Specifically, he’s written lyrics praising Joanne Chesimard, aka Assata Shakur, who was found guilty of killing a police officer and wounding another. This has prompted outrage from police organizations around the country.

For more background, Commentary has an incredibly timely piece in the latest issue about the new memoir from Susan Lisa Rosenberg, one of Shakur’s partners in crime: