'Nihilism' is in the news. What's behind this 'nothing' philosophy?

The bombing in Palm Springs linked a tragic event to the philosophical concept of nihilism. The suspect's so-called "nihilistic ideations" were central to the case, sparking discussions about this 19th-century philosophy rooted in Russian revolutionary thought. Nihilism, derived from the Latin word for nothing, was popularized by Ivan Turgenev and later associated with Friedrich Nietzsche but misunderstood as his own belief. Today, it's often linked to despair and anti-life views, as seen in the suspect's online rhetoric, highlighting its irony and modern misuse despite its historical roots.