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ELECTION INTEGRITYWill the SAVE Act Protect the Integrity of Voting or Make Registration Too Difficult? Northeastern Experts Explain
The House of Representatives recently passed a bill that would require proof of U.S. citizenship to register to vote, a requirement some Northeastern University experts said could pose a challenge. The Senate is considering an act that would change voter registration.
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IMMIGRATIONExperts Cast Doubt on State’s Report That Undocumented Immigrants Cost Texas Hospitals $122M in a Month
Texas hospitals incurred $121.8 million in health care costs in November from patients who were not “lawfully” permitted to be in the country, according to data released by the Texas Health and Human Services Commission. Policy experts say undocumented immigrants’ cost to hospitals is a small fraction of the total cost from uninsured Texans.
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SURVEILLANCEFrom Help to Harm: How the Government Is Quietly Repurposing Everyone’s Data for Surveillance
The data that people provide to U.S. government agencies for public services such as tax filing, health care enrollment, unemployment assistance and education support is increasingly being redirected toward surveillance and law enforcement.
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GOVERNANCEThe Center Can Hold — States’ Rights and Local Privilege in a Climate of Federal Overreach
As American institutions weather the storms of executive disruption, legal ambiguity, and polarized governance, we must reexamine what it means for “the center” to hold.
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SHIPBUILDINGReinvigorating Naval Shipbuilding: Meeting the President's Challenge
To respond to the Trump administration’s call for the reinvigoration of the U.S. shipbuilding industry, policymakers should examine past failures, seek an improved shipbuilding workforce, and consider enlisting the help of close allies like Japan and South Korea.
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TARGETING SCIENCEA Siege on Science: How Trump Is Undoing an American Legacy
In its first 100 days, the Trump administration has slashed federal agencies, canceled national reports, and yanked funding from universities. The shockwaves will be felt worldwide.
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TARGETING SCIENCEFreezing Funding Halts Medical, Engineering, and Scientific Research
The Trump administration’s decision to freeze more than $2 billion in long-term research grants to Harvard has put a halt to work across a wide range of medical, engineering, and scientific fields. The projects focus on issues from TB and chemotherapy to prolonged space travel and pandemic preparedness.
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OUR PICKSRealizing America’s Drone Revolution | The Judge Dugan Case Is More Complicated Than It Seems | Suing the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission, and more
· States and Startups Are Suing the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission
· Car Subscription Features Raise Your Risk of Government Surveillance, Police Records Show
· The Judge Dugan Case Is More Complicated Than It Seems
· Oral Argument Summary: Supreme Court Hears Gun Manufacturer Liability Case
· Realizing America’s Drone Revolution
· Targeting Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act Isn’t a Simple Partisan Issue
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WORLD ROUNDUPVenezuela’s Aggression Toward Guyana Must End | Emigration from Africa Will Change the World | Get Ready for the Aleutian Island Crisis, and more
· Venezuela’s Aggression Toward Guyana Must End
· Emigration from Africa Will Change the World
· Trump’s First 100 Days Reveal a ‘Strongman’s’ Unprecedented Weakness
· Get Ready for the Aleutian Island Crisis
· The White House Can’t Accept Russia’s Annexation of Crimea Without Congress
· The Middle East’s AI Warfare Laboratory
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DEMOCRACY WATCHWho Will Stop the Drive for Unchecked Power? | Americans Don’t Do This | Mass Exodus at DOJ’s Civil Rights Office, and more
· The Good Tsar
· Who Will Stop Donald Trump’s Drive for Unchecked Power?
· Trump Recasts Mission of Justice Dept.’s Civil Rights Office, Prompting ‘Exodus’
· A Road Map of Trump’s Lawless Presidency, According to 35 Legal Scholars
· On DOGE, Directives, and DOJ
· Americans Don’t Do This
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NEW THREATSTrump Turns COVID.gov into MAGA Fan Service | Trump Turns COVID.gov into MAGA Fan Service | Shadowy Crypto Companies Make Inroads in U.S. Under Trump, and more
· Secret Deals, Foreign Investments, Presidential Policy Changes: The Rise of Trump’s Crypto Firm
· Shadowy Crypto Companies Make Inroads in U.S. Under Trump
· Trump Turns COVID.gov into MAGA Fan Service
· The Only Consistent Thread of Trumpism
· An Open Letter to America’s Law Firms
· The Trouble with MAGA’s Manufacturing Dream
· All Authors Working on Flagship U.S. Climate Report Are Dismissed
· American Panopticon
· Trump Administration to Judges: ‘We Will Find You’
· DOGE’s Growing Reach into Personal Data: What it Means for Human Rights
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TERRORISMWhat We’ve Learnt About Lone-Actor Terrorism Over the Years Could Help Us Prevent Future Attacks
Politically motivated attacks, carried out by lone individuals lacking direct affiliation with any terrorist group, have become more common in Europe during the last few decades. Lone-actor attacks are difficult to prevent precisely because they are not a systemic threat in the way that coordinated, group-based terrorism can be. Its danger lies in isolated bursts of violence rather than in sustained campaigns. But there are patterns worth following that could help prevent future incidents.
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EXTREMISMContinued Post-Oct. 7 Spike in Antisemitism: 84% Increase in Incidents on Campus; 21% Increase in Physical Assaults
The massive spike in antisemitic incidents following the Oct. 7 massacre in Israel continued in 2024, with totals again exceeding any other annual tally in the past 46 years. This is the fourth year in a row that antisemitic incidents increased and broke the previous all-time high.
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IRAN’S NUKESOperation Opera Redux? Iran’s Nuclear Program and the Preventive War Paradox
The 1981 Israeli destruction of Iraq’s Osirak nuclear reactor was an operational success, but is regarded by many as a strategic failure. Scholars call this the preventive war paradox: compromising one’s security in the long term through military action that is operationally successful.
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DISASTER EESPONSETrump Denies Disaster Aid, Tells States to Do More
In the wake of recent natural disasters, state leaders across the country are finding that emergency support from the federal government is no longer a given, as the White House says states must have an ‘appetite to own the problem.’
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ENERGY SECURITYThe Trump Administration Says It Wants a “Nuclear Renaissance.” These Actions Suggest Otherwise.
For nuclear advocates, it’s an open question whether the Trump administration’s energy officials recognize the scale of the effort that would be required to achieve their purported ambition for a nuclear revival. In fact, some of the actions the administration has taken, such as tariffs and a shake-up at the Tennessee Valley Authority, could be getting in the way of such revival.
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CLIMATE CHALLENGESWhite House Proposal Could Gut Climate Modeling the World Depends On
Potential funding cuts for NOAA and its research partners threaten irreparable harm not only to climate research but to American safety, competitiveness, and national security.
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OUR PICKSHow Drug Cartels Took Over Social Media | The Current Terrorist Threat Matrix in Europe | Grid-Scale Battery Storage Is Revolutionizing the Energy System, and more
· Alleged Former Members of Neo-Nazi Group Claim Its Leader Is Russian Spy
· Trump Considers Sending Migrants to Rwanda
· How Drug Cartels Took Over Social Media
· The US Has Spent Over $500,000 on YouTube Ads to Discourage Irregular Migration
· Grid-Scale Battery Storage Is Quietly Revolutionizing the Energy System
· The Current Terrorist Threat Matrix in Europe: A Trend Overview
· American Antisemitism Is Ever More Violent – from the Left as Well as the Right
· US Brings First Terrorism Charges Against Alleged Venezuelan Gang Member
· “Good Hunting”: Right Wing Extremist Chats Flourishing on Telegram
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WORLD ROUNDUPCrisis Deepens for India and Pakistan Over Kashmir Attack | Jordan Joins Regional Push to Sideline Islamist Opposition | How Trump Plays into Putin’s Hands, and more
· How Trump Plays into Putin’s Hands, from Ukraine to Slashing U.S. Institutions
· Trump’s Tariffs Inflict Political Pain on Hungary’s Orban, Other European Far-Right Leaders
· How to Say No to a Would-Be Autocrat
· ‘No Future Here’: Bedouin Hamlets Are Erased as Residents Flee Settler Harassment
· Settlers Accused of Attacking Palestinians, Torching Buildings in West Bank Village
· Jordan Joins Regional Push to Sideline Islamist Opposition
· In Talking with Tehran, Trump Is Reversing Course on Iran – Could a New Nuclear Deal Be Next?
· Inside France’s Lawless Prisons, Where Inmates Rule by Fear
· Crisis Deepens for India and Pakistan Over Kashmir Attack
· Normalization with Israel Complicated but Beneficial, Syrian Sources Say
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DEMOCRACY WATCHThe Last Bulwark | The Nightmarish Problem: Trying to Make Trump Obey Court Orders | Vance’s Junk History, and more
· After 100 Days, Trump’s Presidency Feels Like a Vengeful Monarchy
· Justice Department Lawyers Work for Justice and the Constitution – Not the White House
· Trump’s Aggressive Actions Against Free Speech Speak a Lot Louder Than His Words Defending It
· The Nightmarish Problem with Trying to Make Trump Obey Court Orders
· 2-Year-Old U.S. Citizen Deported ‘With No Meaningful Process,’ Judge Suspects
· A Reporter’s Notes of the April 23 Perkins Coie Hearing
· The Last Bulwark
· Vance’s Junk History
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NEW THREATSRepeating All the Mistakes of Appeasement, Except It’s Worse This Time | How Trump Might Topple the Dollar | Administration’s Attacks on Universities, Science: Tug-of-War Begins for the Best Science Minds, and more
· Trump Brain Drain Starts lobal Tug-of-War for the Best Science Minds
· Trump’s Attacks on Central Bank Threaten Its Independence − and That Isn’t Good News for Sound Economic Stewardship (or Battling Inflation)
· How Trump Might Topple the Dollar
· Dollar Doubts Dominate Gathering of Global Economic Leaders
· Minnesota Legislators Propose Bill Classifying mRNA Vaccines as WMDs
· Trump’s latest USDA cuts undermine his plan to ‘Make America Healthy Again’
· Trump Is Repeating All the Mistakes of Appeasement, Except It’s Worse This Time
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QUANTUM COMPUTING & ENCRYPTIONDecrypting Tomorrow’s Threats: Critical Infrastructure Needs Post-Quantum Protection Today
Some argue we still have time, since quantum computing capable of breaking today’s encryption is a decade or more away. But breakthrough capabilities, especially in domains tied to strategic advantage, rarely follow predictable timelines. The time to act on the quantum computing threat was yesterday. The next best time is now.
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More headlines
The long view
CYBERESPIONAGEEconomic Cyberespionage: A Persistent and Invisible Threat
Economic cyber-espionage, state-sponsored theft of sensitive business information via cyber means for commercial gain, is an invisible yet persistent threat to national economies.
CYBERSECURITYResearchers Calculate Cyberattack Risk for All 50 States
Local governments are common victims of cyberattack, with economic damage often extending to the state and federal levels. Scholars aggregate threats to thousands of county governments to draw conclusions.
ARGUMENT: REINING IN DHS I&A How DHS Laid the Groundwork for More Intelligence Abuse
I&A, the lead intelligence unit of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) —long plagued by politicized targeting, permissive rules, and a toxic culture —has undergone a transformation over the last two years. Spencer Reynolds writes that this effort falls short. “Ultimately, Congress must rein in I&A,” he adds.
NUCLEAR POWERNuclear Has Changed. Will the U.S. Change with It?
Fueled by artificial intelligence, cloud service providers, and ambitious new climate regulations, U.S. demand for carbon-free electricity is on the rise. In response, analysts and lawmakers are taking a fresh look at a controversial energy source: nuclear power.
VIOLENT ATTACKSSouthport Attacks: Why the U.K. Needs a Unified Approach to All Violent Attacks on the Public
The conviction of Axel Rudakubana for the murder of three young girls in Southport has prompted many questions about how the UK handles violence without a clear ideological motive. This case has also shown up the confusion in this area, and made clear the need for a basic reframing of how we understand murderous violence against the public today.
SCHOOL VIOLENCEStrengthening School Violence Prevention
Violence by K-12 students is disturbingly common. Ensuring that schools have effective ways to identify and prevent such incidents is becoming increasingly important. Expanding intervention options and supporting K-12 school efforts in Behavioral Threat Assessment and Management (BTAM) would help.
WATER SECURITY Water Is the Other U.S.-Mexico Border Crisis, and the Supply Crunch Is Getting Worse
The United States and Mexico are aware of the political and economic importance of the border region. But if water scarcity worsens, it could supplant other border priorities. The two countries should recognize that conditions are deteriorating and update the existing cross-border governance regime so that it reflects today’s new water realities.
GUNSSweden’s Deadliest Mass Shooting Highlights Global Reality of Gun Violence, Criminologist Says
“We in the United States don’t have a monopoly on mass shootings,” James Alan Fox says, “though we certainly have more than our share.”
DISINFORMATIONMis- and Disinformation Trends and Tactics to Watch in 2025
Predicting how extremists may weaponize false narratives requires an understanding of the strategies that allow them to spread most effectively.
DEMOCRACY WATCHMemory-Holing Jan. 6: What Happens When You Try to Make History Vanish?
The Trump administration’s decision to delete a DOJ database of cases against Capitol riot defendants places those who seek to preserve the historical record in direct opposition to their own government.
CLIMATE-CHANGE CHALLENGESHuge Areas May Face Possibly Fatal Heat Waves if Warming Continues
A new assessment warns that if Earth’s average temperature reaches 2 degrees C over the preindustrial average, widespread areas may become too hot during extreme heat events for many people to survive without artificial cooling.
CHINA WATCHCalls Grow for U.S. to Counter Chinese Control, Influence in Western Ports
Experts say Washington should consider buying back some ports, offer incentives to allies to decouple from China.
MASS ATTACKSEvidence-Based Solutions to Protect Against Mass Attacks
Mass attacks like the New Year’s Day incident in New Orleans stir public emotion and have tragic consequences. While the investigations into this case will take time, we know from our work that there are things law enforcement and the public can do to mitigate and perhaps stop mass casualty events.
NUCLEAR ENERGYExploring the New Nuclear Energy Landscape
In the last few years, the U.S. has seen a resurgence of interest in nuclear energy and its potential for helping meet the nation’s growing demands for clean electricity and energy security. Meanwhile, nuclear energy technologies themselves have advanced, opening up new possibilities for their use.
WILRDFIRESTrump’s Cuts to Federal Wildfire Crews Could Have “Scary” Consequences
President Donald Trump’s moves to slash the federal workforce have gutted the ranks of wildland firefighters and support personnel, fire professionals warn, leaving communities to face deadly consequences when big blazes arrive this summer. States, tribes and fire chiefs are preparing for a fire season with minimal federal support.
EURO-ATLANTIC SECURITYTime to Reassess the Costs of Euro-Atlantic Security
The undeniable truth is that security comes at a cost. If Europeans fail to invest more now to deter Russia and China, the alliance will face far greater expenses and risks. The problem is that Europeans, with few exceptions, fail to grasp the immense costs such a scenario would inflict on allied security.