• CHINA WATCHChina Conducts Military Drills Around Taiwan as “Punishment” for New Leader

    By William Yang

    China kicked off a two-day large-scale military exercise in the water and airspace around Taiwan on Thursday, emphasizing that it is “a strong punishment for the separatist acts of ‘Taiwan independence forces’” and “a stern warning” against provocation by external forces.

  • CHINA WATCHCan Taiwan Defend Itself Against China?

    By Wesley Rahn

    Large-scale Chinese military drills near Taiwan are taking place just days after William Lai Ching-te, of Taiwan’s ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), was sworn in as president of the island nation. Taiwan has expanded its asymmetric warfare capacity, which involves using smaller but highly effective weapons to make an invasion by a larger force prohibitively costly.

  • EXTREMISMMilitia Extremists, Kicked Off Facebook Again, Are Regaining Comfort in Public View

    By Amy Cooter

    When journalists sounded alarm bells in early May 2024 that more than 100 extremist militia groups had been organizing and communicating on Facebook, it wasn’t the first time militias had garnered attention for their online activities. As a scholar of militias, I’ve seen extremists get kicked off Facebook before.

  • STEEL DILEMMAWhy Biden Wants to Block the Nippon-U.S. Steel Deal

    By Noah Berman

    A proposed Japanese takeover of U.S. Steel, a century-old icon of American industry, is facing domestic political pushback that could challenge the Biden administration’s foreign policy aims. Biden’s opposition to the deal risks undercutting his administration’s efforts to strengthen U.S. alliances and supply chains, experts say.   

  • WATER SECURITYPeak Water: Do We Have Enough Groundwater to Meet Future Need?

    By Brendan Bane

    Though vast stores of groundwater persist below Earth’s surface, the climbing cost of accessing it is on track to significantly reshape the geography of trade and drive users toward alternative water sources.

  • MANAGED RETREATThe Government Wants to Buy Their Flood-Prone Homes. But These Texans Aren’t Moving.

    By Emily Foxhall

    The recent floods in Harris County, Texas, show why home buyout programs can be important. These programs involve the government buying, and demolishing, houses in flood-prone zones, that is, areas which typically flood first and worse. The Harris County flood control district wants to buy properties along the San Jacinto River that have flooded repeatedly. Some residents aren’t leaving.

  • OUR PICKSVictims of U.S. Nuclear Testing Deserve More Than This | Emerging Threats to the U.S. Financial System | Inside the Reluctant Fight to Ban Deepfake Ads, and more

    ·  The Victims of U.S. Nuclear Testing Deserve More Than This
    More than 100 nuclear devices were exploded in aboveground tests in New Mexico and Nevada from 1945 to 1962

    ·  Long Before Key Bridge Collapse, Baltimore Mariners Warned of ‘Ship Strikes’
    Members of a Baltimore harbor safety committee repeatedly raised the possibility that an out-of-control vessel could imperil the bridge, records show

    ·  Biden Takes Another Step to Fast-Track Asylum Process for Border Crossers
    A new expedited docket for people who have recently crossed the border, which could allow officials to more quickly reject and deport some people

    ·  Emerging Threats to the U.S. Financial System
    Experts warn that the greatest danger to U.S. financial system is not a single, sudden attack, a financial 9/11. It’s the constant assault on reality—the deepfake videos and manipulated AI

    ·  The U.S. Has Spent $5bn on Electronic Warfare in 2024 Alone
    China, Russia and India are projected to eat into the US’ outsized share of global electronic warfare spending in the coming years

    ·  Teslas Can Still Be Stolen with a Cheap Radio Hack—Despite New Keyless Tech
    Ultra-wideband radio has been heralded as the solution for “relay attacks” that are used to steal cars in seconds. But researchers found Teslas equipped with it are as vulnerable as ever

    ·  Inside the Reluctant Fight to Ban Deepfake Ads
    Without new rules, campaigns could hoodwink voters with AI-generated ads. And no one really seems to be taking the threat seriously

  • WORLD ROUNDUPRussia Launched Research Spacecraft for Antisatellite Nuclear Weapon | EU Wants Spies on University Campuses to Fight Chinese Tech Espionage | Democracy Needs an Economic NATO, and more

    ·  Western Europe Is Starting to Send a Vital Warning to Israel
    These kinds of diplomatic shocks could lead Israelis to finally escape from the gravitational pull of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu  and start calling for two states on terms Israel can live with

    ·  Bibi Blocks Israeli Intel Chiefs’ Meetings with U.S. Officials
    A sign of Bibi’s growing suspicion about Israel’s intelligence, military and security establishment, which hold divergent views about how the prime minister is carrying out the war

    ·  Russia Launched Research Spacecraft for Antisatellite Nuclear Weapon Two Years Ago, U.S. Officials Say
    Cosmos-2553 went into orbit in February 2022 just weeks before Russia invaded Ukraine

    ·  Russia Mysteriously Deletes Threat to Redraw Baltic Sea Border
    Defense ministry plan had sparked alarm among NATO allies

    ·  EU Wants Spies on University Campuses to Fight Chinese Tech Espionage
    The bloc is urging researchers to take steps to secure their work against foreign interference

    ·  The Blood Equation: Hamas’ Strategy to Radicalize Youth Through Emotional Narratives
    This approach leverages images of casualties from the October 7 conflict, particularly women and children, to create a powerful emotional impact aimed at radicalizing new groups on a transnational scale

    ·  US Removes Cuba from List of Countries Not Fully Cooperating on Counterterrorism Efforts
    Cuba called for the U.S. to also remove the country from another list that designates it as a sponsor of terrorism

    ·  Democracy Needs an Economic NATO
    Fighting Chinese coercion requires new alliances

  • STUDENT UNRESTStudent Anger Over the Vietnam War Erupted into Violence in the ’60s − a Terrorism Expert Explores Whether the Same Could Happen Today

    By Javed Ali

    I am a former senior U.S. government counterterrorism official and scholar of national security and terrorism. The wave of recent pro-Palestinian, student-led protests reminds me of another tense era in the U.S. that was also prompted by U.S. engagement in a foreign war – the Vietnam War in the late 1960s and early 1970s.

  • EXTREMISMExtremist Communities Continue to Rely on YouTube for Hosting, but Most Videos Are Viewed Off-Site, Research Finds

    By Cyrus Moulton

    After the 2016 U.S. presidential election, YouTube was so criticized for radicalizing users by recommending increasingly extremist and fringe content that it changed its recommendation algorithm. Research four years later found that while extremist content remained on YouTube, subscriptions and external referrals drove disaffected users to extremist content rather than the recommendation algorithm.

  • NUCLEAR NONPROLIFERATIONNuclear Expertise Guides Global Nonproliferation Innovation

    By Christopher J. Driver

    Researchers tackling national security challenges at the U.S. Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory are upholding an 80-year legacy of leadership in all things nuclear. Today, they’re developing the next generation of technologies that will help reduce global nuclear risk and enable safe, secure, peaceful use of nuclear materials worldwide.

  • ENHANCED SECURITY Focused and Fast

    By Jennifer Awe

    In response to an urgent DOD request, multidisciplinary teams across Sandia delivered in a big way for international security: Enhanced surety program meets urgent request.

  • Critical Minerals Need Insulation from China’s Market Manipulation

    Investors can handle lots of different risks. They can price risks in construction, interest rates, weather and, with hedging, price movements in product markets. But the one risk they can’t price is political risk, the chance of some government action ruining profits. You can’t hedge against it.

  • NUCLEAR RISKSFacing a Potentially Warmer, Drier Washington State, Scientists Develops Plans to Be Sure Nuclear Power Plants Stay Cool

    By Kristen Mally Dean

    Waterways — tried and true cooling sources for nuclear power plants — could get warmer due to global climate change. Washington is planning ahead. Argonne scientists will use Gateway for Accelerated Innovation in Nuclear funding from the U.S. Department of Energy to work with Washington’s Energy Northwest on climate-ready nuclear reactor designs.

  • ENERGY SECURITYSmall Hydroelectric Plants Could Provide Emergency Power During Outages

    Idaho National Laboratory (INL) is seeking a hydropower utility to collaborate on a case study, funded by the U.S. Department of Energy’s Water Power Technologies Office (WPTO), to understand how small hydroelectric plants operating at 10 megawatts or less can be upgraded to provide emergency power to critical loads (e.g., hospitals and emergency service providers) during outages.

  • OUR PICKSNew 9/11 Evidence Points to Deep Saudi Complicity | The Pentagon Isn’t Buying Enough Ammo | A.I. Chatbots Can Be Taught to Spew Disinformation, and more

    ·  New 9/11 Evidence Points to Deep Saudi Complicity
    Two decades of U.S. policy appear to be rooted in a mistaken understanding of what happened that day

    ·  See How Easily A.I. Chatbots Can Be Taught to Spew Disinformation
    Government officials and tech industry leaders have warned that chatbots and other artificial intelligence tools can be easily manipulated to sow disinformation online on a remarkable scale

    ·  Indian Voters Are Being Bombarded with Millions of Deepfakes. Political Candidates Approve
    India’s elections are a glimpse of the AI-driven future of democracy. Politicians are using audio and video deepfakes of themselves to reach voters—who may have no idea they’ve been talking to a clone

    ·  The Real Meaning of Trump’s ‘Unified Reich’ Post
    The video the former president reposted on Truth Social yesterday isn’t what people are making it out to be

    ·  The Pentagon Isn’t Buying Enough Ammo
    Munitions procurements are woefully insufficient for modern war

  • WORLD ROUNDUPWhen Will Washington Get Serious About Taiwan? | Who Would Benefit from Ebrahim Raisi’s Death? | Hundreds of India Election Rallies Targeting Muslims, and more

    ·  Who Would Benefit from Ebrahim Raisi’s Death?
    If the Iranian president turns out to have lost his life in a helicopter crash, it will set off a fierce scramble for power

    ·  Poland Announces £2bn Border Defense Project ‘to Keep out Russia’
    The East Shield scheme will make the Polish border ‘impenetrable’ to potential enemies, according to Donald Tusk

    ·  When Will Washington Get Serious About Taiwan?
    Its long-standing attitude toward the island is based on a set of military and political foundations that no longer exist

    ·  The Man Who Would Help Trump Upend the Global Economy
    As a potential U.S. Treasury secretary, Robert Lighthizer has more than trade policy to revolutionize

    ·  Spain, Ireland Poised to Back Palestinian State
    Spain and Ireland are set to push ahead with an initiative to recognize a Palestinian state. Other EU members and European countries may also provide their backing

    ·  US Watchdog Documents Hundreds of India Election Rallies Targeting Muslims
    Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s BJP party and other party leaders and candidates have been delivering incendiary speeches targeting India’s Muslims

    ·  China Accelerates Forced Relocation of Rural Tibetans to Urban Areas, Report Says
    China has been accelerating the forced relocation of Tibetan villagers and herders in the name of “poverty alleviation” and environmental protection since 2016

  • CHINA WATCHHistory Says Tariffs Rarely Work, but Biden’s 100% Tariffs on Chinese EVs Could Defy the Trend

    By Tinglong Dai

    Earlier this month, President Biden announced a hike in tariffs on a variety of Chinese imports, including a 100% tariff that would significantly increase the price of Chinese-made electric vehicles. Tariffs have a troubled history, but Biden’s move might defy historical precedent and succeed where other tariffs have failed. The Biden tariffs can succeed in giving the U.S. EV industry room to grow, and encourage similar protective actions elsewhere, reinforcing the global shift toward securing supply chains and promoting domestic manufacturing.

  • CHINA WATCHChina's Growing Threat to U.S. National Security in the Crosshairs of Congress

    By Casey Harper, The Center Square

    While the Chinese Communist Party’s possibly imminent invasion of Taiwan could spark a war in the region, experts and lawmakers in Congress on Thursday said that the Taiwan issue is just one part of a broader Chinese strategy countering the U.S.

  • CYERSECURITYUniversity Students Tackle Adventure in CyberForce — Conquer the Hill Competition

    University of Central Florida’s Cameron Whitehead wins CyberForce Conquer the Hill: Adventure Competition 2024. Whitehead was one of 112 students from 71 accredited U.S. colleges and universities who competed virtually to complete work-based cybersecurity tasks and challenges during a full day of energy sector-related adventure.

  • GUNSThe Supreme Court’s Ghost Gun Case Could Jeopardize Other Firearm Regulations

    By Alain Stephens

    Legal experts say the ruling could expand Second Amendment protections to the gun industry, imperiling a host of laws governing the manufacture and sale of firearms.

  • COVID VACCINEGround-Breaking Study Reveals How COVID-19 Vaccines Prevent Severe Disease

    A landmark study by scientists at the University of Oxford, has unveiled crucial insights into the way that COVID-19 vaccines mitigate severe illness in those who have been vaccinated.