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GAZA WARUN Halves Its Estimate of Women and Children Killed in Gaza
Between May 6 and May 8, the UN cut in half its estimates of the number of women and children killed in Gaza. The estimates were based on Hamas numbers and are a reminder that all fatality estimates coming from that source are unreliable.
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CYBERSECURITYThe Future of Cybersecurity
An expert in cybersecurity surveys a rapidly evolving world where technology is racing ahead of our ability to manage it, posing risks to our national security. With TikTok in the hands of 170 million Americans, cybersecurity expert Amy Zegart says it’s time to talk about consequences. Foreign access to all that data on so many Americans is a national security threat, she asserts.
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TRUTH DECAYCan Wikipedia-like Citations on YouTube Curb Misinformation?
Videos can be dense with information: text, audio, and image after image. Yet each of these layers presents a potential source of error or deceit. And when people search for videos directly on a site like YouTube, sussing out which videos are credible sources can be tricky.
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TRUTH DECAYUsers Seek Out Echo Chambers on Social Media
Users are inclined to favor popular opinion; lack of exposure to dissent contributes to polarization.
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BATTERIESMaking Batteries Takes Lots of Lithium: Almost Half of It Could Come from Pennsylvania Wastewater
Most batteries used in technology like smartwatches and electric cars are made with lithium that travels across the world before even getting to manufacturers. But what if nearly half of the lithium used in the U.S. could come from Pennsylvania wastewater?
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WATER SECURITYTexas Delegation Urges Congress to Withhold Aid to Mexico Over Water Treaty Dispute
A bipartisan group of Texas lawmakers are demanding appropriators withhold funds for the country until Mexico lives up to its end of a 1944 water treaty that requires it to send 1.75 million acre-feet to the U.S. every five years.
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OUR PICKSWelcome to the Laser Wars | British-Built “Unhackable” Navigational System | Asteroids Could Fuel the Clean-Energy Transition, and more
· Trump Calls Hannibal Lecter “A Wonderful Man” in Rant Against “Insane” Migrants
Former president tells 100,000 supporters people from mental institutions are being let into U.S.· U.S. Vows to Stay Ahead of China, Using AI for Fighter Jets, Navigation
Two Air Force fighter jets recently squared off in a dogfight in California. One was flown by a pilot. The other wasn’t· British-Built “Unhackable” Navigational System Flown in World First
Breakthrough comes as countries race to protect themselves from GPS vulnerabilities· Putin’s Choice of New Defense Minister Shows He’s Preparing for Confrontation with the West
Andrei Belousov is more at home with columns of data than of tanks, but he could be key to Moscow’s war effort and a conflict with NATO· Asteroids Could Fuel the Clean-Energy Transition
If companies can figure out how to mine them· Welcome to the Laser Wars
Amid a rising tide of adversary drones and missile attacks, laser weapons are finally poised to enter the battlefield· ‘TunnelVision’ Attack Leaves Nearly All VPNs Vulnerable to Spying
TunnelVision is an attack developed by researchers that can expose VPN traffic to snooping or tampering· Addressing The Multifaceted Challenges Posed by Increased Migrant Encounters
As the frontline defenders of our borders, agents often face physical and emotional challenges in managing encounters with migrants -
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WORLD ROUNDUPChina and the U.S. Are Numb to the Real Risk of War | Russia Recruiting Far-Right Extremists to Launch Attacks in the West | The Awfulness of War Can’t Be Avoided, and more
· Russia Recruiting Far-Right Extremists to Launch Attacks in the West
Kremlin intelligence service finds agents to target infrastructure facilities, it is claimed· British Spies and the IRA
Blair, Clinton, Ahern et al were credited with putting together the Northern Ireland peace deal, but 800 British agents also played their part· Elon Musk Wins Court Battle to Show Sydney Church Stabbing on X
The government had won an injunction to stop footage of the attack in a Sydney church being shared on social media platforms but a judge has overturned the decision· The Awfulness of War Can’t Be Avoided
Western leaders do themselves no good when they avoid confronting hard necessities· Islamic State’s Global Financial Networks
Cryptocurrency and European bank transfers fund detained IS women and fighters in Syria, furthering militant objectives· North Korea Might Ignore Donald Trump If He Takes Back the White House
Having been burned once or twice by Trump, North Korea’s Kim Jong-un is not eager to try again. In truth, he has already gotten what he most wanted from Trump: international legitimacy· Europe’s Youth Are Fueling the Far Right
The continent’s radicals are increasingly attractive far beyond their traditional pool of voters· China and the U.S. Are Numb to the Real Risk of War
The pair are dangerously close to the edge of nuclear war over Taiwan—again -
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BORDER SECURITYTerrorist Watch List Apprehensions at Northern Border Continue to Break Records
The number of known or suspected terrorists (KSTs) apprehended at the northern border in the first six months of fiscal 2024 continue to outpace those apprehended at the southwest border.
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IMMIGRATIONChina Resumes Cooperating with U.S. on Illegal Migration
China has quietly resumed cooperation with the United States on the repatriation of Chinese migrants illegally stranded in the U.S. The U.S.-China repatriation cooperation resumes amid the influx of Chinese migrants across the southern border of the United States.
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THE RUSSIA CONNECTIONInvestigation: How Russia's Warplanes Get Their 'Brain Power' From the West, Despite Sanctions
The sanctions Western countries have imposed on Russia have many vulnerabilities –a recurring complaint for Kyiv as, handicapped by a deficit of weapons and ammunition, it watches Russian forces advance, hammering soldiers, civilians, and vital infrastructure.
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TECH DIPLOMACYTech Diplomacy: What It Is, and Why It’s Important
We need to get used to a new concept in international security: tech diplomacy. It means technological collaboration across sectors and between countries, but the simplicity of the idea shouldn’t disguise its importance.
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CYBERSECURITY EDUCATIONCybersecurity Education Varies Widely in U.S.
Cybersecurity programs vary dramatically across the country, a review has found. The authors argue that program leaders should work with professional societies to make sure graduates are well trained to meet industry needs in a fast-changing field.
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OUR PICKSTightening Oversight of “Gain of Function” Research | Bioshield: Twenty Years of Preparedness | The Wrong Way to Fight Anti-Semitism on Campus, and more
· US Pledges $200 Million to Help Track, Contain Bird Flu on Dairy Farms
The new funds include $101 million to continue work to prevent, test, track and treat animals and humans potentially affected by the virus· US Funders to Tighten Oversight of Controversial “Gain of Function” Research
New policy on high-risk biology studies aims to address criticism that previous rules were too vague· Twenty Years of Preparedness
Reflecting on the Legacy of The Project BioShield Act of 2004· It Should Not Be Easy to Buy Synthetic DNA Fragments to Recreate the 1918 Flu Virus
It should be exceedingly hard to obtain,without authorization, the synthetic DNA needed to recreate the virus that caused the deadly 1918 influenza pandemic. But it is surprisingly easy· The Wrong Way to Fight Anti-Semitism on Campus
A well-intentioned bill making its way through Congress could chill speech at colleges across the country -
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WORLD ROUNDUPDid China's Xi Jinping Expose Disunity in Europe? | Going to the Extreme: Inside Germany’s Far Right | US Needs Counterterrorism Partners in Central Asia, and more
· China’s Xi Courts European Allies, Seeks to Exploit Western Divisions, Analysts Say
The European Union accuses Beijing of unfairly subsidizing the industry and undercutting its own carmakers· Did China’s Xi Jinping Expose Disunity in Europe?
The Chinese president’s visit to Europe yielded little breakthrough on issues like trade and Ukraine. But it did show that Beijing prefers to work one-on-one to avoid collective opposition to its interests· Congressman: US Needs Counterterrorism Partners in Central Asia
Washington wants to enhance security cooperation while backing political and economic reforms· British Government Tries to Head Off the Type of Unrest Seen on American Campuses
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak summoned university leaders to his Downing Street offices in an effort to head off the kind of student unrest· Going to the Extreme: Inside Germany’s Far Right
It is a spring evening in Germany’s eastern city of Cottbus, and dozens of people have crowded into a small venue to hear a man who once dubbed himself the “friendly face” of National Socialism (Nazism) -
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BRAIN WORMSDid a Worm Really Eat Part of Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s Brain?
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. was found to have a pork tapeworm larva lodged in his brain. Cases in the US are reported to be in the hundreds per year. It is also an incredibly rare infection to encounter in Europe. Humans are the main host of mature tapeworms, but they need help from other intermediaries to spread.
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GAZA WARIt Is “Reasonable to Assess” that Israel’s Gaza Campaign Has Violated International Law: State Department
The State Department told Congress Friday that the administration has concluded it is “reasonable to assess” that Israel’s military campaign in Gaza has violated international law, but that the department has not found specific instances which would justify the withholding of military aid.
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CHINA WATCHTruth and Reality with Chinese Characteristics
The Chinese Communist Party seeks to maintain total control over the information environment within China, while simultaneously working to extend its influence abroad to reshape the global information ecosystem. That includes not only controlling media and communications platforms outside China, but also ensuring that Chinese technologies and companies become the foundational layer for the future of information and data exchange worldwide.
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COLLEGE UNRESTFeds Should Leave Campus Unrest to Others
The federal government should not inject itself into debates largely occurring in civil—free—society. It is not the proper federal role, and it threatens to reduce rather than promote harmony. Some of the things said during the pro-Palestine protests might well be horrible, inaccurate things to say. Those who say them might have antisemitic motives. But it is extremely dangerous to put such speech off limits.
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EXTREMISMU.S. Department of Education Opens Investigation into Anti-Semitism at Berkeley K-12 Public Schools
The U.S. Department of Education has opened a formal investigation into a complaint that the Berkeley Unified School District (BUSD) failed to address non-stop “severe and persistent” bullying and harassment of Jewish students in classrooms, hallways, schools yards, and walkouts since October 7, 2023.
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EXTREMISMWhat Do Anti-Jewish Hate, Anti-Muslim Hate Have in Common?
Researchers scrutinize various facets of these types of bias, and note sometimes they both reside within the same person.
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ALIENSAI May e to Blame for Our Failure to Make Contact with Alien Civilizations
Could AI be the universe’s “great filter” – a threshold so hard to overcome that it prevents most life from evolving into space-faring civilizations? The great filter hypothesis is ultimately a proposed solution to the Fermi Paradox: why, in a universe vast and ancient enough to host billions of potentially habitable planets, we have not detected any signs of alien civilizations. The hypothesis suggests there are insurmountable hurdles in the evolutionary timeline of civilizations that prevent them from developing into space-faring entities.
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The long view
DEMOCRACY WATCHPreventing Another 'Jan. 6' Starts by Changing How Elections Are Certified, Experts Say
By Sara Savat
The 2024 presidential election may be a rematch between President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump, but preventing a repeat of Jan. 6, 2021 — when false claims of a stolen election promoted by Donald Trump and his allies led to an insurrection at the U.S. Capitol —will be top of mind this election year. Research finds broad support among public for nonpartisan certification commissions.
ELECTION SECURITYStates Rush to Combat AI Threat to Elections
By Zachary Roth
This year’s presidential election will be the first since generative AI became widely available. That’s raising fears that millions of voters could be deceived by a barrage of political deepfakes. Congress has done little to address the issue, but states are moving aggressively to respond — though questions remain about how effective any new measures to combat AI-created disinformation will be.
RANSOMWARERansomware Attacks: Death Threats, Endangered Patients and Millions of Dollars in Damages
By Dino Jahic
A ransomware attack on Change Healthcare, a company that processes 15 billion health care transactions annually and deals with 1 in 3 patient records in the United States, is continuing to cause massive disruptions nearly three weeks later. The incident, which started on February 21, has been called the “most significant cyberattack on the U.S. health care system” by the American Hospital Association. It is just the latest example of an increasing trend.
CHINA WATCHChinese Government Hackers Targeted Critics of China, U.S. Businesses and Politicians
An indictment was unsealed Monday charging seven nationals of the People’s Republic of China (PRC) with conspiracy to commit computer intrusions and conspiracy to commit wire fraud for their involvement in a PRC-based hacking group that spent approximately 14 years targeting U.S. and foreign critics, businesses, and political officials in furtherance of the PRC’s economic espionage and foreign intelligence objectives.
AUTONOMOUS VEHICLESAutonomous Vehicle Technology Vulnerable to Road Object Spoofing and Vanishing Attacks
Researchers have demonstrated the potentially hazardous vulnerabilities associated with the technology called LiDAR, or Light Detection and Ranging, many autonomous vehicles use to navigate streets, roads and highways. The researchers have shown how to use lasers to fool LiDAR into “seeing” objects that are not present and missing those that are – deficiencies that can cause unwarranted and unsafe braking or collisions.
CYBERDETERRENCETantalizing Method to Study Cyberdeterrence
By Trina West
Tantalus is unlike most war games because it is experimental instead of experiential — the immersive game differs by overlapping scientific rigor and quantitative assessment methods with the experimental sciences, and experimental war gaming provides insightful data for real-world cyberattacks.
AIRPORT SECURITYPrototype Self-Service Screening System Unveiled
TSA and DHS S&T unveiled a prototype checkpoint technology, the self-service screening system, at Harry Reid International Airport (LAS) in Las Vegas, NV. The aim is to provide a near self-sufficient passenger screening process while enabling passengers to directly receive on-person alarm information and allow for the passenger self-resolution of those alarms.
SPACE DEBRISFalling Space Debris: How High Is the Risk I'll Get Hit?
By Zulfikar Abbany, Julia Vergin, and Katja Sterzik
An International Space Station battery fell back to Earth and, luckily, splashed down harmlessly in the Atlantic. Should we have worried? Space debris reenters our atmosphere every week.
WILDFIRESUsing Drone Swarms to Fight Forest Fires
Forest fires are becoming increasingly catastrophic across the world, accelerated by climate change. Researchers are using multiple swarms of drones to tackle natural disasters like forest fires.
DRONESTesting Cutting-Edge Counter-Drone Technology
Drones have many positive applications, bad actors can use them for nefarious purposes. Two recent field demonstrations brought government, academia, and industry together to evaluate innovative counter-unmanned aircraft systems.
IMMIGRATIONSocial Acceptance of Immigrants Working as Politicians or Judges Is Low
Often, the dominant society develops negative attitudes towards immigrants and their descendants because their integration is too successful – and not because they are unwilling to integrate. A possible explanation for negative attitudes towards successful immigrants could be the dominant society’s fear of immigrants occupying influential and value-based occupations. This applies, for example, for immigrants working in local politics or law.
ENERGY SECURITYStrengthening the Grid’s ‘Backbone’ with Hydropower
By Michael Matz
Argonne-led studies investigate how hydropower could help add more clean energy to the grid, how it generates value as grids add more renewable energy, and how liner technology can improve hydropower efficiency.
ARMS TRADEEuropean Arms Imports Nearly Double, U.S. and French Exports Rise, and Russian Exports Fall Sharply
States in Europe almost doubled their imports of major arms (+94 per cent) between 2014–18 and 2019–23. The United States increased its arms exports by 17 per cent between 2014–18 and 2019–23, while Russia’s arms exports halved. Russia was for the first time the third largest arms exporter, falling just behind France.
ENERGY SECURITYLNG Exports Have Had No Impact on Domestic Energy Costs: Analysis
U.S. liquified natural gas (LNG) exports have not had any sustained and significant direct impact on U.S. natural gas prices and have, in fact, spurred production and productivity gains, which contribute to downward pressure on domestic prices.
CLIMATE CHANGE & NATIONAL SECURITYHow Climate Change Will Affect Conflict and U.S. Military Operations
By Doug Irving
“People talk about climate change as a threat multiplier,” said Karen Sudkamp, an associate director of the Infrastructure, Immigration, and Security Operations Program within the RAND Homeland Security Research Division. “But at what point do we need to start talking about the threat multiplier actually becoming a significant threat all its own?”
TECH APOCALYPSEThe Tech Apocalypse Panic is Driven by AI Boosters, Military Tacticians, and Movies
By Matthew Guariglia
From popular films like a War Games or The Terminator to a U.S. State Department-commissioned report on the security risk of weaponized AI, there has been a tremendous amount of hand wringing and nervousness about how so-called artificial intelligence might end up destroying the world. There is one easy way to avoid a lot of this and prevent a self-inflicted doomsday: don’t give computers the capability to launch devastating weapons.