Our picksSeparated at the border; life-saving technologies; relaxed flood plain rules, and more

Published 18 June 2018

•  Separated at the border from their parents: In six weeks, 1,995 children

•  Defense contractors cashing in on immigrant kids’ detention

•  Diplomacy won’t stop North Korean hacking, South Korean officials say

•  Red-teaming by DHS ‘quietly and slowly’ uncovers agency vulnerabilities

•  “Sanctuary cities” could be sued by crime victims if GOP bill passes

•  Austin schools leader proposes spending $1.7 million on safety measures

•  Three emerging technologies with life-saving potential

•  Relaxed rules in flood plain help homeowners, but could have consequences later

Separated at the border from their parents: In six weeks, 1,995 children (Julie Hirschfeld Davis, New York Times)
The Trump administration said on Friday that it had separated 1,995 children from parents facing criminal prosecution for unlawfully crossing the border over a six-week period that ended last month, as President Trump sought to shift blame for the widely criticized practice that has become the signature policy of his aggressive immigration agenda.

Defense contractors cashing in on immigrant kids’ detention (Betsy Woodruff and Spencer Ackerman, Daily Beast)
A scandal-plagued company that used to work for the CIA is poised to profit off the influx of immigrant children being forcibly separated from their parents.

Diplomacy won’t stop North Korean hacking, South Korean officials say (Ryan Duffy, Cyberscoop)
Top South Korean cybersecurity experts don’t expect Donald Trump’s diplomacy to slow down North Korean cyberattacks. Speaking through interpreters at a Brookings Institution event Thursday, two of South Korea’s leading cybersecurity experts said that they’re no longer able to cope with the sheer volume of attacks emanating from the North.

Red-teaming by DHS ‘quietly and slowly’ uncovers agency vulnerabilities (Sean Lyngaas, Cyberscoop)
The Department of Homeland Security has carried out quiet “red-teaming” exercises at three federal agencies, breaking into networks and telling agency officials how it was done. The goal is for officials to more quickly realize when a hacker has a foothold in their systems to keep them from exfiltrating data.

“Sanctuary cities” could be sued by crime victims if GOP bill passes (Governing)
So-called sanctuary jurisdictions that decline to cooperate with federal immigration enforcement could be held liable for failing to detain people in the U.S. illegally for deportation proceedings, under draft legislation proposed Thursday by House Republican leaders.

Austin schools leader proposes spending $1.7 million on safety measures (Kelsey Bradshaw, Austin American-Statesman)
Austin school district leaders want to spend $1.7 million in its upcoming budget on more police officers and cameras, enhanced background checks, and a bus tracking system.

Three emerging technologies with life-saving potential (Nancy Torres, Data-Smart City Solutions)
A city’s ability to collect, analyze and communicate data is critical to effective and efficient emergency management.

Relaxed rules in flood plain help homeowners, but could have consequences later (Mark Collette, Houston Chronicle)
The situation shows that when local authorities relax flood plain requirements after flood disasters, often in a well-meaning attempt to help people recover, it can open the door to development in high-risk areas.