Our picksDisinfo on the Battlefield | Climate Change & New Epidemics | QAnon Goes Mainstream, and more
· QAnon Incited Her to Kidnap Her Son and Then Hid Her from the Law
· QAnon Booms on Facebook as Conspiracy Group Gains Mainstream Traction
· What Do You Tell Young Americans Doubting the Military’s Moral Compass?
· California’s Heat Wave Caused Rolling Blackouts for Millions
· The Tech Entrepreneur Who Thinks He Can Reverse Climate Change with Nuclear Power
· How Climate Change Could Expose New Epidemics
· Fake News Is Wreaking Havoc on the Battlefield. Here’s What the Military’s Doing About It
· Is Senator Johnson Acting as Putin’s Useful Idiot?
· Top Homeland Security Officials Are Serving Illegally, GAO Says
· Controversial Facial Recognition Tech Firm Clearview AI Inks Deal with ICE
QAnon Incited Her to Kidnap Her Son and Then Hid Her from the Law (Will Sommer, Daily Beast)
Beguiled by far-right conspiracy theories that foster care was a front for child sex-trafficking, Cyndie Abcug allegedly planned to kidnap her son. Then she went on the run.
QAnon Booms on Facebook as Conspiracy Group Gains Mainstream Traction (Deepa Seetharaman, Wall Street Journal)
Data show average membership soaring in past few months
What Do You Tell Young Americans Doubting the Military’s Moral Compass? (Scott Cooper and Paul Lewis, Defense One)
After scandals, pardons, and protests, military and civilian leaders have some work to do rebuilding public trust.
California’s Heat Wave Caused Rolling Blackouts for Millions (Zeeshan Aleem, Vox)
Up to 4 million people were hit by “load interruptions” after power reserves fell below a critical threshold.
The Tech Entrepreneur Who Thinks He Can Reverse Climate Change with Nuclear Power (Sarah Scoles, Medium)
Bret Kugelmass believes nuclear energy can regain popularity if we can make it profitable
How Climate Change Could Expose New Epidemics (Amélie Bottollier-Depois, AFP)
Long-dormant viruses brought back to life; the resurgence of deadly and disfiguring smallpox; a dengue or zika “season” in Europe. These could be disaster movie storylines, but they are also serious and increasingly plausible scenarios of epidemics unleashed by global warming, scientists say.
Fake News Is Wreaking Havoc on the Battlefield. Here’s What the Military’s Doing About It (Gina Harkins, Military News)
Russian disinformation efforts are a massive problem in the U.S. and other democracies. Fake news stories that originate in Russia — often on highly divisive and partisan topics — have made their way into Americans’ social media feeds.And it’s not just fake news about political candidates, gun control, race relations or other hot-button items meant to divide Americans. Earlier this year, top military leaders warned that Russia and China were both spreading lies about the global coronavirus pandemic. Now, the U.S. is struggling to control widespread outbreaks of COVID-19, the sometimes-fatal illness caused by the new virus, after issues such as mask-wearing and whether to trust leading infectious disease experts have divided swaths of the country.
Is Senator Johnson Acting as Putin’s Useful Idiot? (Nancy LeTourneau, Washington Monthly)
He’s promoting a Russian disinformation campaign to help Trump get reelected.
Top Homeland Security Officials Are Serving Illegally, GAO Says (Michael D. Shear, New York Times)
The acting secretary of homeland security, Chad F. Wolf, and his deputy, Kenneth T. Cuccinelli, were appointed to their posts in violation of federal law, Congress’s watchdog determined.
Controversial Facial Recognition Tech Firm Clearview AI Inks Deal with ICE (Charlie Osborne, ZDNet)
$224,000 has been spent on Clearview licenses by the US immigration and customs department.
