“The Most Significant Terrorism-Related Threat” | San Diego Seawall Debate | Robots, Drones, Satellites & Wildfires, and more

The strategy builds off of a study released to Congress in March, a senior administration official told reporters on Monday. “… it found that domestic violent extremists, motivated by a range of ideologies, pose an elevated threat to our country in 2021, with racially or ethnically motivated violent extremists — and specifically those who espouse the superiority of the white race — and anti-government militia violent extremists posing the most lethal threat,” the official said.

Wray Suggests Limits on FBI Social Media Tracking a “Lesson Learned” after Jan. 6  (Rebecca Beitsch, The Hill)
FBI Director Christopher Wray on Tuesday suggested possibly revisiting limits on the agency’s ability to monitor social media for potential threats. Wray, testifying before the House Oversight and Reform Committee, pointed to limits on government surveillance as a possible “lesson learned” in the months following the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol. “We have very specific policies that have been at the department for a long time that govern our ability to use social media. And when we have an authorized purpose and proper predication there’s a lot of things we can do on social media, and we do do and we aggressively do. But what we can’t do on social media is without proper predication and an authorized purpose just monitor — just in case — on social media,” Wray said in response to a question from Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.). “Now if the policies should be changed to reflect that — that might be one of the important lessons learned coming out of this whole experience. But that’s not something that currently the FBI has either the authority or certainly the resources frankly to do.

U.K. MoD Shelves Trial of Life-Saving Device to Stop Bleeding on the Battlefield  (Dominic Nicholls, The Telegraph)
In 2019, Gavin Williamson said the cash ‘shows our commitment to ensuring those serving on the frontline get the best treatment’.

Once, Superpower Summits Were About Nukes. Now, It’s Cyberweapons.  (David E. Sanger, New York Times)
But with the ease of denying responsibility and the wide range of possible attackers, the traditional deterrents of the nuclear age no longer work.

Biden Says He Warned Putin on Cyberattacks, Navalny’s Health  (Jacob Knutson, Axios)
President Biden said he warned Vladimir Putin in their meeting in Geneva on Wednesday that Russia will face stiff consequences if it conducts cyberattacks on critical U.S. infrastructure or allows opposition leader Alexei Navalny to die. On cybersecurity, Biden said he presented Putin with what the U.S. considers the critical elements of its infrastructure and told him the U.S. would respond forcefully — with cyber means of its own — if they were targeted. “We’ll find out whether we have a cybersecurity arrangement that begins to bring some order,” he said.

Blistering Heat Wave Expands Across California, Wildfire Risk Builds  (Andrew Freedman, Axios)
The record-breaking heat wave roasting the West is expanding its grip on Thursday, with the focus of the triple-digit heat shifting into California — particularly the Central Valley and desert regions.
Across the West, the combination of record heat, preexisting drought conditions, and dry lightning strikes from afternoon thunderstorms threatens to ignite numerous wildfires Thursday.

Robots, Drones and Satellites: NSW to Research New Bushfire Fighting Technology  (Tom Rabe, Sydney Morning Herald)
The NSW government will push to establish the state as a world leader in bushfire research eventually marketing new technology overseas, with close to $30 million set aside for the new project in next week’s budget.
The $28 million in state funding will be directed into research and development of bushfire technology over the next four years, including the potential of using robots to aid responders, aggregating satellite imagery to predict fire fronts and drones to assist with escape routes.

Anti-Vaxxers Are Weaponizing Yelp to Punish Bars That Require Vaccine Proof  (MIT Technology Review)
Negative spam reviews are destroying bars and restaurants as they attempt to re-open safely.

Oceanside Seawall Dispute Hints at Looming Decisions Over Sea-Level Rise  (MacKenzie Elmer, Voice of San Diego)
Oceanside, like many of Southern California coastal communities, is struggling to protect its beachfront properties. And how the city used to deal with sea damage is now being challenged by the state.