Megadrought in the American West | Norway’s Massacre: 10 Years On | Booming Trade in Surveillance Tech, and more

The cases are so distinct in the thoroughness of the initial allegations and the depth of the investigative work so far, that they have become in some ways their own class of cases among the Capitol riot investigation, which so far has resulted in more than 500 criminal defendants in federal court in Washington, DC.

Extremist Groups’ Recruitment of Veterans Prompts a Closer Look from Lawmakers  (Leo Shane III, Military Times)
House lawmakers will hold a hearing next week on recruitment and involvement of veterans in extremist groups, calling it a threat to “the very core of our democracy and national security.” The House Veterans’ Affairs Committee event, set for the afternoon of July 29, will include testimony from veterans advocates and experts on violent, fringe groups. The move comes in part in response to the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol, and reports that as many as one in 10 of the individuals charged with crimes related to that attack had military service. But Democratic leaders on the committee said the problem pre-dates that incident. Proposal would push VA leaders to address issue of extremism in the veterans community House appropriations want to require VA leaders to develop programs to stop online misinformation and radicalization among veterans. “Last fall — long before the insurrection on Jan. 6 — our committee started investigating the troubling trend of domestic violent extremist groups recruiting veterans into their ranks,” Rep. Mark Takano, D-Calif., chairman of the veterans committee said in a statement. “The harm from this particular issue transcends veterans, and taken to the extreme, can threaten the very core of our democracy and national security.

Spyware for Sale: The Booming Trade in Surveillance Tech  (Katy Lee, AFP / Phys.org)
Israeli’s NSO Group is in the eye of a storm over its Pegasus spyware—but it is far from the only company helping governments with their covert surveillance operations.
Explosive claims that Pegasus was used to spy on activists and even heads of state have shone a spotlight on the software, which allows highly intrusive access to a person’s mobile phone.
But NSO are merely one player in an industry that has quietly boomed in recent years, arming even cash-strapped governments with powerful surveillance technology.

Biden’s Domestic Terrorism Strategy Concerns Advocates  (Betsy Woodruff Swan, Politico)
The White House is worried about white supremacists. But the FBI’s dogged pursuit of Antifa and use of controversial tactics is troubling civil liberties advocates.

America Treated the Oslo Attacks as a Fringe Incident. Here’s Why That’s Been So Dangerous.  (Cynthia Miller-Idriss, MSNBC)
We’ve had 10 years to recognize white supremacy for the violent threat it is. Why has it taken America so long?