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FISA SECTION 702FISA Section 702 Lapsed on Friday—What Now?
Congress was asked to extend, without a warrant requirement, a surveillance program whose compliance record cannot be independently verified, whose oversight bodies have been deliberately disabled, and whose custodians have shown a personal willingness to turn its tools on the press. The program did not go dark on Friday. The real question is whether the House and Senate leadership will finally tell Trump that embracing the Fourth Amendment’s warrant requirement is the only way to end this saga.
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3D GUNSMore States Restrict 3D-Printed Firearms
For decades, making an untraceable firearm required specialized tools, technical expertise and hours of work. Today, it can start with a downloaded file and a consumer-grade 3D printer. At least six states this year have outlawed or imposed regulations on such guns.
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UNDERSEA SENSORSGoing Dark: Why Dismantling America’s Ocean Sensors Is a Security Risk
Starting this month, the National Science Foundation (NSF) began pulling more than 900 deep-sea instruments out of the water, dismantling most of the Ocean Observatories Initiative (OOI), a network of moorings and seafloor sensors that streams continuous, real-time data on the physical, chemical, and biological state of the Atlantic and Pacific. The network was built to run for 25 years. It will not make it to ten. This is a national security story as much as a science story.
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LOOSE CANNON“If He Had Not Misspoken, Perhaps He Did Not Really Mean What He Said”
Two weeks ago, referring to U.S. ally Oman, Trump warned that if Oman did not “behave just like everybody else,” the United States will “have to blow them up.” Perhaps, some Middle East observers wondered, he meant to say “Iran,” not “Oman.” Perhaps he did not really mean what he said.
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LOOSE CANNONHow to Lose Friends and Alienate Allies: Trump’s Approach to Oman
Allies across the Indo-Pacific and Europe are also watching. When even a quiet, reliable partner of nearly 200 years can be publicly threatened, the message is clear that today’s ally can quickly become tomorrow’s target.
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PUBLIC HEALTHHow Cuts to CDC Are Dismantling Its Capacity to Protect Americans’ Health
CDC’s mission is to protect and improve the health of Americans, which it fulfills by preventing, detecting and controlling disease. CDC also staffs a pool of public health experts who are rapidly deployed to respond to public health emergencies – including disease outbreaks – worldwide. The cuts to CDC put these functions in jeopardy.
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FOOD SECURITYBugs, Beef, and Blame: New World Screwworm is Back
American cattle can’t catch a break. For the first time this year, highly pathogenic avian influenza has been detected in Texas dairy cows. And now, the biggest story this week is the confirmed re-introduction of New World Screwworm (NWS) into the United States.
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OUR PICKSHow the War on Terror Primed America for Autocracy | Biosecurity Barriers in High-Risk Biological Research | Will Foreign Surveillance Go Dark?, and more
· How the War on Terror Primed America for Autocracy
· Judge Bars Creation of Trump’s $1.8 Billion Fund
· FBI Searches Offices of Ohio Voter Registration Group, Seizing Computers
· A Key Spying Power Is Expiring. Will Foreign Surveillance Go Dark?
· They Bought a Famous Puzzle in Cryptography. Now They’re Opening It Up.
· Addressing Biosecurity Barriers in High-Risk Biological Research
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WORLD ROUNDUPTrump Is Shattering the Illusion of the West | The Swiss Would Be Foolish to Cap Their Population at 10m | Techno-Libertarians Are Flocking to the Caribbean, and more
· Trump’s Trade Delusion: Why Dismissing Canada and Mexico Echoes a Dynasty’s Downfall
· Trump Is Shattering the Illusion of the West
· Israel Is Building Army Base in Jenin, Flouting 1990s Pact with Palestinians
· AIPAC Wants Democrats to Back Israel. Instead, They’re Turning on AIPAC.
· Qatar Pursued Secret Talks with Iran to Shield Gas Complex from Strikes, Security Officials Say
· Iran War Is the Worst Hit to the Global Economy Since Covid, World Bank Says
· The Swiss Would Be Foolish to Cap Their Population at 10m
· Techno-Libertarians Are Flocking to the Caribbean
· Missile Defense Worked Against Iran. It Might Not Work Against China.
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WORLD-CUP SECURITYNational Security, Terrorism Concerns as FIFA World Cup 2026 Matches Begin in U.S.
As the FIFA World Cup 2026 tournament begins in roughly a dozen U.S. cities this week, law enforcement officials have been implementing national security measures.
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WORLD-CUP & PUBLIC HEALTHWorld Cup Creates Perfect Conditions for Infectious Diseases to Spread – Here Are the Biggest Threats Health Experts Are Watching For
The World Cup is not just a sporting event but a weekslong experiment in global mixing that creates a perfect environment for infectious diseases to spread. Events of this scale rarely cause major outbreaks, but they do create opportunities for outbreaks and for health systems to be tested.
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DHSTestimony: “Congress Should End Amnesty for DHS Agents”
Courts have found DHS has likely violated at least the 1st, 4th, 5th, 10th, and 14th amendments to the US Constitution, as well as the spending power, the taxing power, and the writ of habeas corpus. Blanket amnesty for ICE agents should be replaced with accountability. Instead of targeting peaceful immigrants, Congress should end amnesty for DHS agents by allowing Americans to vindicate our rights in court.
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DEPORTATIONS & THE ECONOMYICE Surges Have Triggered Massive Job Losses—Including Among Americans
The enforcement surge cost 668,000 jobs. Of the 668,000 jobs lost, an estimated 51,000-297,000 would have been held by American-born workers. Losses concentrated in immigrant-intensive sectors but spread well beyond them.
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FAMILY BUSINESSAn Indian Billionaire Was Targeted by Trump. Then He Poured Money Into a Startup Secretly Backed by Donald Trump Jr.
America First Refining , an obscure Texas firm secretly connected to the president’s son, received at least $100 million from Mukesh Ambani’s Reliance Industries. At the same time, the Ambani family secured major policy wins from the Trump administration. In December, Forbes estimated that Trump Jr.’s net worth had rocketed from roughly $50 million to $300 million since the election. But the Forbes figures were based on the investments that have been publicly disclosed. The America First Refining episode suggests there is much about the family business that remains secret.
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ENERGY SECURITYFor First Time, Americans Are Getting More of Their Electricity from Solar Than Coal
Solar energy just provided more electricity in the United States than coal for the first time on record — marking a milestone for the rise of renewables in America. Solar provides more than twice the share of electricity it did five years ago.
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OUR PICKSU.S. Attorney Jay Clayton New DNI Nominee | Lone-Wolf Gunmen Pose Biggest Risk to World Cup | The ‘Presumption of Regularity’ Is Evaporating, and more
· Trump Nominates U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton as DNI After Pushback Over Bill Pulte
· Lone-Wolf Gunmen Pose Biggest Risk to World Cup, Says Former FBI Chief
· Drone Use Poised to Soar as FAA Homes in on Rule Change Allowing Pilots to Fly Them Out of Sight
· The ‘Presumption of Regularity’ Is Evaporating
· Anthropic Walks Back Policy That Could Have ‘Sabotaged’ AI Researchers Using Claude
· Federal Judge Warns Justice Department Not to Revive Payout Fund
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WORLD ROUNDUPMigration Is a National Security Issue, Says Terror Watchdog | Washington’s Asian Allies Need a Backup Plan | Iran Is Now More Dangerous Than Ever, and more
· Migration Is a National Security Issue, Says Terror Watchdog
· Belfast Violence: An Uncomfortable Reminder of the Innocent People ‘Burnt Out’ During the Troubles
· Donald Trump’s Least Bad Option in Iran
· Washington’s Asian Allies Need a Backup Plan
· Iran Is Now More Dangerous Than Ever
· Why Cambodia and Thailand’s Peace Is So Uneasy
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AI & WARAI-Generated Zero-Day Vulnerabilities: Implications for Future Warfighting
Cybersecurity has long been viewed as a support function, largely focused on protecting military computer networks and information systems. This paradigm is now obsolete. AI is now reshaping the character of warfare itself, turning cybersecurity into a foundational layer of combat power.
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GUNSHOT DETECTIONDetroit Is Spending Millions on Gunshot Detection Tech – Is It an Effective Tool in the Fight Against Violent Crime?
We found that of the 5,853 ShotSpotter alerts from the period of February 2018 to November 2022, just two alerts, or 0.03%, resulted in at least one arrest. Additionally, 798 alerts, or 13.63%, resulted in at least one firearm recovered. Those numbers are obviously low.
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DUAL-USE RESEARCHFirst Large-Scale Empirical Analysis of Dual-Use Research and Security Oversight
Dual-use research refers to scientific research that has both legitimate civilian applications and potential security-sensitive applications. A new analysis of approximately 600,000 research papers reveals structural limits to single-country security oversight of dual-use research and identifies trade-offs that policymakers face when strengthening such oversight.
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TARIFFSThe Trump Administration’s WTO Filing Exposes the Bad Faith Behind Its Section 122 Tariffs
On June 2, the Trump administration submitted a document to the World Trade supposedly justifying its Section 122 tariffs. The filing is revealing—not for what it gets right but for what it exposes about the administration’s bad faith legal theory. The administration desperately wants courts and trading partners to believe it is acting within the rules, but its bad faith filing at the WTO demonstrates otherwise.
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SURVEILLANCEFrom Exporting Spyware to Surveilling Activists – How Democracies Became the New Digital Authoritarians
“Digital authoritarianism” refers to governments using technology for surveillance and censorship to repress dissent. China remains the master practitioner, but democracies, too — in particular, India and Israel — are beginning to repress their citizens with the same tools and export them abroad.
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More headlines
The long view
IMMIGRATIONNovel Study Maps Changes in U.S. Immigration Policy Landscape Since 9/11
Analysis in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine establishes a framework for further research into how federal, state, and local sanctuary and anti-sanctuary policies impact immigrants’ health
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THE SHIFTING LANDSCAPECURRENTS, TRENDS, DIRECTIONS
AI & CYBERSECURITYAI Has Crossed a Threshold – What Claude Mythos Means for the Future of Cybersecurity
The limit of what artificial intelligence can achieve, known as frontier AI, has crossed another threshold. AI can now plan and execute sophisticated cyber operations with minimal guidance at speeds far beyond human capability.
AI RISKSArtificial Intelligence Is Facing a Crisis of Control—and the Industry Knows It
Washington appears to be years away from consensus on the expanding security risks posed by advanced artificial intelligence (AI). Concrete international agreements also do not yet exist. There is a tenuous potential path forward to avoid a disaster, but it will require out-of-the-box thinking, intense determination, and unprecedented cooperation.
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AGROTERRORISMAgroterrorism: A Low-Frequency, High-Impact Threat
Agroterrorism is a low-frequency but high-impact threat. There have been only a handful of documented incidents worldwide, and none on a large scale in the United States — yet the structure of modern agriculture and food systems makes it a domain that serious adversaries could exploit with relatively modest means and devastating effect.
AGRICULTURAL SECURITYAgricultural Security Considerations for the U.S. Corn Belt
A new report examines the agricultural security risks to crop production in the U.S. Corn Belt, the backbone of the United States’ food, feed, and biofuel industries. The report reviews key threats and mitigation strategies for bioresiliency.
BIOTHREATSPick Your Poison: The Enduring Threat of Biological Toxins
A summary of the Bipartisan Commission on Biodefense’s “Pick Your Poison: The Enduring Threat of Biological Toxins” at the Atlantic Council.
CRITICAL MINERALSCould Deep Sea Mining Break China's Grip on Critical Minerals?
Mining companies have proposed to use remote-controlled robots or seabed crawlers tethered to surface ships to bring up nodules. The International Seabed Authority has wrestled for more than two decades with how to regulate seabed mining. The Trump administration has promised no such delay. It plans to use an existing U.S. regulatory framework.
CRITICAL MINERALSExpert Believes Norwegian Minerals Could Make Europe Less Dependent on China
At the Fen Complex in southern Norway lies Europe’s largest deposit of rare earth elements, according to a report from Rare Earths Norway. But this is not a ‘quick-fix,’ according experts.
IRAN WARBookshelf: the U.S. Has a Long History of Getting Iran Wrong
On New Year’s Eve in 1977, US president Jimmy Carter hailed Iran as ‘an island of stability in one of the more troubled regions of the world’, which he credited to Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi’s leadership and ‘the admiration and love which your people give to you.’ It was not the first, or last, time the United States demonstrated a misunderstanding of Iran.
CYBER-STRATEGYTrump’s Cyber Strategy Falls Short on China, Iran, and the Threats That Matter Most
Iranian cyber retaliation is escalating. Chinese operators remain embedded in U.S. infrastructure. Ransomware groups continue to disrupt hospitals, schools, and local governments. Trump’s recently released cyber strategy raises doubts the administration is prepared to address these threats.
SURVEILLANCECameras Have Quietly Appeared in Thousands of U.S. Cities – Now, Their Integration with AI Is Sounding Alarms
For decades, cars dictated urban planning in the United States. Few could have predicted that they would one day also double as nodes for surveillance. What began as a tool to identify threats to national security is becoming a surveillance infrastructure that can be used to track everyone.
ENERGYTrump Is Forcing Coal Plants to Stay Open. It Could Cost Customers Billions.
In an unprecedented use of federal authority, President Donald Trump’s administration has invoked emergency powers to force a series of retiring coal plants to stay open. Utilities, states and grid operators have said the aging plants are expensive, in bad repair and no longer needed to meet regional energy needs. But Trump is determined to save the dwindling coal industry — an expensive move resulting in billions of dollars in added costs for customers in dozens of states.
INFRASTRUCTURE PROTECTIONHelping MTA in Combating Climate Threats
NYU Tandon School research team developed computer model that quickly tests hundreds of resilience strategies to determine the best ways to defend subways against coastal storm surge flooding.