• FINANCIAL-SYSTEMS SECURITYEmerging Threats to the U.S. Financial System

    By Doug Irvin

    In early 2021, a freewheeling, freethinking group of investors on Reddit plowed their money into GameStop, a video game retailer that several big hedge funds had bet against. The stock price shot up, some people made millions—and, to the delight of those on Reddit, the hedge funds had some very bad days. Researchers saw the GameStop story as a cautionary tale. If investors on Reddit could work together to move the markets like that, what could an adversary like China do?

  • CHINA WATCHChinese Military Drills Test Taiwan’s Defense Readiness, Analysts Say

    By William Yang

    China wrapped up a two-day, large-scale military exercise Friday after its forces deployed 111 aircraft and 46 naval vessels to areas around Taiwan. Experts say the Chinese military simulated some scenarios that would be involved in a potential invasion of Taiwan during the exercise.

  • NUCLEAR WARIs Putin Preparing for Nuclear War?

    By Paul Dibb

    On 6 May, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced he had authorized a military exercise involving the deployment of tactical nuclear weapons in southern Russia. This is the first time such an announcement has been made since the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991. Putin needs to understand that even use of tactical nuclear weapons by him may risk total war and the end of Russia as a functioning state.

  • DISINFORMATIONEuropean Tech Law Faces Test to Address Interference, Threats, and Disinformation in 2024 Elections

    By Linda Robinson

    The European Union (EU) began implementing the Digital Services Act (DSA) this year, just in time to combat online disinformation and other electoral interference in the dozens of elections taking place in Europe’s twenty-seven member countries and the European Parliament elections taking place June 6 through June 9.

  • Venezuela Travel Advisory

    With the security situation in Venezuela continuing to deteriorate, the U.S. Department of State has issued a travel advisory which urges would be travelers to note Venezuela’s “to crime, civil unrest, kidnapping, and the arbitrary enforcement of local laws.” The advisory further urges people to “Reconsider travel due to wrongful detentions, terrorism, and poor health infrastructure” in Venezuela.

  • IMMIGRATIONACT OF 1924America’s Third Founding: May 24, 1924, the Immigration Act of 1924

    By David J. Bier

    On May 24, 1924, President Calvin Coolidge signed the National Origins Quota Act, which imposed the first permanent cap on legal immigration. No law has so radically altered the demographics, economy, politics, and liberty of the United States and the world. It has massively reduced American population growth from immigrants and their descendants by hundreds of millions, diminishing economic growth and limiting the power and influence of this country.

  • IMMIGRATIONACT OF 1924A Century Ago, Anti-Immigrant Backlash Almost Closed America’s Doors

    By Matthew Smith

    Torn between “the American dream” and fears of an ungovernable “melting pot,” Americans have always viewed immigrants ambivalently. In 1924, as is true today, many citizens thought in terms of “good” immigration versus “bad” immigration. The Immigration Act of 1924 dramatically reduced immigration from eastern and southern Europe and practically barred it from Asia.

  • TECHNOLOGYShotSpotter Improves Detection and Response to Gunfire, but Doesn't Reduce Crime, Research Finds

    By Cyrus Moulton

    ShotSpotter gunfire detection technology has delivered as promised in terms of enabling police to quickly detect and respond to gunshots in two American cities, but the controversial technology has not translated into public safety gains.

  • OUR PICKSA Leak of Biometric Police Data Is a Sign of Things to Come | Inside the Reluctant Fight to Ban Deepfake Ads | When Knowledge Stops at the Water’s Edge, and more

    ·  Attempts to Regulate AI’s Hidden Hand in Americans’ Lives Flounder
    The first attempts to regulate artificial intelligence programs that play a hidden role in hiring, housing and medical decisions for millions of Americans are floundering in statehouses nationwide

    ·  Inside the Reluctant Fight to Ban Deepfake Ads
    Without new rules, campaigns could hoodwink voters with AI-generated ads. And no one really seems to be taking the threat seriously

    ·  GOP Challengers Make Gains but Lose Bid to Oust Hard Right in North Idaho
    In an area with a history of white-power militancy, candidates who branded themselves “traditional” Republicans mounted a campaign against extremism

    ·  When Knowledge Stops at the Water’s Edge
    Fears about foreign contacts and security clearances are making America’s future diplomats and policymakers less worldly and more insular

    ·  A Leak of Biometric Police Data Is a Sign of Things to Come
    Thousands of fingerprints and facial images linked to police in India have been exposed online. Researchers say it’s a warning of what will happen as the collection of biometric data increases

    ·  Special Counsel Seeks Court Order Limiting Trump’s False Claims about FBI
    Request to the court comes after Trump suggested standard FBI policy somehow meant he was targeted for deadly force

    ·  Why Congress Should Pay Attention to Mexico’s Presidential Election
    Seven numbers to know ahead of Mexico’s critical June election

    ·  Our Chemical Facilities Are Vulnerable to Attack
    A growing concern that AI will empower attacks on our water, transportation, financial systems, and other critical infrastructure

  • WORLD ROUNDUPEurope Is Walking the Terror Tightrope | Britain's Unprepared’ for ISIS Drone Attack | Some U.S. Weapons Stymied by Russian Jamming in Ukraine, and more

    ·  Is the European Union Too Big for Further Enlargement?
    One key challenge today, which has undermined the old EU enlargement narrative, is democratic backsliding in some member countries

    ·  Far-Right Minister Who Visited Contested Jerusalem Site Has Long History of Controversy
    Itamar Ben-Gvir has been convicted eight times for offenses that include racism and supporting a terrorist organization. His views were so extreme that the army banned him from compulsory military service

    ·  Terrifying Warning Issued That Britain’s ‘Unprepared’ for ISIS ‘Drone Attack Plot on UK’
    “It’s not that British air defenses couldn’t handle drone attacks,” an expert explained. “It’s that they’re not prepared for these types of drone attacks [on crowds at events]”

    ·  Europe Is Walking the Terror Tightrope
    “The terrorist threat to Europe right now is actually quite high because you have an intersection of a range of disconnected but unfortunately mutually reinforcing events”: experts

    ·  Nine in Germany, Accused of ‘Reichsbuerger’ Coup Plot, Go on Trial
    A would-be prince, a former judge and parliamentarian, and retired military officers were among nine conspirators who plotted to overthrow Germany’s democracy

    ·  What Hamas Called Its Female Captives, and Why It Matters
    Reading too much into the language seems, at this point, to be less of a danger than reading too little into it

    ·  Why the U.S. Should Recognize Palestinian Statehood
    Sovereignty would serve America’s interests—and Israel’s

    ·  How Germany Lost the Middle East
    Berlin’s unequivocal support for Israel has eroded its soft-power footprint in the region

    ·  Some U.S. Weapons Stymied by Russian Jamming in Ukraine
    Two classified Ukrainian reports show that some U.S. precision-guided weapons are vulnerable to electronic warfare, an element in Ukraine’s recent battlefield setbacks

    ·  Can the U.S. Defend South Korea and Taiwan Simultaneously?
    To ensure security in Northeast Asia, the U.S. needs to increase its military investments and enhance allied cooperation

  • CHINA WATCHChina Conducts Military Drills Around Taiwan as “Punishment” for New Leader

    By William Yang

    China kicked off a two-day large-scale military exercise in the water and airspace around Taiwan on Thursday, emphasizing that it is “a strong punishment for the separatist acts of ‘Taiwan independence forces’” and “a stern warning” against provocation by external forces.

  • CHINA WATCHCan Taiwan Defend Itself Against China?

    By Wesley Rahn

    Large-scale Chinese military drills near Taiwan are taking place just days after William Lai Ching-te, of Taiwan’s ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), was sworn in as president of the island nation. Taiwan has expanded its asymmetric warfare capacity, which involves using smaller but highly effective weapons to make an invasion by a larger force prohibitively costly.

  • EXTREMISMMilitia Extremists, Kicked Off Facebook Again, Are Regaining Comfort in Public View

    By Amy Cooter

    When journalists sounded alarm bells in early May 2024 that more than 100 extremist militia groups had been organizing and communicating on Facebook, it wasn’t the first time militias had garnered attention for their online activities. As a scholar of militias, I’ve seen extremists get kicked off Facebook before.

  • STEEL DILEMMAWhy Biden Wants to Block the Nippon-U.S. Steel Deal

    By Noah Berman

    A proposed Japanese takeover of U.S. Steel, a century-old icon of American industry, is facing domestic political pushback that could challenge the Biden administration’s foreign policy aims. Biden’s opposition to the deal risks undercutting his administration’s efforts to strengthen U.S. alliances and supply chains, experts say.   

  • WATER SECURITYPeak Water: Do We Have Enough Groundwater to Meet Future Need?

    By Brendan Bane

    Though vast stores of groundwater persist below Earth’s surface, the climbing cost of accessing it is on track to significantly reshape the geography of trade and drive users toward alternative water sources.

  • MANAGED RETREATThe Government Wants to Buy Their Flood-Prone Homes. But These Texans Aren’t Moving.

    By Emily Foxhall

    The recent floods in Harris County, Texas, show why home buyout programs can be important. These programs involve the government buying, and demolishing, houses in flood-prone zones, that is, areas which typically flood first and worse. The Harris County flood control district wants to buy properties along the San Jacinto River that have flooded repeatedly. Some residents aren’t leaving.

  • OUR PICKSVictims of U.S. Nuclear Testing Deserve More Than This | Emerging Threats to the U.S. Financial System | Inside the Reluctant Fight to Ban Deepfake Ads, and more

    ·  The Victims of U.S. Nuclear Testing Deserve More Than This
    More than 100 nuclear devices were exploded in aboveground tests in New Mexico and Nevada from 1945 to 1962

    ·  Long Before Key Bridge Collapse, Baltimore Mariners Warned of ‘Ship Strikes’
    Members of a Baltimore harbor safety committee repeatedly raised the possibility that an out-of-control vessel could imperil the bridge, records show

    ·  Biden Takes Another Step to Fast-Track Asylum Process for Border Crossers
    A new expedited docket for people who have recently crossed the border, which could allow officials to more quickly reject and deport some people

    ·  Emerging Threats to the U.S. Financial System
    Experts warn that the greatest danger to U.S. financial system is not a single, sudden attack, a financial 9/11. It’s the constant assault on reality—the deepfake videos and manipulated AI

    ·  The U.S. Has Spent $5bn on Electronic Warfare in 2024 Alone
    China, Russia and India are projected to eat into the US’ outsized share of global electronic warfare spending in the coming years

    ·  Teslas Can Still Be Stolen with a Cheap Radio Hack—Despite New Keyless Tech
    Ultra-wideband radio has been heralded as the solution for “relay attacks” that are used to steal cars in seconds. But researchers found Teslas equipped with it are as vulnerable as ever

    ·  Inside the Reluctant Fight to Ban Deepfake Ads
    Without new rules, campaigns could hoodwink voters with AI-generated ads. And no one really seems to be taking the threat seriously

  • WORLD ROUNDUPRussia Launched Research Spacecraft for Antisatellite Nuclear Weapon | EU Wants Spies on University Campuses to Fight Chinese Tech Espionage | Democracy Needs an Economic NATO, and more

    ·  Western Europe Is Starting to Send a Vital Warning to Israel
    These kinds of diplomatic shocks could lead Israelis to finally escape from the gravitational pull of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu  and start calling for two states on terms Israel can live with

    ·  Bibi Blocks Israeli Intel Chiefs’ Meetings with U.S. Officials
    A sign of Bibi’s growing suspicion about Israel’s intelligence, military and security establishment, which hold divergent views about how the prime minister is carrying out the war

    ·  Russia Launched Research Spacecraft for Antisatellite Nuclear Weapon Two Years Ago, U.S. Officials Say
    Cosmos-2553 went into orbit in February 2022 just weeks before Russia invaded Ukraine

    ·  Russia Mysteriously Deletes Threat to Redraw Baltic Sea Border
    Defense ministry plan had sparked alarm among NATO allies

    ·  EU Wants Spies on University Campuses to Fight Chinese Tech Espionage
    The bloc is urging researchers to take steps to secure their work against foreign interference

    ·  The Blood Equation: Hamas’ Strategy to Radicalize Youth Through Emotional Narratives
    This approach leverages images of casualties from the October 7 conflict, particularly women and children, to create a powerful emotional impact aimed at radicalizing new groups on a transnational scale

    ·  US Removes Cuba from List of Countries Not Fully Cooperating on Counterterrorism Efforts
    Cuba called for the U.S. to also remove the country from another list that designates it as a sponsor of terrorism

    ·  Democracy Needs an Economic NATO
    Fighting Chinese coercion requires new alliances

  • STUDENT UNRESTStudent Anger Over the Vietnam War Erupted into Violence in the ’60s − a Terrorism Expert Explores Whether the Same Could Happen Today

    By Javed Ali

    I am a former senior U.S. government counterterrorism official and scholar of national security and terrorism. The wave of recent pro-Palestinian, student-led protests reminds me of another tense era in the U.S. that was also prompted by U.S. engagement in a foreign war – the Vietnam War in the late 1960s and early 1970s.

  • EXTREMISMExtremist Communities Continue to Rely on YouTube for Hosting, but Most Videos Are Viewed Off-Site, Research Finds

    By Cyrus Moulton

    After the 2016 U.S. presidential election, YouTube was so criticized for radicalizing users by recommending increasingly extremist and fringe content that it changed its recommendation algorithm. Research four years later found that while extremist content remained on YouTube, subscriptions and external referrals drove disaffected users to extremist content rather than the recommendation algorithm.

  • NUCLEAR NONPROLIFERATIONNuclear Expertise Guides Global Nonproliferation Innovation

    By Christopher J. Driver

    Researchers tackling national security challenges at the U.S. Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory are upholding an 80-year legacy of leadership in all things nuclear. Today, they’re developing the next generation of technologies that will help reduce global nuclear risk and enable safe, secure, peaceful use of nuclear materials worldwide.

  • ENHANCED SECURITY Focused and Fast

    By Jennifer Awe

    In response to an urgent DOD request, multidisciplinary teams across Sandia delivered in a big way for international security: Enhanced surety program meets urgent request.