Wrong COVID Predictions | The Return of the Firing Squad? | U.S. Tsunami Warning System, and more

He brandished a gun and held them hostage for 10 hours here. The standoff ended in gunfire, with all four hostages released unharmed and the suspect dead. “Supporters of foreign terrorist organizations have encouraged copycat attacks following the January 15, 2022 attack on a synagogue in Colleyville, Texas,” the federal agency added.

US Warns Midterms Could Spark Calls for Extremist Violence (Ben Fox, AP)
The upcoming midterm elections are emerging as a rallying point for domestic extremists and foreign adversaries seeking to disrupt the U.S. and incite violence, the Department of Homeland Security warned Monday. Unsubstantiated fraud claims, which have haunted the country since the 2020 presidential election, may be used to fuel unrest and doubts about the elections to decide control of Congress, DHS officials said as the agency issued a new national terrorism advisory. A senior DHS official, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss the terrorism advisory before its release, told reporters that part of their objective may be to sow discord and undermine credibility in democratic institutions by promoting misinformation about upcoming races. Concerns about the election is just one element in a terrorism alert that broadly warns of potential violence in what the government calls a “heightened threat environment” that includes foreign and domestic misinformation campaigns, conspiracy theories and lone actors with grievances rooted in racial and ethnic hatred. The National Terrorism Advisory System Bulletin, which is periodically updated by DHS in a replacement of the color-coded warnings of the past, warns that the primary threat to the U.S. remains lone offenders or small cells of individuals.

New App Tracks Terrorism-Linked Events in Local U.S. Communities  (Brandi Vincent, Nextgov)
The National Counterterrorism Center or NCTC designed and launched a new mobile app and website that provide unclassified intelligence reports, training materials and breaking alert notifications tracking terrorist-associated events. Dubbed “aCTknowledge,” this new digital tool was produced with—and explicitly for—U.S. law enforcement officers, first responders and homeland security professionals. It will be frequently updated based on their feedback going forward. “This is a tremendous evolution of our information-sharing effort,” an NCTC expert who helped build the platform told reporters during a press briefing on Monday. That official was among several who shared details about aCTknowledge on the call. As a component of the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, NCTC connects specialists from different government hubs for counterterrorism aims, captures and analyzes intelligence, monitors national and international communications for threats, manages massive lists of incidents and individuals with potential links to terrorism, and more. The center was formed at the recommendation of the 9/11 Commission. “After [Sept. 11, 2001], it was obviously determined that we do need to be sharing info and part of the reason the [NCTC] was formed was to have a place where that info could reside and that we can push it out and have the relationship with the community,” another expert explained during the briefing.

Experts: U.S. Tsunami Warning System Needs Major Overhaul  (SamanthaJo Roth, Spectrum News)
In a recent report, the Tsunami Science and Technology Advisory Panel found the system is operating with delayed alerts, outdated software and poor communication to the public.

The Return of the Firing Squad?  (Maurice Chammah, Marshall Proect)
With a scarcity of lethal injection drugs, South Carolina has brought back an archaic execution method. In other states, men on death row are asking for it.

“This Shouldn’t Happen”: Inside the Virus-Hunting Nonprofit at the Center of the Lab-Leak Controversy  (Katherine Eban, Vanity Fair)
Chasing scientific renown, grant dollars, and approval from Dr. Anthony Fauci, Peter Daszak transformed the environmental nonprofit EcoHealth Alliance into a government-funded sponsor of risky, cutting-edge virus research in both the U.S. and Wuhan, China. Drawing on more than 100,000 leaked documents, a V.F. investigation shows how an organization dedicated to preventing the next pandemic found itself suspected of helping start one.

Why So Many COVID Predictions Were Wrong  (Jerusalem Demsas. The Atlantic)
The eviction tsunami never happened. Neither did the “she-cession.” Here are four theories for the failed economic forecasting of the pandemic era.

Declassified Pentagon Documents Discuss UFOs Causing “Unaccounted-for Pregnancies”  (Matthew Rozsa, Salon)
The reports reveal details from an array of alleged UFO encounters, with varying degrees of plausibility