OUR PICKSCompensation for Havana Syndrome Victims | Deadly Heat Wave’s Lesson | Telephone Pole Camera Surveillance, and more

Deadly Heat Wave’s Lesson: ‘This Is the Future We All Face’  (Ariel Wittenberg, Scientific American)
After last year’s heat crisis, Pacific Northwest emergency managers, doctors and even transit systems are using lessons learned to prepare for this summer

Biden Administration Plans Six-Figure Compensation for Havana Syndrome Victims  (Reuters ? VOA News)
The Biden administration is planning to compensate victims of Havana syndrome, the anomalous health incidents affecting U.S. diplomats and intelligence officers worldwide, with payments ranging from $100,000 to $200,000, sources familiar with the matter said Thursday.

US Senate Approves Bipartisan Gun Violence Bill (AP / VOA News)
The Senate easily approved a bipartisan gun violence bill Thursday that seemed unthinkable a month ago, setting up final approval of what will be Congress’ most far-reaching response in decades to the nation’s run of brutal mass shootings.

Hurricanes May Pose a Threat to People Along the Coasts and Far Inland  (USGS)
The 2022 Atlantic Hurricane Season runs from June 1 through November 30. Throughout the season, the USGS will be providing science that can help guide efforts to protect lives and property if a storm threatens the U.S.

America Is Growing Apart, Possibly for Good  (Ronald Brownstein, The Atlantic)
The great “convergence” of the mid-20th century may have been an anomaly.

Putin’s Decade-Long Secret Sabotage Scheme Revealed  (Barbie Latza Nadeau, Daily Beast)
Russia’s recent gains on the battlefield can be attributed in part to a quiet, nearly decade-long sabotage campaign to block Ukraine from vital ammunition supplies, according to several reports.

The tactics include bullying ammunition sellers not to deliver to Ukraine and secretly blowing up depots across Eastern Europe prior to this spring’s invasion, The Washington Post reports, citing Ukraine Deputy Defense Minister Hanna Malyar.

‘Increased Threat’ of Foreign Terrorists, Election Influence Operations in 2022: DHS  (Luke Barr, ABC News)
The biggest threat to the U.S. however is domestic violent extremists.

DHS Warned Abraham Accords Could Destabilize Region in 2020  (Ben Zion Gad, Jerusalem Post)
The US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) warned that the Abraham Accords could lead to increased violence and fuel further conflict in the region shortly after the deal was implemented in 2020, according to an official document obtained by The Intercept on Wednesday.
According to DHS officials, newly-normalized ties with prior foes were not the primary risk of the accords – rather, the establishment of ties with several countries without addressing the Palestinian issue has created a sense of resentment and betrayal, the intelligence assessment warns.

A First Circuit Decision and the Future of Telephone Pole Camera Surveillance  (Matthew Tokson, Lawfare)
Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) agents suspected that Nia Moore-Bush was involved in illegal drug and firearm sales. So, without obtaining a warrant, they mounted a sophisticated camera on a telephone pole and surveilled her Massachusetts home for eight months in 2017. The camera recorded the front part of Moore-Bush’s house and yard and her full driveway, day and night. It could zoom in to capture facial expressions, small objects in a person’s hands, details on clothing, license plates, and more. Over the course of eight months, it captured her comings, goings, guests, and activities in the front curtilage of the residence, which ranged from the mundane to the personal to the potentially incriminating. And ultimately, it helped law enforcement make their arrest.