OUR PICKSCounterterrorism Drone Strikes | Unhackable Quantum Internet | Calif. Town Runs Out of Water, and more
··White House Tightens Rules on Counterterrorism Drone Strikes
Fewer drone strikes and commando raids away from recognized war zones
··Chicago Scientists Are Testing an Unhackable Quantum Internet in Their Basement Closet
The modest trappings of Equipment Closet LL211A belie the importance of a project
··Mismanagement and ‘Monster Trains’ Have Wrecked American Rail
The U.S. system has become a fleet of land bargesgood for coal and containers — not much else
··How California’s Bullet Train Went Off the Rails
The project fell victim to political forces that have added billions of dollars in costs
··Options Dwindle for Calif. Town Whose Water Supply Is Expected to Run Out in Two Months
Coalinga searches for extra water amid a historic drought and record shortages
··Bullet-Proof Glass, Guards: U.S. Election Offices Tighten Security for Nov. 8 Midterms
Threats to election officials’ safety were seen as hypothetical, but now those risks are seen as real
··U.S. Air Force Climate Action Plan
Climate change poses a threat to U.S. security
··The Muslim Brotherhood in Germany: An Interview with Hans-Jakob Schindler
The Muslim Brotherhood network in Germany is being replaced by less structured extremist Islamist networks
··What Happened to Pennsylvania’s Shaun Winkler and the Neo-Nazi Movement?
The Patriot Front encourages extreme violence by lone individuals
White House Tightens Rules on Counterterrorism Drone Strikes (Charlie Savage, New York Times)
A classified new policy requires President Biden’s approval to add suspected terrorists to a kill list. The Trump administration had decentralized control over targeting decisions.
Chicago Scientists Are Testing an Unhackable Quantum Internet in Their Basement Closet (Jeanne Whalen, Washington Post)
Quantum research at a University of Chicago lab could help prevent hacking and connect a future web of supercomputers
Mismanagement and ‘Monster Trains’ Have Wrecked American Rail (Justin Roczniak, New York Times)
The United States averted a national freight rail strike a few weeks ago, when the Biden administration stepped in to broker a deal between rail companies and their union employees. Rail workers have not yet ratified that agreement, and a strike is still on the table.
The current standoff is about more, and is the result of a deliberate, half-century-long conversion of the nation’s rail system from a network that could deliver many kinds of goods to market (while also hosting hundreds of passenger train lines), to a fleet of land barges that are good for coal and containers — not much else.
How California’s Bullet Train Went Off the Rails (Ralph Vartabedian, New York Times)
America’s first experiment with high-speed rail has become a multi-billion-dollar nightmare. Political compromises created a project so expensive that almost no one knows how it can be built as originally envisioned.
Options Dwindle for Calif. Town Whose Water Supply Is Expected to Run Out in Two Months (Joshua Partlow, Washington Post)
Officials project drought-stricken Coalinga, Calif., will use up its allotted amount of water before the end of the year — possibly forcing the city to buy water at exorbitant prices.
Bullet-Proof Glass, Guards: U.S. Election Offices Tighten Security for Nov. 8 Midterms (Reuters)
Spurred by a deluge of threats and intimidating behavior by conspiracy theorists and others upset over former President Donald Trump’s 2020 election defeat, some election officials across the United States are fortifying their operations as they ramp up for another divisive election.
