OUR PICKSExtremists Target the U.S. Power Grid | Higher Immigration of Higher Interest Rates | Solar Geoengineering, and more

Published 6 December 2022

··Attacks on U.S. Power Grid Have Been Subject of Extremist Chatter for Years. DHS Bulletin Warns Oof Attacks on Critical Infrastructure Amid Other Targets
Attacks on the U.S. power grid have been the subject of extremist chatter for some time

··Higher Immigration or Higher Interest Rates for America?
More immigrants means a dynamic economy with lower interest rates

··The Military Fielded Over 200 Domestic Extremism Reports Last Year
The U.S. military is opening more investigations into cases of domestic extremism

··TamTam Deletes Channels Promoting Neo-Nazi Accelerationism and Terror
TamTam trying to curb a wave of extremists’ channels

··Los Angeles Bans New Oil Wells, Plans to Close Existing Ones
Move is part of an oil phaseout trend in California

··Solar Geoengineering: The Case for Research Part II
Interest is growing in geoengineering as a potential way to mitigate climate impacts

··Court Implodes Trump’s Mar-a-Lago Defense (and the Errant Judge Who Bought It)
The timeline makes clear how careful and even deferential prosecutors were

··How the Supreme Court Could Reshape Social Media
When can tech giants be held civilly liable for content posted to their platforms?

Attacks on U.S. Power Grid Have Been Subject of Extremist Chatter for Years. DHS Bulletin Warns Oof Attacks on Critical Infrastructure Amid Other Targets  (John Miller, CNN)
Attacks on the United States’ power grid have been the subject of extremist chatter for some time, notably ticking up in 2020, the same year a 14-page how-to on low tech attacks, including assaulting power grids with guns, circulated amongst extremist communication channels. A Department of Homeland Security bulletin reported by CNN just days before a weekend attack on a North Carolina substation indicated there was a heightened threat posed by domestic violent extremists in the US against targets including critical infrastructure. The electric grid has been described as an “attractive target” for domestic violent extremists in US, CNN reported earlier this year, citing an intelligence report. In 2020, intelligence analysts saw major uptick in online chatter focused on attacking the power grid. Notably in 2020, a 14-page document released in a Telegram channel favored by accelerationists groups seeking to speed the overthrow of the US government featured a white supremacist instruction guide to low-tech attacks meant to bring chaos, including how to attack a power grid with guns. The document has been cited by DHS officials and was obtained by CNN. “The powergrid would be crippled for a very large area. Armor piercing rounds shot into the transformers would destroy them,” the colorful how-to describes.

Higher Immigration or Higher Interest Rates for America? (Ricardo Hausmann and Dany Bahar, Project Syndicate)
The persistence of restrictions on migrant workers and asylum seekers under President Joe Biden’s administration has exacerbated US labor shortages. The US must choose between a dynamic economy with lower interest rates and more foreigners, or a stagnant economy with high interest rates and fewer migrants.

The Military Fielded Over 200 Domestic Extremism Reports Last Year  (Meghann Myers, Air Force Times)
The services took in 211 reports of domestic extremism between October 2021 and September 2022, 183 of which launched investigations, according to data in a recently released report by the Defense Department inspector general. Of those, 48 service members were subject to military legal action and 112 were referred to civilian law enforcement for investigation, according to data compiled by the services and submitted to the IG. (Cont.)