OUR PICKS LAST WEEKExtremists Threaten Critical Infrastructure | Dealing with High-Profile Anti-Semites | Colorado River Faces "Complete Doomsday Scenario” | Why Artificial Intelligence Worries Henry Kissinger, and more
EXTREMISM & TERRORISM
··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
··The Military Fielded Over 200 Domestic Extremism Reports Last Year
The U.S. military is opening more investigations into cases of domestic extremism
··‘Targeted’ N.C. Substation Gun Attack Comes Amid Escalating Critical Infrastructure Threats
Attacks resulted in multiple equipment failures
··The Table for Trump’s Antisemitic Banquet Was Set Long Ago
Trump may be a spent political force, but the bigotries Trump has unleashed are not spent and cannot be ignored
··Antisemitic Celebrities Stoke Fears of Normalizing Hate
A surge of anti-Jewish vitriolis stoking fears that public figures are normalizing hate
··Hate Speech’s Rise on Twitter Is Unprecedented, Researchers Find
Conversations on Twitter have changed since Elon Musk completed his acquisition of the company
··TamTam Deletes Channels Promoting Neo-Nazi Accelerationism and Terror
Russia-based messenger platform trying to clean up its act
··Trump’s Dinner with Antisemites Provides Test of GOP Response to Extremism
Trump has resisted efforts to persuade him to make a statement denouncing Fuentes and Ye
··NTAS: Praise for Recent Attacks, Holiday Gatherings, Capitol Attack Anniversary Feed ‘Dynamic and Complex’ Threat Environment
Online extremists have praised the deadly shootings
··How Should We Deal with High-Profile Anti-Semites?
Anti-Jewish bigotry is now coming from people with serious power
··Jewish Texans See Surge in Antisemitism as a Precursor to Fascism
Texas has seen an ongoing wave of antisemitic incidents
··Kansas City Area Man Among Three Indicted in Alleged Terrorist Conspiracy n Cameroon
Providing support for a militant separatist group known as the Ambazonia Restoration Forces
··Twitter Failed to Detect Upload of Christchurch Mosque Terror Attack Videos
Footage was taken down only after the New Zealand government alerted Twitter
··Jewish Allies Call Trump’s Dinner with Antisemites a Breaking Point
Trump’s staunchest Jewish supporters say they can no longer ignore his abetting of bigotry
··Seditious Kvetching: The Surprisingly Non-Trivial Defense in the Oath Keepers Prosecution
If seditious rhetoric alone were sufficient to prove seditious conspiracy, the prosecution’s job would be easy
··Midterms Free of Feared Chaos as Voting Experts Look to 2024
Election Day, and the weeks of early voting before it, went fairly smoothly
··New Evolving Terrorist Threats Intersect with ‘Oldest Hatred’
Salafi-Jihadist terrorism is declining, replaced by violent far-right and far-left domestic terrorism
THE LONG VIEW
··Higher Immigration or Higher Interest Rates for America?
More immigrants means a dynamic economy with lower interest rates
··How the Supreme Court Could Reshape Social Media
When can tech giants be held civilly liable for content posted to their platforms?
··Solar Geoengineering: The Case for Research Part II
Interest is growing in geoengineering as a potential way to mitigate climate impacts
··Officials Fear “Complete Doomsday Scenario” for Drought-Stricken Colorado River
What happens on the Colorado River’s descent to ‘dead pool’
··The Days of the Hydrogen Car Are Already Over
Hydrogen cars were widely considered an avenue towards universal green motoring
··Why Artificial Intelligence Is Now a Primary Concern for Henry Kissinger
How to limit the potential destructive capabilities of artificial intelligence
MORE PICKS
··DHS Delays REAL ID Deadline Another Two Years
Deadline extended, for the third time – this time, to May 2025
··Hackers Linked to Chinese Government Stole Millions in Covid Benefits, Secret Service Says
First instance of pandemic fraud tied to foreign, state-sponsored cybercriminals
··Classified Documents Found in Trump Search of Storage Site
More classified documents found on Trump’s property in West Palm Beach, Florida
··Justice Department Accuses Trump of Playing “Shell Game” in Records Dispute
“At the very least, this type of gamesmanship should detract substantially from the weight of plaintiff’s executive privilege claims,” DOJ said
··As Fatal Police Shootings Increase, More Go Unreported
Fatal police shooting on the rise, but about two-thirds fail to make to FBI database
··As Western U.S. Population Grows, So Does Acrimony Over Access to Public Land
Battles over access to public land grow more intense – and, sometimes, more threatening
··U.S. Weighs Asylum Limits as It Braces for End of Title 42 Border Restrictions
Bracing for the court-mandated termination of pandemic-related border restrictions
··Los Angeles Bans New Oil Wells, Plans to Close Existing Ones
Move is part of an oil phaseout trend in California
··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
··Cyber and Physical Threats Illuminate Need for Security Convergence in Energy Sector
Energy providers deal in the dynamic world of dispersed generation, distribution, and transmission operations
··The Benefits and Risks of Extending Weapons Deliveries to the Cyber Domain
Cyber weapons supplies could already be occurring in secret
··Did al-Qaeda Die with Ayman al-Zawahiri?
They failure of ai-Qaeda to chooses a successor to Ayman al-Zawahiri suggests that the organizations is weak
··Five Principles to Help Secure Technology Supply Chains
The new normal of supply chains contains many new risks and threats
··GOP Senators Agitate for Vote to Repeal Vaccine Mandate for Troops
The Pentagon mandated the coronavirus vaccine for all troops in August 2021
··Revealed: The Public Finally Gets to See the B-21 Stealth Bomber this Week
The B-21 is different from other classified military programs in that its existence is openly acknowledged
··What the Census Bureau Can Learn From the IRS About Detecting Cyberattacks
Successful detection and response depend on testing procedures
··San Francisco Cops Propose Using Killer Robots to Fight Crime
Stop! Or my robot will shoot!
··U.S. Renewable Energy Will Surge Past Coal and Nuclear by Year’s End
Wind, solar and hydropower will generate more than 20 percent of the power supply
··U.S. and NATO Scramble to Arm Ukraine and Refill Their Own Arsenals
In terms of artillery use, “A day in Ukraine is a month or more in Afghanistan,” says one expert
··CIA Aims to Recruit Spies Among Russians Displeased with Ukraine War
CIA spreads the word among Russia military officials, oligarchs, and executives: “We’re open for business”
··It’s Finally Here: Pentagon Releases Plan to Keep Hackers Out of Its Networks
Defense agencies are to implement zero-trust standards by 2027
EXTREMISM & TERRORISM
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.
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. This type of tracking is new for the military, as prior to 2021, there was no requirement to do so. (Cont.)
