OUR PICKSCompensating Those Sickened by Nuke Testing | Heat Kills Machines and Electronics | California, Florida Lead the Country in Climate Change Risks, and more
· Top US Prosecutors Back Compensation for Those Sickened by Nuke Testing
An estimated half a million people lived within a 240-kilometer radius of the Trinity test site in southern New Mexico
· US Election Workers Getting Death Threats, Warnings They Will Be Lynched, Officials Say
More than a dozen Trump followers have been charged with threatening election workers, but the tsunami of threats and intimidation continues
· Proud Boy Convicted of Helping Spearhead Jan. 6 Attack Sentenced to 18 Years
A one-time leader in the Proud Boys far-right extremist group has been sentenced for his role in the January 6, 2021, riot
· California and Florida Grew Quickly on the Promise of Perfect Climates in the 1900s – Today, They Lead the Country in Climate Change Risks
The very climates that made these semitropical playgrounds the American dream of the 20th century threaten to break their reputations in the 21st century
· Hezbollah Sanctions Case Highlights Frailties in the Art Market
In its indictment of a collector accused of helping the militant group, U.S. prosecutors presented evidence of how easily art sales can be used to evade sanctions and launder money
· Neo-Nazi Groups Spew Hate Outside Disney World and Near Orlando, Officials Say
The group consisted of members of the neo-Nazi groups Order of the Black Sun, Aryan Freedom Network and 14 First
· Physicists Explain How Heat Kills Machines and Electronics
Extreme heat can slow and even damage electronics ranging from computers to cars
· 3 Steps from OSINT to AI to Help Stem the Tide of Mass Shootings
Automation technology is presenting new opportunities for community safety – specifically, aiding in threat detection and violence prevention
· Proud Boys Leaders Sentenced to Prison for Roles in Jan. 6 Capitol Breach
One of the defendant was previously convicted of seditious conspiracy
· Chinese Gate-Crashers at U.S. Bases Spark Espionage Concerns
Washington has tracked about 100 incidents involving Chinese nationals trying to access American military and other installations
Top US Prosecutors Back Compensation for Those Sickened by Nuke Testing (AP / VOA News)
New Mexico Attorney General Raul Torrez and 13 other top prosecutors from around the U.S. are throwing their support behind efforts to compensate people sickened by exposure to radiation during nuclear weapons testing.
The Democratic officials sent a letter Wednesday to congressional leaders, saying “it’s time for the federal government to give back to those who sacrificed so much.”
The letter refers to the estimated half a million people who lived within a 240-kilometer radius of the Trinity test site in southern New Mexico, where the world’s first atomic bomb was detonated in 1945. It also pointed to thousands of people in Idaho, Colorado, Nevada, Utah, Arizona, Montana and Guam who currently are not eligible under the existing compensation program.
The U.S. Senate voted recently to expand the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act as part of a massive military spending bill. Supporters are hopeful the U.S. House will include the provisions in its version of the bill, and President Joe Biden has indicated his support.
US Election Workers Getting Death Threats, Warnings They Will Be Lynched, Officials Say (AP / VOA News)
More than a dozen people nationally have been charged with threatening election workers by a Justice Department unit trying to stem the tide of violent and graphic threats against people who count and secure the vote.
Government employees are being bombarded with threats even in normally quiet periods between elections, secretaries of state and experts warn. Some point to former President Donald Trump and his allies repeatedly and falsely claiming the 2020 election was stolen and spreading conspiracy theories about election workers. Experts fear the 2024 election could be worse and want the federal government to do more to protect election workers.
The Justice Department created the Election Threats Task Force in 2021 led by its public integrity section, which investigates election crimes. John Keller, the unit’s second in command, said in an interview with The Associated Press that the department hoped its prosecutions would deter others from threatening election workers.
