Safeguarding the World’s Worst Pathogens | Stymied U.S. Weapons Production | Flood-Resistant Cities, and more

is really critical,” said Laura D. Taylor-Kale, assistant secretary of defense for industrial base policy, who last week announced the government is working on a first-ever national defense industrial strategy, meant to “catalyze a generational change.” 
However, deep within defense firms’ logistic chains lurks a hidden problem. Some smaller firms, as well as government-owned production facilities, are using a range of outdated equipment—from fax machines to 1980s era software—according to MxD, a Defense-Department funded institute charged with increasing digitization in the defense industrial base. 

U.S. to Warn Crypto Firms Against Financing Hamas, Terror Groups  (Jeff Stein and Eli Tan, Washinton Post)
U.S. Deputy Treasury Secretary Wally Adeyemo on Friday will warn cryptocurrency firms against allowing their platforms to be used to finance terrorist organizations, as scrutiny mounts of how Hamas may have used digital currency to fund its attack on Israel. In a speech at London’s Royal United Services Institute, a foreign-policy think tank, Adeyemo will make clear that U.S. officials are tracking the role crypto firms play in supporting terrorist groups as lawmakers in both parties call for a closer investigation of digital funds. The remark comes amid a widening effort by the Treasury Department to crack down on the international financial channels that allowed Hamas to fund the deadly massacre in Israel. Treasury last week imposed sanctions on 10 Hamas members, operatives and other entities tied to the group. Treasury officials are also in Qatar this week to seek to crack down on international financial support for terrorist groups. The Wall Street Journal, citing the crypto research firm Elliptic, reported that Hamas, Palestinian Islamic Jihad and Hezbollah raised $93 million in crypto before the attack. Although some analysts have said that figure is overstated, Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) cited it in a letter, signed by more than 100 members of Congress, calling for stricter regulations on crypto trading.

How China Is Designing Flood-Resistant Cities  (Halley Brown, Vox)
From rising sea levels in Mumbai to unbearable heat in Houston, cities around the world are feeling the effects of climate change. Unfortunately, they don’t always have the right infrastructure to handle its impacts — which is one reason why cities are beginning to reimagine urban design.
Dozens of urban areas are experimenting with “spongey” infrastructure as a potential solution. It goes by different names around the world, but they all follow a similar design philosophy: remove existing pipes and drains to manage rain and stormwater, and implement natural infrastructure like rain gardens and vegetation to absorb water instead. The result? Lush, green, rainforests against the backdrop of dense urban areas. These designs are not only great for managing urban flooding, but they also support biodiversity — which is one of our strongest tools in the fight against climate change.