OUR PICKSAI Goes Nuclear | Report Faults CIA Response to “Havana Syndrome” | Flood-Soaked Homeowners Face a Costly Choice: Raise or Raze, and more

How Donald Trump Went from Backing a TikTok Ban to Backing Off  (Lisa Friedman and Sapna Maheshwari, New York Times)
In 2020, he moved to ban the Chinese-owned app. Now, he is opposing the Biden administration’s effort to do just that.
The Biden administration and members of Congress argue that the platform’s Chinese ownership compromises U.S. security because of the vast amount of user tracking and data collection it performs, and because of the risk that Beijing could use the app to spread propaganda.
That was Mr. Trump’s position, too, before he became a political star on TikTok, where he now has more than 14.7 million followers.

Senate Report Faults CIA Response to “Havana Syndrome” (Azi Paybarah, Washington Post)
The bipartisan report said the lack of a clear definition of the affliction and the CIA’s evolving organizational position affected its response.

Elon Musk Is a National Security Risk  (Lt. Col. (Ret.) Russel L. Honoré, New York Times)
Mr. Musk’s business ventures are heavily reliant on China. He borrowed at least $1.4 billion from banks controlled by the Chinese government to help build Tesla’s Shanghai gigafactory, which was responsible for more than half of Tesla’s global deliveries in the third quarter of 2024.
China does not tend to give things away. The country’s laws stipulate that the Communist Party can demand intelligence from any company doing business in China, in exchange for participating in the country’s markets.

The Constitution of Kakistocracy  (Alan Z. Rozenshtein, Lawfare)
By nominating unqualified loyalists, Trump undermines the Constitution’s vision of merit-based governance.

Flood-Soaked Homeowners Face a Costly Choice: Raise or Raze  (Gregory Barber, New York Times)
As climate change intensifies, flooding is emerging as a threat for homes not previously seen as high-risk. Some residents are responding creatively by lifting up their homes.

AI Data Centers Threaten Global Water Security  (Lakshmee Sharma, Lawfare)Rising AI demand is expanding global data centers, potentially threatening water reserves and sparking calls for greater transparency.

How Federal Agencies Can Combat Identity-Related Cyber Threats and Unmask Cybercriminals  (Jason Lancaster, Nextgov)
Digital identities are embedded in our lives, blurring the line between personal and professional information. However, criminals are increasingly profiting from stolen data, including personally identifiable information, usernames and passwords, and other authentication credentials like session cookies, leading to an increase in next-generation identity attacks.

AI Goes Nuclear  (Dawn Stover, Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists)
Big tech is turning to old reactors (and planning new ones) to power the energy-hungry data centers that artificial intelligence systems need. The downsides of nuclear power—including the potential for nuclear weapons proliferation—have been minimized or simply ignored.

Inside the Plan to Halt U.S.-Bound Migrants at the Treacherous Darién Gap  (Santiago Pérez, Wall Street Journal)
The U.S.“border is actually here,” Panama’s president says, describing jungle route many take on their way to America