OUR PICKSThe Minnesota Shootings and the Dangerous Trend of Impersonating Law Enforcement | The Secret Ingredient to AI Dominance? Nuclear Power | ICE Agents Dress Code, and more

Appeals Court Lets Trump Keep Control of California National Guard in L.A.  (Charlie Savage and Laurel Rosenhall, New York Times)
A panel rejected a lower court’s finding that it was most likely illegal for President Trump to use state troops to protect immigration agents from protests.

ICE Agent or Just Some Person?  (Alexandra Petri, The Atlantic)
There’s a dress code to help you make that determination.
Uniforms show that you are part of something and that there is someone to call if anyone interacting with you has a complaint. A uniform indicates that you are not a rogue criminal seizing someone’s mom and hurling her into an unmarked van without reading her her rights: You’re an officer of the law doing that.
Who are they going to call about some guy in an ill-fitting T-shirt and long shorts?

The Secret Ingredient to AI Dominance? Nuclear Power  (Hilary Lane, National Interest)
In the past, the secret ingredient for domination was either gold, silver, or oil. Now, in the new world of artificial intelligence, the key is nuclear power. So, let’s get cooking.

What Is the Golden Dome, and Can the United States Afford It?  (Harrison Kass, National Interest)
The Trump administration’s recently announced missile defense initiative makes sense on paper. However, several hurdles stand in the way of its implementation.

The Minnesota Shootings and the Dangerous Trend of Impersonating Law Enforcement  (Benjamin Wallace-Wells, New Yorker)
A new political era has arrived, in which the expectation and the fear of political violence are endemic.

Coordinating Civil Unrest Through Ground-Level Emergency Management Experience  (Thomas C. Sivak, HSToday)
Reflecting back to 2020, as cities across the nation grappled with waves of civil unrest, I was charged to lead the Emergency Management team in City of Chicago where we found ourselves at the center of a complex and evolving challenge. From this local experience, invaluable lessons emerged—lessons that hold relevance for emergency managers and homeland security professionals facing similar tensions anywhere, anytime.

What the Drone Community Needs Now: A Call to Action for Counter-UAS Preparedness  (Charles Werner, HSToday)
As drones continue to demonstrate their value across industries, from emergency response to logistics, they are also becoming increasingly attractive tools for bad actors. From smuggling contraband into correctional facilities to flying suspicious payloads near critical infrastructure and along the border, unmanned aerial systems (UAS) are presenting new and complex challenges for public safety agencies. With UAS threats evolving quickly, it’s time for Congress to act.
The threat from drones has further been demonstrated by how destructive drones have been used by both sides in Ukraine. Drones have forever changed the landscape during war.