OUR PICKSMilitary Competition in Space Will Intensify | Microsoft Needs to Untangle Itself from Beijing | AI Is About to Transform Nuclear Energy, and more

Military Competition in Space Will Intensify  (Economist)
Five areas to watch in the coming year.

When Leaders Mistake Brutality for Strength  (Jeff Flake, The Atlantic)
Americans may disagree on many things, but they still distinguish between necessary force and needless killing.

Dan Bongino Admits to Lying During His Pundit Days  (David A. Graham, The Atlantic)
Before he joined the FBI, Bongino spread bogus claims about the January 6 pipe bomber—and now says he did it because he was getting paid.

Must the Military Disobey Unlawful Orders? Pam Bondi Has Said Yes.  (Adam Liptak, New York Times)
As a lawyer for a conservative think tank, Ms. Bondi, now the attorney general, filed a Supreme Court brief last year saying service members who followed such orders were committing crimes.

The EPA Is Wiping Mention of Human-Caused Climate Change from Its Website  (Shannon Osaka, Washington Post)
Some pages have been tweaked to emphasize “natural forces”; others have been deleted entirely.

AI Is About to Transform Nuclear Energy, and the United States Isn’t Ready  (Daniel Joyner, National Interest)
The convergence of nuclear technology and artificial intelligence is no longer a far-off possibility.

Microsoft Needs to Untangle Itself from Beijing  (Anthony J. Constantini, National Interest)
The US government should take stronger action to untangle big tech firms —including Microsoft—from decades of China ties that now pose national security risks.