Ian Sinks Florida’s Unsinkable ‘Dome Home’ | Understanding the New Violent Extremist | Improving Cyber Hygiene, and more
As complex as the intersection between gang violence and ideologically motivated violence is, the overlaps between non-ideologically driven, nihilistic, grievance-driven targeted violence and gang-related violence may present even more intense complexity. This challenge is demonstrated in the recent mass casualty attack in Memphis, TN, which can be described as a series of random shootings conducted in different areas of the city. The incident resulted in three deaths and injuries to three others, occurring at nearly the same time as another non-ideologically-driven mass shooting in a suburb of Memphis the previous year (September 23, 2021). Although Memphis has experienced a wave of gun violence and murders, the September 7th shooting differentiated itself from other incidents of gun violence in that it resulted in Memphians sheltering in place for hours, with many watching the attacks on social media.
The live-streamed attack illustrates the complexity of categorizing incidents of extreme violence and the utility of technology, namely social media, in acts of targeted violence. The episode also exemplifies a continued wave of mass violence that can be described as misanthropic and nihilist in nature. It displays how social media presents a point of commentary from non-aligned extremists.
DHS Taps Key Architect of 9/11 Response to Oversee Domestic Counterterrorism Efforts (Jane Winter, Yahoo News)
A key architect of the U.S. response to the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks has been tapped to coordinate and amp up domestic counterterrorism efforts, as the federal government reevaluates its approach to combating the threat of violent extremism.
Nicholas Rasmussen, former director of the National Counterterrorism Center (NCTC), is heading to the Department of Homeland Security to oversee counterterrorism prevention, intelligence, policy and other efforts across the department and component agencies like the Secret Service, the Transportation Security Administration and Customs and Border Protection.
Talk of ‘Civil War,’ Ignited by Mar-a-Lago Search, Is Flaring Online (Ken Bensinger and Sheera Frenkel, New York Times)
Soon after the F.B.I. searched Donald J. Trump’s home in Florida for classified documents, online researchers zeroed in on a worrying trend.
Posts on Twitter that mentioned “civil war” had soared nearly 3,000 percent in just a few hours as Mr. Trump’s supporters blasted the action as a provocation. Similar spikes followed, including on Facebook, Reddit, Telegram, Parler, Gab and Truth Social, Mr. Trump’s social media platform. Mentions of the phrase more than doubled on radio programs and podcasts, as measured by Critical Mention, a media-tracking firm.
Posts mentioning “civil war” jumped again a few weeks later, after President Biden branded Mr. Trump and “MAGA Republicans” a threat to “the very foundations of our republic” in a speech on democracy in Philadelphia.
Now experts are bracing for renewed discussions of civil war, as the Nov. 8 midterm elections approach and political talk grows more urgent and heated.
Violent Threats and Disinformation Have Officials Sounding Alarms Ahead of Midterms (Caleb Ecarma, Vanity Fair)
U.S. national security authorities made clear that election denialism is a huge concern
Lisa Smith’s Sentence for Being at ‘Lowest Level’ of Isis Terror Group Excessive, Court Told (Eoin Reynolds, Irish Times)
Former soldier Lisa Smith, who was convicted earlier this year of membership of Islamic State (Isis), was at the “lowest level” of the terrorist organization and her sentence of 15 months was “excessive”, her lawyers have told the Court of Appeal. Appealing the sentence, Michael O’Higgins SC told the three-judge court that his client went to Isis-controlled Syria “got married, kept house and that’s it”. He said she went out of a religious conviction and “did not contribute to any state-building exercise and did no positive act in favor of Isis”. Mr. O’Higgins said that the Special Criminal Court, which convicted and sentenced Smith, did not give enough regard to the mitigating factors, including that she is a mother of a young child. He said the court had incorrectly placed her offending at the higher end of the lower level for membership of a terrorist organization and stated that the evidence showed that her involvement with Isis could not have been at a lower level than it was. Mr. O’Higgins also said that, in sentencing Smith, the Special Criminal Court should have taken into account the nine-and-a-half months she spent in two detention camps in Syria. The conditions in those camps were appalling, he said, adding that she was locked up “day and night” in a place where people held extreme views and where murder “routinely happens.”
Seven States Continue to See Unusual Levels of Threats to Election Workers (Jeff Pegues, CBS News)
Seven states across the country continue to see unusual levels of threats to election workers, senior FBI officials said in a briefing Monday.
Those states are Arizona, Colorado, Georgia, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Nevada and Wisconsin — all states where the 2020 election results were questioned, officials noted. President Biden won each of those states. FBI officials are discussing how to deal with these threats as state officials in 8,800 election districts prepare for the midterm elections next month.
Since June 2021, the FBI has received more than 1,000 tips concerning threats to election workers, according to the agency. Roughly 11% of those tips have led to FBI investigations.
FBI Got Tip About Oath Keepers’ Plans for Armed Fight in November 2020 (Rachel Weiner and Spencer S. Hsu, Washington Post)
An FBI agent resumed testimony in the trial of Stewart Rhodes and others indicted with him in connection with the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol
In New Jersey ‘Hotbed’ for Extremists, Lawmakers Examine Spike in Antisemitic Incidents (Bridget Johnson, HSToday)
Director of Rutgers Hillel told House members that “for the first time in recent memory, Jewish students feel unsafe and unwelcome at their own schools.”
Prosecution Says Oath Keepers ‘Concocted a Plan for Armed Rebellion’ (Alan Feuer, New York Times)
The Justice Department set out its opening arguments in the seditious conspiracy trial of Stewart Rhodes and four other members of the far-right group for their role in the Jan. 6 attack.
US Supreme Court Will Hear Social Media Terrorism Lawsuits (Associated Press)
The U.S. Supreme Court said Monday it will hear two cases seeking to hold social media companies financially responsible for terrorist attacks.
Relatives of people killed in terrorist attacks in France and Turkey had sued Google, Twitter and Facebook. They accused the companies of helping terrorists spread their message and radicalize new recruits.
The court will hear the cases this term, which began Monday, with a decision expected before the court recesses for the summer, usually in late June. The court did not say when it would hear arguments, but the court has already filled its argument calendar for October and November.
Future-Proofing the Internet from Radicalization & Extremist Content (Gzero)
The Christchurch Call to Action, a political summit initiated by New Zealand’s Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, gathered during the UN’s General Assembly to renew its commitment to creating a safer digital world. The Summit was formed in 2019 following a massive terror attack in Christchurch that left 51 dead and dozens wounded. The terrorist used social media to livestream the murderous rampage for several minutes, and the video was viewed by thousands before it was removed from the internet. In an interview with GZERO Media, Paul Ash, PM Ardern’s Special Representative on Cyber and Digital, detailed the key issues discussed in the meeting. “The first, how do we respond to crises and keep people safe when the internet is abused by terrorists and violent extremists? Second, how do we think about prevention? Ash continued, “The third thing we looked at in our summit meeting was the question of how the Christchurch Call can remain current. How do we future-proof it as the internet changes into a more immersive environment?” The Summit is aimed at combatting extremism and hate online, and, in particular, gender-based hatred and harassment and attacks on the LGBTQI communities.
Islamic State Cell Plan to Attack Nazareth Muslim School Thwarted by Israeli Forces (Michael Starr, Jerusalem Post)
An Islamic State (ISIS) cell in Nazareth was broken up a few weeks ago when six suspects were arrested by the Shin Bet and Israel Police, the Shin Bet announced on Sunday morning. The ISIS cell had planned to attack a variety of targets. One of the main targets was a local Muslim high school, which according to the suspects, “operates in the way of ‘the infidels.’ “The Shin Bet investigation found plan outlines and research on terrorist targets such as bus stops, a nearby police station, and a park that was frequented by Jews. Israeli intelligence said that the group attempted to spread its ideology among Israeli citizens and residents through the internet and social media. The suspects themselves were radicalized by online ISIS content. The suspects are Mahmoud Ahab Suleiman, 25 — Who was previously known by security forces for his previous connections to ISIS — A-Jafar Suleiman, 21; Muman Nijam, 20, Ahmed Balel Suleiman, 18; Jihad Baqr, 20. The sixth member of the cell was identified only as a minor. “The Shin Bet and Israel Police will continue to do everything in their power and use all measures at their disposal to deal with phenomena related to radical Islamic ideologies, and preemptively eliminate intentions to harm the security of the State of Israel,” said the Shin Bet.
Lions and Crocodiles Killing ISIS Insurgents Fighting in Mozambique (Jane Flanagan, The Times)
Lions and snakes have been credited with killing insurgents in northern Mozambique, where pro-government forces are battling an offensive by jihadists linked to Islamic State.
Attacks by wild animals added to the death toll among terrorists from a military crackdown after the fighters rampaged through villages in Cabo Delgado province killing people and burning homes, the local police chief said.
MORE PICKS
Ian is Florida’s Deadliest Hurricane since 1935. Most Victims Drowned. (Danielle Paquette and Meryl Kornfield, Washington Post)
Ian already is shaping up to be the deadliest storm to pound Florida since 1935. State authorities have documented 89 deaths thus far — a number that is slightly higher than Hurricane Irma’s toll in 2017, according to the National Hurricane Center. County sheriffs have reported dozens more, pushing the total to at least 117. That makes Ian more fatal than Hurricane Andrew in 1992.
Ian’s storm surge has claimed the most lives, according to the Florida Medical Examiners Commission, which is tallying direct and indirect deaths. Sixty percent of the nearly 90 victims for whom a cause of death has been provided drowned, underscoring what experts call a frequently overlooked reality: Water usually kills more people than wind.
“Absolutely No Doubt” That Climate Intensified Current Drought (Chelsea Harvey, Scientific American)
Global warming made drought that has gripped the Northern Hemisphere, from China to Europe to the U.S., 20 times more likely to occur,
Terror of the Golden State Killer Returns to California (Keiran Southern, The Times)
For a retired detective who staked out neighborhoods in the hope of catching the murderer in the 1970s, a more recent string of fatal shootings in the state feels all too familiar.
Helping Communities to Prepare for Disasters (Rebecca Medina, DHS S&T)
To better prepare for natural disasters, the S&T-funded Coastal Resilience Center (CRC)—a Department of Homeland Security Center of Excellence led by the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in partnership with Jackson State University (JSU), a Historically Black College and University (HBCU) in Jackson, Mississippi—is reaching out across communities especially vulnerable to natural hazards.
A New Era for Firearm Violence Prevention Research (Andrew R. Morral and Rosanna Smart, JAMANetwork)
Despite many remaining obstacles, there is hope that the U.S. will soon have research that clarifies many of the unanswered questions about firearm violence and its prevention. The need is urgent: firearm violence levels are high and rising. In 2021, more than 48 000 firearm-related deaths occurred in the US, and untold numbers of quality-adjusted life-years were lost. Existing health disparities were exacerbated, particularly for Black individuals whose firearm homicide rates are 10 times greater than White individuals (with rates of 29.0 per 100 000 vs 2.9 per 100 000, respectively), and among whom the growth in firearm homicides has been concentrated.
However, important opportunity exists for discovery and lifesaving policy innovation. Many critical research questions, neglected for decades, may now benefit from recent federal and private research funding that has supported a surge in research on preventing firearm suicides, community-based gun violence, mass shootings, police shootings, unintentional firearm-related injury, and intimate partner homicides. These are the 6 concurrent epidemics that underlie the nation’s firearm violence problem.
Malicious Cyber Activity Against Election Infrastructure Unlikely to Disrupt or Prevent Voting (FBI)
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) assess that any attempts by cyber actors to compromise election infrastructure are unlikely to result in largescale disruptions or prevent voting. As of the date of this report, the FBI and CISA have no reporting to suggest cyber activity has ever prevented a registered voter from casting a ballot, compromised the integrity of any ballots cast, or affected the accuracy of voter registration information. Any attempts tracked by FBI and CISA have remained localized and were blocked or successfully mitigated with minimal or no disruption to election processes.
Army Climate Plan Relies on Technology That Doesn’t Exist Yet (Elizabeth Howe, DefenseOne)
The most “complex” aspect of the implementation plan is “building a force to operate in the future that still has to operate in the present,” officials said.
Ian Sinks Florida ‘Dome Home’ Built to Survive Hurricanes (Daniel Cusick, Scientific American)
A house built from geodesic domes off the coast of Florida was designed to withstand gale-force winds and powerful storm surges but not sea-level rise
The Biden Administration Is Quietly Completing Bits of Donald Trump’s Wall (Economist)
The southern border is a political problem for Democrats because it is an actual problem.
Plan to Secure Open Source Software Involves Agencies Using More of It (Mariam Baksh, Nextgov)
The discovery of exploitable weaknesses in Log4j is resurfacing a 6-year-old push to save taxpayers money by calling on agencies to embrace open-source code.
The United States Isn’t Ready for the New Phase of Climate Change (Alice Hill, Foreign Affairs)
or decades, scientists have warned that climate change would unleash ferocious natural disasters unlike anything in recorded human history. They predicted that ever-increasing greenhouse gas emissions would cause global temperatures to rise, touching off a vicious cycle of longer and hotter heat waves, deeper droughts, and bigger storms. Most decision-makers, however, treated climate-fueled disasters as the stuff of a distant future. And those who actively worked to fight climate change worried primarily about mitigation—reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Adapting to climate extremes received second billing.
In 2021, however, the natural disasters long foretold by scientists arrived with a vengeance.
More Americans Are Moving into Hurricane Zones Even as Climate Risks Mount (Anna Phillips, Washington Post)
The Southeast’s low cost of living beckons retirees and younger workers, but the boom is putting more people in harm’s way.
Future Borders 2030: From Vision to Reality (Accenture)
Border agencies have shown just how adaptive they are in recent years. They have had to meet new expectations with finite resources—amid disruptive forces that dramatically and unpredictably impacted the flow of people and goods. Agencies have had to fulfill security and revenue generation missions despite a global health crisis, upended global supply chains and damaging cyberattacks.
But here’s the reality.
New demands related to the lightning-fast pace of change continue to strain resources—in some cases, almost to the breaking point. Pragmatic border leaders know it’s an era of compressed transformation. They also know they must evolve faster to lead with impact—and prepare for inevitable disruptions.
New Report Shows Significant Improvement in Consumer Cyber Hygiene (Mariam Baksh, Nextgov)
Senior administration officials and cybersecurity leaders marking Cybersecurity Awareness Month weighed in on a consumer survey examining how behaviors have changed over the last three years.
Deadly Heat Dome Was a 1-in-10,000-Year Event (Anne C. Mulkern, Scientific American)
The record-smashing temperatures in the Pacific Northwest last year were an extraordinarily rare occurrence even in the age of climate change
Did a 1982 Book Predict America’s Decline? (Dylan Matthews, Vox)
Mancur Olson’s The Rise and Decline of Nations, recently rereleased by Yale University Press, is a sequel of sorts to Olson’s better-known The Logic of Collective Action. That work, published in 1965, sought to explain why even rational, well-informed actors might not work together, despite collaboration being in the best interest of a given group of actors.
U.S. Said to Plan New Limits on China’s A.I. and Supercomputing Firms (Paul Mozur, Ana Swanson and Edward Wong, New York Times)
The new rules could be the most sweeping action taken yet by the Biden administration to thwart China’s access to American technology that powers data centers and supercomputers.
The U.S. Has a Microchip Problem. Safeguarding Taiwan Is the Solution. (Jason Matheny, The Atlantic)
A Chinese attack on the island would imperil the world’s supply of semiconductor components. Here’s how to offset that threat.
