• Southport Attack: Changing the Definition of Terrorism Won’t Stop the Violence

    Axel Rudakubana, who killed of three young girls in Southport in a stabbing attack in 2024, had been referred to the Prevent counter-terrorism program three times, but failed to meet the threshold for intervention. Some want to change terror laws to deal with lone, violent killers. But as a researcher of counter-terrorism laws, I argue there is little point to widening what is already a broad definition of terrorism.

  • In Times of Crisis, States Have Few Tools to Fight Misinformation

    While officials in Southern California fought fire and falsehoods, Meta —the parent company of Facebook and Instagram —announced it would eliminate its fact-checking program in the name of free expression. As social media companies are pushing back against efforts to crack down on falsehoods, questions are asked about what, if anything, state governments can do to stop the spread of harmful lies and rumors that proliferate on social media.

  • House Democrat Pushes Bill Requiring Liability Policy to Buy or Possess Firearms

    Under a bill proposed Monday, the legislative majority is pushing to require proof of “financial responsibility” before purchasing or possessing a firearm by requiring certain liability policies.

  • Monitoring Space Traffic

    AeroAstro Ph.D. student Sydney Dolan uses an interdisciplinary approach to develop collision-avoidance algorithms for satellites.

  • Russia's Arctic Militarization Behind Trump's Focus on Greenland

    The United States has long viewed Greenland as vitally important for its defense. With Russia investing heavily in its Arctic military footprint in recent years, the importance of Greenland to the United States is increasing.

  • Proud Boys: A Big Tent for Hate

    Some of those pardoned by President Trump are leaders and members of the Proud Boys, a right-wing extremist group with a history of using violence, targeted harassment, and intimidation to achieve their political goals and combat perceived enemies – Jews, Muslims, gays, progressives, and feminists.

  • Acoustic Sensors Find Frequent Gunfire on School Walking Routes

    A new study used acoustic sensors that detect the sound of gunfire to show how often children in one Chicago neighborhood are exposed to gunshots while walking to and from school. The study documents toll on kids in the community.

  • The L.A. Fires Show a Need to Rethink Our Wildland Firefighting Systems

    As bad as the fires in the Los Angeles area have been—more than 12,000 structures burned, about 180,000 people evacuated, more than 35,000 acres scorched, and at least 25 deaths—they could have been even worse, but in some ways Angelenos got lucky. Asystem built on luck, however, is not a durable system. It is already strained, and it risks breaking down in a world of greater and more frequent wildfires.

  • U.S. Fortifying Indo-Pacific Air Bases Against Potential Attacks from China

    The United States has been ramping up its Indo-Pacific region air bases to ensure they are protected against attack, amid concerns over vulnerabilities they face in countries such as Japan, the Philippines and South Korea against potential Chinese strikes.

  • What Mercenaries Can Teach Us About Climate-Fueled Disaster Responses

    The devastating fires in Southern California, many of which are still burning out of control, have exposed a controversial and increasingly attractive disaster response alternative that engages the private sector.

  • A Russian Airline Bomb Plot? What We Know About the Polish PM's Accusations

    The accusation was as blunt as it was serious: Russia is plotting terror attacks against unspecified targets utilizing aircraft, Poland’s prime minister said. Though shocking, the Polish leader’s comments were not out of the blue: there’s been a growing number of suspicious, alarming, and unexplained incidents in recent months.

  • Reimagining Imaging at the Airport

    The Science and Technology Directorate (S&T) and Transportation Security Administration (TSA) are collaborating on Advanced Imaging Technology to improve the passenger screening experience.

  • FBI, DHS Warn of Likely Terrorist Attacks

    The Federal Bureau of Investigation and U.S. Department of Homeland Security are warning that a copycat terrorist attack could occur similar to the New Year’s Day New Orleans attack.

  • What Made the Los Angeles Wildfires So Monstrous

    Powerful winds and extra-dry vegetation have fueled what may become the costliest wildfires on record. The longer-term challenge is better adapting Los Angeles, and the rest of California, to a future of ever-worsening droughts and wildfires. “People talk about adapting to the climate,” sys one expert. “We haven’t adapted to the climate we have, let alone the climate that’s coming.”

  • What We Learned from Analyzing 10 Years of Shooting Data

    A Trace series challenges what many people might think about gun violence in America. Here is one of the highlights: You’re more likely to be shot in the rural South than in big cities like Chicago.