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QUANTUM TECHNOLOGYIllinois DARPA Quantum Proving Ground
A new federal- and state-funded Quantum Proving Ground (QPG) promises to combine scientific rigor with industry and academic expertise to design the future of quantum computing
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DEMOCRACY WATCHHow AI Bots Spread Misinformation Online and Undermine Democratic Politics
As we navigate this era of digital discourse, awareness of blind spots in our social psychology is our best defense. Understanding how cues or triggers affect us can reduce their influence over time. The more aware we are of bots and how they work, the more able we are to protect ourselves from misleading rhetoric, ensuring our democratic processes remain robust and inclusive.
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CONSPIRACY THEORIESQ&A: If You’re Seeing This, Is It Meant for You?
Thanks to algorithms, social media platforms can generate content that feels like it’s made just for you. Some TikTok users acknowledge the technology underlying personalized content online but can’t deny sometimes feeling that a higher power is involved, according to Penn State researchers.
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PROTECTING THE PARIS OLYMPICSProtecting Major Sporting Events from Terrorism: Considerations for the Paris Olympics and Beyond
As France prepares to host the Summer Olympic Games next month, recent developments have highlighted the challenging threat environment that exists for the country’s security services. The scale of the events planned during the Paris Olympics, in a tense terrorist environment, presents a series of unique challenges for French security services under the scrutiny of an international audience.
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SECRET SERVICEGrassley, Cortez Masto Want Senate Confirmation of Secret Service Directors
Lawmakers filed a bill that would require Senate confirmation of Secret Service directors and impose a 10-year term limit. The heads of the FBI, Drug Enforcement Administration, U.S. Marshals Service, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco & Firearms, U.S. Immigration & Customs Enforcement and Customs & Border Protection are already confirmed by the Senate.
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EXTREMISMFar-Right Influencers on X Promote Anti-Zionism, Hate and Conspiracy Theories
An analysis identified five influencers on X whose engagement spiked in the days and weeks after Hamas’s attack on Israel, with content that included virulent anti-Zionism alongside antisemitic tropes, disinformation and other forms of hateful or harmful rhetoric.
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ARCTIC STRATEGYNew U.S. Arctic Strategy Focused on Russian, Chinese Inroads
The United States is looking to boost intelligence collection in the Arctic and enhance cooperation with allies in the region, to prevent Russia and China from exploiting the cold and icy northern region at America’s expense.
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AI & PRIVACYStates Strike Out on Their Own on AI, Privacy Regulation
There’s been no shortage of AI tech regulation bills in Congress, but none has passed. In the absence of congressional action, states have stepped up their own regulatory action. States have been legislating about AI since at least 2019, but bills relating to AI have increased significantly in the last two years.
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CRITICAL MINERALSNot Just Beijing’s Doing: Market Factors Are Also Hitting Rare Earths Prices
Have depressed rare earths prices been engineered by the Chinese state to snuff out non-Chinese rivals before they get going? Or do they simply reflect a weak market, with demand rising more slowly than was expected by the promotors of a slew of new projects?
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DEMOCRACY WATCHGermany Moves to Protect Top Court Against Far Right
Several authoritarian governments are trying to curb the clout of their countries’ supreme courts. As far-right populists gain ground in Germany, the government is also working to protect this bastion of democracy.
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MANAGED RETREATClimate Change Has Forced America’s Oldest Black Town to Higher Ground
Princeville, North Carolina, is relocating with help from a new federal grant. Hurricane Matthew, which submerged the town under more than 10 feet of water, was the final straw. The town has just received millions of dollars in new funding from FEMA to build a new site on higher ground.
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THE AMERICASWill Maduro Hold on to Power in Venezuela’s 2024 Election?
The closely watched elections on July 28 will determine whether incumbent President Nicolás Maduro wins a third term or allows a democratic transition.
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ARGUMENT: POLITICAL VIOLENCEA Uniquely Perilous Moment in U.S. Politics
Assassins believe that they can change the course of history. Bruce Hoffman and Jacob Ware write that the attempt om Donald Trump’s life is but the latest violent incident targeting an elected official or candidate in the United States in recent years. “The biggest question is whether this is, in fact, the beginning of what could be the most violent presidential race in the history of the country.”
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MASS-CASUALTY EVENTHow AI Can Aid Decision Making in Mass-Casualty Events
EMTs and paramedics are sometimes confronted with a series of life-and-death questions and dilemmas at the scene. Researcher Omer Perry says his team’s study on paramedic behavior during high-stress situations helped them develop a potentially lifesaving algorithm.
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WATER SECURITYAlbuquerque Made Itself Drought-Proof. Then Its Dam Started Leaking.
El Vado is an odd dam: It’s one of only four in the United States that uses a steel faceplate to hold back water, rather than a mass of rock or concrete. The dam, which is located on a tributary of the Rio Grande, has been collecting irrigation water for farmers for close to a century, but decades of studies have shown that water is seeping through the faceplate and undermining the dam’s foundations. Cities across the West rely on fragile water sources — and aging infrastructure.
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The long view
DOMESTIC TERRORISMModern-Day Outlaws, “Sovereign Citizens” Threaten the Rule of Law
The FBI considers sovereign citizens a domestic terrorism threat. My research into sovereign citizens has found they have long been active in the U.S. and other countries. At the core of their beliefs is the denial of the government’s legitimacy. They commonly do not register their vehicles, acquire driver’s licenses or car insurance, or pay taxes. And they pose a significant threat to the public.
ARGUMENT: POLITICAL VIOLENCEA Uniquely Perilous Moment in U.S. Politics
Assassins believe that they can change the course of history. Bruce Hoffman and Jacob Ware write that the attempt om Donald Trump’s life is but the latest violent incident targeting an elected official or candidate in the United States in recent years. “The biggest question is whether this is, in fact, the beginning of what could be the most violent presidential race in the history of the country.”
TERRORISMNew Migration Patterns Could Fuel IS Plans for U.S.: Officials
Recent changes in global migration patterns and smuggling routes have created an opening for terror groups like the Islamic State to set their sights on the U.S. southern border.
NUCLEAR WEAPONSGlobal Annual Nuclear Weapons Spending in 2023: $91.4 Billion
In 2023, the nine nuclear-armed states spent a combined total of $91,393,404,739 on their arsenals – equivalent to $2,898 a second. A new report shows that $10.7 billion more was spent on nuclear weapons in 2023 than in 2022.
NUCLEAR WEAPONS‘Risks of Nuclear Terrorism Are High and Growing.’ New Tools, Alliances, Renewed Focus Needed, experts recommend
For roughly 80 years, the United States has managed the threat of nuclear terrorism through nonproliferation treaties, agency programs, intelligence activities, international monitoring support and more, withstanding the Cold War, the fall of the Soviet Union, and 9/11. A National Academies committee wants to ensure the U.S. remains prepared.
WMD PREPAREDNESSEvaluating U.S. Readiness to Prevent, Counter, and Respond to WMD
Two new reports review the adequacy of U.S. strategies to prevent, counter, and respond to the threat of nuclear and chemical terrorism and highlight the strengths and limitations of U.S. efforts to prevent and counter threats from weapons of mass destruction (WMD), particularly in a changing terrorism threat landscape.