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Interference Interrupted: The US Government’s Strides Defending Against Foreign Threats to the 2024 Election
Foreign interference in U.S. elections has undoubtedly evolved, becoming more sophisticated and extensive, since Russia’s sweeping operation in 2016. But so have the US government’s strategies to expose, counter, and mitigate these attacks.
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Making E-voting Safer from Coercion and Vote Buying
As we come to the end of a year in which half the world’s population went to the polls, EPFL researchers developed and field-tested a groundbreaking new technology to protect remote electronic voting or e-voting from voter coercion and vote buying.
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China Now Has More Than 600 Nuclear Warheads, Pentagon Says
The stockpiling reflects a changing attitude toward nuclear weapons among Chinese military planners, report says.
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U.S. Tech-Defense Leaders Want to Upend the Establishment
Elon Musk wants to cancel the F-35, get rid of manned combat aircraft generally and rely more on drones. But it was no surprise, however, even without Musk’s comments along those lines, that the US Air Force punted any decision on the Next Generation Air Dominance air-combat project to the next administration.
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Rep. Michael McCaul Calls Tulsi Gabbard a “baffling” Pick to Lead Intelligence Community
The Austin Republican leads the House Foreign Affairs Committee and predicted Gabbard’s nomination would fail in the Senate.
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Miracle, or Marginal Gain?
Industrial policy is said to have sparked huge growth in East Asia. Two MIT economists say the numbers tell a more complex story.
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Nixon’s Official Acts Against His Enemies List Led to a Bipartisan Impeachment Effort
Nixon’s “enemies list,” said his White House counsel, aimed to “use the available federal machinery to screw our political enemies.” Kash Patel, Trump’s nominee to head the FBI, published his own enemies list in his 2023 book. The list does not include anyone who tried to keep Trump in office illegally after he lost in 2020. It does, however, include a number of high-level Trump appointees who chose not to help him in that effort to overturn democracy.
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Backgrounder: Drone Operations in the U.S.
More than 1.7 million drones are registered for commercial and recreational use in the United States, and it is safe to assume that there are many additional unregistered drones out there.
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Taleghan 2: Pre- and Post Strike Assessment
On October 25, 2024, Israel launched an attack on Iran that destroyed multiple buildings within the Parchin Military Complex. One target stood out–a building used for nuclear weapons development purposes under Iran’s Amad Plan in the early 2000s.
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Former FBI Informant Pleads Guilty to Fabricating Biden Bribery Story
Alexander Smirnov, a former FBI informant, pleaded guilty Monday in Los Angeles federal court to faking the story about a phony bribery scheme involving President Joe Biden and his son Hunter. The fabricated story was the central element of a House impeachment inquiry.
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Vaccine Misinformation Distorts Science – a Biochemist Explains How RFK Jr. and His Lawyer’s Claims Threaten Public Health
Vaccinations provide significant protection for the public against infectious diseases and substantially reduce health care costs, but it’s easy to forget why many infectious diseases are rarely encountered today: The success of vaccines does not always tell its own story. RFK Jr.’s potential ascent to the role of secretary of Health and Human Services will offer up ample opportunities to retell this story and counter misinformation.
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Conspiracy Theory Debunked: FBI Was Not in on the Jan. 6 Attack
The FBI had 26 confidential sources at the Jan. 6, 2021, attack at the U.S. Capitol, but the FBI was not in on the attack and no undercover FBI agents were on the National Mall that day, contradicting conspiracy theories about the attack.
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On Reducing Public Fears and Threats of Political Violence
The 2024 election is over, with no substantial violence, but that does not mean the risks of political violence and unrest are off the table. A likely key driver: fears of what the other political side will have America become.
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Trump Migrant Deportations Could Threaten States’ Agricultural Economies
Roughly 40% of farmworkers are not legally authorized to work in the United States.
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“The Best Time to Prepare”: Migrant Rights Group Warns Undocumented Texans to Plan for Deportations
Groups are urging the state’s estimated 1.6 million undocumented migrants to prepare financially and make plans for their loved ones if they’re detained.
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The long view
Economic Cyberespionage: A Persistent and Invisible Threat
Economic cyber-espionage, state-sponsored theft of sensitive business information via cyber means for commercial gain, is an invisible yet persistent threat to national economies.
Researchers Calculate Cyberattack Risk for All 50 States
Local governments are common victims of cyberattack, with economic damage often extending to the state and federal levels. Scholars aggregate threats to thousands of county governments to draw conclusions.
How DHS Laid the Groundwork for More Intelligence Abuse
I&A, the lead intelligence unit of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) —long plagued by politicized targeting, permissive rules, and a toxic culture —has undergone a transformation over the last two years. Spencer Reynolds writes that this effort falls short. “Ultimately, Congress must rein in I&A,” he adds.
Southport Attacks: Why the U.K. Needs a Unified Approach to All Violent Attacks on the Public
The conviction of Axel Rudakubana for the murder of three young girls in Southport has prompted many questions about how the UK handles violence without a clear ideological motive. This case has also shown up the confusion in this area, and made clear the need for a basic reframing of how we understand murderous violence against the public today.
Water Is the Other U.S.-Mexico Border Crisis, and the Supply Crunch Is Getting Worse
The United States and Mexico are aware of the political and economic importance of the border region. But if water scarcity worsens, it could supplant other border priorities. The two countries should recognize that conditions are deteriorating and update the existing cross-border governance regime so that it reflects today’s new water realities.
Sweden’s Deadliest Mass Shooting Highlights Global Reality of Gun Violence, Criminologist Says
“We in the United States don’t have a monopoly on mass shootings,” James Alan Fox says, “though we certainly have more than our share.”