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New Pentagon Policy Is an Unprecedented Attempt to Undermine Press Freedom
Recent changes in a Pentagon policy threaten journalists’ ability to cover the Department of Defense, because it could curb their rights to report information not authorized by the government for release. As a First Amendment expert, I believe the Pentagon policy change represents an unprecedented development in the Trump administration’s offensive against the press and a historic departure from previous administrations’ policies.
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New Poll Reflects Broad American Distrust in Health Agencies and Their Advice
The manner in which Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has run HHS – the promotion of fringe theories as a substitute for scientific methods; the replacement of scientists in key positions with anti-vaccine activists and conspiracy theorists, and more — has consequences: Americans’ trust in federal health agencies like the CDC and its childhood vaccine recommendations is declining, and more than twice as many people think the administration’s policies have made the country less healthy as those who think they have made the nation healthier.
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Remote Work Has Opened Australia’s Cyber Backdoor
The choice is stark. Either we treat remote-work infiltration as a national security priority now, or hostile operatives will continue slipping into networks under the cover of legitimate employment. By modernizing vetting, tightening oversight and raising awareness, we can turn the remote workforce from a vulnerability into a frontline defense.
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Federal Judge Extends Order on NYC Anti-Terrorism Funds
The Trump administration has been given another week to make its case to withhold more than $33 million in counter-terrorism funds for New York City’s transit system. U.S. District Court Judge Lewis Kaplan has extended a temporary restraining order blocking the Department of Homeland Security from clawing back the grant funding approved by Congress for the Metropolitan Transportation Authority until at least Oct. 22.
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China’s “Super Embassy” Proposal in London Sparks Spying Fears
Fiber optic cables running near the proposed Chinese embassy’s Royal Mint Court site could make it “very easy” for hostile actors to intercept communications, says an expert. “This is what makes the proposed embassy site’s proximity to telecoms infrastructure significant from a security perspective.”
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We Found That More Than 170 U.S. Citizens Have Been Held by Immigration Agents. They’ve Been Kicked, Dragged and Detained for Days.
The government doesn’t track how many citizens are held by immigration agents. We found more than 170 cases this year where citizens were detained at raids and protests. More than 20 citizens have reported being held for over a day without being able to call their loved ones or a lawyer. In some cases their families couldn’t find them.
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Trump’s New $100K Visa Fee Could Worsen State Doctor Shortages, Experts Say
Many immigrant physicians help fill gaps in rural communities’ health care systems thanks in part to the H-1B visa, which allows skilled foreign workers to come work in the U.S.
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Trump’s H-1B Visa Change: What to Know
The H-1B visa program has helped fill gaps in critical sectors like health care and technology, though it has faced criticism that it adversely affects American workers. The Trump administration’s move to sharply increase the fee for new H-1B petitions has raised concerns about its potential effects on the U.S. economy.
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When Government Websites Become Campaign Tools: Blaming the Shutdown on Democrats Has Legal and Political Risks
Many airports refused to show DHS Secretary Kristi Noem’s message to passengers about the shutdown because it wasn’t much more than naked partisan propaganda. Since January 2025, federal communication systems –agency websites, automated emails, and public information portals –have been used not to inform, but to persuade. Each such incident may violate the Hatch Act, but collectively, they amount to a systematic campaign to transform nonpartisan federal agencies into partisan political messengers. And what sets the 2025 messaging apart isn’t just the volume and tone–it’s the scale, the coordination, and the brazenness of its political targeting.
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Far Fewer Americans Support Political Violence Than Recent Polls Suggest
A series of recent events has sparked alarm about rising levels of political violence in the U.S. Some surveys have reported that a large number of Americans are willing to support the use of force for political ends, or they believe that political violence may sometimes be justified. But my research shows that Americans almost universally condemn the recent political violence. The recent poll results showing otherwise more likely stem from confusion about what the questions are asking.
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Defending Against Mass Shooters
The latest spate of mass shootings across America raises safety concerns, but there are some effective and efficient measures that can be taken to defend against such attacks. By implementing specific measures thoughtfully and comprehensively, security can be enhanced across a range of public spaces.
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A Year Before Trumps Crime Rhetoric, Dallas Voted to Increase Police. The City Is Wrestling with the Consequences.
Despite drops in violent crime last year, a nonprofit called Dallas HERO convinced voters to approve a measure requiring the city to grow its police force to 4,000. Dallas HERO’s leaders have included hotel owner and GOP donor Monty Bennett and Pete Marocco, whom Trump picked to run the U.S. Agency for International Development.
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For Trump’s Perceived Enemies, the Process May Be the Punishment
Even when an individual is not convicted, the process of defending against charges can itself be a form of punishment. This recognition is one of the reasons that the DOJ has maintained independence from the president. By violating the tradition of staying out of politics, the Justice Department in the Trump administration has opened the door for the president to seek retribution on his perceived political enemies. The mere act of putting them through the criminal process ensures that they suffer, regardless of their guilt or innocence.
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The Spy Who Came in from the Wi-Fi: Beware of Radio Network Surveillance
New technology is able to infer the identity of persons with no WiFi device on them through signals in radio networks. Researchers warn of risks to privacy and call for protective measures.
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Despite Widespread Interest, Only 3 States Passed License Plate Reader Laws This Year
Lawmakers in at least 16 states this year introduced bills to regulate the use of automated license plate readers responsible for collecting large amounts of data on drivers across the country. But just three states —Arkansas, Idaho and Virginia —enacted laws. Critics say automated license plate readers raise data and privacy concerns.
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More headlines
The long view
Violent Acts in Houses of Worship Are Rare but Deadly – Here’s What the Data Shows
Houses of worship are meant to be open spaces of peace and refuge. The challenge is balancing this higher purpose with practical security. By studying past tragedies, Americans may better prepare for the future –and prevent more families from enduring the heartbreak of recent weeks.
U.S.-China Tech Rivalry: The Geopolitics of Semiconductors
The United States and China are locked in a high‑stakes contest for dominance in computing power. In response to US sanctions and export controls, China has ramped domestic chip design and manufacturing, aiming to create an all‑Chinese semiconductor supply chain that reduces dependence on foreign technologies.
The American TikTok Deal Doesn’t Address the Platform’s Potential for Manipulation, Only Who Profits
If we want to protect democratic information systems, we need to focus on reducing the vulnerabilities in our relationship with media platforms – platforms with surveillance power to know what we will like, the algorithmic power to curate our information diet and control of platform incentives, and rules and features that affect who gains influence. The biggest challenge is to make platforms less riggable, and thus less weaponizable, if only for the reason that motivated the TikTok ban: we don’t want our adversaries, foreign or domestic, to have power over us.
Hashtags and Humor Are Used to Spread Extreme Content on Social Media
Conspiracy theories and incitement to harassment and violence abound on mainstream social media platforms like Facebook and Instagram. But the extreme content is often mixed with ironic play, memes and hashtags, which makes it difficult for authorities and media to know how to respond.
Funding Cuts, Policy Shifts, and the Erosion of U.S. Scientific and Public Health Capacity
The U.S. continues to face mounting threats to its health, scientific enterprise, and national security. A recent report warns that proposed FY 2026 budget cuts to the National Science Foundation (NSF) could reduce its funding by more than half – from $9 billion in FY 2025 to under $4 billion. If passed by Congress, these cuts would result in an estimated ~$11 billion in economic losses.
History is repeating itself at the FBI as Agents Resist a Director’s Political Agenda
President Trump has installed loyalists to head the DOJ and FBI – loyalists who are determined to use the organizations they lead to advance the president’s political interests. In the past 50 years, the FBI has had only one other director as overtly – if not as unabashedly — political as Kash Patel: L. Patrick Gray, who served for a year under President Richard Nixon. Gray was held accountable after he tried to help Nixon end the FBI’s Watergate investigation. Whether Kash Patel has more staying power is unclear.
