• Europe’s Moment of Truth: A Democracy Shield for Today and Tomorrow

    Democracy in Europe is under growing pressure. Authoritarian regimes like Russia and the People’s Republic of China are conducting increasingly sophisticated foreign interference campaigns. Internally, illiberal actors – who are often the beneficiaries of this foreign interference — are eroding the rule of law and civic freedoms as democratic norms deteriorate in the EU’s immediate neighborhood. The EU’s European Democracy Shield, announced in 2024 and expected in 2025, aims to counter these threats to democracy.

  • Economic Impact Report Warns of Setbacks to Public Health Progress Amid Federal Budget Cuts

    A new report details the far-reaching impacts of 2025 federal funding cuts on public health infrastructure, research institutions, workforce development, and the broader US economy. The report provides the first comprehensive look at how widespread grant freezes, budget reductions, and agency restructurings are destabilizing academic public health institutions nationwide.

  • Overshadowed by Border Dispute, India-Pakistan Water Security Risks Grow

    Glacial meltwater accounts for a significant portion of annual flows in the Indus River Basin, but as glaciers retreat due to climate change, this flow is decreasing, leading to water scarcity. Pakistan is particularly vulnerable to reduction in Indus River Basin flows: it relies on the Indus River for more than 90 percent of its water, and is already grappling with severe water shortages.

  • Trump’s Justifications for the Latest Travel Ban Aren’t Supported by the Data on Immigration and Terrorism

    This travel ban, like the earlier ones, will not significantly improve national security and public safety in the United States. That’s because migrants account for a minuscule portion of violence in the U.S. And migrants from the latest travel ban countries account for an even smaller portion.

  • Trump Practically Bans Travel and Immigration from 12 Countries with Flimsy Security Justifications

    The US government has a responsibility to keep terrorists and criminals out of the country and to remove those who make it through. But the government should pursue a rational and evidence-based approach when evaluating the threat posed by foreign nationals. The Trump administration has banned large swaths of travelers and immigrants from many countries based on evidence that it likely won’t release and, if it does, will likely raise more questions than answers.

  • “The Intern in Charge”: Meet the 22-Year-Old Trump’s Team Picked to Lead Terrorism Prevention

    One year out of college and with no apparent national security expertise, Thomas Fugate is the Department of Homeland Security official tasked with overseeing the government’s main hub for combating violent extremism.

  • Are We Ready for a ‘DeepSeek for Bioweapons’?

    Anthropic’s Claude 4 is a warning sign: AI that can help build bioweapons is coming, and could be widely available soon. Steven Adler writes that we need to be prepared for the consequences: “like a freely downloadable ‘DeepSeek for bioweapons,’ available across the internet, loadable to the computer of any amateur scientist who wishes to cause mass harm. With Anthropic’s Claude Opus 4 having finally triggered this level of safety risk, the clock is now ticking.”

  • How Trump’s ‘Gold Standard’ Politicizes Federal Science

    The language of Trump’s so-called “Restoring Gold Standard Science” executive order of 23 May 2025 may seem innocuous based on a casual reading, but it risks undermining unbiased science in all federal agencies, subject to political whims. A politicized process has the potential to punish federal employees and to ignore external peer reviewers who have the temerity to advance evidence-based findings contrary to White House ideology.

  • Boulder Fire-Attack Suspect's Family in ICE Custody, Pending Deportation

    The family members of the suspect in Sunday’s Colorado attack have been detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials and could be deported as early as Tuesday evening.

  • Familiar Attempts to Justify and Downplay Antisemitic Violence Follow Latest Attack on Jewish Community

    Reactions to the Boulder, Colorado attack followed a familiar pattern to the 21 May 2025 Washington, D.C. murder of a couple leaving an event for young Jewish. Many of the same anti-Zionist groups and influencers who celebrated or justified D.C. shooting suspect Elias Rodriguez’s actions reacted similarly to the Boulder attack. other extremists also responded with predictable antisemitism and conspiracy theories by claiming the attack was a “false flag” or blaming Jews.

  • Autocrats Don’t Act Like Hitler or Stalin Anymore − Instead of Governing with Violence, They Use Manipulation

    Modern autocrats don’t always resemble their 20th-century predecessors. Instead, they project a polished image, avoid overt violence and speak the language of democracy. They wear suits, hold elections and talk about the will of the people. Rather than terrorizing citizens, many use media control and messaging to shape public opinion and promote nationalist narratives. Many gain power not through military coups but at the ballot box.

  • A British University’s Technology Entanglements with Russia and China

    A major British research university’s joint venture campus in China maintains partnerships and close links with entities sanctioned by Britain, the US, EU and others for supporting Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and assisting China’s military modernization and human rights violations. The links to sanctions highlight the risks posed by foreign science, technology and academic partnerships in China in a period of heightened geopolitical rivalry, intensifying technological competition and deepening China-Russia cooperation.

  • “The Federal Government Is Gone”: Under Trump, the Fight Against Extremist Violence Is Left Up to the States

    As President Donald Trump guts the main federal office dedicated to preventing terrorism, states say they’re left to take the lead in spotlighting threats. Some state efforts are robust, others are fledgling, and yet other states are still formalizing strategies for addressing extremism. With the federal government largely retreating from focusing on extremist dangers, prevention advocates say the threat of violent extremism is likely to increase.

  • Liverpool F.C.’s Victory Parade Was Disrupted by a Car Ramming. Why Do These Types of Attacks Happen?

    The ramming at Sunday’s victory parade for the soccer team was one of several that have happened across the globe recently.

  • 50+ Venezuelans Imprisoned in El Salvador Came to U.S. Legally, Never Violated Immigration Law

    Shortly after the U.S. government illegally and unconstitutionally transported about 240 Venezuelans to be imprisoned in El Salvador’s notorious “terrorism” prison, a CBS News investigation found that 75 percent of the men had no criminal record in the United States or abroad. Less attention has been paid to the fact that dozens of these men never violated immigration laws either.