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Hair examination can help in tracing terrorists
U.K. researchers devise a test which uses laser to determine the recent whereabouts of an individual by analyzing hair strands
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Mexican drug violence threat major concern to U.S.
DHS assistant secretary Alan Bersin: “We take the threat of spillover violence very seriously… We’re prepared to deal with it in the event it occurs. There are contingency plans to respond”
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Hamas: Gaza youth "corrupted" by Israeli aphrodisiac chewing gum
Hamas charges Israeli intelligence with spreading aphrodisiac chewing gum in Gaza in order to increase Gaza youth’s sex drive and thus destabilize the Palestinian territory
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Expert consider New Jersey's disaster preparedness
State officials and medical professionals say they are continuously preparing for such events and other disasters.
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Middle East peace may be closer as Israel successfully tests Iron Dome
Peace between Israel and the Palestinians depends on Israel feeling secure enough to make deep territorial concessions to the Palestinians in the West Bank; Israel has been reluctant to make such concessions because of the security risks they entail; the successful tests of Iron Dome, a defensive system against short-range rockets, may ease Israel’s security concerns, making concessions more likely
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U.S. secret service forms three new task forces
New task forces will deal with electronic crimes, and the agency says the partnerships will bring together law enforcement, academia, and private sector
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Senate moves to tighten federal buildings security
The GAO reported that undercover investigators were able to smuggle explosives-making materials into federal buildings, then assemble explosive devices — all without security guards being aware of what was taking place under their noses; the Congress is unhappy
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Senate increases DHS 2010 budget by $300 million
Senate DHS budget version highlights difference with House over immigration; among other things, the Senate bill would require the Obama administration to complete 700 miles of reinforced fencing along the Mexican border by the end of 2010 — disallowing using only virtual fencing and vehicle barriers for border protection
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The Obama administration would require federal contractors to use E-Verify
The Obama administration said it would support a George Bush administration regulation that would only award federal contracts to employers who use E-Verify to check employee work authorization
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Cities need to prepare for a home-made nuke
An explosion of ten kiloton nuclear bomb in a city would be disastrous; as catastrophic as such an attack would be, it would not level an entire city, and a timely response could save many lives
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Experts: local and regional approach better for addressing radioactive waste
The Obama administration has stopped funding for the Yucca Mountain nuclear waste repository, so experts say it is now time for a regional and local approach to solving the nuclear waste problem
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DHS's Einstein 3 plans raise questions
DHS wants to use Einstein 3 to bolster cybersecurity; the deployment of this powerful program has its critics, though
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Napolitano tours Project Seahawk
Project SeaHawk was established by Congress in 2003 as a collaborative initiative designed to bring multiple agencies together to protect Port Charleston in South Carolina — and show-case the ability of different agencies to share information and coordinate maritime response efforts
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Senate begins consideration of DHS budget
The House approved a a $42.9 billion measure to fund DHS; the Senate picked up the measure yesterday; debate looms over whether to make the E-Verify measure permanent
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NYPD deploys mobile radiation detectors
DHS gives the NYPD three SUVs equipped with sophisticated radiation detectors; each monitor cost $450,000
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The long view
Artificial Intelligence Is Facing a Crisis of Control—and the Industry Knows It
Washington appears to be years away from consensus on the expanding security risks posed by advanced artificial intelligence (AI). Concrete international agreements also do not yet exist. There is a tenuous potential path forward to avoid a disaster, but it will require out-of-the-box thinking, intense determination, and unprecedented cooperation.
Pick Your Poison: The Enduring Threat of Biological Toxins
A summary of the Bipartisan Commission on Biodefense’s “Pick Your Poison: The Enduring Threat of Biological Toxins” at the Atlantic Council.
Bookshelf: the U.S. Has a Long History of Getting Iran Wrong
On New Year’s Eve in 1977, US president Jimmy Carter hailed Iran as ‘an island of stability in one of the more troubled regions of the world’, which he credited to Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi’s leadership and ‘the admiration and love which your people give to you.’ It was not the first, or last, time the United States demonstrated a misunderstanding of Iran.
Trump’s Cyber Strategy Falls Short on China, Iran, and the Threats That Matter Most
Iranian cyber retaliation is escalating. Chinese operators remain embedded in U.S. infrastructure. Ransomware groups continue to disrupt hospitals, schools, and local governments. Trump’s recently released cyber strategy raises doubts the administration is prepared to address these threats.
Cameras Have Quietly Appeared in Thousands of U.S. Cities – Now, Their Integration with AI Is Sounding Alarms
For decades, cars dictated urban planning in the United States. Few could have predicted that they would one day also double as nodes for surveillance. What began as a tool to identify threats to national security is becoming a surveillance infrastructure that can be used to track everyone.
Trump Is Forcing Coal Plants to Stay Open. It Could Cost Customers Billions.
In an unprecedented use of federal authority, President Donald Trump’s administration has invoked emergency powers to force a series of retiring coal plants to stay open. Utilities, states and grid operators have said the aging plants are expensive, in bad repair and no longer needed to meet regional energy needs. But Trump is determined to save the dwindling coal industry — an expensive move resulting in billions of dollars in added costs for customers in dozens of states.