• Four More Oath Keepers Sentenced for Seditious Conspiracy

    Four members of the Oath Keepers were sentenced last week on seditious conspiracy and other charges for crimes related to the breach of the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. The four defendants were found guilty of seditious conspiracy, conspiracy to obstruct an official proceeding, obstruction of an official proceeding and conspiracy to prevent Members of Congress from discharging their official duties.

  • The Executive Order on Commercial Spyware: Implications and Prospects

    The growing national security threat from misuse of commercial spyware is increasingly being recognized. The US has been taking the lead in addressing the growing menace of unregulated spyware companies and the proliferation of intrusive tools. The Biden administration’s latest Executive Order will ensure that commercial spyware firms will be subjected to unprecedented scrutiny.

  • Construction of New Level-4 Biolab in Manhattan, Kansas Completed

    The new National Bio and Agro-Defense Facility (NBAF) in Manhattan, Kansas replaces the old Plum Island, New York biolab. The NBAF is the first U.S. laboratory with biosafety level-4 containment, capable of housing large livestock animals; and one of only a few facilities in the world with these capabilities.

  • Support for Extremism Among U.S. Military Veterans Is Similar to Public at Large

    Support among military veterans for extremist groups and extremist ideals appears similar to or less than levels seen among the U.S. public in general, despite fears that it could be higher, according to a new RAND report. The U.S. military and veteran service organizations should continue to explore what drives some active-duty personnel and veterans to endorse extremist beliefs and join extremist causes.

  • Cultural Threats Can Lead to Violent Extremism

    People with specific personality traits who perceive their cultural values as threatened are more likely to show hostility and support violent extremist behavior directed against that threat. This is shown in a new psychological study.

  • How AI Could Take Over Elections – and Undermine Democracy

    Could organizations use artificial intelligence language models such as ChatGPT to induce voters to behave in specific ways? In his 16 May 2023 testimony in a Senate hearings on artificial intelligence OpenAI CEO Sam Altman said that he was concerned that some people might use language models to manipulate, persuade and engage in one-on-one interactions with voters. What would an AI-manipulated election look like?

  • Amid Fears of Chinese Influence, the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States Has Grown More Powerful

    The Committee on Foreign Investment, a U.S. government interagency committee established in 1975 by President Gerald Ford, is tasked with studying and coordinating the implementation of policy on foreign investment in America.The primary objective of the committee is to review selected foreign investments and some real estate transactions by foreigners in the U.S. for their national security implications.

  • Extremist NFTs Across Blockchains

    While tech companies, politics, and civil society continue to discuss how to regulate social networks, a new age of the internet is dawning: the Web3. Julia Handle and Louis Jarvers write that with the technological advancements of Web3, it is critical to examine their application to extremism.

  • Facing Up to Democratic Distrust

    A new study finds that false assumptions about election malfeasance could create a “death spiral” for democracy: By believing their political opponents wish to curtail democracy, some partisans will then justify the erosion of democratic norms by their own side. The study also provides some hope for bipartisan repair.

  • Can Democracies Navigate Political Warfare’s New Landscape?

    As Twitter limits access to a tool to analyze conversations on the platform, researchers will be deprived of information that sheds light on political hate speech and incitement to violence. That will have real-world implications for tracking election meddling, disinformation campaigns and human rights abuses.

  • How Can Congress Regulate AI? Erect Guardrails, Ensure Accountability and Address Monopolistic Power

    A new federal agency to regulate AI sounds helpful but could become unduly influenced by the tech industry — instead, Congress can legislate accountability.Instead of licensing companies to release advanced AI technologies, the government could license auditors and push for companies to set up institutional review boards. The government hasn’t had great success in curbing technology monopolies, but disclosure requirements and data privacy laws could help check corporate power.

  • Allowing Financial Trading in California's Wholesale Electricity Market Significantly Reduces Volatility: Study

    Allowing trading in California’s electricity market led to a reduction in the implicit cost of trading day-ahead/real-time price differences, the volatility of these price differences, and the volatility of real-time prices. In addition, operating costs and fuel use fell on days after the introduction of purely financial participation.

  • Open Questions, Legal Hurdles for Biden’s New Border Rule

    The Biden administration announced on May 16 a new border rule that creates new pathways for lawful entry and limits access to asylum for unauthorized entrants. Shalini Bhargava Ray writes that the rule takes important steps to create alternatives to unauthorized entry for those seeking refuge, but serious questions remain about the viability and practical accessibility of those pathways.

  • Two Oath Keepers Leaders Sent to Jail for Seditious Conspiracy, Other Charges Related to Jan. 6 Attack on the Capitol

    Two leaders of the extremist group Oath Keepers were sentenced Thursday for seditious conspiracy and other charges related to the breach of the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. Their actions disrupted a joint session of the U.S. Congress which was in the process of ascertaining and counting the electoral votes related to the November 2020 presidential election.

  • Behind the Oath Keepers Charged with Sedition Are Many More Who Have Been Trained by the U.S. Military

    Experts on violent extremism believe it isn’t only the number of Oath Keepers that is a problem, it is their makeup. A significant number of their members are veterans – both female and male – who bring military skills to the group and also serve as recruiters for other active and former armed service personnel.