COVID originsCOVID Origins Probe Should Focus on Lab-Leak Theory, Analysts Say By Adrianna Zhang Published 7 June 2021 Analysts say there is increasing interest in determining whether the coronavirus leaked from a research lab in Wuhan, China, where the deadly virus was first detected in humans, as the U.S. intelligence community acts on President Joe

COVID originsHow Virus Detectives Trace the Origins of an Outbreak – and Why It’s So Tricky By Marilyn J. Roossinck Published 7 June 2021 Every time there is a major disease outbreak, one of the first questions scientists and the public ask is: “Where did this come from?” As an expert in viral ecology, I

GunsAmericans Bought 1.6 Million Guns Last Month. Who Were the Buyers? By Tom Kutsch Published 5 June 2021 Americans bought 1.6 million guns last month – an impressive number, but only the 14th highest on record, and still down 18 percent from May 2020. What has remained far more opaque is who exactly was doing

GunsU.S. Judge Overturns California’s Decades-Long Ban on Assault Weapons Published 5 June 2021 A judge in San Diego has slammed a 1989 ban on assault weapons as unconstitutional and said Americans should have the right to own semi-automatic rifles. “Like the Swiss Army knife, the popular AR-15 rifle is a perfect combination of home defense

ARGUMENT: Lab-leak theoryThe Lab-Leak Theory: Evidence Beyond a Reasonable Doubt Published 5 June 2021 In the justice system, where the most exacting evidentiary standards are applied, Andrew McCarthy writes, the requirement is proof beyond a reasonable doubt, not proof beyond all possible doubt. “There is no proof beyond all possible doubt.” And investigative journalists have

ExtremismFrom Gradualists to Jihadists: Islamists in the West Published 5 June 2021 Individuals and groups adhering to militant Islamism, a political ideology underpinned by a strict and literalist interpretation of religion, have claimed tens of thousands of lives around the world. They have provoked the response of the most powerful military alliance in history. In

ARGUMENT: Covid-19 originsThe Origins of Covid-19 and Preventing the Next Pandemic Published 5 June 2021 Did COVID-19 originate with bats or scientists? Amanda Moodie and Nicholas Evans write that the desire to identify the origins of the novel coronavirus is perfectly understandable, but that “while answering the question of where the novel coronavirus came from

ARGUMENT: Anti-domestic terrorism statutesDefining Domestic Terrorism: Does the U.S. Need New Criminal Penalties for Domestic Terrorism Events? Published 5 June 2021 Debates over what legally constitutes domestic terrorism—and the barriers to prosecuting these incidents—stretch back decades. “Significant political opposition to anti-domestic terrorism statutes are already being observed among lawmakers,” Lucy Tu writes, adding that “Individual

Our picksHistory of China’s Biohazard Accidents | Autonomous Drones Kill Soldiers | Space as Critical Infrastructure, and more Published 5 June 2021 ·  True or Not, the Wuhan Lab Leak Story Looks Set to Change the World ·  Biden Expands Blacklist of Chinese Firms Off-Limits to U.S. Investors ·  Justice Department to Prioritize Ransomware Attacks on Same

School securityChallenges in Implementing Physical Security Measures in K–12 Schools Published 5 June 2021 A core responsibility of the local education agencies (LEAs) that operate kindergarten-through–12th grade (K–12) schools across the United States is creating safe and secure environments that support effective teaching and learning. What challenges do LEAs face related to school physical security? What