MASS SHOOTINGSDiametrically Opposed Social Media Users Starting to Agree: Enough is Enough Published 11 July 2022 Despite major differences of opinion on the motives behind and solutions to mass gun violence, right-leaning respondents who favor gun rights and left-leaning proponents of gun control are starting to converge in their belief that enough is enough and

AIRPORT SECURITYD.B. Cooper, the Changing Nature of Hijackings and the Foundation for Today’s Airport Security By Janet Bednarek Published 11 July 2022 Many Americans may associate airport security with 9/11, but it was a wave of hijackings in the late 1960s and early 1970s that laid the foundation for today’s airport security protocols. Especially, the

ENERGY SECURITYHurricane-Resilient Wind Turbines — Inspired by Palm Trees Published 11 July 2022 Today’s offshore wind turbines can tower more than 490 feet above ground, their spinning blades churning out up to 8 megawatts (MW) each—about enough to power 4,000 homes in the U.S. But with their increasing size comes challenges. To make those turbines

COASTAL CHALLENGESProtecting the Coastline Published 11 July 2022 Barrier islands protect the coastline from storms, storm surge, waves and flooding. They can act as a buffer between the ocean and beachfront property. But as sea level rises, barrier islands retreat, or move closer toward the shore, which diminishes the buffer and protection. Oceanographers develop new

OUR PICKSU.S. Intel. Wanted Pegasus Spyware | Bill Tasks CISA With SolarWinds Report | Powering Up in Space, and more Published 11 July 2022 ·  Defense Firm Said U.S. Spies Backed Its Bid for Pegasus Spyware Maker ·  Combating Abortion Misinformation in the Post-Roe Environment ·  Why the Jan. 6 Committee Rushed Cassidy Hutchinson’s Testimony ·  Chinese Company’s

CHINA WATCHThe Chinese Military’s Access to AI Chips Published 8 July 2022 The Chinese military has made rapid progress in artificial intelligence. This progress largely depends on continued access to high-end semiconductors designed by American companies and produced in Taiwan and South Korea. The aggressive moves by the Trump and Biden administrations to limit technology

CHINA WATCHFive Men Indicted for Helping China Silence PRC Critics Residing in the U.S. Published 8 July 2022 Five men, including one current and one former DHS employees, were indicted on 7 July for being part of a network helping the government of China harass and silence U.S. residents who were critical of the Chinese

MASS SHOOTINGSIs There a Link Between Mental Health and Mass Shootings? Published 8 July 2022 There have already been more than 300 mass shootings in the United States this year—the latest at a 4th of July parade in the Highland Park suburb of Chicago. That shooting left seven dead, including both parents of a 2-year

CRIMEHigh Incarceration Rates May Not Help U.S. Citizens Feel Safer Published 8 July 2022 The U.S. is the world leader in incarceration rates, spending $80 billion a year to imprison 2 million people. But despite these practices aiming to help Americans feel safer, a new study suggests they may not result in the intended effect. The

GUN CULTUREAmerican Gun Culture Is Based on Frontier Mythology – but Ignores How Common Gun Restrictions Were in the Old West By Pierre M. Atlas Published 8 July 2022 In large measure, America’s gun culture – that is, the willingness of many Americans to accept gun violence as an inevitable side effect of a free