WildfiresWildfire Risk Rising as Scientists Determine Which Conditions Beget Blazes Published 23 December 2020 As wildfires burn more often across the Western United States, researchers are working to understand how extensively blazes burn. Their investigation not only reveals that the risk of wildfire is rising, but also spells out the role moisture plays in estimating

WildfiresFire Science Critical for Combating Wildfires Out West Published 23 December 2020 In 2020, wildfire activity in California and the Pacific Northwest has been extreme, with more than 45,700 wildfires raging across 8.3 million acres (as of October 15, 2020). This puts the 2020 Fire Year on pace for being the most extensive of the

TerrorismU.S. Charges New Suspect In 1988 Pan Am Bombing By Masood Farivar Published 21 December 2020 DOJ on Monday announced criminal charges against a new suspect in the 1988 terrorist bombing of a Pan Am airliner that blew up over Lockerbie, Scotland. The charges against Abu Agela Masud, a Libyan bombing expert, came on the

The Russia connectionScope, Damage of Massive Russian Hack Still Uncertain Published 18 December 2020 Cyberexperts inside and outside the U.S. government are scrambling to determine the dimensions of the massive hack by Russian government hackers of dozens of government agencies and private organizations. “While the Russians did not have the time to gain complete control

BioweaponsNew Bioweapons to Target Specific Groups of People or Individuals Published 17 December 2020 Genomic technologies develop and converge with artificial intelligence, machine learning, automation, affective computing, and robotics, means that increasingly refined records of biometrics, emotions, and behaviors will be captured and analyzed. These data will enable game-changing developments which will enable the development

Domestic terrorismSix Men Indicted in Alleged Plot to Kidnap Michigan Governor Published 17 December 2020 Six men were charged Thursday with conspiring to kidnap Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer in an alleged plot by right-wing extremists who were angry over her coronavirus containment policies. The suspects were arrested in October after an FBI probe into alleged

Pandemic responseCountries with Advanced Digital Skills and Safety Nets Doing Better in Pandemic, Report Says By Lisa Schlein Published 17 December 2020 In this year’s Global Competitiveness Report, the World Economic Forum measures the ability of countries to weather and recover from the devastation caused by the coronavirus pandemic. Because of the pandemic and the

ARGUMENT: Confrontational politicsPandemic Consequences: The Acceleration of Confrontational Politics Published 17 December 2020 Soon after the coronavirus began spreading widely around the world, a dominant narrative emerged about its likely effect on global politics: the pandemic would reinforce autocratic governance. Thomas Carothers and Benjamin Press write in Just Security that, indeed, dozens of authoritarian or

PolarizationPolarization Increases with Economic Decline, Becoming Cripplingly Contagious Published 17 December 2020 The rise of populist movements is changing political systems around the world. As support for these “anti-elite” movements intensifies, many are scrambling to understand whether economic decline and intensifying inter-group conflict are playing a role. The rise of populist movements is changing political systems

WildfiresFire Science Critical for Combating Wildfires Out West Published 17 December 2020 In 2020, wildfire activity in California and the Pacific Northwest has been extreme, with more than 45,700 wildfires raging across 8.3 million acres (as of October 15, 2020). This puts the 2020 Fire Year on pace for being the most extensive of the