North KoreaWhy It Matters That North Korea Tested a Hypersonic Missile By William Gallo Published 29 September 2021 Like most ballistic missiles, hypersonic glide vehicle (HGVs) fly at hypersonic speeds, or faster than five times the speed of sound. But HGVs are in theory more difficult to detect and intercept, since they can fly at

Iran’s NukesIAEA: Iran Denying Monitoring Access at “Indispensable” Site Published 28 September 2021 The IAEA, the UN nuclear watchdog, says Iran has not allowed international inspectors access to a centrifuge-component-manufacturing workshop as agreed under a monitoring deal reached two weeks ago. Iran has not allowed international inspectors access to a centrifuge-component-manufacturing workshop as agreed under a

Crime2020 Homicides Up 30% over 2019 – Largest Increase on Record: FBI Published 28 September 2021 The estimated number of violent crimes in the U.S. in 2020 has increased by 5.6 percent when compared with the 2019’s statistics, but the number of homicides – a total of 21,570 — has increased by 30 percent relative

WildfiresBig Fires Demand a Big Response: How 1910’s Big Burn Can Help Us Think Smarter about Fighting Wildfires and Living with Fire By William Deverell and Elizabeth A. Logan Published 28 September 2021 The aftermath of 1910 Big Burn in Northwestern U.S., the Rockies, and parts of British Columbia, led to bold decision-making in forest

GunsCan Better Gun Safety Practices Lower Teen Suicide Rates? Published 28 September 2021 Forty percent of the teenagers committing suicide used guns. A new study showed that teens who die by suicide using guns may show fewer warning signs like mental health issues than teens who die by suicide using other methods. Gun availability could

Energy SecurityHimalayan Hydropower “Clean but Risky”: Scientists By Ranjit Devraj Published 28 September 2021 The Himalayas, with steep topography and abundant water resources, offer sustainable, low-carbon hydropower for energy-hungry South Asia. But there is a catch — the mountain range falls in one of the world’s most seismically active regions. With its steep topography and abundant

Russian HackingEU: Russia Involved in “Ghostwriter” Cyberattacks Published 24 September 2021 The European Union has warned the Kremlin that it could “consider taking further steps” over Moscow’s complicity in recent cyberattacks targeting the bloc’s members. The European Union on Friday threatened to take action against Russia over alleged complicity in a cyberattack campaign known as “Ghostwriter” against a

Public Health PreparednessTwo Decades After 9/11: What We’ve Learned About Public Health Preparedness and Leadership By Lauren Eichberger (Reynolds) Published 24 September 2021 In the United States, 743,452 “excess” (potentially preventable) deaths occurred from COVID-19 between February 2020 and September 4th, 2021, according to the CDC National Center for Health Statistics. This figure exceeds the

ARGUMENT: Deterring BioattacksA Deterrence by Denial Strategy for Addressing Biological Weapons Published 24 September 2021 The U.S. political failures have loomed large in coverage of the COVID-19 crisis. Christine Parthemore and Andy Weber write that, what is more, a number of analysts have warned that, after watching these failures play out, hostile powers might take

Crime2020 Homicides Up 30% over 2019 – Largest Increase on Record: FBI Published 27 September 2021 The estimated number of violent crimes in the U.S. in 2020 has increased by 5.6 percent when compared with the 2019’s statistics, but the number of homicides – a total of 21,570 — has increased by 30 percent relative