ARGUMENT: Intelligence failuresAfghanistan, Policy Choices, and Claims of Intelligence Failure Published 26 August 2021 Was the chaotic evacuation from Afghanistan the result of an intelligence failure? David Priess, who served as a CIA analyst in the administrations of Bill Clinton and George W. Bush, writes that to make this judgment, we need answers to many

National stockpileThe National Stockpile: Modernizing for a Dynamic Response By Diane DiEuliis & Patrick Terrell Published 26 August 2021 Response to a spreading illness in many ways is not rocket science:  treat the sick, protect the vulnerable, and stop the spread – mainly accomplished via the tools and products of biotechnology.  Many are now asking,

InfrastructureNIST’s Expert Team to Investigate the Champlain Towers South Collapse Published 26 August 2021 NIST announced Wednesday the expert team members who will conduct a technical investigation into the 24 June 2021, partial collapse of the Champlain Towers South condominium in Surfside, Florida. The Champlain Towers South investigation will be the fifth investigation NIST has

PolicingPreventing Police Violence: Body Cams Alone Not Enough Published 26 August 2021 New analysis raised serious questions about the effectiveness of body-worn cameras (BWCs) at preventing police wrongdoing. Experts are calling for broader police reforms after new analysis from the Australian National University (ANU) and the University of Waterloo in Canada raised serious questions about the

Coastal challengesThe Impact of Extreme Waves on Offshore Structures Published 26 August 2021 Strong storms can trigger steep, breaking waves that slam into platforms and wind turbines with tremendous force. Scientists are studying the behavior of offshore structures subjected to these kinds of waves. Their goal is to increase safety at sea. The force of waves

FloodsWhat Caused Heavy Rainfall Which Led to Western Europe’s Severe Flooding Published 26 August 2021 Mid-July flooding resulted in at least 184 fatalities in Germany and 38 in Belgium and considerable damage to infrastructure, including houses, motorways and railway lines and bridges and key income sources. Road closures left some places inaccessible for days, cutting

Infrastructure protectionInfrastructure protection Protecting Earth from Space Weather Events Published 26 August 2021 “There are only two natural disasters that could impact the entire U.S.,” according to an expert. “One is a pandemic, and the other is an extreme space weather event.” Space weather eventsfry electronics and power grids, disrupt global positioning systems, cause shifts

COVID-19 originsU.S. Intelligence Community’s Report Inconclusive on COVID-19 Origins Published 24 August 2021 In May, the U.S. intelligence community (IC) was tasked by President Joe Biden to investigate the origins of CVID-19. On Tuesday, the IC delivered its assessment to the White House. The IC report is inconclusive, offering no definitive answer to the question

Our picks:COVID-19 originsWhat Scientists Do and Don’t Know about COVID-19 Origins | The Rise of the Coronavirus Lab-Leak Theory | The Lab Leak Theory Doesn’t Hold Up, and more Published 24 August 2021 Editor’s note: This is the first of a 2-part list of the best articles on the origins of COVID-19. Tomorrow we will

COVID-19 originsReport: Lab-Leak Theory of COVID-19 Origins Lacking Evidence So Far Published 24 August 2021 A new scientific report says that the lab-leak theory of the origins of COVID-19 has, so far, no evidence to support it. “Preventing future pandemics requires the political will to cut off the routes by which these viruses enter the