‘Tulsa Race Massacre events could be targeted by white supremacist groups’
The Tulsa Race Massacre’s centennial commemorations in Oklahoma could draw racial violence and white supremacist groups, the US Department of Homeland Security has warned in a bulletin. “We assess that upcoming commemoration events associated with the 100th anniversary of the Tulsa Race Massacre in Oklahoma probably are attractive targets for...
US intelligence community rocked by insider threat – yet again
A federal grand jury has charged an FBI employee for stealing classified documents and keeping them in her home between 2004 and 2017, the FBI announced Friday. The employee, Kendra Kingsley, allegedly took documents that detailed the FBI’s sources and methods the FBI uses to counter cyber threats, as well...
America’s largest forestry research Africa can copy in its Great Green Wall plan
Despite lingering tensions among environmentalists and loggers, a plan to launch the largest forestry experiment in the United States – and perhaps the world – last month cleared a major hurdle. Controversially, the study would allow logging in a new research forest, in an attempt to answer a grand question:...
Was $735 million US arms sale to Israel meant for ongoing carnage in Gaza?
Some United States legislators are questioning whether a $735 million approved weapons sale to Israel by President Joe Biden’s administration could be used as leverage amid the continuing bombardment of the Gaza Strip, according The Washington Post has reported. The arms sale, which Congress was notified of on May 5,...
Trump-shaped hot potato that’s turning Facebook into a failed digital ‘country’
In 2020, Facebook appointed what it refers to as its “Supreme Court” – a quasi-independent council called the Facebook Oversight Board – to review controversial content moderation decisions. This week, the Oversight Board handed down its most important judgment to date: support for the company’s move to ban former US...
Facebook’s brazen ban of President Trump should concern every American
The Facebook Oversight Board’s decision upholding President Donald Trump’s Facebook ban undermines the First Amendment and free speech. The brazen ban of President Trump is already chilling the speech of other Facebook users and Internet users generally, who fairly worry about Facebook and Big Tech censoring and de-platforming them. I...
US support for Covid vaccines patent waivers kicks off fierce resistance
In a historic move, the US government has announced that it supports waiving patent protections for Covid-19 vaccines, a measure aimed at boosting supplies so that people around the world can get the shots. “The extraordinary circumstances of the Covid-19 pandemic call for extraordinary measures,” US trade representative Katherine Tai...
First genetically modified mosquitoes released into open air in Florida, US
After a decade of fighting for regulatory approval and public acceptance, a biotechnology firm has released genetically engineered mosquitoes into the open air in the United States for the first time. The experiment, launched this week in the Florida Keys – over the objections of some local critics – tests...
Hard Covid lessons lead to historic funding boom for US National Science Foundation
US officials are discussing whether the National Science Foundation (NSF), which funds about 25 per cent of all basic academic research in the country, should get a historic budget boost, potentially changing the US science landscape. During congressional hearings last week, legislators evaluated proposals that would increase the agency’s funding...
US secretary of state to hold meetings with leaders of Nigeria and Kenya
United States Secretary of State Antony Blinken is set to make his first visit to Africa, virtually, during which he will meet with the presidents of Nigeria and Kenya. Tuesday’s tour will include a meeting with African youth from across the continent. Blinken’s visit coincided with difficulties the continent has...
