In The News

Dustin Volz and Timothy Gardner March 17, 2018
The US has publicly accused Russia of waging cyberattacks against the power grids and other key infrastructure sectors over the past two years. Some facilities and companies may not yet realize they have been infiltrated by malware, phishing and remote access. “The campaign targeted engineers and technical staff with access to industrial controls, suggesting the hackers were interested in...
Matt Simon March 13, 2018
Taxes fund public goods including health care, fire and police protection, education and more. A MIT economist points out that taxing carbon can be up to 10 times more efficient than current policies like fuel-economy standards for reducing emissions. Universities are leading the way in showing government how to tax carbon emissions. Matt Simon, writing for Wired, describes two programs. Yale...
Katie Roof and Ingrid Lunden March 13, 2018
Donald Trump cited security concerns for blocking Singapore-based Broadcom’s hostile buyout of US-based Qualcomm. “The combination of the two chipmakers would have potentially been the biggest tech merger of all time, and would have brought together two of the biggest companies that manufacture the processors that power phones, computers and almost the entire array of connected devices,” report...
Peter Weber March 9, 2018
Kim Jong Un and Donald Trump surprised the world by quickly agreeing to a meeting before June, this after a year of insults exchanged and missile tests by North Kora. The meeting, let alone lasting peace, may not materialize, though the willingness to talk and a quest for peace by the two leaders seems hopeful. Experienced analysts raise concerns, questioning if Kim is serious about...
Kathryn Schulz March 9, 2018
Brown marmorated stinkbugs are ravaging an array of crops along with ordinary trees and plants. They also swarm some US homes by the thousands. The insect, known for a noxious smell, is a product of globalization, explains Kathryn Schulz for the New Yorker. The stinkbug’s native habitat is East Asia, and the United States lacks natural predators like the samurai wasp. Stinkbugs are attracted to...
Anna Fifield March 8, 2018
North Korea’s dictator Kim Jong Un has invited US President Donald Trump for talks, as conveyed by a South Korea delegation that traveled to North Korea. South Korean security and intelligence officials traveled to Washington, and said Trump agreed to a meeting before summer: “an extraordinary scene – a foreign official, unaccompanied by U.S. leaders, briefing the press at the White House about...
Henry Fountain March 7, 2018
Hurricanes and other large storms have ravaged forests in recent months. Writing for the New York Times, Henry Fountain reports on the environmental implications after Hurricane Maria struck Puerto Rico in September. About 23 million to 31 million of the island’s trees were damaged or killed after the hurricane. Researchers are assessing the damage to forests and studying how extreme weather...