Author: nick

Pruden argues that to defend against a quantum computer capable of cryptographically relevant operations, we need post-quantum cryptography and regulatory coordination that the industry has been deferring for years. ast month, the United States Commerce Department signed letters of intent to award just over $2 billion to nine quantum computing companies building the machines that break the cryptography defending Bitcoin and Ethereum, and the cryptography that the rest of the internet runs on. These are not simply research grants. They represent industrial policy for manufacturing scale, and an investment in long-term equity outcomes where the government hopes to turn a profit. IBM…

Republican Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis announced at a press conference Thursday that the state’s “Alligator Alcatraz” detention camp is shutting down after less than a year in operation. It’s a quiet end for a detention camp that the state of Florida opened last July with a splashy media rollout, including Alligator Alcatraz merchandise and tours by President Donald Trump and conservative social media influencers. But the hype faded as the camp, located on a remote airstrip in the middle of the Big Cypress National Preserve, racked up huge operating costs and numerous lawsuits—a sort of Fyre Festival of incipient authoritarianism.…

Nothing pleases American military men more than being fed their own bullsh*t. “We’re the greatest,” “Greatest military in all of history,” “No one can beat us, no one can even fight us,” etc. This is what they tell each other, it is what they expect to hear from civilians, and, in Washington, it is what most office-holders, including presidents and secretaries of defense, believe. The effects are currently on display in the Persian Gulf.  The scoreboard tells a different story. In the Second World War, we beat the Japanese in the Pacific fair and square. But the Red Army won…

On this episode of CounterPunch Radio, Tori Tsui talks with Karim Ali, co-founder of the Gaza Sunbirds. Karim Ali is a Palestinian award-winning community organiser and co-founder of the Gaza Sunbirds – a para-cycling team of Palestinian amputee athletes. Podcast: Play in new window | DownloadSubscribe: Source link

The former National Security Advisor John Bolton pled guilty Friday to one count of mishandling classified information, information which he used as part of a 2020 book that criticized President Donald Trump. Per a plea deal arranged with federal prosecutors, Bolton will pay a $2.25 million fine and could face up to five years in prison. Bolton’s indictment followed an investigation beginning under the first Trump administration and continued under the Biden administration. He attempted to frame the Trump administration’s indictment as an attempt to “intimidate his opponents.” Subscribe Today Get daily emails in your inbox The October…

Earlier this week, the Cato Institute hosted a podcast building on my idea of a potential alliance between libertarians and “abundance liberals.” I took part along with Jeremiah Johnson of the Center for New Liberalism. My Cato colleague Ryan Bourne moderated. Beforehand, I thought I might agree with perhaps 70-80% of what Jeremiah would say. But it turned out to be more like 90-95%! I particularly agree with his points about how libertarians should prioritize issues (given that we are unlikely to achieve a fully libertarian state anytime soon, if ever). I embed the audio below: Cato also posted links…

One of the great economic myths that never seems to die is the idea that giving taxpayer money to a private company will yield a windfall, incentivizing the company to create jobs and generate wealth that otherwise would not exist. And yet time and time again, the benefits fall far short of what was promised, if they materialize at all. A new report suggests the state of Michigan is the latest to learn that lesson the hard way. “Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer offered billions of taxpayer dollars to select companies in an effort to create jobs during her eight-year term,”…

The United Kingdom (UK) Rape Gang Inquiry was published on June 16. The report details the findings of a privately funded and non-statutory investigation led by Robert Lowe and the Restore Britain Party. It alleges that organized criminal gangs have groomed, abducted, and raped up to 250,000 mostly young, white British girls and women. In a shocking turn, the allegations go back to the 950’s but most of the report is focused on the past decade,  Most of the accused rapists are Pakistani, Muslim males. Most of the victims are white. This has provided a compelling narrative for those who want to drive a spear point into the heart of UK migration policy.  Others fear the report…

Sign at homeless camp, Grants Pass, Oregon. Photo: Jeffrey St. Clair. Two years ago this summer, the Supreme Court paved the way for more states and cities to fine or jail people for the “crime” of not having a roof over their head. In their June 28, 2024 Grants Pass v. Johnson decision, the court ruled that an Oregon city’s ordinance barring people from sleeping in public, even when shelter is unavailable, was not “cruel and unusual punishment.” Since then, more than 300 cities have passed bills criminalizing unhoused people. Statehouses have also followed suit. In April, Indiana’s governor signed…

Tensions arose in the Strait of Hormuz while Israel in effect rejected the first article of the interim peace agreement signed by the U.S. and Iran, as negotiations to reach a final settlement to the conflict entered their ninth day on Friday. The International Maritime Organization on Thursday paused its plan to evacuate vessels from the Strait of Hormuz after a Singapore-flagged tanker was hit by a suspected Iranian drone while attempting to navigate a route recommended by the British navy agency UKMTO near Oman. Two U.S. officials told Reuters that Iran was responsible for the drone attack while Iran’s…