Biotech behemoth Monsanto was recently in the news for its merger with German pharmaceutical giant Bayer - a $66 billion deal which is reportedly the biggest yet this year and, if it goes through, may mean the end of the controversial Monsanto brand name. But if that massive merger is newsworthy, and it most certainly … Continue reading Un-Monsanto to harness CRISPR to make un-GMOs
Author: mirrorwilderness
Jonathan Riley is a multimedia journalist from Oakland, California. He has a bachelor's degree in psychology from California State University East Bay and a master's in journalism from Boston University. He has covered US politics at the local, state and federal level, writing for newspapers in California and Massachusetts, as well as working with the investigative unit at CNN in Washington, DC.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation can, in certain circumstances, impersonate journalists in the course of undercover work, according to a report released this month by the Justice Department's Office of the Inspector General. While somewhat controversial, the finding is not unexpected, coming at a time of increasing use of fake Internet personas by government authorities … Continue reading Impersonation of journalists added to FBI’s trolling tool kit
Recent polls showing disproportionate active duty military support for Libertarian presidential candidate Gary Johnson versus that among the overall population may represent more than simple dissatisfaction with this year's regrettable major party candidates. Signs increasingly point to a U.S. military that is broadly dissatisfied with the direction of the country, along with its politicians' decisions … Continue reading Military polls show dissatisfaction with U.S. politics beyond election
Following news of hacks of the Democratic National Committee, the Clinton campaign, and state election boards in Illinois and Arizona, federal officials in the past week have offered conflicting statements regarding the possibility that hackers, possibly sponsored by a foreign government, could influence the upcoming presidential election. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Jeh Johnson … Continue reading Officials offer conflicting statements on election hacking vulnerability
Late last week reports surfaced that France and Germany, in the wake of recent terror attacks and Britain's vote to leave the European Union, are forming a joint plan for a potential "relaunch of European defence," which would involve greater security coordination among E.U. countries. The goal of the project is to restructure Europe's defense … Continue reading E.U. eyes security, surveillance centralization in wake of Brexit, terror attacks
Two days before the 15th anniversary of the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001 the House of Representatives has followed the Senate's lead in unanimously passing a bill to allow 9/11 victims' families to sue Saudi Arabia. The bill's only major remaining hurdle to overcome is a potential veto from President Obama. Although the notorious … Continue reading Dysfunctional U.S.-Saudi relationship on display as bill allowing 9/11 lawsuits passes unanimously
Despite much hype about the recent "Brexit," top U.K. officials have made clear that the UK/USA "special relationship" in diplomatic and intelligence matters will remain strong as ever. Any lingering doubt about it can safely be disregarded following revelations from the Intercept this week regarding the massive yet shadowy surveillance base in the English countryside … Continue reading UK pursues aggressive drone policies, exposing govt. employees to legal risks
Back in 2014, Silicon Valley's most popular billionaire, Elon Musk, had, in his characteristically visionary way, a dire warning for the public about "our biggest existential threat": "With artificial intelligence we are summoning the demon," Musk said. "You know all those stories where there’s the guy with the pentagram and the holy water, and he's … Continue reading Elon Musk summons the A.I. demon
Earlier this month, NBC News published a "heat map" leaked from the National Counterterrorism Center that purported to show that the Islamic State extremist group has expanded to "fully operational" status in 18 countries and is spreading to several others. Writing in The Hill this week, however, counterterrorism researcher Anhvinh Doanvo argues that it is … Continue reading Fuzzy math, the ISIS brand, and America’s foreign military presence
A leading market research firm announced Monday that it expects the global drone market to pass $4 billion annually by 2025. It has been clear for some time that we are entering an era of increasingly pervasive unmanned aerial vehicles, but as the rise of insect-sized micro-drones looms, it appears little is being done to … Continue reading Micro-drones pose increasing privacy threat, but media coverage dissipates
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