ISIS Is Winning The Cyber War; Here’s How To Stop It

“To defeat ISIS, we need an entirely new strategy, one that takes on ISIS where it is highly effective — in cyberspace. While ISIS continues to foment regional instability in the greater Middle East, its prowess online has made it a threat to Western nations as well. ISIS focuses significant resources on cyberspace, where it has a global presence, using sophisticated techniques to electronically communicate with its far-flung sympathizers, spread its propaganda and recruit operatives around the world,” writes historian Andrew Byers and a colleague.

 

Read More in The Hill

Is Judge Gorsuch An Originalist, Or A Living Constitutionalist?

“Why does any of this matter? Because if Judge Gorsuch is an originalist in the strict sense that Justice Scalia was not, then the implications for constitutional law going forward are quite significant. If, as seems more likely, Judge Gorsuch (like Justice Scalia) is instead more of a living constitutionalist than an originalist, then one is left to wonder why he publicly embraces the originalist label when he otherwise eschews labels,” writes law professor Neil Siegel.

Read More at American Constitution Society

‘Benghazi on Steroids’ Russia Investigation Needs Independent Commission

“The congressional hearings have only just begun, but I think it is time to predict one likely outcome: Sooner or later, Congress and the Trump administration will agree to some sort of blue-ribbon independent commission, patterned on the 9/11 Commission, to investigate the issue of Russian interference in the 2016 election,” writes political scientist Peter Feaver.

Read More at Foreign Policy

FBI Director Confirms Investigation Into Trump-Russia Ties

During a House Intelligence Committee hearing, FBI director James Comey confirmed the agency is investigating Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election, as well as possible coordination between Donald Trump’s campaign and Russian officials. Comey also acknowledged that he had “no information” that would support claims made by President Trump that he had been wiretapped by former president Barack Obama. Foreign policy expert Bruce Jentleson breaks down the hearing.

Listen on Wisconsin Public Radio

 

 

Rubenstein Fellow Jack Matlock, a former U.S. ambassador to the Soviet Union during the Cold War, talks about future U.S.-Russia relations.

What Do Everyday Russians Think of Trump?

“The upshot is that Russians react to hacking claims as more of the same — as more insults, more demonizing. That’s because there are so many accusations. It’s really become impossible to sort out the kind of messiness so that one can be convincing, and the demonization, as they call it, just leaves them to reject wholesale any complaint the United States might have,” says Ellen Mickiewicz, professor emeritus of public policy. “Do they think there’s hacking? They think there’s no privacy, period.”

Read More in Vox

Was The Trans-Pacific Partnership Bad For The U.S.?

“President Trump’s knee-jerk nativism has blocked progress due to fear of change. Nations that turn inward and reject trade harm themselves and the world,” writes economics professor Edward Tower. “On the other hand, globalization since World War II shows that nations that open markets and embrace agreements such as the TPP strengthen their economies and spread wealth and liberty to more people around the world.”

Read More on Wallet Hub

Deep State Undermining President Trump?

The “deep state,” an alleged shadowy network of powerful entrenched federal and military interests, has increasingly become the focus of Republicans who accuse such forces of trying to undermine the new president. Political scientist Peter Feaver, who served on the National Security Council staff under Presidents Clinton and George W. Bush, talks about the concept.

Listen on NPR’s Truth, Politics & Power

 

Terror Or No Health Care Will Kill You Just As Dead

“The best evidence shows that the average morbidity benefit, or reduction of the incidence or severity of disease, associated with gaining health insurance coverage for one year would equal 3.7 to 6.8 days of healthy life,” states a 2014 commentary written by Christopher Conover, a research scholar at Duke’s Center for Health Policy and Inequalities Research, that’s cited in this column.

Read More in the Chicago Sun-Times

Engineering Dean On Immigration Policy, Attracting The Best Minds

To ensure the brightest minds are tackling the world’s biggest problems, Duke’s Pratt School of Engineering Dean Ravi Bellamkonda explains why he feels U.S. immigration reform should not prevent foreign nationals from attending American universities. These students and faculty are an integral part of Duke Engineering’s work, which ranges from advancing quantum computing to designing new therapies for cancer and other diseases, he says. Tomorrow, in part 2 of the interview, Bellamkonda will discuss confronting and overcoming biases.

Watch on Duke Today

Know the Basics of Why Obamacare Stumbled Before Adopting Trumpcare

“Of course, it’s too much to ask these days for a reasoned discussion of the underlying economics of health care in Washington. However, without such a discussion, the most likely result will increase the cost of health care to you and your family. Real reform will require a hard look at the economics of our health care system — its strengths and its failings,” writes Dr. Kevin Schulman, a professor of medicine.

Read More in The Plain Dealer