‘Criminals aren’t waiting for Congress to act’

‘Cargo theft: an emerging national and economic security crisis’

Michael Huston at The Hill

“Cargo theft in America is not just a matter of a few stolen goods. It is a growing threat to our national and economic security,” says Michael Huston. Criminals “threaten the integrity of America’s supply chains — supply chains that serve as the foundation of our economy and which keep American families clothed, connected and fed.” To “defend and protect our economy, homeland and supply chains, we must come together to pass the Combating Organized Retail Crime Act.”

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‘Black hole stars challenge our idea of the universe’

Anjana Ahuja at the Financial Times

Astronomers have observed dots that “looked like bright mature galaxies but, puzzlingly, seemed anchored in a universe too young to host them,” says Anjana Ahuja. These “are not stars in the usual sense of being powered by nuclear fusion; instead, they comprise a supermassive black hole.” This “may well challenge ideas about how the first celestial objects formed, and in what order.” It “also illustrates how studying extremes can push boundaries by forcing scientists to come up with new ideas.”

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‘It’s time for the US to recognize Palestine’

Leon Hadar at The American Conservative

The “growing international momentum toward recognizing Palestine as an independent state represents a long-overdue acknowledgment of geopolitical realities that Washington has stubbornly refused to accept,” says Leon Hadar. It’s “time for U.S. policymakers to abandon their counterproductive approach and embrace pragmatic statecraft.” The “reflexive opposition to Palestinian statehood recognition serves neither American nor Israeli long-term interests, and certainly does nothing to advance regional stability.” The “focus on ‘process’ over outcomes has become a substitute for serious diplomacy.”

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‘James Comey’s indictment, while without merit, is part of Comey’s own legacy’

Paul Pelletier at The Nation

James Comey “finds himself the object of a grotesque and unfounded abuse of the law as a cudgel to punish political opponents,” says Paul Pelletier. The “impact of this Mob-like model of prosecution is likely to spread far beyond Comey and other public servants.” But the “ironic twist is the active role Comey himself played in his later law enforcement career in dismantling the norms that had been considered vital to an ordered constitutional democracy.”

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