Short Takes – 12-6-24

What China’s critical mineral ban means for the US. TechnologyReview.com article. Pull quote: “In the end, it’s not clear either nation wins in a protracted and increasingly combative trade war. But it’s also not apparent that mutually assured economic damage will prove to be an effective deterrent. Indeed, China may well feel the need to impose stricter measures in the coming months or years, as there are few signs that President-elect Trump intends to tone down his hawkish stance toward China.”

483. WMD Threat: Now and in the Future. MadSciBlog.TRADOC.Army.mil post. Pull quote: “The UAF General Staff reported Russia most often used chemical grenades (e.g., K-51s and RGDs), dropped from Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs).  Russia also reportedly uses Improved Explosive Devices (IEDs) with irritants added and artillery shells loaded with hazardous chemicals.^[v]  Chemical agents employed by Russia include Chloropicrin, a strong irritant developed for use by Czarist Russia as poison gas during World War I, and tear gas (CS) variants:  2-Chlorobenzylidene Malononitrile and Cheryomukha.  Russia’s battlefield use of chemical agents includes degrading troop effectiveness in confined defensive positions (e.g., buildings, tunnels, and trenches), and flushing troops from these defenses to expose them to kinetic fires.”

Wednesday Reader: Presidential Pardons. Substack.com article. Pull quote: “Something important to note is that a pardon is not an expungement, nor does it erase a conviction off of a person’s record or signify innocence [1]. It does, however, restore certain rights lost when someone is convicted of a felony, as well as ease the amount of stigma surrounding the conviction. A person who receives a presidential pardon still needs to disclose their convictions when required, like when applying for things, but they can also mention that they were pardoned. As for whether or not accepting a presidential pardon is an official admission of guilt is still up for debate, though per the 1915 Supreme Court case Burdick V United States, a pardon “carries an imputation of guilt and an acceptance of a confession of it””

Securing the Information and Communications Technology and Services Supply Chain. Federal Register DOC (BIS) final rule. Summary: “On January 19, 2021, the Department of Commerce (Department) issued an interim final rule establishing procedures for its review of transactions involving information and communications technology and services (ICTS) designed, developed, manufactured, or supplied by persons owned by, controlled by, or subject to the jurisdiction or direction of a foreign adversary that may pose undue or unacceptable risk to the United States or U.S. persons. In the interim final rule, the Department solicited public comments and committed to promulgating a final rule. This final rule responds to public comments on the interim final rule and finalizes the practices guiding review of ICTS Transactions, amending and, in some cases, removing terms or concepts which experience has shown to be unnecessary, inefficient, or ineffective.”

USDA Announces New Federal Order, Begins National Milk Testing Strategy to Address H5N1 in Dairy Herds. USDA.gov press release. Pull quote: “The Federal Order [link added] released today makes three new requirements. First, it requires the sharing of raw milk samples, upon request, from any entity responsible for a dairy farm, bulk milk transporter, bulk milk transfer station, or dairy processing facility that sends or holds milk intended for pasteurization. Second, the Federal Order requires herd owners with positive cattle to provide epidemiological information that enables activities such as contact tracing and disease surveillance. Finally, like USDA’s April 24 Federal Order, it requires that private laboratories and state veterinarians report positive results to USDA that come from tests done on raw milk samples drawn as part of the NMTS. The first round of silo testing under the Federal Order and the NMTS is scheduled to begin the week of Dec. 16, 2024, although some states are already conducting testing compatible with the NMTS.” See APHIS HPAI Testing web page.