Short Takes – 8-10-25

NASA’s Plan for a Nuclear Reactor on the Moon Could Be a Lunar Land Grab. ScientificAmerican.com article. Pull quote: “Besides providing abundant electricity for surface operations, a nuclear reactor on the moon could also allow for a strategic lunar land grab. Ownership of otherworldly territory is prohibited, according to the United Nations Outer Space Treaty, but the treaty also obliges spacefaring powers to exercise “due regard” in their activities, meaning that they should not encroach on or interfere with sensitive infrastructure built by others. A nuclear reactor placed on the lunar surface, therefore, could allow the declaration of what Duffy’s directive calls a “keep-out zone.””

Trump’s Tariffs Won’t Solve U.S. Chip-Making Dilemma. WSJ.com article (free). Pull quote: “What is more, U.S.-based manufacturing will still come at a premium, and someone will have to cover the price. “The higher cost of tariffs and U.S. production will eventually be shared across U.S. consumers and different parts of the supply chain,” Bernstein Research analysts wrote in a report Thursday.”

Immunologic study shows rebound of other viruses after COVID measures lifted. CIDRAP.UMN.edu article. Pull quote: “What is more, U.S.-based manufacturing will still come at a premium, and someone will have to cover the price. “The higher cost of tariffs and U.S. production will eventually be shared across U.S. consumers and different parts of the supply chain,” Bernstein Research analysts wrote in a report Thursday.”

Mysterious Crime Spree Targeted National Guard Equipment Stashes Wired.com article. Pull quote: “Together, these incidents point to a persistent and ideologically varied interest in exploiting armory weaknesses. The Tennessee break-ins, meanwhile, preceded several other armory breaches around the country, underscoring a broader trend in security threats.”

Trump Directs Military to Target Foreign Drug Cartels. NYTimes.com article (free). Pull quote: “Late last month, the Senate confirmed Earl Matthews to be Pentagon general counsel, and T. Elliot Gaiser to lead the Office of Legal Counsel. Interpreting what would be legally permissible in terms of using military force against cartels may be an early test for both of the new appointees.”

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