| Can you tally up world progress? Posted: 22 Mar 2017 02:28 PM PDT ![Can you tally up world progress?]( "Can you tally up world progress?") When the cold war ended a quarter century ago, and with it the division of the world into two "camps," the United Nations decided to start measuring the progress of humanity as a whole. The hope behind such alternative indicators is that an attempt to measure something might help reveal what causes it or could push it along.
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| After ISIS: For Iraqis, reconciliation in Mosul will be challenging, and vital Posted: 22 Mar 2017 02:17 PM PDT ![After ISIS: For Iraqis, reconciliation in Mosul will be challenging, and vital]( "After ISIS: For Iraqis, reconciliation in Mosul will be challenging, and vital") The colonel is a quintessential Iraqi military man: shaved head, bushy black mustache, and very proud of how the Iraqi Army has rebuilt and "proved it is professional" in the fight to oust the Islamic State from Mosul. Like many in Iraq, the colonel is wary that the challenges of reconciliation and winning the peace in Mosul and across the complex ethnic mosaic of Nineveh Province will be harder than winning the war. Recommended: How much do you know about the Islamic State?
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| ‘Dare to be tender’: One year after attack, Belgian king urges kindness Posted: 22 Mar 2017 01:48 PM PDT !['Dare to be tender': One year after attack, Belgian king urges kindness]( "'Dare to be tender': One year after attack, Belgian king urges kindness") Brussels on Wednesday marked the first anniversary of suicide bombings that killed 32 people at the airport and subway, with ceremonies timed with the blasts and the dedication of a new memorial. Recommended: How much do you know about Islam and violence? "Above all, let us dare to be tender," he said, at the unveiling of a new monument to all the victims near the headquarters of the European Union in Brussels' European Quarter.
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| What we know about Trump team Russia links – and why that matters Posted: 22 Mar 2017 01:29 PM PDT ![What we know about Trump team Russia links – and why that matters]( "What we know about Trump team Russia links – and why that matters") Paul Manafort was Donald Trump's campaign manager for months in 2016. Mr. Manafort "played a very limited role for a very limited amount of time," White House press secretary Sean Spicer said Monday at his daily briefing. Ditto longtime Trump associate Roger Stone and former foreign policy adviser Carter Page.
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| Former Trump campaign manager Paul Manafort received millions to promote Putin Posted: 22 Mar 2017 01:04 PM PDT ![Former Trump campaign manager Paul Manafort received millions to promote Putin]( "Former Trump campaign manager Paul Manafort received millions to promote Putin") Former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort resigned in August, amid swirling rumors of his connections to foreign governments, including Russia. A new Associated Press investigation uncovered ties between Mr. Manafort and Russian oligarch Oleg Deripaska dating back to 2005. In a confidential strategy plan, Manafort told Mr. Deripaska that he could influence politics, business, and media across the United States, Europe, and former Soviet states for the benefit of Russia.
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| In unanimous decision, Supreme Court raises bar for special education Posted: 22 Mar 2017 01:03 PM PDT ![In unanimous decision, Supreme Court raises bar for special education]( "In unanimous decision, Supreme Court raises bar for special education") On Wednesday, the US Supreme Court unanimously ruled in favor of two parents of an autistic son, finding that his Colorado school district had failed to provide him with a "free and appropriate public education."
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| Calif. class action suit alleges 'unfair competition' with Ivanka Trump brand Posted: 22 Mar 2017 12:26 PM PDT ![Calif. class action suit alleges 'unfair competition' with Ivanka Trump brand]( "Calif. class action suit alleges 'unfair competition' with Ivanka Trump brand") A small, San Francisco boutique almost 3,000 miles away from Ivanka Trump's office in the White House might not seem like a business that would find itself entangled with the first daughter's multi-million dollar fashion brand. In a class action lawsuit filed in San Francisco Superior Court last week, the 40-year-old, family-owned Modern Appealing Clothing argues that unethical promotion of the Ivanka Trump brand by the current administration has violated the US Constitution and a California statute protecting businesses against unfair competition.
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| Data didn't change tech's frat-boy culture. Will storytelling? Posted: 22 Mar 2017 12:02 PM PDT ![Data didn't change tech's frat-boy culture. Will storytelling?]( "Data didn't change tech's frat-boy culture. Will storytelling?") An engineer at Lever – a recruitment software startup in San Francisco – her role includes reaching out to co-workers about life in the tech industry. Now, firms like Lever are turning to anecdotes and personal exchanges as bases for developing empathy – and building inclusive cultures from the ground up.
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| Supreme Court tightens restrictions on presidential appointments Posted: 22 Mar 2017 11:53 AM PDT ![Supreme Court tightens restrictions on presidential appointments]( "Supreme Court tightens restrictions on presidential appointments") When the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) ruled that SW General, Inc. had violated federal labor law, the Scottsdale, Ariz., ambulance firm questioned whether the NLRB's acting general counsel, Lafe Solomon, had authority to handle the case. On Wednesday, the US Supreme Court sided with SW General, ruling 6-2 that Mr. Solomon's 2011 nomination by then-President Barack Obama violated the 1998 Federal Vacancies Reform Act, rendering Solomon's actions against SW General null and void. Legal analysts agree that this ruling could narrow the president's nominating authority.
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| What is known so far about terrorist attack outside London's Parliament Posted: 22 Mar 2017 11:45 AM PDT ![What is known so far about terrorist attack outside London's Parliament]( "What is known so far about terrorist attack outside London's Parliament") At least 20 people were injured and at least four people killed in what officials are saying was a terrorist attack that took place near the British Parliament building in London Wednesday afternoon. Others reported that a vehicle was seen on the nearby Westminster Bridge running over several pedestrians. A woman was also reportedly taken out of the river near the Westminster bridge, injured but alive.
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| Germany set to deport native-born potential terrorists Posted: 22 Mar 2017 11:38 AM PDT ![Germany set to deport native-born potential terrorists]( "Germany set to deport native-born potential terrorists") In a move without precedent in German history, the country will soon deport two German-born men accused of having discussed terrorist activity. On Tuesday, the Federal Administrative Court in Leipzig threw out a case saying that the men, one an Algerian national and the other a Nigerian citizen, should not be deported because there was no proof they had committed a serious offense. In so doing, it cleared the way for deportations that the state government of Lower Saxony ordered last month, when it described the pair as a threat to national security.
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| US infant mortality rate declines, but disparities remain Posted: 22 Mar 2017 10:48 AM PDT ![US infant mortality rate declines, but disparities remain]( "US infant mortality rate declines, but disparities remain") The rate of infant deaths in the United States has improved, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said in a study released on Tuesday. The infant mortality rate dropped 15 percent over the past decade, from a record high 6.86 infant deaths per 1,000 live births in 2005 to 5.82 in 2014, data show. While the new report indicates a promising development in the country's public health, commentators say the United States has a long way to go to catch up peer nations. "I think there was a public health push in the past decade to figure out ways to lower this rate, and it has made an impact," report author T.J. Mathews, a demographer at the CDC's National Center for Health Statistics, told CNN on Tuesday.
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| Gorsuch hearings: Should agencies – or courts – decide the law? Posted: 22 Mar 2017 09:00 AM PDT ![Gorsuch hearings: Should agencies – or courts – decide the law?]( "Gorsuch hearings: Should agencies – or courts – decide the law?") There are several elephants in the room where senators are grilling Judge Neil Gorsuch this week. One of those proverbial pachyderms was present courtesy of the aspiring Supreme Court justice. "There's an elephant in the room with us today," Judge Gorsuch wrote in a 2016 concurrence that featured prominently in 11 hours of questioning Tuesday from members of the Senate Judiciary Committee.
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| What is Facebook's responsibility when people broadcast crimes? Posted: 22 Mar 2017 08:11 AM PDT ![What is Facebook's responsibility when people broadcast crimes?]( "What is Facebook's responsibility when people broadcast crimes?") The apparent sexual assault of a Chicago teenager, broadcast on Facebook Live, has reignited debate about the feature and Facebook's responsibility to address crimes. It was not until Monday, however, that her family learned that an apparent sexual assault on the girl had been broadcast on Facebook Live. None of the 40 viewers had reported the incident through Facebook's content-review system, but a teenager mentioned the video to Reginald King, one of the girl's relatives.
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| North Korea missile launch toward S. Korea failed. How often does that happen? Posted: 22 Mar 2017 07:29 AM PDT ![North Korea missile launch toward S. Korea failed. How often does that happen?]( "North Korea missile launch toward S. Korea failed. How often does that happen?") The missile, launched from the eastern coastal town of Wonsan, "[appeared] to have exploded within seconds of launch," the US Pacific Command said in a statement. American officials had been aware of the planned launch for several days, as they observed a rocket being moved and VIP seating being assembled in Wonsan, they told the Associated Press on Tuesday. The launch failure comes as the United States and South Korea engage in their annual "Foal Eagle" joint military exercises, which typically provoke a strong response from the North.
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| How Washington evaluates software vulnerabilities Posted: 22 Mar 2017 07:07 AM PDT ![How Washington evaluates software vulnerabilities]( "How Washington evaluates software vulnerabilities") In August, the National Security Agency (NSA) found itself scrambling to figure out how a group dubbed the Shadow Brokers obtained the agency's alleged hacking tools, some of which they posted online and others they offered to the highest bidder. The startling breach not only revealed that the NSA seemed to rely on previously unknown security vulnerabilities – called zero-days – in Cisco and Fortinet commercial software to carry out digital espionage campaigns, it also exposed NSA tactics to foreign adversaries. It remains unclear whether the NSA used these tools for surveillance operations, but it appears the agency kept the flaws from the software vendors, depriving them of a chance to patch their systems.
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| Passcode signs off Posted: 22 Mar 2017 06:53 AM PDT ![Passcode signs off]( "Passcode signs off") Dear Passcode readers:
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| Why the airline 'electronics ban' may not be discrimination Posted: 21 Mar 2017 03:15 PM PDT ![Why the airline 'electronics ban' may not be discrimination]( "Why the airline 'electronics ban' may not be discrimination") While policy's timing and targeted locations have raised eyebrows, the scholars who study terrorism aren't quite ready to equate the new policy – which bans any electronics larger than a cellphone from being carried on flights departing from 10 Middle Eastern airports – with discrimination. In their view, the "electronics ban" is consistent with how the US government has handled previous terrorist threats, and it may not stem from prejudice toward Muslims. "I think to immediately jump to the conclusion that this is connected with the travel ban is too far, too quick," says Robert Pape, professor of political science at the University of Chicago who specializes in international security.
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