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It’s not exactly the stuff of Netflix spy thrillers, but…it’s also not every day that the president makes a covert getaway in a catering truck. 

White House officials revealed on Monday that, before a flight from Turkey to the United Kingdom last month, President Donald Trump used the truck to secretly move between planes, then switched aircraft again after landing in Britain. 

The ruse deceived both Trump’s press corps and many of his staff, who weren’t warned of the last-minute plan in advance. But the deception was undertaken, officials said, in response to an assassination threat from Iran. 

Such plots are one tool weaker powers can wield in asymmetric warfare, or conflict between unevenly matched opponents. Iran can’t strike the US homeland with conventional military force the way the US can strike Iran.

As the catering truck caper attests, however, that doesn’t put Americans entirely beyond Tehran’s grasp. Instead, Iran is finding other, less conventional ways to inflict damage on US turf — from assassination plots to cyberattacks. 

We might need a bigger catering truck to escape all of that. 

“We have more cybersecurity regulations for your credit card than we have for the nation’s water supply.” 

— Joshua Corman, founder of I Am the Cavalry, a digital security nonprofit

Iran doesn’t appear able to launch the kind of major cyberattacks that would seriously disrupt Americans’ daily lives en masse. But over the past five months, attacks linked to Iran and pro-Iranian groups have targeted US medical device makers, social networks, public transit agencies, and — most recently, and perhaps most alarmingly — small-town utilities.

Unknown hackers compromised the water and wastewater systems of municipalities in at least 12 states last month, prompting water shut-offs, flooding and boil-water notices in a handful of locations. Cybersecurity experts think Iran is most likely behind the breaches. And American water systems — which are overwhelmingly run by small, local agencies — are especially vulnerable to this type of attack. They have little in the way of IT support, and relatively few state or federal laws require them to take cybersecurity precautions. 

It isn’t just utilities at risk, either. Over the past 10 years, Iranian hackers have also breached US targets ranging from satellite companies to political campaigns. And if the war continues to stretch on, some analysts believe the country’s hacks could grow more aggressive. 

The Trump administration hasn’t shown any great desire to address this risk, alas. Just a few months ago, it proposed $707 million in cuts to the US Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency — the people responsible for protecting the nation’s infrastructure from cyber threats. 

One link for later

➨ Ignorance can truly be bliss. Many of us feel the very modern compulsion to suck up all the information we can: about the news, about our bodies, about random subjects we encounter on the internet. But that deluge of daily data can overwhelm both your mental bandwidth and your mental health. Try letting go of some of these low-stakes tidbits so you can focus on subjects that most deserve your attention. 

Before you go…

• Did you know…that pigs are smart enough to use tools without human prompting? 
• Today’s trivia: Vientiane is the capital of which Southeast Asian country? (You can find this and other brain puzzles in Vox’s daily crossword. Look for the answer in tomorrow’s edition.)
• Yesterday’s trivia: Yesterday we asked you for Dorothy’s last name in The Wizard of Oz. That would be Gale. Author L. Frank Baum is believed to have borrowed the name from either the victim of an 1879 tornado or his late infant niece, who died in 1898 at just over five months old.

After a 7.4 magnitude earthquake in western Colombia, thousands have been left without basic needs and hundreds have died. Here are some organizations to visit to help out those in need in Colombia.

Parents may be confused about the status of vaccines for their kids after President Trump's new executive order. It's important to know nothing is changing right away.

(Image credit: Erin Hooley/Chicago Tribune)

Привет, Хабр. Сразу скажу: я не разработчик. Мои направления - это продукты, Web3-операции, теперь оркестрация ИИ-агентов.

Экстренная помощь альпинистам на высотах вплоть до вершины Эвереста (8848 м) требует немедленной доставки портативной барокамеры Gamow bag, кислородного баллона, теплоизолирующих материалов, а также средств обогрева, радиосвязи, медицинских препаратов и т.д. Вертолеты и тяжелые мультикоптеры на таких высотах теряют несущую способность из-за критического падения плотности воздуха, а сброс с самолета не дает требуемой точности. Решением может стать двухэтапная беспилотная система: аэростат-носитель и планирующий модуль с пассивной мягкой посадкой.

Майкл Манн - один из ведущих климатологов мира и активный сторонник более широкого и глубокого понимания климатических проблем обществом. Именно его совместное исследование с Рэймондом Брэдли и Малкольмом Хьюзом подарило нам знаменитый график “хоккейной клюшки”, наглядно показавший, насколько стремительно глобальная температура растет по сравнению с историческими значениями.

Мы немного углубимся в физику парникового эффекта, поговорим о методах, позволяющих восстанавливать температуру далекого прошлого, разберемся, почему климат раз за разом нагревается быстрее, чем в среднем предсказывали модели, а также обсудим связь между изменением климата и экстремальными погодными явлениями.

К счастью, даже этот разговор нельзя назвать исключительно пессимистичным. Если уже сейчас принять достаточно решительные меры, у нас все еще остается время, чтобы избежать самых катастрофических сценариев будущего.

Chuck Redd canceled his annual Christmas Eve performance to protest Trump's name being added to the complex. In June, a superior court judge dismissed the Kennedy Center's lawsuit against Redd.

(Image credit: Andrew Harnik)

Justice department is asked to weigh new charges against David Hearn after US attorney dropped vandalism charges

The White House has asked the Department of Justice to weigh new charges against a former Olympian accused of vandalizing the Lincoln Memorial reflecting pool, according to a person familiar with the matter, pushing to revive a case Donald Trump has fumed about ever since an ally dropped the case citing insufficient evidence.

Jeanine Pirro, the US attorney for the District of Columbia, dropped the charges against the man, David Hearn, on 31 July, blaming a contractor for a flawed installation. In a 20-page filing dismissing the charges, Pirro’s office said it had received evidence that damage to the pool occurred before Hearn visited it, and that “it is difficult to attribute the widespread damage to the Reflecting Pool to vandalism, let alone to establish that fact beyond a reasonable doubt.” Hearn has maintained that he reached in the water to touch a piece of already detached lining while he was on a bike ride in June.

Justice department is asked to weigh new charges against David Hearn after US attorney dropped vandalism charges

The White House has asked the Department of Justice to weigh new charges against a former Olympian accused of vandalizing the Lincoln Memorial reflecting pool, according to a person familiar with the matter, pushing to revive a case Donald Trump has fumed about ever since an ally dropped the case citing insufficient evidence.

Jeanine Pirro, the US attorney for the District of Columbia, dropped the charges against the man, David Hearn, on 31 July, blaming a contractor for a flawed installation. In a 20-page filing dismissing the charges, Pirro’s office said it had received evidence that damage to the pool occurred before Hearn visited it, and that “it is difficult to attribute the widespread damage to the Reflecting Pool to vandalism, let alone to establish that fact beyond a reasonable doubt.” Hearn has maintained that he reached in the water to touch a piece of already detached lining while he was on a bike ride in June.

In July, Donald Trump hid in a catering truck and reportedly secretly switched planes in a security ruse prompted by a credible Iranian assassination threat.

The Guardian breaks down the footage from that day, showing how the president reportedly boarded the old Air Force One jumbo jet in view of television cameras, and then was secretly shuttled minutes later to a smaller plane via an airport catering truck typically used to load meals and other supplies preflight. Trump’s actual location was concealed from journalists and some White House staff, who thought they were traveling with Trump on the older plane

• Trump reportedly hid in catering container to board secret flight in Turkey amid Iran threat

• Cornerback loses consciousness during joint practice

• Team indicate 24-year-old is recovering well

New York Jets cornerback Qwan’tez Stiggers was taken to a hospital by ambulance after he briefly lost consciousness during a joint practice with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Tuesday.

Jets coach Aaron Glenn said the 24-year-old Stiggers was conscious and talking on the field before being put on a stretcher and taken for further examination. There was no immediate word on Stiggers’ condition, but Glenn indicated the cornerback was recovering well.

The former Al-Ahli head coach, chosen by the Saudi owners to replace Eddie Howe, admits ‘vacuum’ after sale of three key players

Matthias Jaissle has been described as “fire” and a “rockstar”, but his formal “unveiling” as Newcastle’s manager revealed a rather more considered and conservative character than advertised.

At the precise moment the clock struck 3pm on Tuesday the 38‑year‑old German walked into a packed media suite at St James’ Park. Before taking his seat on the stage Jaissle, wearing a smartly understated open-necked suit complete with a silk pocket square, took a deep breath and jumped down into audience, making a point of shaking everyone’s hand. It was a courteous and classy gesture.