State of The Nation

Defense Intelligence Agency IT Specialist Arrested in FBI Espionage Sting Operation Federal authorities charge Nathan Vilas Laatsch with attempting to provide classified information to what he believed was a foreign government official ALEXANDRIA, Va. — A 28-year-old Defense Intelligence Agency employee was arrested Thursday following an elaborate FBI undercover operation in which he attempted to provide classified national defense information to what he believed was a representative of a foreign government. Nathan Vilas Laatsch of Alexandria, Virginia, was charged with gathering defense information to aid a foreign government under the Espionage Act after being caught in an FBI sting that lasted nearly three months. The Investigation Unfolds The FBI's investigation began in March 2025 after receiving a tip that Laatsch had offered to provide classified information to a friendly foreign government. In his initial email outreach, Laatsch wrote that he did not "agree...

  Senate Votes to Block California's 2035 Electric Vehicle Mandate Congressional action overturns EPA waivers that would have required zero-emission vehicles across 12 states The U.S. Senate voted Thursday to overturn federal waivers that allowed California to phase out gasoline-powered vehicle sales by 2035, dealing a significant blow to the nation's most ambitious electric vehicle adoption program. In a series of close votes, senators passed three Congressional Review Act resolutions targeting California's Advanced Clean Cars II program and related heavy-duty vehicle regulations. The most consequential vote, 51-44, specifically blocks California's mandate that would have required 100 percent of new passenger cars, trucks, and SUVs sold in the state to be zero-emission by 2035. The Technical Details California's Advanced Clean Cars II regulation established a graduated timeline starting with model year 2026, requiring automakers to sell an increasing percentag...

  Blue Brothers Positioned for Nuclear Renaissance Windfall Private defense contractors behind Predator drones see fusion, fission alignment with new policies The reclusive billionaire brothers who built General Atomics into a nuclear and defense powerhouse are uniquely positioned to benefit from the nuclear industry's regulatory overhaul, with their San Diego-based company sitting at the intersection of multiple growth trajectories. Neal Blue, 90, and Linden Blue, 89, who acquired General Atomics from Chevron in 1986 for a reported $60 million, have transformed the company into one of the nation's most important nuclear research enterprises while maintaining a deliberately low public profile. The brothers, estimated to be worth a combined $1.75 billion, rarely grant interviews and operate their empire through a web of private companies that shield financial details from public scrutiny. Fusion Leadership Position General Atomics operates the DIII-D National Fusion Facilit...

Nuclear Investment Analysis Graphic Nuclear Power Surges as Trump Overhauls Regulations, Tech Giants Sign Power Deals President's executive orders slash approval times to 18 months; Microsoft, Amazon partnerships signal industry revival By Science Reporter Updated May 24, 2025 Nuclear power stocks surged Friday after President Donald Trump signed sweeping executive orders to overhaul the industry's regulatory framework, marking the most significant policy shift for atomic energy in decades as artificial intelligence drives unprecedented demand for reliable electricity. The orders mandate that nuclear reactor licenses be approved within 18 months—down from the current timeline of several years—and direct a "total and complete reform" of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, the 50-year-old independent agency that oversees the nation's nuclear fleet. Shares of advanced reactor developer Oklo Inc. jumped 23%, while NuScale Power Corp., the first company to receive ...

Port Alpha: The US Navy's Astonishing Next-Gen Shipyard - YouTube US Navy Backs Saronic's Port Alpha: Revolutionary Shipyard to Transform Unmanned Fleet Capabilities By Military Affairs Correspondent May 19, 2025 In a significant advancement for the US Navy's strategic vision of a hybrid fleet, defense technology company Saronic has secured $600 million in funding to establish Port Alpha, a revolutionary shipyard designed exclusively for constructing unmanned surface vessels (USVs). This development comes as the Navy accelerates its plans to integrate unmanned capabilities within its battle force, aiming for approximately 150 large unmanned platforms by 2045. "We will bring these elements together with a single goal: to rapidly build a fleet of autonomous vessels in America that redefine maritime superiority and guarantees freedom of the seas for generations to come," said Dino Mavrookas, Saronic's CEO and co-founder, announcing the ambitious project in Fe...