1. WHY AN EAST COAST STORM IS A NOR’EASTER

A powerful storm moved along the East Coast, bringing strong winds, heavy rain, flooding, and beach erosion, last week. But it wasn’t a hurricane. This storm is called a nor’easter, a storm that travels along the Eastern Seaboard and usually produces winds from the northeast. Hurricanes get their energy mainly from warm ocean water, while nor’easters develop when different air masses, such as cold, dry air and warm, moist air, meet. Nor’easters are usually associated with winter and snow, but they can happen earlier in the year and do not always produce snow. Meteorologists sometimes avoid the term when snow is not involved because people may misunderstand the danger. Although this storm is weaker than some major storms of the past, coastal flooding could still be serious in certain places. Create a two-column comparison titled “Nor’easter vs. Hurricane.” Include at least four categories, such as where the storm gets its energy, when it usually occurs, whether it receives an official name, and the dangers it can create. After completing your comparison, write a short weather alert for someone living along the coast explaining why a storm does not have to be a hurricane to be dangerous.

2. TV NETWORKS DEBATE HOW TO COVER THE WHITE HOUSE

Major television networks faced a difficult decision after the Trump administration blocked CNN journalists from some White House access. ABC, CBS, CNN, Fox News, and NBC normally take turns providing video of presidential events through a shared system called a TV pool, allowing many news organizations to use the same footage. The networks temporarily stopped providing pool coverage in support of CNN, arguing that an administration should not exclude a news organization because it dislikes its reporting. A federal judge ordered the White House to restore certain press credentials temporarily, although questions remained about CNN’s participation in the smaller TV pool. The other networks then prepared to resume coverage because they worried that a long shutdown could leave the public without important video during an emergency or major presidential event. The disagreement raises broader questions about press access, government authority, and how news organizations should respond when another outlet is excluded. You are part of a student newspaper whose reporters have been told that one member can no longer attend school board meetings because officials dislike that student’s reporting. Write a list what questions you would ask school officials, what information your readers still need, and how your newspaper could support fair access without stopping important news coverage.

3. A TINY PART CREATES A BIG MANUFACTURING PROBLEM

A precision ball screw may look like a simple piece of metal, but it is an important part of airplanes, missiles, robots, and other complicated machines. In missiles, these specially designed screws help mechanisms move fins at extremely precise angles. Only a small number of American manufacturers can produce military-grade ball screws, and some are already operating at full capacity. Producing one can require special steel, careful heat treatment, protective coatings, inspections, and highly skilled workers, so an order can sometimes take a year or longer to complete. This has created a manufacturing bottleneck as the United States tries to increase production of military equipment. The problem demonstrates an important lesson about supply chains: A huge and expensive machine cannot be completed if even one small but essential component is unavailable. Build a “supply-chain domino effect.” Begin with the goal of producing an airplane or missile and work backward through at least five steps needed to obtain a precision ball screw, including materials, manufacturing, specialized workers, testing, and delivery. Use arrows to show how a delay at one stage can affect everything that follows. Then identify two possible ways a manufacturer or government could make this supply chain less vulnerable to delays.

4. DELIVERY DRONES BRING SPEED, ALONG WITH COMPLAINTS

Residents of Richardson, Texas, are getting an early look at what widespread drone delivery might be like. Amazon has begun using large drones to carry small packages to customers, sometimes delivering an order within 30 minutes. Some customers enjoy the speed and convenience, but people living near busy flight paths say dozens of drones can pass overhead each day, creating unwanted noise. Residents have also raised concerns about crashes and privacy because the drones use cameras and sensors to navigate. Amazon says complaints about noise make up a small percentage of inquiries and that information collected by the drones is protected and used for purposes such as safety and customer service. With commercial drone delivery expected to expand to many more communities, cities may have to decide how to balance new technology and convenient services with residents’ concerns about noise, safety, and privacy. Imagine your city is considering allowing delivery drones, and the city council wants students to help create the rules. Draft a “drone delivery code” of at least five rules companies would have to follow. Your rules should address at least three different concerns from the story, such as operating hours, flight height, noise, privacy, safety, or where packages can be dropped. For each rule, include a short explanation showing how it balances the benefits of drone delivery with the rights and concerns of residents.

5. A.I. AGENTS ACT IN UNEXPECTED WAYS ONLINE

Security researchers discovered that artificial intelligence agents created by OpenAI interacted with several U.S. government websites in unexpected and concerning ways. A.I. agents are programs that can perform tasks with some independence instead of waiting for instructions at every step. The reported incidents included an unsuccessful attempt to gather data from the Education Department’s civil rights office, accessing publicly available Census information using login credentials found online, and sharing public Securities and Exchange Commission data on an online forum. OpenAI said the incidents were not breaches and that it has been reviewing the behavior and notifying affected organizations. Government agencies said they had not found evidence that private information was improperly accessed in the described incidents. The episodes raise an important A.I. safety problem: A system focused strongly on completing a task may sometimes use methods its creators did not expect or intend. Imagine you were tasked with creating a guide for engineers designing a bot that can independently search websites and collect information. Write six rules that tell the A.I. what it must check before taking an action, including rules about permission, passwords or login credentials, private information, website restrictions, and asking a human for help. Finish by describing one situation in which the A.I. should immediately stop working and request human approval.