Ted Koppel

In this New York Times bestselling investigation, Ted Koppel reveals that a major cyberattack on America's power grid is not only possible but likely, that it would be devastating, and that the United States is shockingly unprepared. Imagine a blackout lasting not days, but weeks or months. Tens of millions of people over several states are affected. For those without access to a generator, there is no running water, no sewage, no refrigeration or light. Food and medical supplies are dwindling. Devices we rely on have gone dark. Banks no longer function, looting is widespread, and law and order are being tested as never before.It isn't just a scenario. A well-designed attack on just one of the nation's three electric power grids could cripple much of our infrastructure--and in the age of cyberwarfare, a laptop has become the only necessary weapon. Several nations hostile to the United States could launch such an assault at any time. In fact, as a former chief scientist of the NSA reveals, China and Russia have already penetrated the grid. And a cybersecurity advisor to President Obama believes that independent actors--from "hacktivists" to terrorists--have the capability as well. "It's not a question of if," says Centcom Commander General Lloyd Austin, "it's a question of when."And yet, as Koppel makes clear, the federal government, while well prepared for natural disasters, has no plan for the aftermath of an attack on the power grid. The current Secretary of Homeland Security suggests keeping a battery-powered radio.In the absence of a government plan, some individuals and communities have taken matters into their own hands. Among the nation's estimated three million "preppers," we meet one whose doomsday retreat includes a newly excavated three-acre lake, stocked with fish, and a Wyoming homesteader so self-sufficient that he crafted the thousands of adobe bricks in his house by hand. We also see the unrivaled disaster preparedness of the Mormon church, with its enormous storehouses, high-tech dairies, orchards, and proprietary trucking company - the fruits of a long tradition of anticipating the worst. But how, Koppel asks, will ordinary civilians survive?With urgency and authority, one of our most renowned journalists examines a threat unique to our time and evaluates potential ways to prepare for a catastrophe that is all but inevitable.

One of America's most admired TV anchors gives us an intimate chronicle of the final year of the twentieth century. In this engrossing narrative, a national bestseller, are all the most significant matters of that year--from Bill Clinton’s impeachment to Columbine, from the war in Kosovo to Y2K and the mass-marketing of Viagra. Here are the people who made the news--from Slobodan Milosevic to Hillary Rodham Clinton to Michael Jordan to John F. Kennedy Jr. The events of 1999 anticipate so many of the on-going challenges America faces today that Koppel’s account feels entirely prescient.Koppel's book moves on yet another level as events trigger memories of his own past, providing a more personal resonance to his telling of the history we all share. He takes us back to the England in which he lived until he was thirteen. He revisits his powerful experiences as an interviewer investigating prison abuses and probing the violence in our schools. He discusses the strengths and weaknesses of the media; he talks about racial intolerance, about brutality toward gay people, about the absence of political leadership. He also examines such cultural phenomena as our obsession with celebrity and the impact of great theater and overhyped movies. Here is the voice we knew so well from Nightline --intelligent, curious, opinionated, witty, concerned--reminding us in entertaining and thought-provoking ways that even the most public events reverberate in our private lives.

Since its premiere in 1980, Nightline has become an American institution, watched by more than 25 million people five times a week. This highly readable history of the program takes readers behind the scenes of the making of the show and looks at the profound revolution now shaking the information industry. Photos.

This rare and vintage book is a perfect addition to any bibliophile's collection

Neste tour de force de reportagem investigativa, Ted Koppel revela que um grande ciberataque à rede de energia elétrica de um país não só é possível como provável – e seria devastador. Imagine um blecaute prolongando-se não por dias, mas semanas ou meses. Dezenas de milhares de pessoas de vários estados são afetadas. Para aquelas sem acesso a um gerador, não há água corrente, esgoto, refrigeração e luz. Alimentos e remédios escasseiam. Os aparelhos com que contamos apagam. Os bancos não funcionam, os saques se disseminam, e a lei e a ordem são testadas como nunca. Não é apenas um cenário. Um ataque bem planejado a apenas uma das três grandes redes de energia dos Estados Unidos, por exemplo, poderia mutilar boa parte da infraestrutura do país – e, na era da guerra cibernética, um laptop tornou-se a única arma necessária. Diversas nações hostis poderiam deflagrar um assalto desses a qualquer momento. "Não é uma questão de se", diz o general Lloyd Austin, "é uma questão de quando". Todavia, como Koppel deixa claro, os governos em geral não têm planos para enfrentar as consequências de um ataque à rede elétrica. Na ausência desse plano, alguns indivíduos e comunidades resolveram tratar do assunto por si – os chamados "preppers", cujos preparativos incluem enormes depósitos, leiterias high-tech, pomares e empresa de caminhões própria. Mas como, pergunta Koppel, os cidadãos comuns vão sobreviver? Com urgência e autoridade, um dos mais renomados jornalistas norte-americanos examina a ameaça singular do nosso tempo e avalia maneiras potenciais de se preparar para uma catástrofe inevitável.