| This is Bloomberg Opinion Today, a password keeper of Bloomberg Opinion's opinions. Sign up here. Today's AgendaThe Cyber Cold War Is Here, and You're EnlistedI have a confession: There's a website I've visited occasionally for the past 14 years, and for all that time my password has been one of those passwords the "experts" always tell you not to use. It's not a website with sensitive information, and I don't use that password anywhere else. But still, it's a very dumb password I am incapable of changing, due to my chronic case of not wanting to. Here at Bloomberg, meanwhile, I not only have a password that changes routinely but also a fingerprint scanner, to keep people from stealing important newsletter secrets. It may be no fun to jump through such hoops, but this is increasingly the price we're all going to have to pay to avoid having our lives ruined by hackers. Because these days they're increasingly sophisticated, evasive and backed by foreign governments, writes Tim O'Brien. Even Microsoft, which has known and warned of our growing vulnerability for years, recently fell victim to a massive hack it's still untangling. Now it's clear that not only do individuals have to stop using dumb passwords and finally enable that two-factor authentication we keep dodging, but the federal government also must counter the efforts of Russia, China and other countries trying to steal our data, disrupt our power grid or who knows what else. The stakes are much higher than stolen newsletter secrets. Fight the FilibusterLike a dangerously dumb password that needs changing, the Senate filibuster keeps hanging around and causing trouble. For example, the House will soon pass a bill to close the "gun show" loophole that lets Americans buy guns without background checks. Most of us, including most gun owners, want this loophole closed. But most Republican senators don't, and they can use the filibuster to kill this law, Bloomberg's editorial board writes. Democratic leadership should force a vote on it anyway, to make Republicans own up to blocking this modest, lifesaving reform. President Joe Biden has executive actions he can take, but as we've seen, these often last only as long as one party's hold on the White House. Biden also has plans for long-needed infrastructure spending, voting reform and more, all of which the filibuster impedes. West Virginia Senator Joe Manchin, one of the few Democrats dedicated to protecting the practice, has suggested making its use harder by forcing senators to talk endlessly, Mr. Smith-style. But Jonathan Bernstein warns this idea won't solve the filibuster problem at all and will in fact make life worse for the majority. There are better approaches. Without them, the Biden administration may be all but stalled after the passage of the Covid relief bill. Just Give People Cash AlreadyFor most of the past 40 years or so, it has been an article of faith for both parties in this country (not to mention Margaret Thatcher's U.K.) that giving poor people money turns them into parasites. But science, in the form of actual data, may finally be shaking that faith. Noah Smith writes economists have found little evidence that forcing people to work for social benefits makes them more productive or makes a dent in poverty. Meanwhile, though, evidence keeps piling up that simply giving people cash makes their lives easier, giving them the confidence and time to truly improve themselves. Biden's $1.9 trillion Covid relief bill takes these lessons to heart by embracing direct cash payments. More could be on the way. Telltale ChartsIf you want to gauge GameStop's business prospects without the distraction of Reddit hype, check out its bonds, which Brian Chappatta notes aren't priced for wild success.  Ferrari's ownership family took a big stake in Christian Louboutin, the maker of fancy high-heeled shoes, as a bet on a post-pandemic boom, writes Andrea Felsted. It looks like a winner.  Further ReadingFlawed old antitrust standards are going away in the Biden administration. — Joe Nocera Long Covid is a huge and mysterious problem that is finally getting the attention it deserves. — Therese Raphael Chinese investors are too skittish and copy-cattish to let somebody like a Cathie Wood succeed there. — Shuli Ren It was foolish to expect Meghan Markle marrying into the royal family would change anything, aside from her own fortune. — Pankaj Mishra ICYMIPfizer's Covid vaccine neutralized Brazilian and U.K. variants in a lab study. New power generator runs without combustion. Trader buys $36 million worth of painted rocks passed off as copper. Kickers"Tragic optimism" could help you cope. (h/t Mike Smedley) What happens when investment firms own trailer parks. A Turkish lake could offer clues about life on Mars. Area couple turns millennia-old bog trees into furniture. Notes: Please send bog trees and complaints to Mark Gongloff at mgongloff1@bloomberg.net. Sign up here and follow us on Twitter and Facebook. | 
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