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Fact check: GOP national security debate

Wed, 23 Nov 2011 00:00:00 -0800

FactCheck - By Brooks Jackson, Lori Robertson, Robert Farley - Nov. 23 (Fact Check) - The latest GOP debate was thin on memorable moments or major factual bloopers, but we do have some leftover claims to dispute before we shut down for the Thanksgiving holiday. We wouldn't want anybody's turkey dinner to be spoiled by worries that terrorists have come over the border with Mexico, for example. We also found misstatements about an oil pipeline, presidential contacts with Iran and cuts to the defense budget.

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DHS seeks intelligence on "domestic threats" from Twitter traffic

Tue, 01 Nov 2011 00:00:00 -0700

Boing Boing - By Xeni Jardin - Nov. 01 (News) - Popular uprisings in the Mideast and North Africa, and now, Occupy Wall street: all examples of popular unrest powered in part by Twitter and other online social networks. In response, the U.S. government is reported to now be developing guidelines for culling intel from social media, according to a Homeland Security official.

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Petraeus’s CIA Fuels Iran Murder Plot

Thu, 13 Oct 2011 00:00:00 -0700

Consortium News - By Ray McGovern - Oct. 13 (News Analysis) - Before Ignatius’s article, I had seen no one allude to the fact that much about this crime-stopper tale had come from the CIA. In public, the FBI had taken the lead role, presumably because the key informant inside a Mexican drug cartel worked for U.S. law enforcement via the Drug Enforcement Administration.

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Homeland Security Texas Homeland Security Strategic Plan - 2010-2015

Wed, 28 Sep 2011 00:00:00 -0700

State of Texas - By Rick Perry - Sep. 28 (Statement) - Local and state reinforcement of federal forces has proven to be an extremely effective means of helping fill the capability shortfalls created by severe manpower shortages in key federal agencies like the U.S. Border Patrol. Since 2005, Texas has dedicated over $200 million in federal grants and state funding to help fill the critical gaps, and is committed to providing further support to ensure adequate forces are available to patrol and secure the Texas-Mexico border.

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Columbia Spent U.S. Anti-Drug Aid on Hiding Government Ties to Drug Rings

Mon, 22 Aug 2011 00:00:00 -0700

yahoo.com - By Ujala Sehgal - Aug. 22 (News) - The U.S.-funded counterinsurgency campaign against a Marxist rebel group in Columbia was viewed as so successful that it has become a model for strategy in Afghanistan. But things were not what they seemed: the Washington Post reports that U.S. ally and former president Alvaro Uribe has been implicated in "egregious abuses of power and illegal actions," involving U.S. aid an "possibly U.S. officials" -- all under the cover of fighting drug trafficking. American cash, equipment, and training were sent to Columbia to help break up cocaine-smugglers, but were actually used "to carry out spying operations and smear campaigns against Supreme Court justices, Uribe’s political opponents and civil society groups."

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S&P downgrades U.S. credit rating

Fri, 05 Aug 2011 00:00:00 -0700

CNN - By Charles Riley - Aug. 05 (Breaking News) - Credit rating agency Standard & Poor's on Friday downgraded the credit rating of the United States, stripping the world's largest economy of its prized AAA status. In July, S&P placed the United States' rating on "CreditWatch with negative implications" as the debt ceiling debate devolved into partisan bickering.

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Report: Global Cyberattack Under Way for 5 Years

Thu, 04 Aug 2011 00:00:00 -0700

Associated Press - By Mark Hamrick - Aug. 04 (News Report) - A computer security firm says cybercriminals have spent at least the past five years targeting more than 70 government entities, nonprofit groups and corporations around the world to steal troves of data.

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TSA Airport Scanners Wouldn’t Catch an Implant Bomber

Wed, 06 Jul 2011 00:00:00 -0700

ProPublica - By Michael Grabell - Jul. 06 (Special Report) - A number of news outlets are reporting today on the bizarre-sounding story of terrorist groups considering how to implant explosive devices into humans to blow up a passenger jet. A U.S. security official confirmed the story for ProPublica, and the Transportation Security Administration released a statement that it had recently briefed domestic and foreign airlines. The agency said that passengers flying to the United States may notice additional security measures, such as more interaction from TSA officers, pat-downs and the use of “enhanced tools and technologies.”

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Ex-Spy Alleges Bush White House Sought to Discredit Critic

Thu, 16 Jun 2011 00:00:00 -0700

New York Times - By James Risen - Jun. 16 (News) - A former senior C.I.A. official says that officials in the Bush White House sought damaging personal information on a prominent American critic of the Iraq war in order to discredit him.

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Richard Clarke: China's Cyberassault on America

Wed, 15 Jun 2011 00:00:00 -0700

Wall Street Journal - By Richard Clarke - Jun. 15 (Opinion) - If we discovered Chinese explosives laid throughout our national electrical system, we'd consider it an act of war. China's digital bombs pose as grave a threat.

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China rejects Google allegation of massive hacking breach as ‘fabrication’

Thu, 02 Jun 2011 00:00:00 -0700

Washington Post - By Cecilia Kang, Ellen Nakashima - Jun. 02 (News) - Google’s allegation that hackers based in China accessed hundreds of Gmail accounts, including some belonging to senior U.S. officials, drew angry denials from Chinese government officials on Thursday, with a foreign ministry spokesman calling the accusation “a fabrication out of thin air.”

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Senate considers Patriot Act despite concerns

Tue, 24 May 2011 00:00:00 -0700

Associated Press - By Laurie Kellman, Associated Press - May. 24 (News) - Senate considers Patriot Act despite concerns

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The Patriot Act and bipartisanship

Mon, 23 May 2011 00:00:00 -0700

Associated Press - By Glenn Greenwald - May. 23 (Opinion) - Senate Democrats use classic Bush/Cheney fear-mongering to demand quick passage of the Patriot Act

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Scientists Cast Doubt on TSA Tests of Full-Body Scanners

Mon, 16 May 2011 00:00:00 -0700

ProPublica - By by Michael Grabell - May. 16 (News Report) - "There's no real data on these machines, and in fact, the best guess of the dose is much, much higher than certainly what the public thinks," said John Sedat, a professor emeritus in biochemistry and biophysics at UCSF and the primary author of the letter.

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Post-Osama, Pak warns US of supply line cut

Sun, 15 May 2011 00:00:00 -0700

Associated Press - May. 15 (News Report) - Still angry over the US raid that killed Osama bin Laden, Pakistani lawmakers demanded an end to American missile strikes against Islamist militants on their soil on Saturday, and warned that Pakistan may cut NATO's supply line to Afghanistan if the attacks don't stop. The nonbinding parliamentary resolution reflects the precarious state of the US-Pakistani alliance, which is vital to the war effort in neighboring Afghanistan. The bin Laden raid has brought to the fore a longstanding dilemma that US strikes that Washington says kill militants often are seen by Pakistanis as a violation of sovereignty with mostly civilian victims, exacerbating an already-high anti-American sentiment. During a visit to Afghanistan, US Sen John Kerry, chairman of the powerful Senate Foreign Relations Committee, called on Pakistan to be a better partner in the fight against terrorists.

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Obama says border patrol has doubled the number of agents since 2004

Tue, 10 May 2011 00:00:00 -0700

PolitiFact - May. 10 (Fact Check) - In a speech on immigration reform in El Paso, Texas, President Barack Obama boasted about an unprecedented number of border security agents along the U.S. border with Mexico, but he said critics probably still won't be satisfied. "Under Secretary Napolitano’s leadership, we have strengthened border security beyond what many believed was possible," Obama said in his May 10, 2011, speech. "They wanted more agents on the border. Well, we now have more boots on the ground on the southwest border than at any time in our history. The Border Patrol has 20,000 agents –- more than twice as many as there were in 2004, a buildup that began under President Bush and that we have continued." Obama said that commitment is beyond what was requested by some Republicans "who said they supported broader reform as long as we got serious about enforcement." "I suspect there will be those who will try to move the goal posts one more time," Obama said. "They’ll say we need to triple the border patrol. Or quadruple the border patrol."

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Obama’s national security team was sharply divided over Osama bin Laden raid

Mon, 09 May 2011 00:00:00 -0700

Washington Post - By Joby Warrick, Karin Brulliard - May. 09 (News Report) - President Obama faced sharply divided counsel and, to his mind, barely better-than-even odds of success when he ordered the commando raid last week that killed al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden, the president said in an interview broadcast Sunday.

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Pentagon releases video found at bin Laden compound

Sat, 07 May 2011 00:00:00 -0700

CBS News - By Anthony Mason, Bob Orr - May. 07 (News Report) - Videotapes obtained during the raid on Osama bin Laden's hideout released by the Pentagon revealed images of the Al Qaeda leader preparing his video messages and watching himself on television.

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Videotapes show a glimpse of bin Laden's life in hiding

Sat, 07 May 2011 00:00:00 -0700

CBS News - May. 07 (News Report) - Videotapes obtained during the raid on Osama bin Laden's Abbottabad, Pakistan hideout released by the U.S. Saturday revealed images of the Al Qaeda leader preparing his video messages and watching himself on television. The five movies offer the first public glimpse at bin Laden's life behind the walls of his compound in suburban Pakistan. The government-selected clips also provide an opportunity for the U.S. to paint bin Laden in an unflattering light to his supporters. They video include outtakes of his propaganda films and, taken together, portray him as someone obsessed with his own image and how he is portrayed to the world.

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Death of Osama bin Laden: Phone call pointed U.S. to compound --€” and to '€˜the pacer'

Fri, 06 May 2011 00:00:00 -0700

Washington Post - By Bob Woodward - May. 06 (News Report) - It seemed an innocuous, catch-up phone call. Last year Abu Ahmed al-Kuwaiti, the pseudonym for a Pakistani known to U.S. intelligence as the main courier for Osama bin Laden, took a call from an old friend. Where have you been? inquired the friend. We’ve missed you. What’s going on in your life? And what are you doing now?

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Prepare for the pat-down

Thu, 05 May 2011 00:00:00 -0700

The Towerlight - By Jordan Russell - May. 05 (News) - Tigerfest, a Towson tradition now only a day away, promotes fun, safety, and this year, pat-downs. Along with increased security for this year’s Tigerfest, the Office of Student Activities will subject students to pat-downs before entering Johnny Unitas Stadium. SAFE management, a company that oversees the stadium, facilities and special events, will be responsible for [...]

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Blackwater’s New Ethics Chief: John Ashcroft

Wed, 04 May 2011 10:27:03 -0700

Wired - By Spencer Ackerman - May. 04 (News Report) - The consortium in charge of restructuring the world’s most infamous private security firm just added a new chief in charge of keeping the company on the straight and narrow. Yes, John Ashcroft, the former attorney general, is now an “independent director” of Xe Services, formerly known as Blackwater.

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Obama: The Man Who Got the Job Done

Mon, 02 May 2011 00:00:00 -0700

Huffington Post - By Meredith Bagby - May. 02 (Opinion) - But what we can say tonight is that President Obama will receive great political accolades for his efforts. He is already being positioned as the leader that focused on the right mission rather than the wrong war.

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The Mosaic Philosophy at Gitmo

Sat, 30 Apr 2011 00:00:00 -0700

Harper's - By Scott Horton - Apr. 30 (News Report) - Several in the U.S. leadership became aware of this lack of proper vetting very early on and, thus, of the reality that many of the detainees were innocent of any substantial wrongdoing, had little intelligence value, and should be immediately released.

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Petraeus and Panetta said to be up for new posts as part of national security shakeup

Wed, 27 Apr 2011 00:00:00 -0700

Washington Post - By Karen DeYoung, Greg Jaffe - Apr. 27 (News) - President Obama is expected this week to nominate Gen. David H. Petraeus to replace Leon Panetta as CIA director and to name Panetta as secretary of defense, U.S. officials said Wednesday, part of a long-anticipated shakeup of his national security team.

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