secret service photo

WASHINGTON — A top member of President Obama’s Secret Service detail under investigation for his conduct during a White House bomb threat probe notified the agency this week that he plans to retire, according to officials familiar with his decision.

The decision by Marc Connolly came ahead of the public release of a report concluding that he and a colleague were “more likely than not” impaired by alcohol on the night of March 4 as they drove into a temporary barricade and directly beside a suspicious package that was under investigation as a possible bomb, the investigative report says.

The findings are scheduled to be the subject of a congressional hearing Thursday.

To read more click here. 

By Steve Neavling

Investigators were combing through the debris from an Amtrak train crash Tuesday night that killed at least seven people and injured more than 200, The New York Times reports. 

The National Transportation Safety Board, which is leading the probe, will “look at everything that could have led to this occurrence,” lead investigator Robert Sumwalt said.

The train was traveling 106 mph when it hurtled off the tracks.

“We’re trying to understand why was that truing going that fast,” Sumwalt said.

It wasn’t yet clear whether speed was the only factor in the crash.

By Steve Neavling

A two-year investigation into the Baltimore landfills has led to the arrests of five employees accused to taking bribes and stealing scrap metal, the Baltimore Sun reports.

The workers were arrested and charged in U.S. District Court following several raids.

Some are accused of taking bribes from commercial haulers in exchange for using the facility without paying disposal fees.

Some workers also are accused to stealing hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of scrap metal from the landfills.

Public Works Director Rudy Chow wouldn’t comment directly on the charges but said “there is no room for unethical or illegal behavior in the Baltimore City Department of Public Works.”

Chuck Rosenberg

A top FBI official is expected to take over the troubled DEA following the forced resignation of DEA Administrator Michele Leonhart, the L.A. Times reports. 

Attorney General Loretta Lynch tapped Chuck Rosenberg, the chief of staff to FBI Director James Comey, as the acting administrator in an effort to shake up the agency.

Rosenberg, who is expected to head the DEA for the rest of President Obama’s term, is to focus less on marijuana and more on drugs like heroin.

Rosenberg “has proven himself as an exceptional leader, a skilled problem-solver, and a consummate public servant of unshakable integrity,” Lynch said in a statement.

Comey said that Rosenberg “is one of the finest people and public servants I have ever known. His judgment, intelligence, humility, and passion for the mission will be sorely missed at FBI.”

Click here for the FBI’s bio on Rosenberg.

The federal government wants to hire about 1,600 Border Patrol agents by Sept. 30 to fill vacancies across the country.

Applications will be accepted at USAJobs until May 31.

There are currently about 20,000 agents assigned across 6,000 miles of border land.

Applicants must be under the age of 37 and be U.S. citizens. Drug tests and fitness exams also are included.

A Border Patrol agent starts out at about $39,000 and is capable of making more than $70,000 with promotions.

Other Stories of Interest

Sally Yates

Anger over President Obama’s executive actions on immigration wasn’t enough to prevent the Senate confirmation of a new deputy attorney general on Wednesday.

Sally Yates, known for cracking down on crime in Georgia, was confirmed to the No. 2 position in the Justice Department with by a 84-12 vote in the Senate, Politico.com reports.

Some Republicans tried to prevent the confirmation on the grounds that the president’s executive actions on immigration were unconscionable. But Lynch gained strong support from the GOP.

“She is an experienced and dedicated prosecutor with a well-deserved reputation for fairness, integrity, toughness. She is a confirmed leader in this crucial position,” the Senate Judiciary Committee’s Patrick Leahy, of Vermont, said.

Yates replaces James Coles, who resigned at the beginning of the year.