News Story
FBI Director: Google, Apple Have ‘Gone Too Far’ with Encrypted Software
By Steve Neavling ticklethewire.com FBI Director James Comey said Thursday that Apple and Google have “gone too far” by offering cell phones that are fully encrypted, the New York Times reports. Comey hinted that federal action should be taken to prevent companies from offering phones that make it impossible for law enforcement to access e-mails,…
Deputy Attorney General James M. Cole to Step Down, Take Job in Private Sector
By Steve Neavling ticklethewire.com The Justice Department is about to lose another high-ranking officials. Deputy Attorney General James M. Cole, second-in-command, announced Thursday that he’s taking a job in the private sector, the Washington Post reports. The Post said possible successors include Sally Quillian Yates, who is U.S. attorney for the Northern District of Georgia,…
TSA Administrator Pistole to Retire After More Than 4 Years at Helm
By Steve Neavling ticklethewire.com John Pistole, head of the TSA, will retire after leading the agency for more than four years, Reuters reports. Pistole was in charge of 60,000 employees and security operations at more than 415 airports nationwide. Pistole “has been integral in leading TSA’s transformation to a risk-based, intelligence-driven counterterrorism agency dedicated to…
Vanity Fair Explores Whether Secret Service Could Have Saved J.F.K
By Steve Neavling ticklethewire.com When bullets were fired in Dallas on November 22, 1963, many of the Secret Service agents hired to protect President John F. Kennedy failed in their duties, the Vanity Fair reports in an examination of the actions taken by the White House security detail. “Roy Kellerman, the leader of the security…
FBI Director Comey Says No Evidence of Terrorists Trying to Weaponize Ebola
By Steve Neavling ticklethewire.com FBI Director James Comey said Thursday that there’s no evidence that terrorists are trying to weaponize Ebola, The Hill reports. Comey had a one-word response when asked whether there was credible evidence of an Ebola threat from terrorists: “No.” Comey didn’t elaborate after a speech at the Brookings Institute. Some Republicans…
One of FBI’s Oldest Special Agent Dies Following Long Battle with Cancer
By Steve Neavling ticklethewire.com John “Jack” Sullivan, 95, was one of the agency’s oldest special agents when he died on Sept. 23 following a long battle with cancer. During his three decades with the FBI, Sullivan worked in multiple locations. Masslive.com repots that Sullivan, who was characterized as a long grandfather, storyteller and admirer of…
TSA Cleans Up Checkpoints After Nurse with Ebola Travels Through Cleveland Airport
By Steve Neavling ticklethewire.com A passenger with the Ebola virus traveled through the security checkpoints at Cleveland Hopkins International Airport, prompting TSA to disinfect the areas, the Plain Dealer reports. The patient, Amber Joy Vinson, walked through the central security checkpoint while en route to Dallas/Fort Worth. Individual lanes to the checkpoints will be closed…
Border Patrol Wants Futuristic Dog Collars to Help Track Down Terrorists, Drugs
By Steve Neavling ticklethewire.com Border Patrol is considering using futuristic dog collars to improve security at the border, Nextgov.com reports. “The U.S. government is exploring the possibility of outfitting its border-protecting canines with futuristic collars that can, for example, translate a dog’s stress level through its bark and relay that data in real-time to a…