News Story
U.S. Senator Offers to Fly to Iran to Help Find ex-FBI Agent Who Has Been Missing Since 2007
Steve Neavling ticklethewire.com A U.S. Senator offered Tuesday to travel to Iran if it would help locate former FBI agent Robert Levinson, who vanished in the country in 2007, NBC 3 News reports. Sen. Bill Nelson, D-Fla., may have a hard time finding information, though. The last images showing Levinson alive are from…
NSA’s Policy of Collecting Phone Records in U.S. Likely Unconstitutional, Judge Rules
Steve Neavling ticklethewire.com The National Security Agency is likely violating the Constitution by gathering the dialing records of all phone calls in the U.S., the Los Angeles Times reports. The ruling by U.S. District Judge Richard J. Leon delivered a significant blow to the NSA and lays the groundwork for a Supreme Court battle. Leon’s…
President Obama Praises Newly Confirmed Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson
Steve Neavling ticklethewire.com President Obama lauded new Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson as “a strong leader” who will “play a leading role in our efforts to protect the homeland against terrorist attacks.” The statement follows Monday’s Senate confirmation of Johnson, a former general counsel at the Pentagon. The president’s full statement: “I am pleased the…
ATF Joins Investigation of Mammoth Fire at Apartment Building Site in Colorado
Steve Neavling ticklethewire.com Federal agents are joining an investigation into a suspicious Colorado fire over the weekend that was so hot that flattened the apartment building and melted cars parked across the street, the Denver Post reports. The 11 p.m. Saturday fire broke out in an apartment building that is under construction in Glendale, which…
Levinson Family Wants to Meet with New FBI Director After News That He Worked for CIA
Steve Neavling ticklethewire.com The family of former FBI agent Robert Levinson wants to meet with the new agency’s new director following recent reports that he was working for the CIA when he vanished, CNN reports. FBI Director James Comey was supposed to meet with the family before the recent revelations but has delayed his…
New Generation of FBI Agents Adds Youth, Passion to Fight Global Terrorism
Steve Neavling ticklethewire.com It hasn’t been long since the FBI’s primary focus was putting away bank robbers, kidnappers and gang members. That focus has dramatically shifted in the post-9/11 era, creating a new generation of counterterrorism experts who know the ins and outs of al Qaeda and Hezbollah, Newsweek reports. Most of the counterterrorism experts…
The FBI’s Most Popular Post on Its Website Involved a Famous Art Heist
By Alan Stamm ticklethwire.com The FBI uses the news area of its website to post arrests, convictions, awards and requests for crime-solving tips. The most-viewed post of 2013, the bureau tells a journalism blogger, is a March 18 item offering a $5-million reward for help cracking a notorious 1990 art theft. The cold case…
FBI Intervenes in Cases Before Mass Shootings by Getting Mental Health Professionals Involved
Steve Neavling ticklethewire.com The FBI is known more for combating crime than preventing it. But behind-the-scenes, the FBI has been busy trying to prevent mass shootings and violent attacks by getting mental health professionals involved, the Associated Press reports. Behind the effort is the FBI’s Behavioral Analysis Unit, which has worked for years with state…