
News Story

Fallen Border Patrol Agent Brian A. Terry Honored by Specialty Coin
Steve Neavling ticklethewire.com A federal group is selling collector’s coins of Border Patrol Agent Brian A. Terry, who was killed in a shootout while on duty, to raise money for a foundation created to honor Terry. Called the “Challenge Coin,” the Border Narcotics Intelligence is selling the coins online for $15. Terry’s death grabbed national…

FBI Director Robert Mueller Defends Snatching Massive Phone Records
By GINGER GIBSON Politico WASHINGTON — FBI Director Robert Mueller defended the amassing of widespread phone records, before a House Committee, saying had it been in place before the Sept. 11 attacks, the attacks could have been “derailed” and that it was used to track a friend of the Boston Marathon bombers. Monitoring calls between…

FBI Director Mueller Faces Tough Questions in Final House Committee Meeting
Steve Neavling ticklthewire.com FBI Director Robert Mueller is expected to undergo tough questions today as he nears the end of his 12 years at the helm, the Associated Press reports. In what likely will be his final appearance before the House Judiciary Committee, Mueller likely will be grilled about the Boston Marathon bombings investigation, the…

NSA Director Defends Surveillance Programs As Critical Tools in Fight Against Terrorism
Steve Neavling ticklethewire.com The director of the National Security Agency forcefully defended the surveillance programs Wednesday that kept tabs on Internet activity and collected millions of telephone records, the Associated Press reports. The once-secret programs, which was disclosed this month to an incensed public, were invaluable tools in the fight against terrorism, said NSA Director…

Feds Ready to Endorse Monitor over NYPD If Stop-And-Frisk Is Ruled Unconstitutional
Steve Neavling ticklethewire.com If a judge declares that the New York City’s stop-and-frisk practices are unconstitutional, the U.S. Justice Department says it would strongly support a federal monitor to oversee reforms to change that practice, the New York Times reports. The so-called statement of interest was filed Wednesday in Federal District Court. “The experience of…

Border Patrol Agents Save More than 175 People in Scorching Arizona Desert
Steve Neavling ticklethewire.com More than 175 people trying to find freedom in America were rescued while trying to traverse the scorching Arizona border over the past month, the Associated Press reports. Border Patrol agents in the Tucson Sector made the rescues. The AP wrote that more than 250 agents also are trained as EMTs and…

Defense Opens Trial Telling Jurors ‘Whitey’ Bulger Was Never an FBI Informant
Steve Neavling ticklethewire.com Former Boston mob boss James “Whitey” Bulger was never an FBI informant, his attorney said during opening statements in a trial that alleges 19 counts of murder, U.S. News & World Report writes. Defense attorney J.W. Carney said Bulger never worked as an FBI informant against Italian mob rivals. “Number one, James…

B. Todd Jones Steps Up to the Plate and Faces Tough Questions in Confirmation Process
By Sari Horwitz and Ed O’Keefe The Washington Post WASHINGTON — The national debate over gun control has died down, but there were moments of high tension Tuesday as the Senate began considering the appointment of a director to the federal agency that regulates firearms and investigates gun and explosives crimes. The Judiciary Committee…