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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…
Internet Companies Call For More Disclosure of Surveillance
Steve Neavling ticklethewire.com Microsoft, Twitter, Google and Facebook are calling for more disclosure of secret requests to hand over date of users, The Guardian reports. “Permitting greater transparency on the aggregate volume and scope of national security requests, including Fisa orders, would help the community understand and debate these important issues,” Microsoft said in an…
Two Virginia Friends Accused of Stealing FBI-Issued Machine Gun from Trunk
Steve Neavling ticklethewire.com Two Virginia friends thought it would be fun to test out a machine gun they are accused of stealing from the trunk of an FBI agent in Alexandria, The Washington Examiner reports. Jonathan Cowden, 26, a security guard and Nate Whilden, a music instructor, face up to 10 years in prison on…
Richard DesLauriers, Head of Boston FBI, Announces He’s Retiring And Joining Private Sector
Steve Neavling ticklethewire.com Richard DesLauriers, who has led the Boston FBI office since July 2010, announced he’s retiring from the bureau and taking a job in the private sector, The Boston Globe reports. DesLauriers, who most recently led the response to the Boston Marathon bombings, will retire effective July 13 as he prepares to take…
Long-Awaited Trial of James ‘Whitey’ Bulger Begins Today in Boston Courtroom
Steve Neavling ticklethewire.com Opening statements begin today in the long-anticipated trial of James “Whitey” Bulger, who is accused of murder, racketeering, extortion, money laundering, gun stockpiling and drug dealing. Before his arrest, Bulger was so notorious that he shared the top spot on the FBI’s most-wanted list with terrorist Osama bin Laden, The New York…
British Newspaper to Generate More Stories About Surveillance Breaches from NSA Whistleblower
Steve Neavling ticklethewire.com A reporter involved with exposing the federal government’s massive surveillance programs said more “significant revelations” are ahead, Fox News reports. The Guardian writer Glenn Greenwald said the British newspaper will be releasing stories based on documents from 29-year-old former government contractor, Edward Snowden, who faces decades in prison. “We are going to…
FBI Probes Source of Weapons Used by Gunman Who Killed 5 in Santa Monica
Steve Neavling ticklethewire.com One big mystery behind the gunman who killed five people in Santa Monica is how he got his weapons. Federal authorities recovered two weapons from John Zawahri – a semiautomatic rifle and an old “black-powder handgun,” The Los Angeles Times reports. Authorities also are trying determine how he amassed a large collection…
Pennsylvania Justice Under FBI Probe Over Wife’s Referral Fees Involving Law Firms
Steve Neavling ticklethewire.com Pennsylvania Supreme Court Justice Seamus P. McCaffery is the target of an FBI investigation involving referral fees received by his wife, the Philadelphia Inquirer reports. His wife and chief aide, Lise Rapaport, received 19 referral fees for connecting clients with personal-injury law firms, the Inquirer reported. One of those fees was for…