By Steve Neavling ticklethewire.com The FBI and National Security Administration are on the verge of losing surveillance powers that were gained after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. Authorities for both agencies are urging lawmakers to preserve the spy powers before the expire June 1, The Guardian reports. Some members of Congress want more surveillance reforms…
By Steve Neavling ticklethewire.com The partisan delay in confirming Loretta Lynch as the next attorney general is beginning to impact promotions and policy decision at the Justice Department, The Los Angeles Times reports. The delay has prompted DOJ officials to question whether to hold a major intentional meeting on cybersecurity this spring. “There is a…
By Steve Neavling ticklethewire.com The normally anti-marijuana DEA officially recommended that the federal government triple its production of almost 900 pounds of pot for research in 2015. The proposal, endorsed by DEA Administrator Michele Leonhart, is intended to provide a sufficient amount of marijuana to conduct research on the dangers and the medical benefits of…
The Buffalo News Editorial Board The good news – and it is good news – is that the FBI has made great strides in transforming itself since the 2001 terror attacks. In a new report by the FBI 9/11 Review Commission, the agency is credited with significantly improving the number of analysts qualified for their…
By Steve Neavling ticklethewire.com Senate Republicans want to know whether Border Patrol agents or Homeland Security officials were disciplined for refusing to follow President Obama’s immigration policies. Fox News reports that Republicans are investigating claims that federal managers are retaliating against employees who don’t follow the president’s order. “We are aware of multiple allegations of…
By Steve Neavling ticklethewire.com If the FBI had its way, security encryption would be outlawed on cell phones. FBI Director James Comey is lobbying Congress to create a law that would require tech companies to “create a backdoor into any communications device that uses encryption,” Gizmodo reports. Only trouble is, many Congressional members don’t know…
By Steve Neavling ticklethewire.com Secret Service Director Joe Clancy disputed news reports that two high-ranking agents drunkenly crashed into a gate at the White House. “Previous reports of a crash are inaccurate — there was no crash,” Clancy said at a Senate Appropriations Homeland Security subcommittee hearing, CNN reports. “The video shows the vehicle entering…
By Steve Neavling ticklethewire.com Not many people want to be in Joe Clancy’s shoes. The longtime agent that President Obama recently appointed to lead the beleaguered Secret Service will face tough questions from lawmakers today over the latest embarrassment to hit the agency. Clancy is scheduled to appear before the House Appropriations Committee for a…
