Steve Neavling ticklethewire.com A vast majority of Homeland Security employees cannot be forced off the job because of a government shutdown, the Washington Post reports. About 86% of the department’s 231,000 employees are considered “essential,” which means they must remain on the job for the “safety of human life or protection of property,” regardless of…
Steve Neavling ticklethewire.com Russian President Vladimir Putin said he hopes the diplomatic nightmare surrounding NSA leaker Edward Snowden is soon over. The USA Today reports that Putin wants Snowden to leave the country at the “earliest opportunity.” “As soon as there is an opportunity for him to move elsewhere, I hope he will do that….
Steve Neavling ticklethewire.com The announcement by the Transportation Security Administration last week that knives and other prohibited items will be permitted in airline cabs has incensed some travelers, lawmakers, aviation professionals and TSA employees, CNN reports. “I am aware of the argument that anything can be made into a weapon, but knives make it easy,”…
By Allan Lengel ticklethewire.com A bagage inspector for the Transportation Security Administration was fatally shot by her husband Sunday morning in a murder-suicide at the Cleveland airport, the Cleveland Plain Dealer reported. The shooting took place in the employee parking lot of the Cleveland Hopkins International Airport, the paper reported. The paper identified the TSA…
Steve Neavling ticklethewire.com The Department of Homeland Security is plagued with low morale, much more so than other federal agencies, according to a Department of Homeland Security report. The report by the U.S. Government Accountability Office urges the DHS to determine the reason for low morale and solve the problem. “GAO found that despite having…
By Allan Lengel ticklethewire.com Two Transportation Security Administration officers were indicted Tuesday on charges of conspiring and attempting to smuggle cocaine through Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport in Atlanta. Richard C. Cook II, 27, of Henry County, Ga. and Timothy G. Gregory, 25, of DeKalb County, Ga. were indicted by a grand jury on multiple drug counts….
Shoshanna Utchenik ticklethewire.com Can a uniform itself lead to abuse of power? If the uniform in question belongs to TSA airport screeners, the House says “No”. Thursday the House voted down a proposal that would have stripped Transportation Security Administration (TSA) airport screeners of badges, shields and police-like uniforms, reports The Hill. Rep. Marsha Blackburn…
