counterterrorism

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Obama Moves to Boost FBI Access to Internet Records

Critics say move is fed power grab

(Newser) - The Obama administration is trying to make it easier for the FBI to obtain records of people's Internet usage without a court order. Adding "electronic communication transactional records" to the list of items the FBI can demand without court approval would allow the bureau to access the email addresses...

Angry Spy Crew Hits Back at WaPo Probe

Boast they've thwarted attacks

(Newser) - The intel community has struck back fast at a scathing Washington Post investigation that portrayed post-9/11 intelligence gathering as wastefully massive and out of control. "The fact is, the men and women of the intelligence community have improved our operations, thwarted attacks, and are achieving untold successes every day,...

US Intel Gathering Insanely Out of Control

 US Intel Gathering 
 Insanely Out of Control 

wapo Investigation
Jul 19, 2010 7:56 AM CDT

US Intel Gathering Insanely Out of Control

Post 9/11 buildup has left us with more info than we can handle

(Newser) - In the wake of 9/11, the US has built an unspeakably massive top-secret counter-terrorism apparatus that appears to be riddled with waste, according to a major investigative piece that some 20 journalists spent nearly two years working on for the Washington Post . The paper found that 1,271 government organizations,...

Why There Haven't Been More Bombings Here

Would-be terrorists face multiple obstacles stateside

(Newser) - From the explosives in Umar Abdulmutallab's pants to Faisal Shahzad's smoldering SUV in Times Square, most recent terror attempts in the US have failed spectacularly. Militant groups who regularly and successfully carry out bombings in Afghanistan and Iraq have a much tougher time launching attacks in the US. Dina Temple-Raston...

Attacks on US Hit All-Time High
 Attacks on US Hit All-Time High 
May 27, 2010 8:51 AM CDT

Attacks on US Hit All-Time High

Homeland Security memo predicts 'increased frequency'

(Newser) - Attempted attacks against America have reached an all-time high, according to the Department of Homeland Security. "The number and pace of attempted attacks against the United States over the past nine months have surpassed the number of attempts during any other previous one-year period," reads the unclassified DHS...

Terror Patrols Beefed Up at Hollywood Studios

LA County cops warn public to be on high alert

(Newser) - Police have stepped up patrols at entertainment studios in the Los Angeles area following the weekend's attempted car bombing in Times Square. Law enforcement officials say that while they aren't aware of any new threats, they are remaining vigilant at sites linked to Comedy Central owners Viacom, which some suspect...

NYC Bomb: Growing Threat in Everyday Ingredients

New trend in terrorism: homegrown, unsophisticated

(Newser) - The ingredients that turned an SUV into a smoldering car bomb in Times Square were all cheap and ordinary: propane tanks, gas cans, powder from fireworks. In its reliance on components that are easy to come by and almost impossible to detect, Saturday's failed bombing looks a lot like other...

Obama Pick for Justice Post Withdraws

GOP had blasted Dawn Johnsen for criticizing Bush on terror

(Newser) - President Obama's nominee to head the Justice Department's Office of Legal Counsel has withdrawn her bid for confirmation, after several Republicans objected to her criticism of the Bush administration's terrorist interrogation policies. Dawn Johnsen's withdrawal—a setback for the Obama administration—was announced by the White House on a day...

Obama Puts American Cleric on CIA Kill List

Anwar al-Awlaki may be first US citizen targeted for death

(Newser) - In what may be an unprecedented move, Barack Obama has authorized the CIA to assassinate an American citizen. The target: Anwar al-Awlaki, a radical Muslim cleric who was born in New Mexico, but now operates out of Yemen. Counterterror officials say he’s a member of al-Qaeda, and has been...

New 'Profile' Screenings Set for US Airports

Guidelines replace nationality-only focus

(Newser) - Passengers entering the US will now be screened based on whether they fit intelligence profiles of potential terrorists, not solely on nationality, the Obama administration is announcing today. Under the new plan, passengers will be subject to special screening if they share characteristics that match the latest intelligence information about...

Look Who Says Bush Was Right on Terror
 Look Who Says Bush 
 Was Right on Terror 
WILLIAM MCGURN
Feb 9, 2010 5:00 AM CST

Look Who Says Bush Was Right on Terror

Obama invokes Bush policies as defense in Couric interview

(Newser) - President Obama rolled out a surprising line of defense when Katie Couric quizzed him about civilian trials for terrorists in an interview Sunday, writes William McGurn. "We're not handling any of these cases any different than the Bush administration handled them all through 9/11," Obama insisted. Invoking Bush...

Brennan: GOP Was Briefed on Bomb Suspect

Accuses Republicans of using terrorism as 'political football'

(Newser) - John Brennan says he briefed senior GOP lawmakers on the Christmas Day terror arrest and the FBI’s handling of it right away, and dismissed their later criticisms as political ploys. “None of those individuals raised any concerns with me at that point.” the White House counterterror chief...

Underwear Bomber Spilling 'Chilling' al-Qaeda Intel

GOP complains FBI's revealing too much about what he's saying

(Newser) - Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab is continuing to provide the FBI with vital—and chilling—information now that he's talking, intelligence sources say. Officials say that the underwear bomber, who started cooperating after family members were flown in from Nigeria, has provided details about his al-Qaeda handlers in Yemen. He believes there...

Obama's Tone Deaf on Terror
 Obama's 
 Tone Deaf 
 on Terror 
RICHARD COHEN
Feb 2, 2010 8:13 AM CST

Obama's Tone Deaf on Terror

'President is ignoring citizen security fears'

(Newser) - The Obama administration's policy on captured terrorists seems like it's aimed more at pleasing America's critics than making Americans feel safer, writes Richard Cohen. Blunders like trying to hold the KSM trial in New York and giving the "underwear bomber" suspect his Miranda rights show that the administration is...

FBI Illegally Searched Phone Records for Years
 FBI Illegally Searched 
 Phone Records for Years 
investigation
Jan 19, 2010 8:55 AM CST

FBI Illegally Searched Phone Records for Years

Thousands targeted, including Times and Post reporters

(Newser) - From 2002 to 2006, the FBI repeatedly violated its own rules, collecting more than 2,000 telephone records by declaring terror emergencies that didn't exist, and then never following up with the letters required to justify such searches. As the bureau strained to gather intelligence more quickly in the wake...

GOP Needs to Be Obama's Ally Against Terror
GOP Needs to Be Obama's Ally Against Terror
opinion
Jan 14, 2010 10:20 AM CST

GOP Needs to Be Obama's Ally Against Terror

'GOP-Obama entente' is in country's best interests, writes Daniel Henninger

(Newser) - The GOP should give no quarter to President Obama and congressional Democrats on domestic issue, but the fight against terror's a different story, writes Daniel Henninger. Obama has some serious people—including Robert Gates, Mike Mullen, and Leon Panetta—on his national-security team and the GOP should stay the course...

Biggest US Error Was to Miss Yemen Threat
Biggest US Error Was to Miss Yemen Threat
MARC AMBINDER
Jan 8, 2010 7:21 AM CST

Biggest US Error Was to Miss Yemen Threat

Seems we didn't know they were capable of launching terrorists

(Newser) - In all the news yesterday about US intelligence lapses, one "startling concession" stands out to Marc Ambinder: Security chief John Brennan admitted that the US didn't realize al-Qaeda's organization in Yemen—al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula—had "progressed to the point of actually launching individuals here." As...

US Denies Brits Warned About Detroit Bomber

Downing Street made a mistake, White House says

(Newser) - The UK government made "a mistake" when it claimed that British intelligence about the Detroit bombing suspect was passed on to US authorities in 2008, says a White House source. Gordon Brown's office also seemed to be backpedaling from yesterday's claim that Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab was included on a...

No-Fly List Expands as Obama Beefs Up Security

Prez will detail improvements to watch-list system today

(Newser) - In the midst of beefing up airport security after the Detroit terror attempt, the US is expanding passenger surveillance lists, adding "probably dozens" of names to the no-fly and watch lists, the White House tells the BBC . The new names have been moved to the lists from TIDE, the...

It's Cheney's Fault Yemen's So Dangerous

Ex-VP deserves 'warm jihadi thank-you note': former ambassador

(Newser) - Dick Cheney’s attacks on President Obama over counter-terror policy are absolute hogwash, a former US ambassador writes, given that the former vice-president, who “proudly micro-managed all things Gitmo,” is personally responsible for getting terrorists back into al-Qaeda’s Yemen operation. Indeed, Marc Ginsberg says, Cheney deserves “...

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