Bullet Hits White House Window, Cops Hunt Shooter

.... again

(NEWSER) - Last time President Obama returned from a few days away from home, he had a little bit of trouble getting back into the White House because the door was locked. (Click to see the video destined for GOP commercials.) Last night, an AP photographer snapped a Secret Service agent making sure it wouldn't happen again, notes New York's Daily Intel blog . More»

Two agents on leave, face disciplinary action

(NEWSER) - The two Secret Service agents who let Michaele and Tareq Salahi crash last week’s state dinner have been placed on administrative leave and may be fired, agency chief Mark Sullivan told Congress today. Testifying before the House Homeland Security Committee, the Secret Service director took full responsibility for the screw-up and said the agents faced a range of potential sanctions, including potential firing, the Washington Post reports. More»

Secret Service confirms failure of procedures

(NEWSER) - Michaele and Tareq Salahi not only penetrated White House security before Tuesday's state dinner but actually went through the receiving line, where they were greeted by President Obama and Michelle Obama. The red-faced director of the Secret Service released a statement today saying, "Preliminary findings of our internal investigation have determined established protocols were not followed at an initial checkpoint," the Washington Post reports. More»

How president-elect can deliver, concretely, on campaign mantra

(NEWSER) - In case you haven’t heard, Barack Obama wants to bring change to America. Culture11 offers a list of what that change might mean:

• When daughters ask for a puppy, Daddy shouts: "Yes we can!"
• French win fries debate in White House cafeteria. Arugula now known as “Hope salad.”
• Secret Service stops worrying about first daughters falling down drunk.

Lax rules, shortcuts are rampant

(NEWSER) - Ronald Kessler, the former Washington Post reporter who originally broke the Secret Service sex scandal story to the Post, has news for you: Prostitution is far from the agency's biggest problem. Much worse is its "lax management culture that condones cutting corners, directly endangering the life of the president," Kessler writes in the Post . He offers a variety of examples, many gleaned from his book, In the President’s Secret Service: Behind the Scenes With Agents in the Line of Fire and the Presidents They Protect: More»