NEWS ABOUT: Department of Homeland Security
Department of Homeland Security stories: 71 news briefs
Fox News Jun 15, 09 2:47 PM CDT
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The Supreme Court has refused to hear a challenge to the completion of the border fence between the US and Mexico, Fox News reports. Environmental groups, an Indian tribe, and the city of El Paso brought the challenge, contending that a fence will cut off access to the Rio Grande for religious, cultural, and municipal purposes. The Obama administration had encouraged the court to reject the case.
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Militarization of cybersecurity fuels debate on rules of engagement
New York Times Jun 13, 09 8:04 AM CDT
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Plans to put America's cybersecurity under the control of the Pentagon are raising some thorny privacy and diplomacy issues, the New York Times reports. President Obama has insisted that the military, under the cybercommand being developed, will not be monitoring private sector networks and Internet traffic—but Pentagon officials say the nature of cyberwarfare could make that promise difficult to guarantee.
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Conservatives call for head of Fox anchor
Gawker Jun 12, 09 2:15 AM CDT
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Conservatives are calling for the head of Shepard Smith after the Fox anchor suggested that the Holocaust Museum shooting backs up a Homeland Security report warning of a rise in right-wing extremism, Gawker reports. Right-wing bloggers labeled Smith a "pompous elitist" and said he should be fired, while Rush Limbaugh tore into the anchor in his radio show yesterday.
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Politico Jun 10, 09 8:12 PM CDT
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Today's shooting at the Holocaust museum, on the heels of the murder of an abortion provider, is bringing renewed attention to a Homeland Security report issued in April that warned of a rise in exactly these kinds of attacks, Politico reports. At the time, critics including Rush Limbaugh blasted the DHS report as an attack on conservatives, but now civil rights groups say it was right on target.
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Obama wanted Mudd for top Homeland Security post
Associated Press Jun 5, 09 5:32 PM CDT
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President Barack Obama's pick for intelligence chief at the Homeland Security Department withdrew from consideration today amid questions about his role in the CIA's interrogations of suspected terrorists. Philip Mudd was scheduled to appear next week before senators, but notified the White House today that he was withdrawing his name because he did not want to be a distraction.
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Former Pa. gov was encouraged to run for Senate by GOP brass
The Hill May 7, 09 1:00 PM CDT
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Former Pennsylvania governor and Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge will not seek the Republican nomination for senator from that state, the Hill reports. Party leaders had urged him to run against newly minted Democrat Arlen Specter. Ridge was in a good position to run, polling just 3 points behind Specter. “After careful consideration,” he said, “I have decided not to seek the Republican nomination.”
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Misuse of antivirals
by panicked public could breed stronger strains of disease
Los Angeles Times Apr 28, 09 6:40 AM CDT
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Pharmacies are stocking up on Tamiflu and other anti-influenza drugs as fears grow of a swine flu outbreak, but health officials warn that the antivirals could do more harm than good if administered incorrectly. Taking the drugs in the wrong dose or for too short a time can lead to the development of new, drug-resistant strains, reports the Los Angeles Times .
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New Scientist Apr 24, 09 8:16 PM CDT
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A new federal study may be music to the ears of stressed firefighters and bomb squads, the New Scientist reports. The Department of Homeland Security is trying to record their brain activity when alert or calm, translate it into music, and play it back to soothe their frayed nerves. But psychologists are dubious of the plan. "I don't think they have a clue about what they're trying to do," says British expert Lawrence Parsons.
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US signs deal with Holland, and more
are on the way
USA Today Apr 24, 09 8:56 AM CDT
(Newser Summary) -
A new digital card will allow Americans to skip customs lines at a foreign airport for the first time, reports USA Today . In a deal between Homeland Security officials and the Netherlands, US travelers approved for the ID card will be able to speed through Schiphol Airport in Amsterdam, while Dutch citizens can do the same at JFK and LAX. The new cards contain an embedded image of the traveler's iris that verifies identity.
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OPINION
New York Times Apr 18, 09 1:00 PM CDT
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The recent Homeland Security report detailing right-wing extremist recruitment of veterans is “true, true, true,” Charles M. Blow writes in the New York Times . But “conservatives reacted by throwing a knee-jerk hissy fit,” suggesting that vets “were being vilified by a partisan document.” Instead of playing politics, writes Blow, we should be figuring out how to save our soldiers.
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Associated Press Apr 18, 09 11:55 AM CDT
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To combat the rising threat of attack on the nation’s computer networks, the US government is turning to the dark side for help, the AP reports. A call has gone out for so-called “ethical hackers” who “think like the bad guy” to work with Homeland Security to identify and counter threats to the nation’s infrastructure. The Pentagon also said it would ramp up the training of cyber experts from 80 to 250 a year.
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DHS had painted soldiers as prone to right-wing extremism
CNN Apr 16, 09 4:30 PM CDT
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Janet Napolitano apologized today for language in a recent Homeland Security report suggesting that veterans were more likely to be wooed by far-right extremist groups, CNN reports. “The return of military veterans facing significant challenges,” said the report evaluating domestic threats, “could lead to the potential emergence of terrorist groups or lone-wolf extremists.” The report cited Oklahoma City bomber Timothy McVeigh, a veteran.
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Associated Press Apr 14, 09 9:12 PM CDT
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A former Justice Department official has been picked to be the Southwest border czar—a new position created by the Obama administration to handle illegal immigration and border issues. The new Homeland Security Department post will be responsible for issues related to drug-cartel violence along the US-Mexico border and the hundreds of thousands of people there who try to enter the US illegally, said an administration official.
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Wall Street Journal Apr 7, 09 8:15 PM CDT
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It may sound like a B-grade espionage thriller, but foreign cyberspies have infiltrated the US electrical grid and stand ready to wreak havoc at the right moment, the Wall Street Journal reports. The foreign hackers—from China, Russia, and elsewhere—have left behind software programs that could theoretically allow them to bring mayhem to the grid. Security officials say, however, that they're not sure about the hackers' motives and don't see an immediate threat.
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Christian Science Monitor Jan 12, 09 5:03 PM CST
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The recent terrorist attack in Mumbai has US officials redoubling efforts to secure America’s coastline, the Christian Science Monitor reports. The Coast Guard is planning to increase security by issuing ID cards to workers and installing transponders on boats to keep track of activity in US waters. But some in the boating industry think regulation could sink their business.
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Recession, enforcement keep Mexicans at home
USA Today Dec 29, 08 3:54 PM CST
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The number of people trying to sneak into the US appears to be plummeting, thanks to tougher enforcement and the beleaguered US economy, USA Today reports. Just 705,000 people were caught trying to sneak in from Mexico in fiscal 2008, the lowest total since 1976. “We're definitely making it tougher on them,” said one Border Patrol official. “I'm not telling you that we've won the war, but we are making headway.”
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Fined owner says he's a 'scapegoat,' blasts Homeland Security system
Washington Post Dec 11, 08 9:41 AM CST
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A cleaning service whose illegal workers got past Secret Service checks to scrub Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff’s home is facing fines for hiring undocumented laborers, the Washington Post reports. The owner calls the enforcement uneven, saying his small business may go under while customers and large companies enjoy cheap labor unscathed. Authorities say he wasn’t targeted, and investigations are based on tips.
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ANALYSIS
Rumored Homeland Security nominee has hawk cred on border
CQPolitics Nov 21, 08 12:45 PM CST
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If Janet Napolitano is indeed Barack Obama’s pick for Homeland Security chief, it likely signals a shift in the department away from terrorism and toward immigration issues, CQPolitics reports. The Arizona governor has been on the front lines of the immigration battle. “She would do a pretty serious systematic review of the border strategy,” a Clinton administration immigration official said.
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Insiders say Arizona governor has accepted the job, subject to vetting
CNN Nov 20, 08 2:14 AM CST
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Arizona Gov. Janet Napolitano is Barack Obama's first choice to head Homeland Security, transition insiders tell CNN. Napolitano, the focus of Cabinet speculation for weeks, plans to accept the job following vetting from the president-elect's team, according to sources. Napolitano's office, contacted by the Arizona Republic , declined to confirm—or deny—the reports.
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Fee increase helps immigration service clear huge backlog
CNN Nov 7, 08 3:49 AM CST
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Over a million new American citizens took the oath of allegiance last year—the highest number since the government began keeping records a century ago, reports CNN. The number of people going through the naturalization process has been steadily climbing for decades. The clearing of a major 2007 backlog—along with a push by Hispanic media for citizenship for eligible residents—helped boost the numbers.
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