Homeland Security

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February 2008
- Senate Bans Waterboarding, Faces Veto
  
  New York Times | Feb 13, 08 7:01 CST
  
  (Newser) - The Senate today passed a measure that would outlaw harsh interrogation techniques such as waterboarding—though the ban is part of a larger intelligence bill President Bush has promised to veto, the New York Times reports. Passed by the House in December, the bill cleared the Senate 51-45, largely along party lines. More »
- Bush Demands Europe Step Up Flight Security
  
  Guardian (UK) | Feb 11, 08 12:50 CST
  
  (Newser) - In a move some EU officials call blackmail, the Bush administration is demanding that EU members implement a wide range of new air security measures. The US wants American air marshals on all inbound flights, an online screening permit process for all US-bound passengers, and personal information on anyone flying to or even over the country, the Guardian reports. More »
- Improved Security Lost in 'Maze'
  
  Washington Post | Feb 8, 08 5:22 CST
  
  (Newser) - Whiz-bang technology that would keep terrorists from destroying airplanes, promised after the 9/11 attacks, hasn't materialized, the Washington Post reports. The various players blame each other for bureaucratic, legal, and market failures. One security-industry exec calls the Transportation Security Administration "a maze"; TSA officials blame firms for not delivering what they've promised. More »
- Travelers Rage Over Seized Laptops
  
  Washington Post | Feb 7, 08 12:18 CST
  
  (Newser) - US border agents tell travelers there’s no difference between a laptop and a suitcase; both are fair game for searches. People crossing into the US have found their electronics confiscated, and their data copied, the Washington Post reports, all without explanation. “The government is going well beyond its traditional role of looking for contraband,” said one irate lawyer. More »
- Panel Blasts 'Appalling' US Terror Readiness
  
  Union-Tribune (San Diego) | Feb 1, 08 4:35 AM CST
  
  (Newser) - The US is woefully under-prepared for a terrorist attack on home soil, according to a scathing report by an independent commission charged by Congress to recommend National Guard and Army Reserve policy. "It's totally unacceptable," the panel declared of American readiness in the event of such an attack." You couldn't move a Girl Scout unit with the kind of planning they're doing now." More »
January 2008
- Bush Urges Economic Boost
  
  CNN | Jan 28, 08 8:52 CST
  
  (Newser) - In his final State of the Union speech, an upbeat President Bush plugged his $150 billion stimulus plan today and urged lawmakers not to "load up the bill," CNN reports. He also advised cutting $18 billion in "bloated" programs, promised to veto pork-barrel funding, and asked policymakers to make tax cuts permanent—all to boost an economy that will return to health "in the long run." More »
- Would-Be Teen Hijacker Was Suicidal, Cops Say
  
  Tennessean | Jan 25, 08 3:14 CST
  
  (Newser) - A California teenager who planned to hijack a flight from Los Angeles to Nashville is in state custody in Tennessee, the Tennessean reports. The 16-year-old had handcuffs and other suspicious items when he was detained, and authorities believe he was suicidal. The FBI dismissed reports he planned to crash the jet into a Hannah Montana concert in Louisiana. More »
- New ID Rules Look to Shore Up US Borders
  
  Associated Press | Jan 18, 08 8:00 AM CST
  
  (Newser) - All travelers entering the US, including Americans, will face tough new ID requirements beginning in two weeks. "It's time to grow up and recognize that we've got to take determined steps to getting better security," homeland security chief Michael Chertoff told the AP. More »
- US Faces 'Terror Attack Threat From Europe'
  
  BBC | Jan 16, 08 6:15 AM CST
  
  (Newser) - Americans face a "real risk that Europe will become a platform for terrorists," US Homeland Security Chief Michael Chertoff told the BBC yesterday. America will likely boost security measures to protect the country from such a threat, but will also make an effort not to unduly hinder travel and trade, he said. "Home grown terrorism has begun to rise in Europe," said Chertoff, citing attacks in Madrid and London. More »
- Congressional Report Blames TSA for Botched Website
  
  ComputerWorld | Jan 11, 08 10:40 CST
  
  (Newser) - The TSA awarded a website design and maintenance contract to a firm with whom an administration official had close personal and professional ties, ComputerWorld reports. The site, meant to handle individual requests to have names removed from the TSA’s no-fly list, lacked even rudimentary encryption mechanisms and was not hosted on government servers, making it a ID theft risk. More »
- New Fed ID Law Puts States in Costly Bind
  
  Associated Press | Jan 11, 08 5:45 CST
  
  (Newser) - A new federal ID law has 17 states in an uproar over the cost of new driver's licenses and a rushed timetable, the AP reports. Michael Chertoff laid out final details of the REAL ID program today, including an extended timetable with one short deadline: Residents of states that don't request an extension for complying by May will not be able to use a driver's license to get through airport security. More »
- Anti-Missile Devices Set for Testing on US Airliners
  
  USA Today | Jan 4, 08 6:57 CST
  
  (Newser) - The Department of Homeland Security will equip three American Airlines passenger planes with anti-missile laser jammers this spring, USA Today reports. The devices, designed to confuse shoulder-launched projectiles, will be mounted on planes flying between New York and California to assess overall maintenance concerns, how the system works on routine flights and how it affects fuel consumption. More »
December 2007
- Spy Satellite Charter May Calm Privacy Fears
  
  Wall Street Journal | Dec 20, 07 6:57 CST
  
  (Newser) - A federal satellite-surveillance program will move one step closer to reality this week with the expected release of its new charter, the Wall Street Journal reports. Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff, who is spearheading the project, will also reveal plans for a $15 billion program to protect the country’s Internet infrastructure. Both programs have been under fire for their potential compromise of privacy. More »
November 2007
- SF to Issue ID Cards to Illegal Immigrants
  
  San Jose Mercury News | Nov 21, 07 1:38 CST
  
  (Newser) - San Francisco will issue its own identification cards, the city's Board of Supervisors decided yesterday. San Francisco is host to about 40,000 illegal immigrants, who will be able to use the cards to access city services and open bank accounts, though the details are not entirely worked out. City employees and police may not ask about immigration status. More »
October 2007
- IEDs Pose Growing Risk on US Soil
  
  Washington Post | Oct 20, 07 12:01 CDT
  
  (Newser) - Improvised bombs—terrorists' weapon of choice in Iraq and elsewhere—pose a growing threat on US soil, but the Bush administration has been slow to devise a strategy against them, the Washington Post reports. The Bush team will soon issue a long-overdue plan to counter the so-called IEDs, but critics say a lack of funding and training remain problems. More »
- Body-Imaging Scanner Enters Airport Testing
  
  Associated Press | Oct 11, 07 2:45 CDT
  
  (Newser) - The federal government today begins testing a device that could replace metal detectors and pat-downs at airports around the country, the AP reports. The scanners produce full-body images of passengers, sans clothing. Privacy advocates are feeling sheepish. “These are virtual strip searches,” one said. “If Playboy published them, there would be politicians out there saying they're pornographic.” More »
- DHS Delays Domestic Spy Sat Plans
  
  InformationWeek | Oct 2, 07 6:45 CDT
  
  (Newser) - Amid a privacy hullaballoo in Congress, the Department of Homeland Security has postponed the opening of an office that would share domestic spy satellites images with law enforcement, InformationWeek reports. House committee members overseeing DHS had threatened to block funding until better civil liberties safeguards are in place. More »
September 2007
- Traveling? Uncle Sam is Watching
  
  Washington Post | Sep 22, 07 3:39 CDT
  
  (Newser) - The Feds are stockpiling data on millions of Americans as they travel, the Washington Post reports. Civil liberties activists charge Homeland Security with violating the Privacy Act, saying that travel partners, hotel bookings and reading material should not be in the Feds’ database. But Michael Chertoff claims that the data helps unravel terrorist plots and avoid "inconvenient screening of low-risk travelers." More »
- Big Brother Making Strides in Technology
  
  BBC | Sep 16, 07 5:27 CDT
  
  (Newser) - Top researchers are developing new surveillance technology, the BBC reports - including "gait DNA" to identify a person by their walk and advanced spy drones that can fly overhead for years. The Pentagon plans to continue its tech supremacy, which includes inventing the Internet in the 1970s and satellite navigation in the 1990s. What's next in spy tech? "I'd prefer not to say," says a Pentagon researcher. More »
- Judge: Parts of Patriot Act Unconstitutional
  
  Associated Press | Sep 6, 07 4:03 CDT
  
  (Newser) - The Patriot Act violates the Constitution by allowing unreasonable searches and seizures, violating separation of powers, and denying free speech, a federal judge ruled today in striking down parts of the revised legislation. Judge Victor Marrero said investigators must obtain court approval before ordering ISPs and phone companies to turn over confidential information without notifying customers, the AP reports. More »