Andrew Blake

Felony charges dropped against protesters accused of topping Confederate statue in Durham, N.C.

Felony charges will be dropped against eight protesters accused of dismantling a Confederate statue in North Carolina last summer, Durham District Attorney Roger Echols said Thursday.

January 12, 2018

Marijuana legalization could generate $132 billion in taxes by 2025: Study

Legalizing marijuana at the federal level could earn the government up to $132 billion in tax revenue and create more than a million new jobs by 2025, cannabis industry analysts predict.

January 12, 2018

U.S. Senate targeted by hackers linked to DNC breach: Report

The U.S. Senate was recently targeted by hackers blamed with breaching the Democratic Party in 2016, cybersecurity researchers warned Friday, paving the way for a possible repeat of the election meddling witnessed during the last presidential race.

January 12, 2018

State Department warns Americans against visiting Russia

The State Department has advised U.S. citizens against visiting Russia, citing risks including civil unrest, terrorism and targeted harassment against Americans.

January 11, 2018

Marijuana legalization favored by most voters, despite new DOJ stance: Poll

A majority of Americans support legalizing marijuana and are against the government enforcing federal laws against pot in states that permit it, according to a new Quinnipiac University poll.

January 11, 2018

Richard Spencer event yields $300K bill for University of Florida

The University of Florida is being asked to pay more than $300,000 to Alachua County in order to cover expenses associated with white nationalist Richard Spencer's recent campus visit.

January 11, 2018

Julian Assange, WikiLeaks publisher, naturalized by Ecuador as Quito plots embassy exit

WikiLeaks publisher Julian Assange has been granted citizenship by Ecuador amid rekindled efforts to arrange for him to safely exit the nation's embassy in London.

January 11, 2018

Twitter misses deadline in Senate intel panel’s Russia probe

Twitter has missed a deadline to provide the Senate Intelligence Committee with answers involving certain Russian-linked accounts requested by lawmakers probing the 2016 U.S. presidential race, much to the chagrin of the panel's ranking Democrat.

January 10, 2018

Ryan Dickey, veteran cybercrime prosecutor, joins Robert Mueller’s election probe

Special counsel Robert Mueller's team of investigators probing the 2016 U.S. presidential race has grown to include Ryan Dickey, a federal prosecutor responsible for investigating several high-profile cybercrime cases.

January 10, 2018

Vermont marijuana bill heads to governor’s desk after passing state House and Senate

The Vermont Senate has voted to legalize recreational marijuana, putting the state back on path towards becoming the first in the country to legalize cannabis with its legislative body rather than a ballot measure.

January 10, 2018

Christopher Wray, FBI chief: Encrypted cellphones causing ‘urgent public safety issue’

Law enforcement's growing inability to access the contents of encrypted cellphones and other electronic devices has created an "urgent public safety issue," FBI Director Christopher Wray warned Tuesday.

January 10, 2018

Ecuador seeks mediator to resolve Julian Assange impasse

Ecuador wants a third party to mediate the "untenable" situation surrounding WikiLeaks publisher Julian Assange as he approaches his sixth year residing inside its embassy in London, the nation's foreign minister told reporters Tuesday.

January 10, 2018

University of Cincinnati sued over security fee imposed on Richard Spencer event

The University of Cincinnati has been sued in federal court over passing along the cost of hosting white nationalist Richard Spencer.

January 9, 2018

DOJ pursues signal-jamming technology aimed at stopping prisoners from smuggling cellphones

The Justice Department plans to deploy "micro-jamming" technology designed to disrupt cellphone service as a growing number of mobile devices are found smuggled into federal prisons.

January 9, 2018

Coachella organizers ban marijuana at California music festival despite new recreational weed law

Cannabis will be considered contraband at the next Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival in Indio, California, notwithstanding the state's new law legalizing recreational marijuana.

January 9, 2018

David Clarke, former Milwaukee sheriff, set to face trial for Facebook posts

A federal judge has ordered former Milwaukee Sheriff David Clarke to face trial in connection with a First Amendment complaint filed in response to his Facebook posts.

January 6, 2018

John Young, NASA moonwalker, dies at 87

John Young, a retired astronaut and one of only a handful of humans to walk on the moon, has passed away at the age of 87 following complications from pneumonia, NASA said Saturday.

January 6, 2018

Iranian hackers risk targeting ‘inadequately guarded’ U.S. infrastructure: Report

Iranian hackers are poised to pursue targets including U.S. infrastructure if and when tensions worsen between Washington and Tehran, experts warn in a new report.

January 6, 2018

ACLU to represent American detained overseas as enemy combatant

An American citizen detained overseas by the U.S. military has asked the American Civil Liberties Union to sue the Trump administration for holding him as an enemy combatant.

January 6, 2018

Medicaid hack compromised patients’ names, medical conditions: Florida health officials

Medicaid recipients may have had their diagnoses and medical conditions exposed as the result of a recent security breach, Florida health officials warned Friday.

January 6, 2018