Andrew Blake

Marijuana overdose killed 11-month-old infant, doctors claim

Poison control doctors in Colorado claim to have identified the first known case of a person dying from a marijuana overdose - an 11-month-old baby boy that went into cardiac arrest after likely ingesting a high-potency dose of pot.

November 16, 2017

White House explains how it assesses, declassifies info about cybersecurity threats

The White House has opened up about the so-called Vulnerabilities Equities Process (VEP) established during the Obama administration, providing its first public explanation of how the government goes about determining whether to disclose cybersecurity flaws or keep them secret.

November 15, 2017

Stone Temple Pilots unveil new singer, Jeff Gutt, following deaths of previous frontmen

Former "The X Factor" contestant Jeff Gutt has been chosen to follow in the footsteps of late Stone Temple Pilots vocalists Scott Weiland and Chester Bennington as the seminal rock group's newest lead singer.

November 15, 2017

Russian hackers targeted British media, telecoms, energy sector: U.K. cyber director

Russian hackers targeted Britain's media, telecommunications and energy sectors within the last year, according to the head of the U.K. National Cyber Security Center (NCSC), the federal agency tasked with fending off cyberattacks.

November 15, 2017

Putin spokesman downplays Russia using video game footage as evidence of U.S. of aiding ISIS

The Kremlin on Wednesday downplayed the seriousness of Russia's Ministry of Defense being caught sharing a video-game screenshot and calling it "irrefutable evidence" of the United States aiding Islamic State terrorists.

November 15, 2017

Jeff Sessions clarifies DOJ’s marijuana stance, says ‘federal law remains in effect’

The Trump administration's Department of Justice has taken essentially the same stance on enforcing federal marijuana laws as during former President Barack Obama's time in office, Attorney General Jeff Sessions told lawmakers Tuesday.

November 14, 2017

Kaspersky software found on computers at 15 percent of U.S. agencies: DHS

About 15 percent of federal agencies have found software on their computer networks made by Kaspersky Lab, a Russian antivirus vendor recently banned by the Department of Homeland Security, a Trump administration official testified Tuesday.

November 14, 2017

DOJ: Donald Trump’s tweets are ‘official statements of the President’

The Department of Justice is treating President Trump's frequent Twitter posts as official statements, attorneys for the government wrote in a new federal court filing.

November 14, 2017

Russia posts video game screenshot as ‘irrefutable evidence’ of U.S. helping ISIS

An image circulated by the Russian military Tuesday purportedly showing "irrefutable evidence" of U.S. forces assisting Islamic State terrorists was actually taken from a 2015 video game.

November 14, 2017

U.S. Park Service proposes banning recreational sports on Washington Monument grounds

A proposal being considered by federal park officials would ban recreational activities near the Washington Monument and drastically hike the cost of renting athletic fields on the National Mall.

November 11, 2017

Dean Obeidallah, radio host, blocked from questioning relatives of writer sued for defamation

A federal judge has ruled against letting attorneys for Muslim American radio host Dean Obeidallah question the relatives of an elusive Ohio native who wrote an article falsely labeling him an Islamic State "terrorist."

November 11, 2017

Los Angeles authorities launch task force devoted to Hollywood sexual assault claims

The district attorney for Los Angeles County has created a specialized task force devoted specifically to investigating claims of sexual assault amid an onslaught of allegations involving disgraced movie producer Harvey Weinstein and other Hollywood heavyweights.

November 11, 2017

Maryland ends admission fees at state parks for military veterans

Military veterans can now visit any of Maryland's 72 state parks for free after Gov. Larry Hogan eliminated fees in honor of Veterans Day.

November 11, 2017

La David Johnson, soldier killed in Niger ambush, may have been shot execution-style: Report

The body of slain U.S. Army Sgt. La David Johnson, one of four soldiers killed in Niger last month, was discovered in a state suggesting he had been captured and then executed, according to eyewitness accounts.

November 11, 2017

Paul Dandan, air traffic controller, charged with possessing WMD

An air traffic controller was arrested Friday and charged with possessing a weapon of mass destruction after authorities said they found a pipe bomb at his home in Charlotte, North Carolina.

November 11, 2017

Equifax puts price tag on massive data breach: $140 million

The Equifax data breach that compromised the personal information of roughly 145 million Americans this year will likely cost the company upwards of $140 million in 2017, according to the credit rating agency.

November 10, 2017

Twitter rethinks blue-checkmark verifications after authenticating white nationalist

Twitter said its evaluating how it authenticates its users after the company caused an uproar for awarding a blue "verified" check mark to Jason Kessler, the white nationalist who organized the deadly "Unite the Right" rally in Charlottesville, Virginia.

November 10, 2017

Texas church shooter’s phone propels encryption debate to top of Donald Trump’s Justice Department

Rod Rosenstein, President Trump's deputy attorney general, on Thursday referenced the recent mass shooting at a Texas church as an example of why American cellphone manufacturers should stop selling mobile devices incapable of being accessed by authorities.

November 10, 2017

U.K. admits destroying emails from extradition lawyer involved in Julian Assange case

British authorities have admitted to deleting sensitive emails between one of its attorneys and Swedish counterparts investigating Julian Assange, raising questions about the international impasse surrounding the fugitive WikiLeaks publisher.

November 10, 2017

Alex Jones claims ‘deep state’ ordered Texas church massacre

Right-wing conspiracy theorist Alex Jones has accused the "deep state" -- a term applied to government holdovers opposed to the Trump administration -- with ordering the mass shooting this week in Sutherland Springs, Texas.

November 9, 2017