Andrew Blake

Former intel chiefs denounce CIA director meeting with proponent of alternative Russia hack theory

Two of the Obama administration's top intelligence officials have criticized President Trump's CIA director for reportedly meeting with a retired National Security Agency analyst convinced Russia didn't hack the Democratic National Committee.

November 9, 2017

CrowdStrike analyst who responded to DNC hack hasn’t spoken with Russia investigators: Report

A cybersecurity professional hired by the Democratic National Committee during the 2016 presidential election cycle and credited with discovering a major breach blamed on Russian state-sponsored hackers said he's never been interviewed by federal investigators probing Moscow's role in the race.

November 9, 2017

FBI failed cracking Texas church shooter’s phone without contacting Apple, company says

Apple said the iPhone maker contacted the FBI to help glean data from a mobile device belonging to late Texas church shooter Devin Kelley "immediately" after learning that authorities couldn't access its contents, but claimed it only became aware of the problem when an investigator complained publicly roughly 48 hours following Sunday's massacre.

November 9, 2017

Shaun Bridges, ex-Secret Service agent, sentenced again for stealing from the government

A disgraced former Secret Service agent already serving time for stealing hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of digital currency from the federal government has been sentenced to spend an additional two years in prison for a separate heist.

November 8, 2017

Donald Trump ‘highly’ likely to speak with Vladimir Putin at upcoming APEC summit: Kremlin

It's very likely President Trump will speak face-to-face with his Russian counterpart when the two attend the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in Vietnam this weekend, the Kremlin press secretary said Wednesday.

November 8, 2017

Phil Murphy, New Jersey governor-elect, expected to advance marijuana legalization efforts

The Garden State may be among the next to legalize recreational marijuana after New Jersey voters elected Democrat Phil Murphy to the governor's office Tuesday.

November 8, 2017

FBI unable to access data off Devin Kelley’s cellphone

The FBI has obtained a cellphone belonging to Texas church shooter Devin Patrick Kelley but can't access its contents, opening a potential showdown between federal investigators and mobile device makers like the one that unfolded after the 2015 terrorist attack in San Bernardino, California.

November 8, 2017

Trump urged Mike Pompeo to discuss alternative DNC breach theory with Russian hack skeptic

President Trump urged CIA Director Mike Pompeo to meet with a retired National Security Agency analyst who co-wrote a disputed report challenging the U.S. intelligence community's assessment regarding Russia's role in last year's election, according to the former NSA official.

November 7, 2017

Islamic State propaganda appears on hundreds of hacked school websites

Hundreds of school and school district websites were defaced to show support for the Islamic State terror group, their hacked web hosting company said Monday.

November 7, 2017

Ozzy Osbourne announces final world tour starting in 2018

Ozzy Osbourne's upcoming world tour will be his last, the former Black Sabbath frontman and Grammy Award-winning metal singer said Monday.

November 7, 2017

Maine upholds governor’s veto blocking retail marijuana sales

A bill establishing a legal framework for selling recreational marijuana in the state of Maine has met its demise after lawmakers sustained Gov. Paul LePage's veto of legislation regulating retail weed sales.

November 7, 2017

Sen. Rand Paul assaulted at Kentucky home, suspect in custody

Sen. Rand Paul, Kentucky Republican, was assaulted at his home in Bowling Green, Ky., his office confirmed Saturday.

November 4, 2017

Maine governor vetoes bill legalizing marijuana sales

Maine's Republican governor has vetoed a bill regulating retail marijuana sales, throwing a wrench in the state's plans to start selling recreational weed in 2018.

November 4, 2017

Paul Manafort’s multiple passports scrutinized by Senate Democrat

The State Department is facing questions from the Senate Foreign Relations Committee's ranking Democrat over Paul Manafort's possession of multiple U.S. passports.

November 4, 2017

Milo Yiannopoulos makes Daily Caller debut after losing backing of Breitbart, Mercer

The Daily Caller clarified its relationship with right-wing commentator Milo Yiannopoulos on Saturday a day after publishing his first opinion column for the conservative news site.

November 4, 2017

Sean Spicer’s Harvard fellowship included 11 events in three days, all off-the-record: Report

Sean Spicer's visiting fellowship at Harvard University's Kennedy School of Government has come to an end, and practically everything President Trump's former spokesman told students was off the record, according to the school's newspaper.

November 4, 2017

Donald Trump’s Twitter suspension caused by contract worker, not employee: Report

President Trump's personal Twitter account was briefly suspended this week by a rogue contractor and not a company employee as previously claimed, according to a new report.

November 4, 2017

Federal building balks at request to host Richard Spencer, white nationalist conference

A white nationalist conference slated to take place in-between the White House and Trump International Hotel this month may have to find another venue after a D.C. federal building refused to accommodate Richard Spencer and his National Policy Institute think tank.

November 2, 2017

Michael Flynn, ex-Trump adviser, shared tweets from Russian troll accounts: Report

President Trump's ousted former national security adviser engaged with several Twitter accounts operated by a St. Petersburg "troll farm" accused of interfering in last year's White House race on behalf of the Russian government.

November 2, 2017

Anti-Semitic incidents up 67 percent over 2016: ADL

A surge in anti-Semitic incidents reported within the U.S. during the first nine months of 2017 suggests an increase of about 67 percent over the same period last year with respect to assaults, vandalism and other attacks targeting Jewish institutions, the Anti-Defamation League said in its Audit of Anti-Semitic Incidents released Thursday.

November 2, 2017