Andrew Blake

Atlanta lawmakers pass marijuana decriminalization bill

The Atlanta City Council has unanimously voted to decriminalize marijuana, eliminating jail time for individuals caught with less than an ounce, assuming Mayor Kasim Reed signs the bill as expected.

October 3, 2017

Stormfront, web’s oldest white-supremacist site, reemerges after row with registrar

Racists are returning in droves to Stormfront, the internet's longest-running white supremacist site, more than a month after the online neo-Nazi hub nearly went dark over a dispute with its domain registrar.

September 30, 2017

Judge mulls releasing Reality Winner, NSA contractor, ahead of leak trial

A federal judge is weighing whether to release National Security Agency contractor Reality Winner from behind bars ahead of her trial next year in connection with allegedly leaking classified material information involving Russia's role in the 2016 U.S. presidential race.

September 30, 2017

Donald Trump’s attack on San Juan mayor triggers angry tweets from Lin-Manuel Miranda, others

Critics tore into President Trump after he targeted the mayor of San Juan, Puerto Rico, with "Hamilton" creator Lin-Manuel Miranda among the loudest lashing back in response to the president's Saturday morning Twitter rant.

September 30, 2017

O.J. Simpson, readying for prison release, receives pushback from Florida attorney general

O.J. Simpson could be freed from prison as soon as this Monday, notwithstanding concerns regarding the disgraced former athlete's future whereabouts.

September 30, 2017

Pope Francis to tackle ‘fake news’ phenomenon in early 2018: Vatican

Pope Francis plans to address the "fake news" phenomenon early next year, His Holiness announced Friday.

September 30, 2017

The Daily Stormer, neo-Nazi website, loses Icelandic web address in latest domain spat

The Daily Stormer's days on an Icelandic web address appear to be numbered after the infamous neo-Nazi website disappeared Friday from its latest domain.

September 29, 2017

Dennis Mothersbaugh the latest charged in connection with violent Charlottesville rally

An Indiana man is awaiting extradition to Virginia on charges of assaulting two people during August's deadly clash between white supremacists and anti-racism demonstrators in Charlottesville, Virginia.

September 29, 2017

Ben Sasse, Nebraska Republican, rips into ‘pajama-boy Nazi’ Richard Spencer in lengthy Twitter rant

A news report about Russia's alleged weaponization of social media has set off a spat between white nationalist Richard Spencer and Sen. Ben Sasse, Nebraska Republican.

September 29, 2017

Marijuana sales in Nevada crack $27 million in first month

Nevada's newly legalized recreational marijuana dispensaries sold more than $27 million worth of weed during the first month of retail sales and earned the state over $3.6 million in tax revenue, officials said Thursday.

September 29, 2017

Reality Winner confesses to NSA leak in newly published interrogation transcript

National Security Agency contractor Reality Winner told FBI agents that she leaked a classified document detailing Russia's role in the 2016 U.S. presidential election because she believed the information should be public, according to a new court filing.

September 28, 2017

Intel panels investigating Russia request testimony from Facebook, Twitter and Google: Reports

Executives from Facebook, Twitter and Google's parent company Alphabet have been invited to testify this fall before congressional investigators probing Russia's involvement in the 2016 U.S. presidential election, amid reports suggesting Moscow meddled in the race by weaponizing social media.

September 28, 2017

Charlottesville considers designating street in honor of Heather Heyer, slain protester

The street in Charlottesville, Virginia, where a woman died protesting white supremacists last month may soon bear her name.

September 28, 2017

Marijuana dispensary customers favor McDonald’s over competition: Study

Adults who legally purchase marijuana overwhelmingly prefer McDonald's over its fast-food competitors, accordingly to a new study.

September 28, 2017

Gal Vallerius, competitive beard-growing contestant, charged in international online narcotics case

A would-be contestant in this year's annual World Beard and Moustache Championships is behind bars facing the possibility of life imprisonment after being arrested and charged in connection with helping run a dark web marketplace U.S. federal prosecutors describe as "dedicated and designed" to facilitate drug deals around the globe.

September 27, 2017

Gen. Joe Dunford warns: Russia remains ‘the most significant threat in cyberspace’

The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff singled out Russia as "the most significant threat in cyberspace," a warning he gave in testimony during a reappointment hearing Tuesday on Capitol Hill.

September 27, 2017

Donald Trump deletes tweets endorsing Luther Strange after Alabama picks GOP rival in Senate primary

Several of President Trump's past endorsements of Sen. Luther Strange disappeared from the president's personal Twitter account after the Republican senator lost Tuesday's GOP primary runoff to former Alabama Chief Justice Roy Moore.

September 27, 2017

Paul Smith, volunteer fire chief, resigns after racist Facebook post targeting Steelers’ Mike Tomlin

A volunteer fire chief has resigned from his job in suburban Pittsburgh after drawing fire for a racist Facebook post published after the Steelers stayed off the field during the playing of the national anthem Sunday.

September 27, 2017

Alabama officials pay ransom to recover county data held hostage

The county encompassing Alabama's capital city is out more than $40,000 after paying to regain access to data seized by a ransomware infection that recently brought local operations to a standstill.

September 26, 2017

Bill O’Reilly returns to Fox News as ‘Hannity’ guest

Ousted Fox News commentator Bill O'Reilly is slated to return to his former network Tuesday for the first time since being forced from his longtime hosting gig amid allegations of sexual harassment.

September 26, 2017