Andrew Blake

Democrats tout ‘Russian Threat Response Center’ to monitor Moscow aggression

A bill introduced by congressional Democrats would create a "National Russian Threat Response Center" following new allegations concerning Moscow's role in last year's U.S. presidential election.

June 16, 2017

Health care email security in ‘critical condition,’ experts warn

Fewer than a third of the country's largest hospitals are using an industry standard designed to safeguard systems against cybercriminals' most common attack vectors, according to a new report.

June 16, 2017

Booz Allen Hamilton under federal investigation over billing irregularities, contractor says

The U.S. Justice Department is investigating Booz Allen Hamilton, one of the government's largest intelligence and defense contractors, over possible billing irregularities, the consulting firm said Thursday.

June 16, 2017

Sandy Hook families threaten litigation against NBC over Alex Jones interview

Families of victims killed in the 2012 Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting are threatening legal action against NBC News over its plan to air an interview on Sunday featuring Infowars founder Alex Jones, a far-right media personality and conspiracy theorist who previously called the massacre a "hoax" and "completely fake."

June 16, 2017

Sean Caffrey, British hacker, pleads guilty to breaching Pentagon satellite communications system

A British man pleaded guilty Thursday to hacking a Pentagon satellite system in 2014 and accessing the personal information of hundreds of military personnel.

June 15, 2017

Putin compares Comey to Snowden, calls fired FBI director’s leak ‘weird’ but jokingly offers asylum

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday equated fired FBI Director James B. Comey to NSA leaker Edward Snowden over the former's decision to disclose details about his private conversations with President Trump.

June 15, 2017

Fox News ditches ‘Fair and Balanced’ tagline over ties to ousted founder Roger Ailes: Report

Fox News has ceased using the slogan "Fair and Balanced" in order to distance itself from the motto's originator, late Fox News founder and former chairman Roger Ailes, according to a new report.

June 15, 2017

Southern Baptists adopt resolution denouncing alt-right, white supremacy at annual convention

The Southern Baptist Convention, the largest Baptist denomination in the world, passed a resolution officially condemning the "alt-right" political movement and white supremacy during its annual meeting Wednesday in Phoenix, but only after rejecting a more strongly-worded draft a day earlier.

June 15, 2017

Justice Department requests $21.6M to tackle ‘Going Dark’ encryption problem

The Justice Department is requesting more than $20 million in federal funding to bankroll efforts related to resolving the government's continuing "Going Dark" problem, Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein said Tuesday, signaling one of the Trump administration's first attempts at tackling the issue of ubiquitous, hard-to-crack encryption amid growing concerns involving its impact on criminal investigations.

June 14, 2017

Boston on alert ahead of Tall Ships festival after feds designate event as high security risk

The federal government has assigned Boston's Tall Ships festival this weekend a "special event assessment rating 1" - a security designation typically reserved for high-risk events like presidential inaugurations and Super Bowls - after a rash of recent terrorist attacks abroad put authorities on alert.

June 14, 2017

Juan Thompson, former journalist, pleads guilty over Jewish center bomb threats

The former journalist accused of making at least a dozen phony bomb threats to Jewish Community Centers across the country this year faces up to a decade behind bars after pleading guilty Tuesday in Manhattan federal court.

June 14, 2017

Massachusetts look to revamp voter-approved marijuana law with major tax hike

Legislators in Massachusetts are eyeing sweeping edits to the state's voter-approved recreational marijuana law that would more than double the total tax on retail pot sales, strip the treasurer's office of its existing oversight role and give broad new authorization to Beacon Hill over the state's legal weed program.

June 14, 2017

Russian hackers hit 39 states’ election systems: Report

Voting systems in over three dozen states -- nearly twice as many as previously thought -- bore the brunt of a Russian cyberattack during the November presidential election, Bloomberg reported Tuesday.

June 13, 2017

Alex Jones backs boycott of Megyn Kelly interview

The chorus of critics urging NBC News against broadcasting Megyn Kelly's interview with far-right media personality Alex Jones amid concerns over his comments about the 2012 Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting now include the controversial conspiracy theorist himself.

June 13, 2017

Israeli hackers credited with foiling Islamic State bomb plot: Report

The Trump administration's decision to ban large electronic devices in the cabins of certain U.S.-bound aircraft last month arose after Israeli hackers successfully infiltrated the Islamic State terror group and gleaned sensitive intelligence involving its plan to down planes using bomb-equipped laptops, The New York Times reported.

June 13, 2017

Marc Kasowitz, Trump lawyer, bragged about getting Preet Bharara fired as U.S. attorney: Report

The attorney representing President Trump against allegations related to Russia's involvement in the 2016 White House race reportedly told associates he played a pivotal role in Mr. Trump's abrupt of firing of federal prosecutor Preet Bharara.

June 13, 2017

Ocean City, Md., passes emergency ordinance prohibiting public nudity amid topless debate

Councilmembers unanimously passed an emergency ordinance Saturday prohibiting public nudity in Ocean City, Maryland, a beach town on the state's Eastern Shore, after a law enforcement memo this week urging beach patrol officers against approaching topless women went viral.

June 10, 2017

Robert Mueller was considered to replace Jim Comey at first, according to a new report

The Trump administration had considered nominating Robert Mueller to revive his role as FBI director prior to his appointment last month as special counsel investigating Russia's involvement in President Trump's election, NPR reported Friday.

June 10, 2017

Klan rally scheduled for Charlottesville next month spurs religious leaders to take action

Religious leaders are plotting an event of their own in response to a Klan rally expected next month in Charlottesville, Virginia, local media reported Friday.

June 10, 2017

Comey testimony watched by nearly 20 million TV viewers, millions more online

Nearly 20 million television viewers tuned in Thursday to watch former FBI Director James Comey testify before the Senate Intelligence Committee about his relationship with President Trump, Nielsen said Friday.

June 10, 2017