Andrew Blake

Ron Paul, former congressman, says ‘zero chance’ Bashar Assad gassed Syrians

There's no chance Syrian President Bashar Assad ordered the chemical weapons attack that killed dozens of civilians on Tuesday, former Republican congressman and three-time White House hopeful Ron Paul insisted afterwards.

April 7, 2017

Alt-right figures cry foul after Donald Trump strikes Syria, rescind support

Prominent figures associated with the "alt-right" movement and other previously impassioned advocates of President Trump's administration reacted with disbelief and outrage after the U.S. military launched a missile strike on a Syrian airfield Thursday in spite of the president having campaigned against foreign intervention.

April 7, 2017

Florida teacher fired for assigning comfort-level survey to middle schoolers

A Florida middle school teacher has been fired after assigning students a survey containing dozens of hypothetical questions involving race, sexuality and religion, among other topics.

April 6, 2017

Nicolai Mork arrested in Las Vegas on charges of terrorism, WMD possession

A Las Vegas resident was arrested after a grand jury indicted him on a half-dozen felonies, including terrorism-related charges and possession of weapons of mass destruction, months after he first attracted the attention of local authorities.

April 6, 2017

National Foreign Trade Council targeted by state-sponsored hackers ahead of Trump-Xi summit: Report

The National Foreign Trade Council, a private American lobbying group whose corporate members include Wal-Mart, Ford and Microsoft, among others, was recently targeted by a sophisticated hacking group associated with the Chinese government, security researchers said Thursday.

April 6, 2017

TSA website tells travelers they can fly with medical marijuana; agency blames computer error

The Transportation Security Administration apologized Wednesday after a computer error incorrectly listed "medical marijuana" on an online list of items that passengers are allowed to bring on board airplanes.

April 6, 2017

Secret Service agent assigned to Mike Pence charged with soliciting prostitution: Report

A Secret Service agent tasked with protecting Vice President Mike Pence has been suspended from the force and stripped of their security clearance after being allegedly caught with a prostitute last week at a Maryland hotel.

April 6, 2017

Legislation introduced to rein in warrantless cellphone seizures at U.S. border crossings

Bipartisan legislation introduced Tuesday in the House and Senate would address a recent uptick in cellphones being searched at the border by requiring Customs agents to obtain a warrant before scouring the digital devices of Americans attempting to reenter the country.

April 5, 2017

Americans becoming less inclined to give up digital privacy for security: Poll

A growing number of Americans are unwilling to sacrifice their digital privacy for the sake of added security, as one-third say the U.S. government is already doing more spying than needed, according to a new Reuters/Ipsos poll.

April 5, 2017

Hacker magazine ‘2600’ renews $10K bounty for Donald Trump’s tax returns

A prominent hacker publication renewed its offer to pay $10,000 for President Trump's tax returns Monday as suspicions linger surrounding the undisclosed source and scope of the president's reportedly vast wealth.

April 5, 2017

Facebook takes on revenge porn with new ‘photo-matching’ technology

Facebook on Wednesday unveiled new tools intended to stop so-called "revenge porn" from spreading online by giving users a new way to report intimate images of themselves not meant for public consumption.

April 5, 2017

IRS urged to investigate SPLC over alleged anti-Trump comments

The IRS was asked Wednesday to strip the Southern Poverty Law Center of its tax-exempt status following the watchdog organization's publication of dozens of allegedly disparaging comments connecting President Trump to white supremacists and other extremists during last year's White House race.

April 5, 2017

Elwood Gutshall, Pennsylvania man, arrested for DUI while wearing ‘Drunk Lives Matter’ shirt

The luck of the Irish was apparently lost on Elwood R. Gutshall III last month as evidenced by a mugshot published by police in Newville, Pennsylvania.

April 4, 2017

North Korea linked to Lazarus Group hackers behind global bank heists: Report

A "direct link" has been identified between North Korea and an advanced hacking group known as Lazarus, cybersecurity researchers said Monday, bolstering allegations surrounding Pyongyang's involvement in a slew of global bank heists.

April 4, 2017

Islamic State spokesperson calls Donald Trump an ‘idiot’: Report

President Trump was declared "an idiot" by the Islamic State on Tuesday as the terror group offered its first public critique of Mr. Trump since he took office.

April 4, 2017

Governors from marijuana states plea with Trump administration to keep pot policies in place

Governors from four states that have legalized marijuana urged the Trump administration Monday to leave existing federal policies alone amid lingering uncertainties surrounding the future of dozens of recreational and medical pot programs currently in place.

April 4, 2017

Julian Assange’s fate depends on Ecuador and Sweden: U.K Foreign Office

Britain won't rush to evict WikiLeaks publisher Julian Assange from his residence inside the Ecuadorean Embassy in London following the election this week of a new president of Ecuador, the U.K. Foreign Office said Monday.

April 4, 2017

Cigarette tax hike takes effect in California, costs surge by $2 per pack

California's cigarette tax increased by $2 a pack Saturday under new tobacco policies passed by voters during last November's general election.

April 1, 2017

George Takei announces bogus congressional run against Devin Nunes

Former "Star Trek" star George Takei on Saturday said he'd run next year against U.S. Rep. Devin Nunes, California Republican, triggering widespread support before his would-be congressional run was revealed to be a well-played April Fools' Day prank.

April 1, 2017

Grassley grills Tillerson for details on security clearances given to Hillary Clinton, aides

The Republican chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee asked the Trump administration for information involving the security clearances granted to Hillary Clinton and her former State Department aides Thursday as concerns linger surrounding their handling of classified information.

April 1, 2017