Andrew Blake

Vermont high court weighs hate crime case involving KKK recruitment fliers

Vermont's highest court is currently considering whether a person's right to distribute Ku Klux Klan recruitment files is constitutionally protected.

March 10, 2017

Curtis Reeves, denied ‘Stand Your Ground’ defense in Florida movie theater killing

A retired police captain accused of fatally shooting another moviegoer inside a Florida cinema can't defend himself using the state's controversial "Stand Your Ground" law, a circuit judge ruled Friday.

March 10, 2017

Roger Stone, Trump confidant, acknowledges ‘innocuous’ Twitter conversation with DNC hackers

Roger Stone, President Trump's former campaign advisor, engaged privately last year with a persona involved in hacking the Democratic National Committee, he told The Washington Times Friday, but insisted the conversations were "completely innocuous."

March 10, 2017

Colorado advances plan to authorize private marijuana clubs

Marijuana clubs came one step closer to legally operating in Colorado on Thursday after the state Senate voted 25-10 in favor of a first-of-its-kind bill allowing for private pot club.

March 10, 2017

The Crusader, Holy Cross newspaper, weighs name change to distance itself from KKK publication

The Crusader, a weekly newspaper published by the students of a small Jesuit college in Worcester, Massachusetts, is considering a name change for the first time in decades amid concerns raised by an identically named publication affiliated with the Ku Klux Klan.

March 10, 2017

Ben Sasse, Senate Republican, asks Justice Department to clarify its stance on Julian Assange

The Republican chair of the Senate Judiciary Oversight Subcommittee asked the Trump administration on Thursday to clarify its position on WikiLeaks publisher Julian Assange following the release this week of details concerning the CIA's previously unreported hacking powers.

March 9, 2017

CIA’s ‘devastating incompetence’ led to latest leak, Julian Assange claims after ‘Year Zero’ release

WikiLeaks publisher Julian Assange blamed the CIA's "devastating incompetence" Thursday for allowing his website to acquire a trove of information involving the agency's vast hacking capabilities, drawing fire from the U.S. intelligence community following its release this week of the so-called "Year Zero" files.

March 9, 2017

House panel to seek testimony from Christopher Steele, author of explosive Trump dossier

The House Intelligence Committee will seek testimony from the former British spy who compiled an explosive and uncorroborated dossier concerning President Trump's campaign and its ties to Russia, the panel's top Democrat said Tuesday.

March 9, 2017

Overdose victims charged with ‘inducing panic’ under new law in Ohio

A newly implemented policy that lets police in central Ohio criminally charge drug users who survive non-fatal overdoses is gaining steam across the state.

March 9, 2017

China blasts CIA after WikiLeaks reveals extent of agency’s hacking abilities

WikiLeaks' publication of documents detailing the CIA's vast hacking prowess prompted a rebuke from China's Foreign Ministry on Thursday over concerns surrounding the security risks caused by the agency's ability to crack the world's most widely-used electronic devices.

March 9, 2017

Roger Stone, Trump confidant, spoke privately with DNC hackers prior to election: Report

Roger Stone, President Trump's former campaign adviser, communicated privately with an entity directly involved in hacking the Democratic National Committee ahead of the 2016 White House race, The Smoking Gun reported Wednesday.

March 9, 2017

Deric Lostutter, hacker, sentenced to 2 years in prison for crimes tied to Steubenville rape case

A Kentucky man who said he helped hack a high school football team's website in order to draw attention to an infamous 2012 rape case was sentenced Wednesday to two years in federal prison.

March 8, 2017

Amazon gives up Alexa data sought in murder probe

An Arkansas man accused of first-degree murder has agreed to give prosecutors access to audio recorded by his Amazon Echo, a microphone-embedded smart-speaker that may have potentially captured a killing in progress.

March 8, 2017

92 percent of federal websites lack basic industry standards: Report

The vast majority of the U.S. government's most widely-visited websites are plagued by security problems, accessibility issues or other items of concern, according to an external audit released Wednesday.

March 8, 2017

Judicial Watch sues over records related to Michael Flynn’s conversations with Russian ambassador

A conservative watchdog group sued the federal government Monday in pursuit of records related to its probe of conversations involving President Trump's former national security adviser, retired U.S. Army Lt. Gen. Michel Flynn, and Russia's ambassador to the United States, Sergey Kislyak.

March 8, 2017

Bill Nelson, Florida senator, seeks answers from Spiral Toys following ‘CloudPets’ teddy bear breach

The Senate Commerce Committee's top Democrat demanded answers from a toy manufacturer on Tuesday after a data breach was said to affect nearly a million users of its high-tech brand of teddy bears.

March 7, 2017

Edward Snowden says WikiLeaks’ CIA documents look legit

Documents released by WikiLeaks alleging the CIA's ability to compromise and commandeer the world's most popular electronic devices appear to be authentic examples of its vast but "reckless" hacking prowess, former employee Edward Snowden said Tuesday.

March 7, 2017

WikiLeaks: CIA capable of compromising smartphones used for presidential Twitter accounts

The U.S. intelligence community is capable of compromising Android and Apple mobile devices, WikiLeaks warned Tuesday, specifically including smartphones used by sitting presidents in addition to most of the modern world.

March 7, 2017

Elvis Redzepagic, Long Island resident, accused of attempting to join terror groups

A 26-year-old Long Island resident was arrested at his residence in Commack, New York on Friday and charged with attempting to join the Islamic State and the Al Nusra Front, organizations both designated as foreign terrorist groups by the U.S. government.

March 4, 2017

Facebook user who broadcast murder victim’s dying moment won’t face charges: Police

A Facebook user who livestreamed a murder victim's dying moments at a North Carolina motel this winter won't face criminal charges, authorities said Thursday.

March 4, 2017