Andrew Blake

Swastikas, ‘Go Trump’ graffiti found at park named for Adam Yauch, Jewish Beasties Boys rapper

Swastikas and the words "Go Trump" were found spray-painted Friday inside a Brooklyn park named in memory of Adam "MCA" Yauch, the late Beastie Boys musician who died in 2012 after decades of co-fronting the groundbreaking all-Jewish hip hop group. Police have not identified any suspects yet.

November 19, 2016

David Duke, former Klan leader, applauds Trump staff, Cabinet picks as ‘great first steps’

Notwithstanding a resounding Election Day defeat in his U.S. Senate bid, former Ku Klux Klan leader David Duke appears optimistic about the future of the United States following President-elect Donald Trump's appointment this week of Steve Bannon, retired Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn and Sen. Jeff Sessions, Alabama Republican, to roles in his administration.

November 19, 2016

Justice Dept. investigating post-election hate crime reports: Attorney General

The Justice Department is investigating a recent wave of alleged hate crimes committed in the days since Donald Trump was elected president, Attorney General Loretta Lynch said Friday, and is calling on the public to continue reporting potential violations of federal law.

November 19, 2016

Trump demands apology from ‘Hamilton’ cast after Pence is lectured during show’s curtain call

President-elect Donald Trump demanded an apology from the Broadway cast of "Hamilton" on Saturday after its actors concluded a performance the previous night with a passionate plea aimed at particular member of the audience: vice president-elect Mike Pence.

November 19, 2016

Obama shrugs off Edward Snowden’s plea for presidential pardon

President Obama indicated in an interview Friday that he has no plans to pardon National Security Agency leaker Edward Snowden, all but closing the door on the possibility of the former intelligence contractor receiving clemency before Donald Trump takes the oath of office.

November 18, 2016

Cincinnati Zoo faulted over gorilla exhibit; Harambe encounter proved barrier ineffective: Report

The Cincinnati Zoo's gorilla exhibit wasn't in compliance with federal standards when a small child fell into it earlier this year during a now-infamous incident that led to the death of Harambe, a 17-year-old gorilla, a government report released this week suggests.

November 18, 2016

Apple faces renewed attack over encryption by Manhattan D.A.

Security features introduced by Apple in October 2014 have caused investigators in New York City to amass a collection of at least 423 iPhone and iPads that are incapable of being unlocked despite being lawfully seized by authorities, the Manhattan District Attorney's Office said this week.

November 18, 2016

Donald Trump takes credit for keeping Ky. Ford plant from Mexico, though it never planned to move

President-elect Donald Trump patted himself on the back Thursday after the chairman of Ford told him the automotive giant isn't moving its Lincoln plant from Louisville, Kentucky, to Mexico -- a relocation that wasn't in the works to begin with.

November 18, 2016

Bipartisan calls emerge for congressional investigation into Russia’s alleged election meddling

Republicans and Democrats in the House and Senate are calling for congressional investigation of Russia's alleged meddling in the U.S. presidential election.

November 17, 2016

UCLA removes ‘white students group’ signs from campus, says group doesn’t exist

Posters touting a "white students group" at the University of California, Los Angeles were removed from campus this week because no such organization exists, UCLA said Wednesday.

November 17, 2016

Sex or cybersecurity? 40 percent of Americans pick abstinence if it means they won’t be hacked: Poll

Nearly four in ten Americans would rather be abstinent for a year than risk being hacked, according to the results of survey published Thursday.

November 17, 2016

David Barber, Tennessee corrections official, resigns after calling KKK ‘more American’ than Obama

The deputy director of a Memphis-area jail resigned this week after he called the Ku Klux Klan "more American" than President Obama and advocated for the first family's murder.

November 17, 2016

DNC hack ‘a conscious effort by a nation-state to attempt to achieve a specific effect’: NSA chief

The cyberattacks and email leaks endured by Democrats during the run-up to last week's presidential vote was undoubtedly the work of a foreign government, the head of the National Security Agency and Army Cyber Command said Tuesday, reiterating the Obama administration's charge that state-sponsored hackers attempted to disrupt the election process.

November 16, 2016

Pro-marijuana bills introduced by Texas lawmakers after weed wins big on Election Day

Texas lawmakers have begun a multi-pronged attempt to reshape marijuana rules in the Lone Star State in the wake of voters passing pro-pot initiatives in several states across the country as a result of last week's general election.

November 16, 2016

Russia withdraws from International Criminal Court after being called out over Crimea invasion

Russia announced its withdrawal Wednesday from the International Criminal Court within hours of being rebuked by the ICC for effectively creating an international armed conflict upon its invasion of Ukraine.

November 16, 2016

Lindsey Graham calls on Congress to investigate Russia over U.S. election meddling

Sen. Lindsey Graham, South Carolina Republican, called on his colleagues in Congress Tuesday to investigate Russia's purported use of cyberattacks to influence the outcome of the U.S. presidential election.

November 16, 2016

Alt-right cries foul after Twitter suspends several prominent accounts

Twitter has suspended several accounts associated with the so-called alt-right, spurring suspicions that the social network is cracking down on users with certain mindsets.

November 16, 2016

FBI, NSA, CIA ordered to disclose details about potential Occupy surveillance in Philadelphia

A federal judge in Philadelphia has ordered the FBI, CIA and National Security Agency to produce any potential evidence concerning their possible monitoring of local Occupy protesters in 2011.

November 15, 2016

Denver narrowly passes new marijuana law authorizing public use

Marijuana advocates in Denver declared a belated win Monday evening after a ballot measure allowing for public marijuana use appeared to have narrowly passed.

November 15, 2016

Tech industry asks Donald Trump to support strong encryption, immigration reform

A group composed of Google, Facebook and other large internet companies sent an open letter to President-elect Donald Trump this week that outlined its policy goals on topics ranging from digital encryption and immigration to surveillance reform and net neutrality.

November 15, 2016