Andrew Blake

Snapchat sued over car crash that left victim with permanent brain damage

A Georgia man severely injured in a 2015 automobile crash is suing Snapchat and a teen motorist, claiming the social media app was partially responsible for the wreck that left him with permanent brain damage.

April 28, 2016

Secret Service proposes ‘taller, stronger’ White House fence

The Secret Service has called for heightening the security fence surrounding the White House by five feet, among other changes, in hopes of reducing the number of intruders amid an increase in "fence jumpers."

April 28, 2016

NSA surveillance has had chilling effect on Internet browsing: report

A "chilling effects" study published Tuesday in the Berkeley Technology Law Journal concludes that Internet users became less likely to browse Wikipedia for privacy-sensitive articles after the scope of the government's online surveillance was revealed by NSA leaker Edward Snowden.

April 27, 2016

James Tracy, Sandy Hook ‘truther,’ sues Florida college for wrongful termination

The former Florida Atlantic University professor who lost his tenured job earlier this year after calling the Sandy Hook massacre a hoax on his personal blog sued the school on Monday for wrongful termination and violation of his right to free speech.

April 27, 2016

Reet Jurvetson, 19, identified as woman fatally stabbed near scene of Manson family murders in 1969

Los Angeles police recently determined that the body of a woman found stabbed to death 47 years ago was that of a teenager who had arrived in L.A. several months earlier and may have been murdered by Charles Manson's notorious group of followers, People magazine reported on Wednesday.

April 27, 2016

Cockfighting connection being considered in probe of Ohio slayings

Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine said that investigators found evidence typical of an illegal cockfighting operation at one of the four homes where authorities discovered the bodies of eight family members on Friday who were killed as the result of execution-style shootings.

April 27, 2016

Islamic State suffering from money shortage, low morale, Pentagon says

The number of new recruits joining the ranks of the Islamic State has drastically dwindled in recent months due largely to the terror group's growing inability to pay fighters, a top Pentagon official said Tuesday.

April 27, 2016

Salah Abdeslam, Paris attack suspect, labeled ‘moron’ and as dumb as an ‘ashtray,’ his lawyer says

The Belgian lawyer for Salah Abdeslam, a French national accused of participating in the Paris terror attacks, called his client a "moron" with "the intellect of an ashtray" as the suspect was transferred Wednesday from Belgium to France.

April 27, 2016

New York police arrest about 100 suspects during major gang crackdown in the Bronx

The New York Police Department conducted a major gang takedown in the Bronx early Wednesday with the help of multiple federal agencies, arresting dozens of individuals during what is being reported as the largest crackdown of its kind in city history.

April 27, 2016

Federal watchdog says transportation officials must be ready for cyberattack

A government watchdog urged the Department of Transportation on Monday to ramp-up its cybersecurity efforts as the automobile industry continues to roll out computer-assisted cars that pose the possibility of being hacked.

April 26, 2016

Amy Schumer wishes she never wrote ‘Trainwreck’ in wake of fatal theater shooting

Comedian and actress Amy Schumer said she felt "helpless and stupid" when she learned last year that a gunman had opened fire inside a movie theater that was screening her romantic comedy "Trainwreck."

April 26, 2016

ISIS supporters circulate ‘kill’ list of State Dept. employees: Report

The names of dozens of U.S. government employees were reportedly circulated Sunday among Islamic State supporters when a "hit list" containing State Department and Homeland Security personnel was posted in a social networking channel geared towards sympathizers of the terror group.

April 26, 2016

‘Donald J. Trump Elementary’ gets most votes as Texas grade school readies for name change

Robert E. Lee Elementary School in Austin, Texas will soon have a new name, and an Internet poll has made honoring Donald Trump and Adolf Hitler popular choices among voters.

April 25, 2016

Prince posthumously earns top two albums on Billboard 200

Prince sold more than a half-million albums since passing away suddenly Thursday, posthumously earning the late musician the two top spots on this week's Billboard 200 chart.

April 25, 2016

James Clapper says Edward Snowden’s leaks accelerated roll-out of strong encryption

Edward Snowden's unauthorized NSA disclosures affected the government's ability to monitor the communications of terror suspects by expediting the tech sector's adoption of strong, hard-to-crack encryption, Director of National Intelligence James Clapper said Monday.

April 25, 2016

Michigan church’s website hacked to play Islamic State video

The FBI was notified over the weekend after the website of a small Christian church in Michigan was discovered to have been defaced by hackers who left a message in support of the Islamic State terror group.

April 25, 2016

Michigan police monitoring social media for Flint water discussions

As the world watches Flint, Michigan, to monitor the progress of the city's continuing water crisis, newly released emails reveal that state police have been interested as well. Official correspondence made available earlier this month by Gov. Rick Snyder's office confirms that the Michigan State Police have been conducting social media surveillance, specifically with regards to discussions surrounding Flint's ongoing water dilemma.

April 25, 2016

Edward Snowden asks Norway to let him receive award without being extradited

Edward Snowden has been invited to Norway to be awarded for outstanding contribution to freedom of expression, and attorneys for the former NSA contractor want a court to guarantee he can pick it up in person without being extradited upon arrival.

April 23, 2016

Hackers accessed personal info of 831 members of U.K. defense community

A security breach suffered year by a British defense contractor allowed for the personally identifiable information of hundreds of individuals with high-level security clearances to become compromised, The Register reported on Friday.

April 22, 2016

Russia considers allowing National Guard to shoot at crowds

Less than a month after President Vladimir Putin ordered the creation of a new domestic police force, lawmakers in the State Duma took the first steps towards expanding the newly-formed National Guard's authority, including a recommendation to authorize them to shoot into crowds.

April 22, 2016