Douglas Ernst

Ex-CIA operative: Islamic State is in the U.S. and ‘they’re capable of striking’

A former CIA operative says that the Islamic State group is in the United States and its members are capable of carrying out attacks.

September 2, 2014

DHS struggles to keep track of 6K foreign nationals who overstayed student visas

The Department of Homeland Security is looking for more than 6,000 foreign nationals who came to the U.S. on student visas and have essentially disappeared from the U.S. government's radar. ·

September 2, 2014

State Dept. asked if U.S. at war with Islamic State: ‘I’m not going to, again, put new labels on it’

State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki said shortly after the purported killing of American journalist Steven Sotloff that the U.S. government was not going to "put new labels" on America's response to the Islamic State group by calling it war.

September 2, 2014

U.S. technology transfer paves way for UAE-France spy satellites deal

The United Arab Emirates and France are closing in on the nations' first defense deal involving spy satellites, but major sticking points weren't broken until a key issue involving the export of U.S. technology was reached.

September 2, 2014

Pentagon’s experimental Phantom Swift X-Plane contract secured by Boeing

The Pentagon wants a plane that can attain incredibly fast speeds while also possessing the ability to hover. The experimental Phantom Swift X-Plane will fulfill that role, and now Boeing has secured a $9 million to continue work it started roughly one year ago.

September 2, 2014

Saudi king: Islamic State will reach ‘Europe in a month and America in another month’

Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah has a stark warning to America: The Islamic State's terror will visit American shores in one month if they are not confronted in Syria and Iraq.

August 30, 2014

Legal center’s amici brief challenges N.Y., Tenn. state Republicans in SEC pay-to-play lawsuit

A campaign-finance watchdog group filed a brief in federal court Friday to beat back an attempt by New York and Tennessee Republicans to stymie pay-to-play restrictions.

August 29, 2014

Watchdog: Fed’s denial of Islamic State Mexico threat ‘so dishonest’

The federal government believes a terrorist attack at the U.S.-Mexico border is imminent and has put out a bulletin on the matter, a government watchdog group reported Friday.

August 29, 2014

ALS group applies for ‘Ice Bucket Challenge’ trademark

The ALS Association has raised millions of dollars generated by the Ice Bucket Challenge, and now the group wants to trademark the name.

August 29, 2014

Putin: ‘I want to remind you that Russia is one of the leading nuclear powers’

Russian President Vladimir Putin had a message for the international community on Friday: "It's best not to mess with us."

August 29, 2014

U.S. weapons land in Lebanon for Islamic State fight: ‘This aircraft is full, chock-full!’

A cache of emergency weapons — including M16-A4 assault rifles and anti-tank missiles — was delivered Friday to Lebanon from the United States at Lebanon's request.

August 29, 2014

Manipulating memory through ‘reconsolidation’ could help PTSD patients, scientists say

Scientists believe that memory is capable of being molded like hot metal, and new techniques for altering recall may benefit individuals who suffer from PTSD.

August 28, 2014

Russian hackers unleash blizzard of spam in response to sanctions

Russian hackers are angry with Western sanctions, and they're responding with a blizzard of spam.

August 28, 2014

Federal judge’s ruling may force trove of Abu Ghraib photos to be released

A federal judge in New York may force the government to release a trove of images taken at the Abu Ghraib prison in 2004.

August 28, 2014

‘Significant increase’ in terror chatter as 9/11 nears; Islamic State’s rise complicates analysis

The U.S. intelligence community has observed a "significant increase" in chatter among terrorist organizations as the 13th anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks nears.

August 28, 2014

McChrystal marches into midterm battles, endorses Mass., Colo. Democrats

Retired four-star Army Gen. Stanley McChrystal's criticism in Rolling Stone of the Obama administration's Afghanistan strategy may have been the impetus for his resignation as the leader of U.S. forces in Afghanistan in 2010, but these days Democratic candidates are welcoming his words.

August 28, 2014

Special Operations Command signs $187 million contract for Carl Gustav recoilless rifles

The Swedish defense firm Saab has signed a contract to provide U.S. Special Operations Command (SOCOM) with $187 million in Carl Gustav recoilless rifles and ammunition.

August 27, 2014

FBI probing high-tech JPMorgan hacking believed to have Russian backing: report

Russia hackers are believed to be behind the infiltration and theft of sensitive JPMorgan Chase & Co. (JPM) data mid-August.

August 27, 2014

Ukrainian troops in ‘full, chaotic retreat’ as Putin opens ‘third front’ in stealth war

Russian President Vladimir Putin's stealth war of attrition may be paying off. As evidence mounts that pro-Russian separatists are being supplied with new weapons from across the border, some Ukrainian soldiers are now refusing to fight.

August 27, 2014

Report urges Pentagon to allow transgendered military personnel to openly serve

Gay military service personnel may now serve openly, and now former top Pentagon officials believe that another group should be afforded the same treatment: transgendered Americans.

August 27, 2014