Time to Out the Cyber-Insecure Defense Contractors
In its latest update on Chinese hacking of our defense programs, WaPo provides a list of defense programs that have been compromised, which includes many of our most important and error-prone programs.
The designs included those for the advanced…
Torquemada Pursued Suspected Muslims, Not Journalists
In an article flattering Eric Holder's sense of remorse once he realized how inappropriate it was to claim a journalist engaging in flattery might be a co-conspirator in a leak, Daniel Klaidman quotes a Holder friend explaining that the Attorney…
Growing Signs of Intelligence from Intelligence Community, or Just Another Turf War?
On Saturday, I wrote about a remarkable about-face taken by AP's George Jahn in his reporting on Iran's nuclear technology. Instead of following his usual routine of parroting leaks from US and Israeli sources meant to put Iranian intentions…
Philip Mudd Makes the Case for Signature Strikes against Banksters
Last Friday, former Deputy Director of CIA's Counterterrorism Center and FBI Philip Mudd defended the use of signature strikes when used against multinational networked organizations that hide in safe havens.
Signature strikes have pulled…
Putin: You Show Me Yours and ... I Might Show You Mine
It's not until the 17th and 18th paragraph of this Moscow Times article on Russian Interior Minister Vladimir Alexandrovich Kolokoltsev's discussion with Attorney General Eric Holder about sharing more law enforcement information that it reminds…
Will the Saudis Let JSOC Take Over Yemeni Targeting?
There were three airstrikes in Yemen this week, with the last being a strike in al-Jawf, a province on the Saudi border, that local observers have variously described as a drone strike and a Saudi jet strike.
Keep ongoing confusion about…
Time to End the Iraq War
In his speech on Thursday, President Obama said,
America is at a crossroads. We must define the nature and scope of this struggle, or else it will define us, mindful of James Madison’s warning that “No nation could preserve its freedom…
Jahn Does Complete Reversal, Questions Sources Instead of Transcribing Iran Nuke Propaganda
Man Bites Dog
It was a development worthy of the proverbial mythical headline reversing the natural order of the world. For a very long time, I have mercilessly attacked George Jahn of the AP for the role he has played while serving to move…
Fast Times At Monaco High - Memorial Day Trash Talk
Hey there fellow lugnuts at the Emptywheel garage, how about some Memorial Day Holiday Trash Talk? We haven't taken out the trash lately, so it is time. There are a few things on tap to chat about.
First up is the Gran Prix de Monaco, the…
Federal Judge Blasts Joe Arpaio's Racial Profiling and Detention Policy
In a scathing decision just entered by Judge Murray Snow in the District Court for the District of Arizona, the court has hammered the racial profiling and detention policies of Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio. The case is Melendres v. Arpaio,…
Tamerlan Tsarnaev: Not a Step by Step Investigation
In a piece summarizing investigators' understanding of Tamerlan Tsarnaev based largely on their investigations in Russia, ABC unironically quotes Dana Rohrabacher -- who used to play dress-up mujahadeen when they were fighting Russia in Afghanistan…
What "Not Specifically Targeted" Means for Abdulrahman al-Awlaki
A number of people are discussing the killing of Abdulraham al-Awlaki as if the government has claimed he was accidentally targeted.
That's not what the government has officially said. In his letter declassifying American drone deaths the…
Someone Hacked Our Memory: "Retaliation," "Deterrence," "Escalation"
The WSJ has a story developing on earlier WSJ and NYT reporting that someone -- believed to be Iran -- was using cyberattacks on energy companies in preparation to sabotage operations.
And while the WSJ responsibly includes a short paragraph…
The Reason Holder Recused in UndieBomb 2.0 Probably Relates to Reasons He Thinks It's So Bad
A lot of people are responding furiously with what should not be news: that Eric Holder approved the warrants in the investigation into Fox report James Rosen's story.
Attorney General Eric Holder signed off on a controversial search warrant…
Obama's Finger Is On the Trigger Except Where It Matters
Update: In his speech, Obama took clear responsibility for killing Awlaki.
And as President, I would have been derelict in my duty had I not authorized the strike that took out Awlaki.
Daniel Klaidman remains the Administration's go-to guy…
Obama (Almost) Capitulates to ACLU on Drone Killing Standards
Actually, that headline overstates things. Obama will never capitulate to ACLU, the organization. As I've shown, his Administration has gone to absurd lengths to defeat ACLU in Court, even holding up legitimate congressional oversight to do…
Program US Heralds as Key to Afghan Stability Continues to Rely on Gang Rapes to Intimidate Locals
On Tuesday, I wrote about the disappearances, torture and murder for which the Afghan Local Police are known, comparing them to other death squad programs that the US has backed over the years in various military engagements. Sadly, there is…
In Guilty Plea, Abdulmutallab Named Awlaki as Inspiration, Not as Co-Conspirator
In Eric Holder's letter on drone killing today, he used Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab's UndieBomb attack as the most extensive evidence justifying the assassination of Anwar al-Awlaki.
For example, when Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab -- the individual…
"At the Highest Levels of the U.S. Government" ... Like the President?
Update: Obama did, in fact, take responsibility for ordering the killing.
And as President, I would have been derelict in my duty had I not authorized the strike that took out Awlaki.
There's something missing from Eric Holder's 8 paragraphs…
600 Days after Assassinating Anwar al-Awlaki, Administration Admits Doing So
In this letter boasting of "unprecedented transparency," Eric Holder officially tells Congress that since 2009 the government has killed 4 Americans: Anwar al-Awlaki was specifically targeted and killed, and Samir Khan, Abdulrahman al-Awlaki,…