national security news stories on Newser

Gingrich Insists Obama Is a Threat to National Security

Polly Davis Doig — Tue, 21 Feb 2012 11:52:13 CST

Newt Gingrich is zinging President Obama with all the zeal of a Republican nominee, charging that the president "routinely only obeys laws that he deems fit" and sticking with a stance he took yesterday that defeating the incumbent is a "duty of national security." Gingrich took aim again this morning...

More Than 4.2M People Have Security Clearance

Kevin Spak — Wed, 21 Sep 2011 13:13:05 CDT

A whopping 4.2 million people have access to classified government information, according to a new government report. That’s a far cry from the 2.4 million estimate the Government Accountability Office came up with just two years ago, and, the Washington Post points out, it’s just over a million...

US Scientist Confesses to Attempted Espionage

Mark Russell — Thu, 08 Sep 2011 04:16:58 CDT

Nearly two years after getting busted for trying to sell US technology secrets to Israel , a top American scientist has confessed to attempted espionage, reports the BBC . Stewart Nozette, who had high security clearances for years with NASA, the National Space Council, and the Department of Energy, will likely serve...

One in Four Would Trade Rights for Security: Poll

Kevin Spak — Fri, 02 Sep 2011 15:14:05 CDT

Only about 25% of Americans now say they would give up their “basic civil liberties” in exchange for security—a huge decrease from the days after the September 11 attacks, according to a new USA Today /Gallup Poll . In January of 2002, close to half of respondents (47%) were willing...

Obama: We Won't Release bin Laden Photos as ‘Trophies’

John Johnson — Wed, 04 May 2011 14:41:57 CDT

CBS has new details on President Obama's decision not to release photos of a dead Osama bin Laden. It comes down to not inciting violence or gloating, he tells 60 Minutes . Read a partial transcript here from the interview that airs Sunday. Excerpts: "It is important to make sure that...

Situation Room Photo Shattering Flickr Records

John Johnson — Wed, 04 May 2011 13:43:52 CDT

The photo of President Obama and his national security team in the White House situation room during the Osama raid is well on its way to destroying all of Flickr's viewing records. TechCrunch has the details: It went up at 1pm EST May 2 and had 1.6 million views...

Osama bin Laden Is Dead

John Johnson — Sun, 01 May 2011 21:53:31 CDT

Osama bin Laden is dead, the New York Times reports. Few details yet, but the newspaper (and just about every other media outlet now) quotes a US official saying the al-Qaeda leader has been killed in a "targeted assault" by US forces. CNN says that it happened in Pakistan, and...

This New FAA Rule Could Kill You

Evann Gastaldo — Fri, 11 Mar 2011 08:23:59 CST

The FAA recently ordered the emergency oxygen masks removed from the lavatories of all US commercial planes, a directive it says will protect the public from potential terror attacks—but which could also kill anyone who happens to be in the airplane lavatory during a rapid decompression event. The FAA...

'State Secrets' Privilege Hits Supreme Court

Matt Cantor — Mon, 17 Jan 2011 16:23:16 CST

The Supreme Court this week will, for the first time in decades, hear a case questioning aspects of the government’s oft-used “state secrets” privilege, USA Today reports. The federal government has used the argument frequently since 9/11, such as in cases of warrantless surveillance and prisoner interrogation; it has allowed...