Department of Homeland Security

Holly Kuzmich, deputy chief of staff for the U.S. Department of Education, testified before the House Homeland Security Committee to discuss ways the federal government can help keep our nation's schools and college campuses safe learning environments. Read Full Story

“I just can’t believe they’re going to deny a member of Congress the right of reviewing how they plan to [govern] after a significant terrorist attack,” The Oregonian’s Jeff Kosseff quotes Rep. Peter A. DeFazio, D-Ore., declaring upon being denied access to White House continuity of government docs. A GOP lawmaker proposes an amendment to defund enforcement of the prison sentences levied against two Border Patrol agents convicted of lying about shooting a fleeing suspect in the back, The... Read Full Story

A federal judge yesterday issued a preliminary injunction barring a controversial program to remove illegal immigrants from the U.S. work force, The San Francisco Chronicle’s Bob Egelko relates. Justice has filed an appeal to a ruling by a federal judge in Oregon who struck down key portions of the USA Patriot Act as unconstitutional, The Oregonian’s Ashbel Green reports. Read Full Story

“Fewer than two dozen law-enforcement agencies across the country have opted to partner with ICE to train officers to enforce immigration laws,” The Richmond Times-Dispatch’s Jim Nolan notes. U.S. and Mexican officials say increased border security has thwarted people smugglers, even as immigrants encounter mounting Americans hostility, The Associated Press’ Traci Carl recounts, explaining a sharp drop in detention rates. Read Full Story

The White House boasted yesterday of “building a culture of preparedness” with its new homeland strategy just as The Washington Post reported that administration leakage mooted a private firm’s years-long counter-jihadi surveillance op, The Chicago Tribune’s Mark Silva blogs. (The administration yesterday denied the loose-lips accusation, Reuters mentions — while the Post, again, has U.S. intel officials promising to probe the allegation.) The new homeland document, meanwhile, also “warns... Read Full Story

As al Qaeda threatens to blow up U.S. embassies, “intelligence gleaned from last month’s British ‘doctors plot’ of car bombers suggests that a Qaeda cell is on the loose in the American homeland,” The New York Sun’s Eli Lake leads. There has been plenty of talk on and around Capitol Hill about a possible terror strike on the upcoming 9/11 anniversary, “but those in charge of looking out for danger, say they don’t see any on the horizon,”WUSA-TV 9’s Doug Buchanan notes. Read Full Story

Just so ya’ all know… ANY transmitting device that can contact ANY OTHER device that receives the transmitter’s signal, NO MATTER WHAT IT’S ORIGNAL DESIGN FUNCTION, even if it’s not operating on the same frequency, can be used as a remote detonator. There are more ways to MAKE and TRIGGER an explosive device than can ever be planned for. The only REAL solution is to have no personal items of a transmitting or receiving nature on board the vehicle carrying the humans and move the baggage et... Read Full Story

Recess-bound Hill Dems pledge to re-address terror surveillance rules after being stampeded into approving a stop-gap deal to loosen the FISA law for the next six months, The Washington Post’s Ellen Nakashima and Joby Warrick relate. In this particular kerfuffle, Mike McConnell acted as lead White House lobbyist, The Chicago Tribune’s Mark Silva mentions, adding that he hopes the top spy will “pay as much attention to the ‘chatter’ of [terrorists] as he paid to the floor debate.” The FISA... Read Full Story

Sudan secretly has worked with the CIA to spy on the insurgency in Iraq — an example of how the United States continues to cooperate with the regime even while condemning its killing of tens of thousands of civilians in Darfur, the Los Angeles Times’Greg Miller and Josh Meyer reveal. Paying tribute at Washington’s new memorial to victims of communism yesterday, President Bush linked the Cold War to the struggle against terrorism, Agence France-Presse reports. Read Full Story

AT&T Inc. today announced the availability of the Motorola M900, a powerful and durable mobile voice solution that enables state-of-the-art in-vehicle communications ideal for the needs of homeland security and emergency management professionals. The M900, which is available through AT&T's wireless Government sales organization, is a robust, high-performance unit easily installed into service vehicles used by the military, federal, state and local government and emergency management agencies... Read Full Story