News Story
President and VP Doing a Heck of a Lot of International Travel Compared With Other Administrations
By Allan Lengel ticklethewire.com WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden haven’t been shy about traveling out of the country. Mark Sullivan, the director of the U.S. Secret Service, told a Congressional panel Thursday morning that President Obama went on 31 international trips in his first year in office, a “significant increase…
Feds Indict 2 Computer Programmers for Madoff
By Allan Lengel ticklethewire.com Bernie Madoff’s house of cards continues to crumble. Two computer programmers for Madoff’s investment firm– George Perez and Jerome O’Hara — were indicted Wednesday in New York on charges of conspiracy and falsifying records. Authorities charged that the men helped dupe the Securities and Exchange Commission and a European accounting firm…
Senate Passes Bill to Lessen Sentences for Crack Cocaine
By Allan Lengel ticklethewire.com WASHINGTON — A bill that lessens the sentencing disparity between crack and powdered cocaine sailed through the Senate Wednesday night, the website Main Justice reported. The Fair Sentencing Act establishes an 18-to-1 sentencing ratio for crack and powder cocaine offenses as opposed to the current 100-to-1 ratio. In other words, a…
“JihadJane” Confessed to FBI
By Allan Lengel ticklethewire.com The woman nicknamed “JihadJane” has confessed to the FBI about helping plot the murder of a Swedish cartoonist, the Philadelphia Inquirer reported. The paper, citing “two people close to the investigation” reported that Colleen LaRose gave her confession shortly after she was arrested in October at Philadelphia International Airport where she…
Proposed FBI $8.3 Billion Budget For 2011 Includes Request for 276 New Agent Slots
bin Laden said getting weapons of mass destruction was a “religious duty” By Allan Lengel ticklethewire.com WASHINGTON — FBI Director Robert S. Mueller III said Wednesday that he hoped to get Congressional funding to add 276 new agent slots to fight crime, terrorism and battle al Qaeda. “Usama bin Laden said that obtaining WMDs (weapons…
FBI Dir. Robert Mueller Defends Handling of Christmas Day Bombing Incident in Detroit
By Allan Lengel ticklethewire.com WASHINGTON — FBI Director Robert S. Mueller III on Wednesday found himself defending the handling of the Christmas day bombing attempt in Detroit — this time before a Congressional committee. Rep. Frank Wolf, R-Va., told Mueller he would have preferred that a team of interrogation experts had been brought to Detroit…
UPDATE: Party-Crashing Salahis Still on the Feds Radar
By Allan Lengel ticklethewire.com WASHINGTON — The party-crashing Salahis — who are apparently “so yesterday” — are still in the crosshairs of federal authorities. Ben Friedman, a spokesman U.S. Attorney’s Office in Washington, said Wednesday that the couple is still under investigation and no decision has been made whether to charge them criminally for crashing…
Chicago Defendant Linked to Mumbai Attacks Expected to Plead Guilty
By Allan Lengel ticklethewire.com David Coleman Headley, charged in Chicago with playing a role in the 2008 Mumbai, India bombings that killed about 170 people, is expected to plead guilty Thursday, the Chicago Tribune reported. The Tribune reported that he has been cooperating since his arrest in October. His attorney would not comment to the…