Jahn's AP Report Was Wrong. Was He Manipulated or Did He Intend to Mislead?
On August 19, AP's George Jahn set off a firestorm of controversy when he published an article on how Iran's Parchin site would be inspected as part of the P5+1 agreement reached earlier on Iran's nuclear technology. Iran deal opponents jumped…
Why Is Devin Nunes Rushing to Give More Data to Hack-Tastic Department of Energy?
On several occasions, I've pointed out that the agencies that would automatically receive data shared with the federal government under cybersecurity bills being pushed through Congress aren't any more secure than Office of Personnel Management,…
Never Forget ... that Khalid Sheikh Mohammed Has Not Faced Justice Yet
The people who like to use 9/11 to sow fear are pushing the hashtag #NeverForget this morning, as if anyone is about to forget the event that led our country to sacrifice its values and exacerbate the threat from terrorism, as if we haven't…
Beyond Deflategate: The NFL Season Begins
Hi there! How ya doing! Because I have been oppressed with this Tom Brady porn bullshit from blog partner and sister, that Wheel person. Very ugly and unnecessary. But I am going to let it stand for all of posterity, not to mention both of our…
Has bmaz Really Not Started Work on Trash Talk Yet? Oh No I Didn't Want To Have To Do This...
It seems bmaz is a bit rusty on Trash Talk, given that the SEASON starts in a less than 6 hours and there's still no sign of a Trash Talk thread.
So I'm going to leave this here, in hopes it will give bmaz the proper urgency,…
Transcribing James Clapper
Yesterday, during the Q&A to his speech at INSA (which is where defense and intelligence contractors huddle with government paymasters), James Clapper conceded that Edward Snowden brought needed transparency but had also damaged operations. Rather…
Admiral Mike Rogers Virtually Confirms OPM Was Not on Counterintelligence Radar
For some time, those following the OPM hack have been asking where the intelligence community's counterintelligence folks were. Were they aware of what a CI bonanza the database would present for foreign governments?
Lawfare's Ben Wittes has…
Brookings Expert Michael O'Hanlon Thinks We've Won Our Recent Wars
Fresh off the call from his hero, David Petraeus, to cooperate with al Qaeda, Michael O'Hanlon suggests we should lower the standards for vetting of "moderate" rebels, so we can then partition Syria and pretend we haven't just empowered al…
The SpyGate to DeflateGate Story Is an Illogical Tale
ESPN has a breaking story claiming that the reason the NFL -- the implication is, Roger Goodell -- went overboard with the DeflateGate investigation is because Goodell lost credibility when he went easy on his buddy Robert Kraft during the SpyGate…
Stingrays and Public Safety Operations
In my piece on the loopholes in the new Stingray policy, I noted that public safety applications for Stingray use might fall under what the policy calls the "exceptional circumstances" that aren't exigent but nevertheless don't require a warrant.
I’m…
David Cameron Proudly Announces He Drone Kills Too
After previous reporting had already claimed US credit for the kill,
A Cardiff man who is one of three from the city to have joined a jihadist group in Syria has died, BBC Wales has been told.
Reyaad Khan, 21, was killed in a US drone strike…
Even Millionaire Workers Like Tom Brady Need Solidarity
President Obama's at a labor breakfast in Boston today. He offered this message.
Clearly, the President is pandering to his audience. Bostoners like Brady, unlike much of the country.
But it's an important point, one which…
Former Car Czar Steve Rattner Remains an Idiot about Cars
I really shouldn't waste my time making fun of Steve Rattner, but I will.
He just tweeted a map showing the most popular vehicle in each state last year. He noted that in the Big 12 Ford rules, the Big 10 Chevy rules. If you ignore current…
King Salman Doubles Down on the Aircraft Carrier Cruiser
Friday, Saudi Arabia's King Salman came to DC to meet with Obama, renting out the entire Four Seasons hotel in a lavish display of extravagance as our joint policies in the Middle East foster a refugee crisis in Europe.
In a joint appearance…
Did FBI Use Katrina as an Excuse for DIY Location Collection?
Last week, Muckrock's Shawn Musgrave wrote a piece showing that, in the wake of Katrina and a slew of other 2005 hurricanes, in 2006 FBI's Wireless Intercept and Tracking Team said they needed more equipment from Harris Corporation, the maker…
More Details on the Tres Marias Ambush
Matthew Aid linked to FOIAed State Department documents on the ambush of two intelligence officials in August 2012 (the documents were actually released to John Dyer in 2014).
They provide a number of interesting new details about the assault…
The Continued Belief in Unicorn Cyber Deterrence
For some reason, people continue to believe Administration leaks that they will retaliate against China (and Russia!) for cyberattacks -- beyond what are probably retaliatory moves already enacted.
I think Jack Goldsmith's uncharacteristically…
Mankiw’s Ten Principles of Economics Part 11: Conclusions
The introduction to this series is here.
Part 1 is here.
Part 2 is here.
Part 3 is here.
Part 4 is here.
Part 5 is here.
Part 6 is here.
Part 7 is here.
Part 8 is here.
Part 9 is here.
Part 10 is here.
This series is an…
The Loopholes in DOJ's New Stingray Policy
DOJ just announced a new policy on use of Stingrays which requires a warrant and minimization of incidentally-collected data. It's big news and an important improvement off the status quo.
But there are a few loopholes.
Exigent and emergency…
The Deflategate Decision: Brady Has Been Freed!
emptywheel sez: We interrupt this in depth legal discussion to point out that the WOLVEREENIES ARE BACK!!
Better still, they've got unbeatable juju going into tonight's game against Utah. That's because (unreported among all the…