Topic: U.S. Senate Committee on Homeland Security & Governmental Affairs

All Content

Secret Service chief denies 'culture' of impropriety

Secret Service Director Mark Sullivan said the scandal involving agents and prostitutes in Colombia was not part of a 'systemic issue.' But Sen. Susan Collins said it 'was almost certainly not an isolated incident.'
Researchers tinker with bird flu: Are enough safeguards in place?

A new study and one to be published soon on Asian bird flu have prompted debate about safeguards during research and how much access others should have to research details.
Secret Service now investigating El Salvador trip

The agency is concerned that agents may have hired strippers and prostitutes there as well when the President visited last year.
Prostitution scandal now implicates twelfth member of military

With a dozen Secret Service personnel also implicated, the total number of individuals involved in the prostitution scandal has reached 25.
Secret Service: Scale of prostitution party in Colombia revealed

Secret Service and US Marines brought 21 women to the hotel in Cartagena, Colombia. Sen. Susan Collins (R) of Maine gave new details of the Secret Service scandal.
Lieberman and Collins: Shipping industry must choose between Iran and the US

Iran thwarts economic sanctions through loopholes in international shipping regulations. 'Classification societies' give certifications (access to ports and international trade) to both Iranian and US vessels. These groups must end their conflicting role, which supports Iranian commerce.
US Postal Service seeks reprieve from Congress to avert 'default'

Congress must act by Sept. 30 or the US Postal Service, running out of funds, will default on a $5.5 billion payment for retiree health benefits, US Postmaster General Patrick Donahue said Tuesday.
Why did Peter King take on CAIR at radicalization hearings?

At the hearing on 'radicalization in the American Muslim community,' Rep. Peter King takes particular aim at the CAIR, the largest US Muslim civil-rights organization.
Son of Stuxnet? Variants of the cyberweapon likely, senators told

The Stuxnet cyberworm could soon be modified to attack vital industrial facilities in the US and abroad, cybersecurity experts warned Wednesday at a Senate hearing.
Fort Hood shooting: Al Qaeda now portrays Nidal Hasan as terrorism star

Al Qaeda now hails Army Maj. Nidal Hasan, suspect in the Fort Hood shooting, as a 'trailblazer' for how to attack the US. Some analysts say that praise points up the group's organizational weakness.
Containment boom effort comes up short in BP oil spill

Louisiana government officials said Thursday that much of the containment boom deployed along the Gulf Coast is proving ineffective in BP oil spill cleanup efforts.
BP Oil Spill: Is it time for the Pentagon to take over?

The BP oil spill relief effort lacks a clear command-and-control structure, senators said at a hearing Friday. Some suggest that greater Pentagon involvement would help.
Fort Hood shooting splits America over Islamic terror motive

Army Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan is charged with 13 counts of murder in the Fort Hood shootings. Was it a 'killing spree' or 'terrorism,' and is the question more than political?
Senators say Fort Hood shooting was terrorism

Several lawmakers and terror experts at Senate hearings on the Fort Hood shooting Thursday called the incident a terrorist attack, and warned of the danger of homegrown jihad.
Fort Hood Senate hearings risk politicizing Hasan investigation

The Senate Homeland Security Committee hearings into whether the Army missed warning signs about Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan could lead to finger-pointing about Fort Hood shooting and political battles over Obama’s terrorism policy.
How FBI traced Tarek Mehanna in his quest to become a jihadi

Informants helped the FBI track Tarek Mehanna to the Middle East in search of terrorist training, according to government documents. Agents also copied his computer hard drive.
Opening a new account? Read the fine print.

Here's seven common clauses consumers might watch out for when they sign up for a credit card or checking account.