“National security” on The Daily Caller

The two nuclear superpowers both shot down their own satellites using sophisticated missiles in separate show of strength, the files suggest. (more)

It looks like the third time won’t be a charm for Republican Rep. Dan Burton of Indiana. A review of his resolution to encase the House visitors’ galleries with Plexiglass will likely not pass the House Administration Committee, whose chairman “will not support the bill.” (more)

CAIRO (AP) — Facing a popular uprising, Egypt’s president fired his Cabinet early Saturday after protesters engulfed his country in chaos — battling police with stones and firebombs, burning down the ruling party headquarters and defying a night curfew enforced by the army. (more)

LONDON (AP) — A company asked by Visa to investigate WikiLeaks’ finances found no proof the group’s fundraising arm is breaking the law in its home base of Iceland, according to a document obtained by The Associated Press. (more)

Big Brother may already be watching you in the District, and he will soon have a lot more eyes trained in your direction.
The city’s homeland security agency is planning to add thousands of security cameras from private businesses around the nation’s capital and the Metro system to the thousands of electronic eyes that authorities are already monitoring 24/7. (more)

Music and movie pirates may not be the only ones trolling peer-to-peer networks for booty. The secret-spilling site WikiLeaks may also have used file-sharing networks to obtain some of the documents it has published, according to a computer security firm. (more)

U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano recently visited Israel to learn about Israel’s airport security measures. She was quick to say, however, that Israel’s security measures should not be adopted in America. Her reasoning? Israel has only 7.3 million people, while America has 310 million. Israel has only one major international airport and 11 million overall airline travelers each year, while America has 450 international airports and 70 times the number of airline passengers as Israel. (more)

The WikiLeaks drama launched a re-evaluation of how the United States manages classified information, but it also raises important questions about the role of the Internet in international affairs. This little-discussed second issue may have long-term implications for the cyber world. (more)

The continuing WikiLeaks controversy has focused needed attention on a number of important issues: whether, for example, Julian Assange was justified in releasing classified information in order to make government more accountable, whether the release of the information put U.S. intelligence sources and methods at risk, and whether the legitimate need for secrecy in certain government activities occasionally provides cover for government activities that public officials would have trouble justifying if they took place in the open. (more)

While many Pennsylvanians celebrated the arrival of 2011 on New Year’s Eve, home builders in the state likely did not blow their bugles and pop their poppers with quite as much exuberance. That is because this year marks the beginning of a new government mandate in Pennsylvania requiring that all new one- and two-family homes have an automatic fire sprinkler system — a feature that costs thousands of dollars. (more)

Yet again, those in power have misread and underestimated the will of the American people. Last November’s election results shattered the grinning assurances of politicians who supposed voters were unserious in their objections to government over-reach in matters of economics, regulation and health. Now, in the face of mounting protest against the excesses of TSA officers at America’s airports, those responsible for the policy of continued sexual violation of travelers maintain that they are winning the argument. They are wrong, and they will lose. (more)

London (CNN) — New information has emerged from an intelligence operation about the possibility of an attack being planned in or near London, with subway stations and airports of particular concern to officials, a British security source told CNN Thursday. (more)

The Army is assembling a special board to evaluate the mental state of Pfc. Bradley Manning, who is being held on charges that he illegally obtained thousands of classified documents and turned them over to the anti-secrecy website WikiLeaks in what might be the biggest security breach in U.S. history. (more)

In his first act as governor, Andrew Cuomo Saturday symbolically moved toward his promise of opening up government to the people. (more)

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — North Korea could fire missiles at South Korea next year, analysts predicted Monday, as the isolated North’s hostility toward the outside world deepens while it undergoes a hereditary transfer of power. (more)

WASHINGTON — The Drug Enforcement Administration has been transformed into a global intelligence organization with a reach that extends far beyond narcotics, and an eavesdropping operation so expansive it has to fend off foreign politicians who want to use it against their political enemies, according to secret diplomatic cables. (more)

As one who knows a little about sex and politics and the way the establishment manipulates the system, I must say the sex charges against WikiLeaker Julian Assange sure sound like trumped up bullshit to me. A lady who admitted sex was consensual said he didn’t us a condom and that was why she called police. The other chick is fishy too. She went to his hotel room and was drinking heavily. This is a snatch and grab. (more)

SACRAMENTO, CA – An airline pilot is being disciplined by the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) for posting video on YouTube pointing out what he believes are serious flaws in airport security. (more)

WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange appealed to the press Wednesday to defend him from prosecution for leaking thousands of US documents and secrets, claiming that publishers who advanced WikiLeaks’ data were likely to be targeted also. “We have seen these statements, that The New York Times is, you know, also being looked at in terms of whether they have engaged in what they call ‘conspiracy to commit espionage,’” he said. (more)

As airport security becomes more of a concern during the holiday travel season, travelers will be seeing delays of all sorts. But an hour-long delay for Lafayette Regional Airport users Tuesday morning was of a nature most fowl. (more)