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Secrecy and Security News

Newer News: May 2009

April 2009

• Dems push for changes on briefings by Mike Soraghan, The Hill, April 29. "House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has been talking with House Intelligence Committee members about changes in the congressional briefing process that would broaden the number of members who get information and give them more latitude to challenge policies they oppose."
• FAA Rescinds Proposal to Withhold Bird Strike Data, Federal Register, April 28. "After further review and consideration, the FAA has determined not to proceed with an order designating the wildlife database as protected under part 193."
• Who attended ‘torture’ briefings? A GOP lawmaker wants to know by Gail Russell Chaddock, Christian Science Monitor, April 27. "Rep. Peter Hoekstra seeks full disclosure about who on Capitol Hill knew about US interrogation methods – a move that may put certain Democrats on the spot."
• Public comments sought for science memo by Aliya Sternstein, NextGov Tech Insider, April 23. "A surprise Federal Register request for public comment on a scientific integrity presidential memo placated some advocates who are calling for a chance to contribute to recommendations for an open government directive due next month."
• Request for Public Comment on Presidential Memo on Scientific Integrity, Federal Register, April 23. "In his March 9, 2009 memorandum on Scientific Integrity, the President states that "science and the scientific process must inform and guide decisions of my Administration on a wide range of issues" and assigns the Director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy (the Director) responsibility for ensuring scientific integrity throughout the executive branch.
• Rep. Harman Asks Attorney General to Release Intercept Transcripts (pdf), April 21. "This abuse of power is outrageous and I call on your Department to release all transcripts and other investigative material involving me in an unredacted form. It is my intention to make this material available to the public."
• OLC Memo Release Opens the Door by Clint Hendler, Columbia Journalism Review, April 17. "...an extraordinary post up giving some must-read context to the Obama administration’s decision to allow the release of four long-sought Bush era memos outlining torture policy from the Office of Legal Counsel."
• Congressional Oversight Couldn't Shake Loose CIA Memos by Adriel Bettelheim, CQ Politics, April 17. "President Obama's decision to release four legal opinions on interrogation and torture developed by the administration of George W. Bush represented a big shift in national security classification policy. But Congress can't claim much credit for shaking the documents loose."
• Statement of President Barack Obama on Release of OLC Memos, April 16. "These memos speak to techniques that were used in the interrogation of terrorism suspects during that period, and their release is required by the rule of law."
• CIA Director's Statement on the Release of OLC Interrogation Memos, April 16. "Although this Administration has now put into place new policies that CIA is implementing, the fact remains that CIA’s detention and interrogation effort was authorized and approved by our government. For that reason, as I have continued to make clear, I will strongly oppose any effort to investigate or punish those who followed the guidance of the Department of Justice."
• Statement by DNI Blair on the Release of OLC Interrogation Memos, April 16. "The Department of Justice released today four previous Office of Legal Counsel opinions which concluded certain harsh interrogation techniques used by CIA officers on suspected al Qa’ida terrorists were legal."
• Department of Justice Releases Four Office of Legal Counsel Opinions, news release, April 16. "The President has halted the use of the interrogation techniques described in these opinions, and this administration has made clear from day one that it will not condone torture," said Attorney General Eric Holder. "We are disclosing these memos consistent with our commitment to the rule of law."
• Statement by DHS Secretary Janet Napolitano on the Threat of Right-Wing Extremism, news release, April 15. "We are on the lookout for criminal and terrorist activity but we do not – nor will we ever – monitor ideology or political beliefs."
• Right-wing extremists 'pose new threat to US' by Alex Spillius, the Telegraph, April 15. "Right-wing extremists in the United States are gaining new recruits by exploiting fears about the economy and the election of the first black president, the Department of Homeland Security has warned in a new report."
• Científicos revelan secretos de EU by Nydia Egremy, Contralínea, 12 Abril. "El secretismo en los registros públicos estadunidenses persiste y tiene múltiples expresiones a pesar de que el presidente Barack Hussein Obama anunció la nueva “era de apertura” para que cada agencia y dependencia abra su información al público."
• National Archives to Release Reagan and Bush Presidential Records, news release, April 10. "Acting Archivist of the United States Adrienne Thomas announced today that 245,763 pages of Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush Presidential records will be opened for research on Monday, April 13, 2009, at their respective libraries."
• Procedures To Obtain Media Access To Dignified Transfers Of Remains At Dover Air Force Base Announced, news release, April 3. "Journalists will be granted access to Dover Air Force Base, Del., to view the dignified transfer of the remains of service members returning from overseas. This new policy is effective on April 6, 2009. Media will be notified of and permitted to view transfers when the family consents to such coverage."
• Former Member of U.S. Navy Sentenced to 10 Years in Federal Prison for Disclosing Classified Information, news release, April 3. "Federal officials announced that Hassan Abu-Jihaad, formerly known as Paul R. Hall, 33, of Phoenix, Arizona, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Mark R. Kravitz in New Haven to 120 months of imprisonment, followed by three years of supervised release, for disclosing previously classified information relating to the national defense."
• The CIA's Open Secrets, by Bruce Falconer, Mother Jones, April 3. "In a quiet, fluorescently lit room in the National Archives' auxiliary campus in suburban College Park, Maryland, 10 miles outside of Washington, are four computer terminals, each providing instant access to the more than 10 million pages of documents the CIA has declassified since 1995. There's only one problem: these are the only publicly available computers in the world that do so."

Older News: March 2009

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Updated May 4, 2009