intelligence

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Big Reveal: FBI Had Mole Who Met bin Laden—in 1993

He then died on a CIA mission

(Newser) - The FBI once had a mole so deep within al-Qaeda that he met with Osama bin Laden and provided the intelligence necessary to thwart his planned attack on a Masonic Lodge in LA, new investigative reports from the Washington Times and NBC News have revealed. The informant started out as...

Older Brains Slower But Smarter
 Older Brains 
 Are Slower 
 —but Smarter 
STUDY SAYS
Jan 21, 2014 2:11 AM CST

Older Brains Are Slower —but Smarter

Wealth of knowledge, not weakness slows things down

(Newser) - When elderly people seem slow or forgetful, it's not because their brains are weaker, but because they have so much knowledge stored up, according to new research. A team using computer models found that measures used to test cognitive decline are flawed and that the wealth of information to...

NSA Able to Decode Most Calls, Texts Worldwide

Washington Post unveils latest Snowden material

(Newser) - The NSA is capable of breaking the encryption used on most phone calls and text messages worldwide, the latest Edward Snowden leak shows, though it's not certain how often the agency actually does it. Under US law, the NSA can't eavesdrop on citizens' conversations without a court order....

Guardian Has Published Just 1% of Snowden Materials: Editor

Alan Rusbridger faces questions over national security

(Newser) - The Guardian has only published about 1% of some 58,000 files leaked by Edward Snowden—and it's unlikely to "publish a huge amount more," says editor Alan Rusbridger. He spoke to a British parliamentary committee as he faces scrutiny over whether the paper had weakened national...

NSA Chief Offered to Quit, Obama Said No: Report

Agency struggles to get back on its feet after revelations

(Newser) - With the NSA reeling from Edward Snowden's leaks, its leader offered to step down—but the White House quickly put the kibosh on that idea, an administration source tells the Wall Street Journal . Gen. Keith Alexander's offer followed Snowden's entrance into the spotlight in June, notes the...

How My Dog Learned a Toddler-Level Vocabulary

 How My Dog 
 Learned a 
 Toddler-Level 
 Vocabulary 
in case you missed it
Nov 9, 2013 12:35 PM CST

How My Dog Learned a Toddler-Level Vocabulary

Patience and play helped Chaser learn 1K words: John Pilley

(Newser) - Chaser the border collie knows about 1,000 words, and if you believe a Duke researcher, she may be "the most scientifically important dog in over a century." But her skills aren't necessarily out of your dog's reach, writes Chaser's owner, John Pilley, in Time...

NSA Plays Key Role in Drone Attacks: Report
 NSA Plays Key 
 Role in Drone 
 Attacks: Report 
Snowden latest
Oct 17, 2013 8:09 AM CDT

NSA Plays Key Role in Drone Attacks: Report

New Snowden documents reveal agency's involvement

(Newser) - The CIA isn't the only government agency deeply involved in drone attacks. NSA tracking of phone calls, emails, and other "signals intelligence" is essential to the program, documents given by Edward Snowden to the Washington Post show. The agency has a special division, the Counter-Terrorism Mission Aligned Cell,...

We Distrust, Spy on Pakistan More Than You Think: Files

Snowden's 'black budget' shows 'no other nation draws as much scrutiny'

(Newser) - Included in the summary of the $52.6 billion "black budget" leaked by Edward Snowden: quite a bit of money spent keeping an eye on Pakistan. Despite the fact that Pakistan is technically a US ally, the documents reveal it is as much a target of US surveillance as...

Snowden Reveals Spy Agencies' $53B 'Black Budget'

We spend vast sums, still have critical intelligence gaps

(Newser) - The US has budgeted $52.6 billion on its intelligence operations this year, according to classified documents Edward Snowden leaked to the Washington Post . Yet those operations are, by their own assessment, doing a less-than-spectacular job on a host of critical intelligence questions. Here are some highlights of the Post...

NSA: Yes, Some Officers Spy on Their Spouses

Practice is known as LOVEINT

(Newser) - You've heard of PRISM , you've heard of XKeyScore , but have you heard of ... LOVEINT? That's the NSA's nickname for when officers use their spying abilities to snoop on their partners and spouses. Amidst recent revelations last week that the NSA violated privacy rules some 3,000...

Germany is NSA's 'Most Prolific Partner': Report

New documents reveal extent of US-German spying cooperation

(Newser) - Barack Obama isn't the only world leader suffering over leaked information about NSA surveillance—Germany's Angela Merkel is also in the firing line. On Friday, she spent her annual news conference dealing with increasing concerns that the US has been spying on German citizens, the New York Times...

In a First, CIA's No. 2 Will Be a Woman

Avril Haines taking over deputy director job

(Newser) - CIA Deputy Director Michael Morell has announced his retirement, making way for the first woman to take the job. Avril Haines, 43, is a White House lawyer who has worked in the State Department and Senate Foreign Relations Committee. She hasn't worked in an intelligence post before, Bloomberg notes,...

Pyongyang Can Likely Make Nuclear Missile: US Report
North Korea Nuke Report Declassified by 'Mistake'
say sources
Apr 12, 2013 7:23 AM CDT

North Korea Nuke Report Declassified by 'Mistake'

Officials cast doubt on nuclear intelligence report

(Newser) - John Kerry has arrived in South Korea amid fears the North could be poised for another missile test, the AP reports. Kerry's first trip to the Asia-Pacific as secretary of state, during which he'll also visit China and Japan, was planned prior to concerns about a possible launch....

CIA Too Busy With Drones to Spy: Report

Hagel panel says agency isn't gathering enough intel

(Newser) - US spy agencies have neglected intelligence gathering operations in strategically critical places like China, the Middle East, and elsewhere, because they've been too busy flying drone strikes and conducting quasi-combat operations, a classified report warned President Obama last year. The panel, headed by Chuck Hagel and former Sen. David...

Italian Spy Boss Gets 10 Years for Helping CIA

Niccolo Pollari sentenced over imam's 'extraordinary rendition'

(Newser) - Italy's former head of military intelligence has been sentenced to a decade in prison for helping the CIA kidnap a Muslim cleric in Milan, Reuters reports. Three Americans have also been convicted in absentia over the plot, though they're not likely to serve their sentences. Egyptian imam Abu...

North Africa Militants Eye New Western Targets: Report

New concerns about al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb

(Newser) - Washington is growing increasingly concerned about groups like al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb, once considered less of a threat than other branches. Following the attack on an Algerian gas plant that killed dozens, north African militant groups are on the hunt for new Western targets, US officials tell the Washington ...

Teen Pot Use Kills IQ? New Study Says No

Socioeconomic differences may explain earlier findings: report

(Newser) - Justin Bieber might not be as dumb as you think he is : Over the summer, word was that teen marijuana use could reduce IQ —but a new investigation rejects that initial study. Duke scientists, among others, had reviewed the IQs and pot habits of some 1,000 people in...

Ex-Spy Chief: Get Ready for 'Cyber 9/11'

Mike McConnell says we've had our warning

(Newser) - First, it was defense secretary Leon Panetta warning of a " cyber Pearl Harbor ." Now, the former director of national intelligence says it's time to prepare for "the cyber equivalent of the World Trade Center attack," the Financial Times reports. Recent attacks on big banks like...

Rice Swings Back at McCain
 Rice Swings Back at McCain 
Nov 22, 2012 4:59 AM CST

Rice Swings Back at McCain

She defends initial comments following Benghazi attacks

(Newser) - UN Ambassador Susan Rice has finally taken a stand in the controversy over her Benghazi comments. Speaking to reporters at the UN yesterday, she defended her initial remarks, which called the attacks the result of protests over an anti-Islam video. "I relied solely and squarely on the information provided...

We've Been Getting Dumber —for Thousands of Years: Study

Hunter-gatherers were pretty darn smart: geneticist

(Newser) - Talk about optimism: A genetics professor in California argues that human beings have been dumbing down for thousands of years and will only grow dimmer down the road, the Independent reports. We probably peaked as hunter-gatherers, who survived by their wits, and saw a decline in natural selection of the...

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