The FBI has eliminated a backlog of DNA samples and now works with a more manageable number of samples, according to an inspector general report released Friday. In a 43-page report, investigators said the FBI’s effort to reduce its backlog resulted in a greater ability for state and local law enforcement to use the evidence [...]
The Securities and Exchange Commission has forbidden its employees from destroying investigative documents, as fallout spreads from a whistleblower’s recent claim that the agency has illegally destroyed thousands of preliminary investigation documents. An SEC attorney alerted Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) of the possible crimes in August. The whistleblower said the documents in question were “matters under inquiry,” including reviews of [...]
Public access to the Pentagon Memorial will be limited Friday-Sunday due to ceremonies commemorating the 10th anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001 terror attacks. In a statement released Thursday, the Defense Department said the memorial will be closed Sunday until 6 p.m., and intermittently Friday and Saturday. The Pentagon said the closures will allow private [...]
Federal regulators charged with limiting prescription drugs in drinking water still are not sure which drugs pose risks to human health, according to a government audit released Thursday. In its 57-page report, the Government Accountability Office said there was a lack of coordination among federal agencies to identify drugs appearing in tap water and posing [...]
The Senate Banking Committee approved President Barack Obama’s nominees for top positions at the Federal Insurance Deposit Corporation and Office of the Comptroller of the Currency. By voice vote, the panel approved Martin Gruenberg for chairman of the FDIC and Thomas Curry for the OCC post. “These are exactly the kind of well-qualified individuals we [...]
The Transportation Security Administration announced Wednesday it is spending $44.8 million to purchase new imaging machines it claims will eliminate passenger-specific images and enhance privacy. TSA ordered 300 of the millimeter wave Advanced Imaging Technology machines for deployment at airports across the country. TSA said it began installing software on AIT machines in July to [...]
Gen. Raymond Odierno, the last commander of disestablished Joint Forces Command, was sworn in Wednesday as Army’s new chief of staff. Odierno replaces Gen. Martin Dempsey, who will become chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff when Adm. Mike Mullen retires Sept. 30. As chief of staff, Odierno is responsible for training, equipping, maintaining and [...]
NATO coalition forces in Afghanistan have significantly weakened the Taliban, Defense Secretary Leon Panetta said Tuesday. Panetta said in an interview with Charlie Rose on PBS the transition of handing over security to Afghan forces is going well and that by 2014, Afghanistan will be on a path toward securing and governing their country. As [...]
Nearly one-third of the stimulus money authorized for an energy efficiency program has not been spent, according to the Energy Department’s inspector general. The department’s internal watchdog found that, of the $2.7 billion set aside for the program, state and local governments have let $879 million go unsused. The AP reports less than 10 percent [...]
President Barack Obama will address a joint session of Congress Thursday night to announce his jobs plan. Immediately following the speech, a panel of White House advisers will take questions from the public as part of a special program broadcast on whitehouse.gov/live. According to the White House blog, expected panelists include Stephanie Cutter, deputy senior [...]