The surface-to-air missile attack on a Malaysian jetliner flying over eastern Ukraine is a good reason to revisit my report from 2013 about the thousands of missing shoulder-fired missiles known as MANPADS (Man-portable air-defense systems). As I reported, one major goal of U.S. in Libya prior to the September 11, 2012 terrorist attacks on the U.S. mission […]
Special Investigations
Good News for Obamacare; Insurance Analyst Weighs In
UnitedHealthcare is expressing confidence in Obamacare by expanding its presence next year to sell policies "in nearly half the exchanges," according to Kaiser Health News. That's good news for the government health insurance initiative, especially coming from a company that had expressed caution. Health insurer analyst Robert Laszewski has some thoughts on what might have motivated […]
Federal Hearing on DOJ “Fast and Furious” Withheld Docs
A hearing has been set for tomorrow, July 8, in federal court regarding the attempt by the conservative watchdog group Judicial Watch to lift the indefinite stay regarding its longstanding Freedom of Information lawsuit in Fast and Furious. Judicial Watch sued the Justice Department for failure to provide public documents that the Obama Administration also is […]
Brian Terry Murder Suspect Extradited
FBI agents flew to Mexico City last night to take custody of one of the fugitive defendants in Border Patrol Agent Brian Terry's murder: Lionel Portillo-Meza, also known as "Jesus Leonel Sanchez-Meza." Sanchez-Mesa was arrested in Mexico on Sept. 6, 2012 and has been awaiting extradition ever since. Last night, he was flown from Mexico […]
Fast and Furious Docs Still Withheld Under Executive Privilege
The conservative watchdog group Judicial Watch is asking the court to lift the "temporary" delay it granted the Justice Department allowing it to withhold Fast and Furious records. Nearly two years ago, on June 20, 2012, President Obama asserted executive privilege to keep secret a set of documents that Congress subpoenaed concerning the controversial gun walking case. […]
Justice Dept. Sued for Fast and Furious FOI Response
Judicial Watch, the conservative watchdog group that has successfully sued the federal government in multiple instances for unlawful Freedom of Information (FOI) responses, is taking on a new case. This one is on behalf of Fast and Furious whistleblower: Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (ATF) Special Agent John Dodson. The complaint filed against the Department of […]
Kerry Benghazi Oversight Hearing: Cancelled
Today, the House Oversight Committee cancelled the planned June 12 hearing at which Secretary of State John Kerry was to testify. The Oversight Committee had subpoenaed Kerry for an appearance in May when he refused to appear voluntarily. After the subpoena, Kerry negotiated the June appearance. But at the same time Kerry agreed to testify, […]
Thousands of Qaddafi-Era Missiles Missing in Libya
Some of you missed this article that I wrote a year ago about the fate of MANPADS left over from the Qaddafi regime in Libya. According to a well-placed source, hundreds of the missiles had already been tracked as having gone to Al Qaeda Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) and thousands are unaccounted for. Before his overthrow […]
