Transportation Security Administration

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Subplots to Watch at Obama's Terror Meeting

How tough will the president be on himself and his staff?

(Newser) - President Obama meets with his security chiefs today to dissect the failed Christmas terror plot—and deflect criticism over his initial, tepid response. Politico breaks down the burning questions:
  • Do heads roll? Janet Napolitano and Michael Leiter have both been mentioned as possible sacrifices, but insiders increasingly doubt that Obama’
...

Faster Full-Body Scans Coming to Airports

New machines could replace metal detectors

(Newser) - In the wake of last week's attempted attack on a Detroit-bound flight, security companies say they're working on new body-scanning machines that search out threats like plastic explosives in an instant and could replace airport metal detectors. Similar scanners are used today at 19 US airports, but they take a...

No TSA Chief in Detroit Crisis, Thanks to GOP Senator

Agency leaderless as DeMint blocks nom

(Newser) - Democratic leaders and airline industry officials are blaming GOP Sen. Jim DeMint for the fact that the Transportation Security Administration has no chief as it struggles to recover from the terrorist near-miss on Christmas Day. DeMint, chair of an aviation subcommittee, has been blocking the appointment of counterterrorism expert Erroll...

TSA Backs Off Some New In-Flight Restrictions

Go ahead—throw a blanket over your lap and watch some TV

(Newser) - Two days after implementing stiff restrictions on carry-on items and in-flight entertainment, the TSA relaxed the new rules today, airline sources tell MSNBC . Passengers will be allowed to have blankets on their laps and leave their seats during the final hour of a flight, use electronic devices, and watch TV...

Tighter Security Means No More JetBlue TV

'This is patently ridiculous, and also, sucks,' says Gawker

(Newser) - The latest casualty of the TSA’s updated airline security regulations: JetBlue LiveTV programming, at least on flights that originate outside the US. The TV service—a “distinguishing feature” of the airline, as Vimeo founder Jakob Lodwick points out—has been disabled in the wake of Northwest Flight 253,...

Missing From Screening List? Saudi Arabia
Missing From Screening
List? Saudi Arabia
OPINION
Dec 10, 2009 4:34 PM CST

Missing From Screening List? Saudi Arabia

It's the country that was home to 15 of the 9/11 hijackers

(Newser) - There's a lot to criticize in the TSA's recent leak of an improperly redacted security manual. But the most outrageous vulnerability is an omission on the list of countries whose citizens are given extra scrutiny. "What's missing from the list? Saudi Arabia," writes Michael Smerconish. "You know,...

Airport Security Secrets Posted Online

Probe launched after mix-up reveals sensitive information

(Newser) - The federal Transportation Security Administration is investigating a mix-up that revealed agency secrets relating to airport passenger screening in an online posting. A security manual posted on a government website in March with sensitive information—including technical settings for explosive detectors—redacted was removed days ago when the agency realized...

Airport Seize Your Stuff? Look for It on eBay

TSA's confiscated items end up being sold via state agencies

(Newser) - From knives to baseball bats to cake-cutters to corkscrews, and including at least one kitchen sink, the Transportation Security Administration confiscates around a million items from air travelers every month, CNN reports. Guns are turned over to law enforcement and shampoo bottles end up in the trash, but the rest...

Airports Crack Down on Powder
 Airports Crack Down on Powder 
Sep 18, 2009 1:06 PM CDT

Airports Crack Down on Powder

New anti-explosive measures complement limits on liquids

(Newser) - Air travelers have yet another thing to worry about when packing their bags: powder. Federal authorities haven’t banned or even restricted baby powder, makeup, talcum powder, and the like, but the TSA is outfitting airports around the country with new kits to test such seemingly innocuous material for explosives....

8 Years On, Critics Call Airport Security 'Theater'

Critics see cockeyed focus on 'pointy objects,' none on real threats

(Newser) - Billions of dollars in spending since 9/11 has given airport security officers plenty of ways to catch terrorists—but are critics right in calling it "security theater"? Take the “millimeter wave whole body imager,” which pinpoint “anomalies” on your person: Sure, it will spot a...

Booking a Flight? Get Ready to State Sex and Age

(Newser) - Air passengers booking flights in the US can expect some extra questions starting this weekend, the Washington Post reports. Travelers will be asked for their sex and birth date, which will be forwarded along with other information to federal officials checking watch lists. The move comes as the Transportation Security...

TSA's Favorite Dog Foods
 TSA's Favorite Dog Foods 
Jul 20, 2009 7:55 PM CDT

TSA's Favorite Dog Foods

(Newser) - Want your household guardian to perform up to federal standards? Check out the brands the Transportation Security Administration prefers for its bomb-sniffing dogs, via US News & World Report:
  • Hills Science Diet: Including the Adult and Active K9 versions.
  • Canidae: Lamb & Rice formula in particular.
  • California Natural: Choosy feds
...

Congressional Run-Ins With TSA Continue

(Newser) - It’s not quite a David Vitter, but Oregon Rep. Peter DeFazio had his own run-in with airport security this week, the Washington Post reports. DeFazio, one of the architects of the Transportation Security Administration, had to endure what he thought was an unnecessary search. But when he told the...

Airport Body Scanners May Replace Metal Detectors

(Newser) - Full-body scanners may eventually replace standard metal detectors at airports, USA Today reports. The feds are experimenting with machines that look through clothing for hidden guns or bombs—especially those made of plastic that can elude metal detectors. Tulsa's airport has the scanners now, and San Francisco, Las Vegas, Miami,...

Passengers Subdue Wacko Who Said He Had Bomb

Hip hop musician among heroes

(Newser) - A delusional airline passenger who claimed to have a bomb was subdued by other passengers as their Delta jet landed yesterday in Los Angeles. Among the heroes, the Los Angeles Times reports, was guitarist Chris Llewellyn, who performs with rapper Asher Roth. The 45-year-old passenger allegedly assaulted a flight attendant...

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