In the News
Lawmakers are debating whether to strip the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) of its control over security clearances after hackers made off with nearly 20 million background check forms housed at the agency.
Reps. Ted Lieu (above) and Steve Russell plan to introduce legislation that would take oversight of the security clearance system away from OPM.
A pair of congressmen want to take stewardship of files on government and contractor employees with security clearances away from the Office of Personnel Management, in light of the hacks that resulted in the breach of data on more than 22 million people.
A long-awaited meeting to discuss Santa Monica Airport was held Wednesday in Washington, D.C. between the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and local elected officials and residents.
Congressman Ted Lieu (33rd District) and Congresswoman Karen Bass (37th District) hosted the meeting between their constituents and senior FAA officials.
This meeting followed an invitation to meet, which was made at the March 24 Santa Monica City Council meeting.
California congressman proposes classifying so-called conversion therapy as fraud
Transgender teen Leelah Alcorn killed herself late last year, blaming her parents for forcing her to attend conversion therapy.
Sen. Mark Warner (Va.) on Thursday became the highest-ranking Democrat to call for the resignation of the agency head at the center of one what's thought to be the largest government hack ever.
Minutes after the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) revealed that the personal data of 22.1 million people — more than 5 times the initial estimate — had been exposed by two separate hacks at the agency, Warner called for the agency's chief, Katherine Archuleta, to resign.
He is the first Senate Democrat to do so.
SANTA MONICA—Nearly two dozen Santa Monica city officials, activists and residents met with members of the FAA in Washington D.C. earlier this week to advocate for the closure of the Santa Monica Airport.
According to Santa Monica Mayor Kevin McKeown, the airport fails to meet minimum safety requirements and pollutes the local environment.
Santa Monica staff, officials and anti-airport activists flew to Washington D.C. this week to advocate for closure of the Santa Monica Airport.
The group, including Rep. Ted Lieu, Santa Monica Mayor Kevin McKeown, Santa Monica Mayor Pro Tempore Tony Vazquez, Santa Monica Councilmember Sue Himmelrich and 16 other local constituents, met with FAA in a meeting facilitated by Lieu and Congresswoman Karen Bass.
According to those present at the meeting, FAA officials listened without comment.
Setting up a clash between counter-terrorism priorities and constitutional protection against unwarranted intrusion, three top federal law enforcement officials urged Congress and Silicon Valley to provide government agencies special access to encrypted cellphones and other Internet devices.
The pitch Wednesday came amid renewed concern about American vulnerabilities as a cascading series of coincidental computer malfunctions briefly grounded United Airlines aircraft and brought the New York Stock Exchange and other high-profile digital networks to a halt.
Rep. Ted Lieu, D-Torrance, said Tuesday the United States needs to do more to stop the illegal ivory trade.
"Every day, 96 African elephants are killed by poachers for their highly valued ivory," Lieu said during debate on a budget bill for the Department of the Interior. "With only a few hundred thousand of these elephants remaining, this illegal practice imperils their very existence."
A section in the proposed appropriations bill would bar the use of funds to restrict the ivory trade in the U.S., which is one of the largest markets for illegal ivory.