Secret Service Director resigns

By Maria Sacchetti,

Carol D. Leonnig,

Nick Miroff and

Shayna Jacobs

Washington Post 

Updated July 23, 2024 at 12:04 p.m. EDT|Published July 23, 2024 at 10:41 a.m. EDT

U.S. Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle resigned Tuesday in the aftermath of the assassination attempt on former president Donald Trump in Pennsylvania, telling staff that she took “full responsibility,” according to a copy of a letter sent to agency staff obtained by The Washington Post.

“In light of recent events, it is with a heavy heart that I have made the difficult decision to step down as your Director,” wrote Cheatle, who has been under intense pressure to resign from lawmakers of both parties.

“This incident does not define us,” Cheatle told staff. “I do not want my calls for resignation to be a distraction from the great work each and every one of you do towards our vital mission.”

The attack was the first against a U.S. leader on the elite protective agency’s watch in more than 40 years. Cheatle, a veteran Secret Service agent, had called the security failure involving a gunman shooting from an apparently unsecured roof at a Trump presidential campaign rally July 13 unacceptable and acknowledged that “the buck stops with me.”


She initially had said she would not resign and would cooperate with investigations into the shooting.


But during a House oversight hearing Monday, Cheatle faced withering scorn from Republicans and Democrats alike. Lawmakers took turns criticizing her for declining to answer detailed questions about what went wrong at the Trump rally.


Johnson calls Secret Service director resignation 'overdue'
1:42

House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) on July 23 said Congress would need to rebuild "trust" in the Secret Service after Kimberly Cheatle resigned as director. (Video: The Washington Post)

After Cheatle’s resignation, Oversight committee chairman James Comer (R-Ky.) took credit for pushing her out and pledged “there will be more accountability to come.”

“Egregious security failures leading up to and at the Butler, Pennsylvania campaign rally resulted in the assassination attempt of President Trump, the murder of an innocent victim, and harm to others in the crowd,” Comer said in a statement. “We will continue our oversight of the Secret Service in support of the House Task Force to deliver transparency, accountability, and solutions to ensure this never happens again.”

READ THE REST HERE

CrowdStrike glitch exposes major vulnerability to Windows systems

VARIOUS SOURCES:


A failed tech update grounded flights throughout the country after US cybersecurity company CrowdStrike initiated a faulty software update. “This is not a security incident or cyberattack,” said CrowdStrike CEO George Kurtz. “This is the first time in recent modern times we’ve seen something like this happen at this scale,” said New York City’s chief technology officer, Matthew Fraser. The graphic below is a 12 hour timelapse of Delta, American Airlines, and United flights as shared by
@US_Stormwatch.

In the state of Georgia, the Department of Driver Services said its computer systems were down at more than 60 offices statewide. The department was still giving road tests, but wasn’t issuing licenses to people who passed.

The Metropolitan Atlanta Regional Transit Authority said problems had caused service reductions on its rail system earlier in the morning, but that full rail service had been restored.

However, the system’s website, service information systems and online ticket sales remained disrupted.




Banks and health care providers saw their services disrupted and TV broadcasters went offline as businesses worldwide grappled with the ongoing outage. Air travel has been hit hard, too, with planes grounded and services delayed.


At the heart of the issue is Texas-based cybersecurity vendor CrowdStrike. On Friday, the cybersecurity firm experienced a major disruption following an issue with a software update.

CrowdStrike is what’s known as an “endpoint security” firm as it uses cloud technology to apply cyber protections to devices that are connected to the internet.

This differs from alternative approaches used by other cyber firms, which involve applying protection directly to backend server systems.

“Many companies use [CrowdStrike software] and install it on all of their machines across their organization,” Nick France, chief technology officer of IT security firm Sectigo, told CNBC’s “Squawk Box Europe” on Friday.

“So when an update happens that maybe has problems with it, it causes this problem where the machines reboot, and people can’t get back into their computers.”

CrowdStrike’s software requires deep access to a computer’s operating system to scan for threats. In the case of Friday’s outage, machines running Microsoft’s Windows operating system crashed due to a fault in the way a software update issued by CrowdStrike interacted with Windows.

“We have been made aware of an issue impacting Virtual Machines running Windows Client and Windows Server, running the CrowdStrike Falcon agent, which may encounter a bug check (BSOD [blue screen of death]) and get stuck in a restarting state. We approximate impact started around 19:00 UTC on the 18th of July,” Microsoft said in an update at 5:40 a.m. ET.

“We can confirm the affected update has been pulled by CrowdStrike. Customers that are continuing to experience issues should reach out to CrowdStrike for additional assistance,” the company added.

“The challenge here is that security software — because it’s doing its job to protect organizations — it has to have more privileged access to these machines,” he said.

So, while people may be seeing their IT issues as a problem with Windows, “it’s not actually a Windows issue, it’s related to a faulty or bad update from those security software,” Narang added.

CrowdStrike is “actively working with customers impacted by a defect found in a single content update for Windows hosts,” CEO George Kurtz said Friday in a update on social media platform X. He added that Mac and Linux hosts are not affected.

“This is not a security incident or cyberattack. The issue has been identified, isolated and a fix has been deployed,” Kurtz said.

That fix could be hard to implement, though. Andy Grayland, chief information and security officer at threat intelligence firm Silobreaker, said that in order to implement a fix, engineers would have to go into each individual data center running windows.

They’d then have to log in, navigate to a certain CrowdStrike file, delete it, and then reboot the entire system, he said.

“Where machines are encrypted, complex encryption keys also need to be entered manually. Unless Microsoft and CrowdStrike (if they are involved) pull something miraculous out of the bag, this could be painful to recover from.”

First images of B-21 on a test flight released.

A B-21 Raider conducts flight testing, which includes ground testing, taxiing, and flying operations, at Edwards Air Force Base, California. The B-21 will interoperate with our allies and partners to deliver on our enduring commitment to provide flexible strike options for coalition operations that defend us against common threats. (Courtesy photo)

click to enlarge 

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photo Northrop Grumman - click to enlarge 

Tools and techniques every "UAP/UFO/BLACK PROJECTS" investigator should use BEFORE reporting.

Photo Illustration (C)  Steve Douglass

Enough with the fuzzy videos (or for that matter) crystal clear videos with no provenance, no chain of evidence, wiped of meta-data and have no source who is willing to step forward, that video of a dancing light or black jet means nothing without confirmable data. 

Many will say they choose anonymity because they are afraid of being silenced by the MIBs or claim they've been threatened.  I think that's the fallback excuse for fakers and internet trolls.  

This author has been seeking out, listening for and investigating the black world since the mid- 1980s and so far the only contact I've had with government agents were FBI investigators looking into an incident where someone intercepted the (then) analog cordless phone call of a member of the U.S. house of Representatives who was trying to bed a woman by promising to take her on a junket to the Bahamas. After several interviews with the Feds and the U.S. District attorney for the Northern District of Texas (including telling them how it was done) the real person stepped forward and claimed making the recording of the Rep who was his neighbor. 

Since then I've written hundreds of articles, books, done dozens of TV interviews and posted photos of those unknown flying things that I've clicked away at without as much as the Feds driving past my house.

In that time I have never been denied access to Air Force Bases or government facilities when on a legitimate news assignment and in fact I've asked and been given permission to fly in military jets, tankers, fighters, bombers and even V-22C Ospreys with Special Forces Teams. 

photo (C) Steve Douglass 

I have also done thousands of interviews with government officials, governors, senators, law enforcement officials, Feds, DEA agents, Homeland Security and even President Donald Trump submitting my credentials and bona fides to the Secret Service with only 12 hours advanced notice of wanting an interview. 

I've also been allowed to photograph on and over many military bases, test ranges, bombing ranges, military contractor facilities and much more, including getting permission to fly a drone over one of the most highly guarded nuclear weapons facilities in the country. In fact I've been the ONLY one outside the government to be allowed to do so. 

Not to mention (and this is not a humble brag) I am a fully-authorized owner of a UAS remote pilot certificate as well as a being a licensed by the FCC as a amateur radio operator. 

There are some that say that just goes to prove I am somehow in cahoots with the Feds or a dis-infomationist myself, but I can assure you that's not the case. 

For example, after I photographed a trio of triangular craft flying over my city (and even after an expensive attempt by the USAF to cast doubt on those photos by staging a very public dog and pony show, in the end they only succeeded in affirming what I had captured was real. It's impossible to debunk the truth, only cast a little shade on it, especially backed by research, good solid investigation and expert peer review.  

As such, I've never trespassed on government property, taken photos where by law I can't  or divulged classified information. Everything I've written about, all that has been published, intercepted or photographed has been through purely legal ways, using open sourced information.

That can't be said of most "UAP IVESTIGATORS" who have published leaked documents, pressured those with classified clearances to talk and stepped over the legal line to obtain information of a Top Secret classification. 

All that being said, I'm also not afraid to reveal my methods - techniques UAV/UFO investigators should use to get the proof they seek, but only if that's what they are really after.  

Most "true believers" only want affirmation to an answer they've already accepted. 

Anyone whose pre-conceived beliefs are threatened (even with logic) that that their "proof" is based on not only incomplete data or bad or (faked) data, is a bad investigator or not really one at all. Videos and photos by themselves is not proof of anything. 

What they lack is a solid foundation of peer-reviewed data that brings us no closer to the truth. Always seek a second opinion and especially from someone who will do a critical analysis even if it proves you are wrong.

So here are my top methods, tools and techniques I use BEFORE going viral with a claim.

1: Seek a second opinion, one you trust to REALLY investigate the facts behind the claims.

2: Reject the anonymous. If you can't trace it back to a real person who can give you verifiable proof its legit, REJECT IT.

3: Ask questions. Where and when was the photo/video taken? What were the exact circumstances, time, date and other things like, location, direction (on a compass) lighting conditions, sky conditions. Ask for other images taken immediately before the sighting? Ask questions about the equipment used to take the video or photo? 

4: Ask for the RAW images, not a copy, not a screenshot but the actual raw images as they are on the device. Then look at the METADATA and compare it to the story. If they don't match REJECT it. If they won't give it to you (especially if they claim the government is out to silence them) REJECT it.

5: Research, Research, Research. Use a reverse image search to see if the photo or any elements of the photo exist anywhere on the Internet. A recent video claiming to be of "orbs" circling Malaysian Flight 370 was proven to be CG by the Corridor Crew. Even the clouds in the video were found to be stock video files.

Submit any video you find and they will put it to the  sniff test.

E 

6: Use other means to authenticate the story.

Tools I use are: 

GLOBAL ADS-B EXCHANGE which will show you a real-time view of aircraft squawking ADS-B in any given area. If you subscribe you can even go into past recording of what was flying (both civil and most military) in the airspace in question. Don't expect to see a "UAP/UFO" on ADS-B exchange but aircraft diverting to avoid colliding with it will be.

There are other flight tracking services as well. 

LIVE ATC.NET

You can search through their archives of Air Traffic Control communications and listen for yourself the incident you are investigating was reported to ATC.

Or do (as in my case) set up your own communications monitoring post. Yes, it's expensive and requires mastering a set of technologies but the payoff can be well worth it. I've been able to break hundreds of local, national and international news stories (including those involving UAPS) which are backed up with real-time recordings. 

Identifying objects at night? Try these links. 

N2YO LIVE SATELLITE TRACKING

FIND STARLINK

HOW TO CATCH AN IRIDIUM FLARE

HEAVENS ABOVE LIVE SKY VIEW 

THE WORLD IN REAL TIME

DEEP SPACE NETWORK

Just enter your location and track satellites in your sky. Is that light in the sky a UAP or just a Starlink satellite or an Iridium flare? If it's a manmade moon, you can track it. It's good to use the process of elimination to rule out all manmade space vehicles, including the I.S.S.

Other links of interest:

Was it a rocket launch? Check to see launch schedules here:

SPACEFLIGHT NOW

STELLARIUM ONLINE STAR MAP

Is it a UAP or just Venus? You can find out at the link above.

What about a sighting over the high seas? Find ships in the area in real time here:

MARINE TRAFFIC GLOBAL TRACKER

THE SKY LIVE

So it's not a aircraft or satellite? Maybe it's an asteroid or a comet? Click the link above.

DREAMLAND RESORT

The most comprehensive resource on America's most secret non-secret base. You can even join the discussion on all things Area 51 related. 

In closing, if you REALLY want to get to the truth, be skeptical, ask questions, do your research and question everything. Network with experts in communications monitoring, astronautics, aviation and military matters. 

Don't surround yourself with YesMen. Be an independent thinker and don't just regurgitate what you read online without questioning it. It gets you no closer to the truth. If someone claims to know "the whole truth" question them and ask them where's your proof? 

Approach your research like an intelligence analyst would, dis-compassionately, without pre-conceived bias or based on what you WANT TO BELIEVE. 

Expect to be disappointed most of the time but the knowledge you gain will aid you in future investigations. Post your conclusions along with your sources and data that others can examine. See if they come to the same conclusions you do. Don't help them, let them arrive at the answer  independently. Your bias could corrupt the result.

Encourage discourse, welcome skeptics, and don't dismiss them if they question your work. Only then will you be taken seriously. Once you have established yourself as a no-bullshit investigator, doors will open.   

With apologies to Sir Arthur Conan Doyle always remember, when you have eliminated the impossible ( and the fakery) whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth”

-Steve Douglass (webbfeat@gmail.com) 

Recently declassified Homeland Security documents detail government project to exploit UAPs and alien spacecraft.

A new Defense Department report released reveals that while the U.S. has not found any evidence of life on another planet, the feds had considered a program that would research mind reading and how to reverse-engineer any alien spacecraft. Of particular interest were possible impact from UAPS on nuclear weapons storage facilities. 

The program, dubbed Kona Blue, was proposed to the Department of Homeland Security and would restart UFO investigations, “paranormal research (including alleged “human consciousness anomalies”), and reverse-engineer any recovered off-world spacecraft that they hoped to acquire,” the All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office’s report said.

Here are the recently declassified documents detailing the project. Federally funded wild stuff:

DOWNLOAD KONA BLUE PDF HERE

"To date, AARO has not discovered any empirical evidence that any sighting of a UAP represented off-world technology or the existence a classified program that had not been properly reported to Congress. Investigative efforts determined that most sightings were the result of misidentification of ordinary objects and phenomena. Although many UAP reports remain unsolved, AARO assesses that if additional, quality data were available, most of these cases also could be identified and resolved as ordinary objects or phenomena."

AARO DOCUMENTS