Homeland & Coast Guard

The three widows and two eldest daughters of al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden were sentenced to a jail term of 45 days for living in Pakistan illegally, according to al Jazeera.

They will also be fined around $115 dollars each and will likely be deported from the country within two weeks, having already been detained since American special forces killed bin Laden last May.

"The judge has announced a one-and-a-half-month imprisonment to all the five accused. The punishment was announced today. He has also imposed a fine of 10,000 rupees," Zakarya Ahmad Abd al-Fattah, the Yemeni brother of one of the wives, told the network.

Obama's budget proposes a 52-percent cut in the flight deck officer program, which trains pilots on handling firearms.

Rep. King said American intelligence concerns escalated when Iranian-backed terrorists tried assassinating a Saudi diplomat in the United States.

The House Homeland chairman warned the United States would "re-assess" its position if the protests continued.

The Department of Homeland Security has stepped up its outreach to the Jewish-American community in an attempt to thwart attacks from Hezbollah, secretary Janet Napolitano said Wednesday.  

Napolitano stressed that she was not aware of any specific or credible plots to attack U.S. groups, but told lawmakers her department is in frequent contact with the FBI and “constantly monitoring” the activity of Hezbollah, a militant group bankrolled by Iran. 

“We share your concern about Hezbollah,” said Napolitano in response to questions at a House Homeland Security Committee hearing.

Read more...

Napolitano said there were no credible threats to the game but that Homeland Security would heighten security measures.

The Homeland Security secretary pledged Wednesday to show that “security and efficiency are not mutually exclusive.”

Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.) said Thursday that the U.S. Coast Guard should train cruise ship passengers on emergency evacuation procedures before they head out to sea. 

Boxer, who is chairwoman of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, said in a letter to Coast Guard Commandant Adm. Robert Papp that after the accident of the Costa Concordia cruise liner in Italy, the U.S. Coast Guard should change its policies regarding American cruise ships.

Read the full story on The Hill's Transportation Blog.

Rep. Pete King said officials are investigating whether classified information was given to filmmakers making a movie about bin Laden.

The Obama administration is taking about three-quarters of National Guard troops off the U.S.-Mexico border next year as it transitions to a more aerial-based approach on the border.

The Departments of Defense and Homeland Security announced Tuesday that the 1,200 National Guard troops currently on the border will be reduced to about 300 between January and March next year.