My new–and first–book will be out February 18. I’ll be posting news and updates here, including reviews and dates for personal appearances,  both in stores and on the air. To follow all the action, sign up for this site’s feed, follow me on Twitter (shanewharris), or join The Watchers on Facebook.  And if you want to read more about the book, just click on the tab above titled “Book.” Thanks! And enjoy the story!

A number of political “dots” are lining up this morning in the wake of the Christmas Day attack, all of which point to bad news for counterterrorism center chief Mike Leiter. The New York Daily News, citing anonymous U.S. officials, reports that Leiter didn’t immediately return from a Christmas ski vacation when alleged-underpants bomber Umar [...]

A judicial ruling on drug tests for athletes blossoms into a huge Fourth Amendment case.
Read the full story in National Journal.

I was a guest on Washington Journal this morning, talking about cyber war and my recent cover story in National Journal on how a U.S. cyber attack helped turn the tide of the Iraq war. The program lasted a half hour, and we took a number of good viewer questions.

A 2007 order by President Bush to launch a cyberattack on insurgents in Iraq played a more important role than is generally recognized in changing the course of the war. The order was a harbinger of things to come: Digital weapons are an increasingly important part of warfare.
Read the full story in National Journal.

I’ve got a piece on The Atlantic this morning, looking at the political lessons of CIA leaks.

The Washington Post has a front-page story this morning on the Obama administration’s new plan to create a crack group of interrogators to glean intelligence from so-called “high value detainees.” The idea had been reported earlier by the Wall Street Journal. But a new piece of information, the significance of which was overlooked by the [...]

Just a quick heads up to those who might not be on my e-mail list, a pointer to a cover story in Friday’s National Journal on China’s cyber militia. U.S. intelligence officials and computer security experts believe that Chinese hackers may be responsible for two major blackouts, as well as the theft of information from [...]

In light of recent reporting, I want to recall two previous stories on the revival of the Total Information Awareness Program and its connection to the NSA’s surveillance efforts.
You can view all my NSA reporting here.

In my interview with John Brennan, the former director of the National Counterterrorism Center and an unpaid adviser to the Obama campaign, Brennan stated that he favors granting immunity to those companies that were asked to participate in covert surveillance activities after 9/11.
This position differs from Obama’s. He voted to strip an immunity provision out [...]