To help the government track suspected terrorists and spies who may be visiting or residing in this country, the FBI and the Defense Department for the past three years have been paying a Georgia-based company for access to its vast databases that contain billions of personal records about nearly every person — citizens and noncitizens [...]

Underequipped. Underfunded. Overshadowed. Life on the front lines of the drug war.“If you’ve got anything to say, say it now!” Chris Fertig stammered while being electrocuted. Fertig, a Coast Guard lieutenant junior grade, had been riding shotgun in a stubby, 22-foot boat with inflatable sides, plowing through rough Caribbean seas at a neck-snapping 35 knots. [...]

The federal government’s fight against one cyber villain changed its response to online attacks. Wednesday, June 20, 20016:30 a.m.FBI Headquarters,Washington After 23 years as a CIA analyst, having briefed the president and his team on every conceivable threat to national security, Bob Gerber was scared. More scared than he’d been in a long time.Holed up [...]