This week’s top stories
Photo credit: anver.com
National
Federal officials recently arrested a contractor for the National Security Agency (NSA) for allegedly pilfering highly classified material. Reports from the FBI state that 51-year-old contractor Harold Martin had kept classified documents and digital media files, some of which were of the highest Sensitive Compartmented Information clearance rating, in his home or two nearby sheds. If made public, the classified material held by Martin could have caused “exceptionally grave damage” to United States national security, according to federal officials. A criminal complaint filed by the FBI states that the documents were produced through sensitive government capabilities critical to a variety of national security issues. It also states that Martin said he knew what he had done wrong. Martin worked for NSA contractor Booz Allen Hamilton, the same firm that employed Edward Snowden who is known for being responsible for the NSA’s biggest leak of information in U.S. intelligence history.
International
Hurricane Matthew, the strongest Caribbean storm in almost a decade, is set to slam the Bahamas by early Thursday morning and go from a Category 3 to Category 4 storm. The storm weakened to a Category 3 hurricane after leaving a trail of devastation in Haiti and Cuba. According to the United Nations, nearly 400,000 people were evacuated in Cuba and at least 350,000 people in Haiti are in need of immediate assistance. Hospitals in Haiti are currently inundated with patients and are running short on necessities. The hurricane is considered the largest humanitarian event witnessed in Haiti since the earthquake six years ago. No other Atlantic storm on record has packed such powerful winds for such a prolonged period and a hurricane warning remains in effect for Haiti, eastern Cuba and several regions of the Bahamas.
