Free Republic

A proposed bill that would give the president widespread power to shut down the Internet in the event of a cyberattack could have sweeping implications on civil liberties. The days of an open, largely unregulated Internet may soon come to an end. A bill making its way through Congress proposes to give the U.S. government authority over all networks considered part of the nation's critical infrastructure. Under the proposed Cybersecurity Act of 2009, the president would have the authority to shut down Internet traffic to protect national security. The government also would have access to digital data from a vast...

LONDON — Former Russian spy Alexander Litvinenko was poisoned by radiation, Britain's Health Protection Agency said Friday. Agency scientist Roger Cox said polonium-210 had been found in Litvinenko's urine. Earlier, Home Secretary John Reid said Litvinenko's death Thursday night was "linked to the presence of a radioactive substance in his body." Reid, the country's top law-and-order official, said experts were searching for "residual radioactive material" at a number of locations. The former KGB agent dictated a statement in the waning hours of his life, blaming Russian President Vladimir Putin and describing him "as barbaric and ruthless as your most hostile...