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☆ I made over $225,000 in a year as a 27-year-old government contractor overseas — and got paid to travel in my free time
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-18 | by ( Ana Altchek | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Read previewThis as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Symoné Berry, a 31-year-old government contractor living in Atlanta. I figured out that I needed to get a CompTIA Security Plus authorization to work in many of the overseas positions. AdvertisementWhen I started, I only had two days off every 10 days and I worked about 92 hours a week. This is money that compensates for the long hours so that staff can travel during their time off. Overseas government contract work requires at least 50 hours a week.

Persons: —, Symoné Berry, it's, I've Organizations: Service, BI, Business, Christopher Newport University, Virginia Commonwealth University, Raytheon, Osan Air Force Base, Overseas, GovTech Locations: Atlanta, Iraq, Afghanistan, Fort, snowiest, Japan, Aomori Prefecture, North Korea, Shibuya, Tokyo, Aomori, Symoné, Symoné Berry Aomori, Taiwan, California, Bali, Symoné Berry South Korea, South Korea, Seoul, —

Prosecutors are still pursuing plea agreements with defendants in the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks and other cases at Guantanamo. Political Cartoons View All 253 Images“That call dropped our hearts into an abyss, where they remain to this day,” Hall told the commission, with the two defendants in the hearing room. More than two decades later, Hall said, she came to Guantanamo Bay because “it's time for Megan to be recognized, and Megan's demise to be recognized. Chris Snodgrass of Glendale, Arizona, told of struggling with a “toxic” hatred of Muslims since the bombings killed his 33-year-old daughter, Deborah Snodgrass. Reporters watched the proceedings from Guantanamo and by remote link from Fort Meade military base in Maryland.

Persons: ” Matthew Arnold of, Arnold, Bonnie Kathleen Hall, Megan Heffernan, ” Hall, Hall, Megan, Jemaah, Chris Snodgrass, Deborah Snodgrass, “, ”, Mohammed Farik Bin Amin, Mohammed Nazir Bin, Prosecutors haven't Organizations: Prosecutors, State Department, Reporters, Fort Meade Locations: Cuba, Guantanamo, ” Matthew Arnold of Birmingham, England, Bali, Florida, Glendale , Arizona, Maryland, U.S, Indonesia

☆ Maryland has the lowest unemployment rate in American history, at just 1.6%
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-15 | by ( Bryan Mena | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

The mid-Atlantic state registered a record unemployment rate of 1.6% in September — less than half the national unemployment rate of 3.8% that month — Labor Department data shows. That’s the lowest seasonally adjusted unemployment rate of any state on records going back to 1976, according to a CNN analysis. However, Maryland’s job market is still robust, with government and health care employers adding jobs at a brisk pace. Here’s a dive into the labor market of the state with the lowest unemployment rate in American history:Where the jobs areThe biggest industries in Maryland are government, health care, education and professional services. Fort Meade, a military base, is the largest employer in the state, according to Moody’s Analytics.

Persons: ” Christina DePasquale, Johns, Colin Seitz, “, ” Seitz, There’s, ”, Mary Kane, what’s, Kane, ” Daniel Zhao, ” Zhao Organizations: DC CNN, — Labor Department, CNN, Baltimore, Fort Meade, University, of Maryland, Johns Hopkins University, Labor Department . State, Health, Johns Hopkins Carey Business School, Moody’s, Maryland, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Maryland Hospital Association, Labor, Maryland Chamber of Commerce, “, Maryland Department of Labor, DC Locations: Washington, Atlantic, California, Lexington, Maryland, Fort, Florida, Texas, Virginia

WASHINGTON (AP) — Jill Biden paid tribute to the power of poetry as she honored the 2023 class of National Student Poets on Monday at the White House, saying poetry “feeds our spirit." Political Cartoons View All 1244 ImagesThe poets receive scholarships and serve as literary ambassadors, bringing poetry to their communities through service projects, poetry readings, workshops and other opportunities. Jill Biden said she hoped the students would remember the experience of visiting the White House. She also hosted last year's class of National Student Poets. “And I hope you know that President Biden, the vice president, the second gentleman and I see you, we hear you, and we’re counting on you to keep going.

Persons: — Jill Biden, ”, Gabriella Miranda, Kallan McKinney, Hou, St, Louis, Miles Hardingwood, Jacqueline Flores, Fort, Joe Biden, Seamus Heaney, William Butler Yeats, Jill Biden, “, Biden Organizations: WASHINGTON, White, Student Locations: United States, Salt Lake City, Norman , Oklahoma, New York City, Fort Meade , Florida

☆ ‘A day that changed history': US marks 22 years since 9/11 attacks
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-11 | by ( Jennifer Peltz | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +5 min

Commemorations stretch from the attack sites — at New York's World Trade Center, the Pentagon and Shanksville, Pennsylvania — to Alaska and beyond. But a sense of connection is enshrined in a local memorial incorporating steel from the World Trade Center’s destroyed twin towers. As another way of marking the anniversary, many Americans do volunteer work on what Congress has designated both Patriot Day and a National Day of Service and Remembrance. First lady Jill Biden is due to lay a wreath at the 9/11 memorial at the Pentagon. Educators with a total of more than 10,000 students have registered for access to the free “National Day of Learning” program, which will be available through the fall, organizers say.

Persons: Joe Biden, Eddie Ferguson, Jessica Leigh Sachs, “ We’re, ”, Joe Maurath, Kamala Harris, James Giaccone, Joseph Giaccone, ” James Giaccone, Andrew Siff, “, ” Biden, Republican George W, Bush, Barack Obama, Obama, Jill Biden, Harris ’, Doug Emhoff, Katherine Hostetler Organizations: Trade Center, Pentagon, Washington , D.C, NBC New, Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts, Trade, Congress, of Service, Democrat, Republican, National Park Service Locations: firehouses, New, Shanksville, Pennsylvania —, Alaska, Anchorage, Washington ,, India, Vietnam, Virginia’s Goochland County, NBC New York, New York, Columbus , Indiana, Fenton , Missouri, St, Louis, Jersey's Monmouth, U.S, Fort Meade, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Stoystown

Commemorations stretch from the attack sites — at New York's World Trade Center, the Pentagon and Shanksville, Pennsylvania — to Alaska and beyond. But a sense of connection is enshrined in a local memorial incorporating steel from the World Trade Center’s destroyed twin towers. In Columbus, Indiana, 911 dispatchers broadcast a remembrance message to police, fire and EMS radios throughout the 50,000-person city, which also holds a public memorial ceremony. At ground zero, Vice President Kamala Harris is due to join the ceremony on the National Sept. 11 Memorial and Museum plaza. First lady Jill Biden is due to lay a wreath at the 9/11 memorial at the Pentagon.

Persons: Joe Biden, Eddie Ferguson, Jessica Leigh Sachs, “ We’re, ”, Joe Maurath, Kamala Harris, James Giaccone, Joseph Giaccone, ” James Giaccone, “, ” Biden, Republican George W, Bush, Barack Obama, Obama, Jill Biden, Harris ’, Doug Emhoff, Katherine Hostetler Organizations: Trade Center, Pentagon, Washington , D.C, Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts, Trade, Congress, of Service, Democrat, Republican, National Park Service Locations: firehouses, New, Shanksville, Pennsylvania —, Alaska, Anchorage, Washington ,, India, Vietnam, Virginia’s Goochland County, New York, Columbus , Indiana, Fenton , Missouri, St, Louis, Jersey's Monmouth, U.S, Fort Meade, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Stoystown

☆ 2 Marines pleaded guilty to Capitol riot-related criminal charges. They are still actively serving in the Marines.
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-13 | by ( Associated Press | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Two active-duty Marines pleaded guilty on Monday to Capitol riot-related criminal charges. Both pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor count of parading, demonstrating, or picketing in a Capitol building, according to a spokesperson for the US Attorney's Office for the District of Columbia. Coomer pleaded guilty to the same misdemeanor charge in May and is scheduled to be sentenced by Reyes on Aug. 30. The angles of the photos and the caption indicated he had been inside the Capitol on Jan. 6, the FBI said. Approximately 600 have pleaded guilty, mostly to misdemeanors punishable by maximum imprisonment of six months or one year.

Persons: —, Joshua Abate, Dodge Dale Hellonen, Ana Reyes, Micah Coomer, Coomer, Reyes, AP David Dischley, Hellonen didn't, Abate, Donald Trump's Organizations: Capitol, Marines, Service, Marines Corps, US, Office, District of Columbia, U.S . Capitol Police, Justice Department, U.S, Justice, AP, Abate, Coomer, Marine Corps Base Quantico, Hellonen, Camp Lejeune, FBI Locations: U.S, Fort Meade , Maryland, Oceanside , California, Jacksonville , North Carolina, Virginia, Camp, North Carolina, Washington

☆ A 12,500-square-foot property in Maryland hit the market for just $42,000. It turns out it's a high school, and the listing is believed to be a senior prank.
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-26 | by ( Sarah Jackson | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Some high school students in Maryland got pretty creative with their senior prank. Students are thought to be responsible for listing Meade High School for sale on Zillow for $42,069. It's actually Meade High School in Fort Meade, Maryland, and the listing is believed to be a senior prank. The students at Meade aren't the first to list their school for sale for their senior prank. In 2018, seniors at Auburn High School in Rockford, Illinois, put their school on Craigslist for $2,018.

☆ Mistakes by the US's top spies allowed China to turn a deadly mid-air collision into an intelligence coup
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-22 | by ( James Bamford | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +36 min

On April 1, 2001, a US EP-3 spy plane collided with a Chinese fighter jet over the South China Sea. One of eleven left in the fleet, the tired 1960s-era spy plane bristled with porcupine-like antennas. Within minutes, however, the fighters had reached the lumbering spy plane, and while Zhao Yu hung back about a half-mile, Wang Wei rapidly closed in. In severe trouble, he immediately radioed the base, telling them he was unable to maneuver and being sucked in by the spy plane. "You are not allowed aboard the aircraft," Osborn said.

☆ A Marine who got a highly sensitive intelligence job after participating in the Jan. 6 attack was charged after admitting to his role in the riot during a security clearance interview
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-09 | by ( Erin Snodgrass | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Three active-duty Marines were arrested and charged on Jan. 6 charges last month. All three held intelligence roles even after their alleged participation in the deadly Capitol attack. Abate ultimately confessed to participating in the riot in June 2022 while he was undergoing a security clearance process, according to prosecutors. The Intercept reported that both Abate and Hellonen received promotions in ranks in the aftermath of the riot. Lawyers for Abate and Hellonen did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment, and Coomer did not have an attorney listed.

Three active-duty U.S. Marines were arrested and charged this week with breaching the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, the latest in a line of current or former members of the military associated with the riot. All three men have been enlisted in the Marines for more than four years, according to a Marine Corps spokesman. Micah Coomer, circled in red, Dodge Dale Hellonen, circled in blue, and Joshua Abate at the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. "We are aware of an investigation and the allegations," a Marine Corps spokesperson said. "The Marine Corps is fully cooperating with the appropriate authorities in support of the investigation."

☆ 3 active-duty Marines who work in intelligence arrested over alleged participation in the January 6 riot
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-20 | by ( Konstantin Toropin | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

Three Marines were arrested Wednesday in relation to the US Capitol riot on January 6, 2021. All three Marines work in jobs connected to the intelligence community. All three Marines, who were arrested more than two years after the attack, work in jobs connected to the intelligence community. Records provided by the Marine Corps show that among his awards was a Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal, an unusual and prestigious medal for a junior Marine. However, the men are not the only members of the intelligence community to be arrested for their alleged part in the siege.

The sources say Justice Department officials are looking carefully at a cross section of past cases involving the mishandling of classified material. Though his comments were about the separate Jan. 6 investigation, Justice Department officials said they apply broadly. Experts say the public evidence in the Mar-a-Lago case seems unambiguous. Less clear is whether there are aggravating factors — such as whether the Justice Department can prove Trump obstructed justice by failing to turn over documents despite a grand jury subpoena. Martin’s lawyers said he was a hoarder, and prosecutors concluded that he had not given classified information to anyone.

☆ U.S. Has Made ‘Dramatic Change’ in Technology Used for Nuclear Code System
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-14 | by ( Daniella Cheslow | Photographs Elizabeth Frantz For The Wall Street Journal | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

FORT MEADE, Md.—The museum of one of the nation’s most secretive government agencies has recently reopened following a two-year pandemic closure, and among its new exhibits is one that provides a rare window into a technological upgrade to the nation’s nuclear command and control system. The National Cryptologic Museum located outside Washington, D.C. is now home to several pieces of equipment that were in operation until just a few years ago to generate the codes the president could use to authorize the launch of nuclear weapons. The placement of the retired equipment in the National Security Agency’s museum reveals an upgrade to the classified system that is rarely talked about by government officials.

“That was a massive expense.”In fact,service members and their spouses ranked financial stress as their greatest concern, even over deployment, according to Blue Star Families’ annual military family lifestyle survey. As a result, about half of service members and their spouses of service members say they rely on the gig economy to stay afloat, the NFCC found. You can keep on top of the many benefits the military offers, as well as whatever financial education it makes available, through Military OneSourceor other channels. For its part, the NFCC offers financial education and credit counseling through its member agencies. Institutions such as USAA also regularly work with current and former service members and offer a range of banking and insurance products.

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