Coleman camp’s claim about January data breach is ‘bullshit,’ tech expert says

Norm Coleman’s campaign has said it has “a high degree of confidence” that late January’s exposure of an unprotected donor database didn’t result in the loss of sensitive data. This week’s news that Wikileaks.org had obtained the 4.3 gigabyte database casts doubt on that statement — and so does Bruce Schneier, the locally based and internationally renowned security expert who calls the claim “complete and utter bullshit.”

Coleman campaign may have violated law in database breach

The campaign of former Sen. Norm Coleman has alerted donors that a database containing personal data, including credit card numbers, has been circulating on the Internet.

Minnesota has a number of consumer protection laws that govern the use of personal information, which has raised questions about whether the Coleman campaign has violated state law.

Media begins countering claim that Coleman site was hacked

There’s a divide opening in how the media is covering the story of Norm Coleman’s vulnerable donor database: Some outlets blame shoddy security practices by the campaign, others blame “hackers.” The latter group — which includes

Coleman donors express ‘extreme anger,’ fear, worry after breach

Donors to Norm Coleman responded to news of a campaign data breach with “extreme anger,” worry about their credit card accounts, and suspicion of the Al Franken campaign. Here is a sample of what Coleman campaign contributors are saying.

Breaking: Coleman’s unsecured donor database revealed on Wikileaks

In late January, allegations were leveled that former Sen. Norm Coleman’s campaign faked the crash of its website, claiming droves of disenfranchised voters brought down the server seeking info on whether their votes were counted. While that charge hasn’t been definitively proven, the scrutiny by web enthusiasts exposed a bigger problem for the campaign: an unprotected database that contained information on campaign donors, including names, email and home addresses, credit card numbers and the three-digit security codes. On Tuesday, donors received an email from the website Wikileaks alerting them that the site has revealed some of the database information.

Proposition 8 gets big boost from unexpected quarter: NPR

Listeners waiting to hear the reasoned arguments of “angry gay-rights activists” during an extended National Public Radio (NPR) report this morning on California’s new ban on same-sex marriage … are … still … waiting.

Capitol Catchall: Guns, copper thieves and Sen.-elect Franken

Recent goings at the Capitol: Democratic Sen. Amy Klobuchar and Republican Rep. Erik Paulsen introduce a bipartisan bill to hinder copper thieves; Rep. Betty McCollum urges the president to enforce the ban on assault weapon imports; and CNN notes that Al Franken has taken to calling himself “Senator-elect.”

‘Banana Republic’ book takes comic look at our tortured era

For two years of the Bush era beginning with Hurricane Katrina, the Star Tribune published a weekly comic strip on its opinion page that was unlike anything else in American newspapers, sending up current events in a serial format with heaping doses of dark humor and giddy gore. “Banana Republic” dispensed satire so bruising and brutal it made you want to die of shame — but also so funny and true it gave you reason to live. Now cartoonist Kirk Anderson’s new book compiles every episode of “Banana Republic,” letting readers re-live tortuous times and die of embarassment all over again.

Controversial reproductive privacy bill back at Capitol

A reproductive health bill being considered in the Minnesota Legislature this year states that the government has no business interfering with the constitutionally protected privacy rights set forth in Roe v. Wade. While presumptive gubernatorial candidates Sens. John Marty and Tom Bakk are among the bill’s co-authors, staunchly pro-life Gov. Tim Pawlenty is unlikely to sign the bill should it get to his desk.

Off the beaten track: Three RNC studies come from outside St. Paul

All eyes are on the release this afternoon of the Heffelfinger-Luger report on law enforcement during the Republican National Convention that was commissioned by the City of St. Paul, where most of the RNC events, protests and policing took place. But at least three studies from outside of St. Paul are pending as well: an internal report by the Minneapolis Police Department (MPD), an outside review by a national police organization by invitation of the MPD, and a winter term research project by a team of students from Ohio’s Oberlin College.