Shake-up reported at Secret Service

WASHINGTON – The Secret Service has decided to remove four of its most senior officials, while two others are retiring, the biggest management shake-up at the troubled agency since its director resigned in October after a string of security lapses, according to people familiar with internal discussions.

The departures would gut much of the Secret Service’s upper management, which has been criticized by lawmakers and administration officials in recent months for fostering a culture of distrust between agency leaders and its rank-and-file, and for making poor decisions that helped erode the quality of this once elite agency.

Obama stumps for Internet competition

CEDAR FALLS, Iowa – President Barack Obama says high-speed broadband is not a luxury but a necessity.

The president is promoting a plan to expand access to broadband communications services by increasing competition.

Obama says faster Internet service will create jobs and allow local businesses to grow. He was speaking Wednesday from Cedar Falls, Iowa, which provides high-speed Internet to residents.

Obama is criticizing laws in 19 states that he says stamp out competition. And he is encouraging the Federal Communications Commission to pre-empt state laws that stifle competition for high-speed Internet service.

Detained journalist to stand trial in Iran

TEHRAN, Iran – A Washington Post journalist detained in Iran for months has been indicted and will stand trial, Iran’s state news agency reported Wednesday, without elaborating on what charges he faced.

The report by the official IRNA news agency came the same day as U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry met with Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammed Javad Zarif before talks with world powers resume over the Islamic Republic’s contested nuclear program.

It wasn’t immediately clear if the two events were connected.

Associated Press and Washington Post