Federal security faulted, and more

Federal security faulted

Investigators successfully smuggled bomb-making materials into 10 federal buildings, the Government Accountability Office reported. The exercise highlights weaknesses in the Federal Protective Service, which guards more than 1 million government employees in 9,000 buildings. The facilities tested by the GAO included congressional offices and buildings used by the Homeland Security, Justice, and State departments.

Oil markets eyed

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U.S. regulators plan to crack down on speculative trading in the oil markets, which has been blamed for wild gyrations in prices. Gary Gensler, head of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, said the agency wants to restrict trading by market players who trade oil-futures contracts for profit without ever taking delivery of the commodity. The move marks a sharp departure from the hands-off policy of previous administrations.