TSA Precheck Touchless ID expands to 15 airports

(NewsNation) — As 17 million people will travel through airports this Labor Day weekend, according to AAA, TSA Precheck has expanded its Touchless ID system to 15 airports and created new lanes for families and military members to speed up security lines. 

The updated security protocols allow passengers who sign up for TSA Precheck to show only their face, not their identification cards, at check in by scanning their faces in front of a machine. 

Major hubs like Los Angeles, Chicago, Dallas and all three New York City-area airports now have the system, which uses facial comparison technology, which is designed to be more secure using encrypted facial recognition software.

Travelers should upload their passport and known traveler number (KTN) to the app for the airline with which they’re flying. The digital boarding pass is then marked with a “touchless ID” badge. When a passenger arrives at the airport, a facial scan at the TSA pre-check lane confirms their identity. Travelers are still required to carry a real ID or valid passport. 

TSA says images are deleted within 24 hours and not shared with law enforcement. Again, this is all in an effort to try to speed things up at that TSA line. 

There are also now dedicated family lanes at several airports under the “Families on the Fly” program, giving parents with young kids some breathing room to pass through. 

Security lines for veterans and active-duty military honor lanes are rolling out, too, along with free pre-check for Gold Star families and discounts for spouses.

In July, TSA announced travelers would no longer be required to remove their shoes during security screening.

The TSA Precheck Touchless ID website has a list of which airports the system is located.

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Trump’s revenge crusade on Adam Schiff crashes into brick wall: report



President Donald Trump sought to target Sen. Adam Schiff (D-CA) after the lawmaker served on the House select committee that investigated the Jan. 6 probe and worked on both impeachment cases. That effort has reportedly hit a brick wall, however.

Last week, MSNBC revealed that the Maryland prosecutor who went after former National Security Advisor John Bolton was stuck on the Schiff case, so she pivoted to focus more on Bolton. Now it appears the Schiff case has stalled entirely.

Writing Thursday, Ryan J. Reilly, Kristen Welker, Michael Kosnar and Carol E. Lee wrote for NBC News that the investigation “came to a standstill," according to a federal law enforcement official.

U.S. Attorney Kelly Hayes reportedly met with Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche earlier this week to ask how to move forward without the goods on Schiff.

"The decision out of that meeting was for Hayes to pursue more evidence, and the case remains ongoing," reported NBC, citing one of the sources.

Schiff has retained former Manhattan U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara as his counsel.

In a statement to NBC News, Bharara said: “It seems pretty clear that a team of career prosecutors have thoroughly reviewed the politically-motivated allegations against Senator Schiff and found they are unsupported by any evidence and are baseless.”

“The transparently vindictive effort to pursue the Senator has no merit, and if there is any justice left in the Justice Department, this should be the end of the matter,” he added.

Read the full report here.