XKeyscore: NSA tool collects ‘nearly everything a user does on the internet’A top secret National Security Agency program allows analysts to search with no prior authorization through vast databases containing emails, online chats and the browsing histories of millions of individuals, according to documents provided by whistleblower Edward Snowden. The NSA boasts in training materials that the program, called XKeyscore, is its “widest-reaching” system for developing intelligence from the internet.

Manning deserves Nobel Peace Prize: Opposing viewSupporters of Bradley Manning protest Friday, on the final day of closing arguments in his military trial. (Photo: Chip Somodevilla, Getty Images) Story Highlights Manning “helped end the Iraq War, and may have helped prevent further conflicts elsewhere.” Consent of the governed is meaningful only to the extent that it is informed consent.

For Congress, ‘it’s classified’ is new equivalent of ‘none of your business’ | McClatchyPosted on Tue, Jul. 30, 2013 last updated: July 30, 2013 05:12:33 PM The Senate Select Committee on Intelligence reportedly gave its approval last week to an Obama administration plan to provide weapons to moderate rebels in Syria, but how individual members of the committee stood on the subject remains unknown.

Local Anti-Drone Activism Begins: ‘If They Fly in Town, We Will Shoot Them Down’Charles Krauthammer once predicted that the first American to shoot down a domestic drone would be a folk hero. Phillip Steele, a resident of Deer Trail, Colorado, wants to enable that hero.

Major opinion shifts, in the US and Congress, on NSA surveillance and privacyNumerous polls taken since our reporting on previously secret NSA activities first began have strongly suggested major public opinion shifts in how NSA surveillance and privacy are viewed. But a new comprehensive poll released over the weekend weekend by Pew Research provides the most compelling evidence yet of how stark the shift is.

Former CIA agent blames Bush, Rice for kidnapping of Egyptian cleric in ItalyThe CIA inflated the case of a kidnapped Egyptian cleric in order to protect high-ranked government officials from prosecution in Italy, a former intelligence agent admits for the first time. Sabrina De Sousa, 55, has long denied involvement with the CIA, and even asked the United States for immunity after she was charged by Italian officials for the 2003 “extraordinary rendition” of Hassan Mustafa Osama Nasr.

Alarming number of US citizens face poverty, 80% will suffer joblessness – reportFour out of five US adults come to grips with joblessness, near-poverty or reliance on welfare for at least some parts of their lives. Over 41 percent of the nation’s poor are whites, according to a new report.

Exploring the Psychology of Wealth, ‘Pernicious’ Effects of Economic InequalityJEFFREY BROWN: Last night the question, was can more money make you a happier person? Tonight, does the amount of wealth you have affect the kind of person you are? NewsHour economics correspondent Paul Solman is at it again, part of his ongoing reporting on “Making Sen$e of Financial News.”

Dr. Joseph Bonneau Wins NSA Award, Criticizes NSA“Like many in the community of cryptographers and security engineers, I’m sad that we haven’t better informed the public about the inherent dangers and questionable utility of mass surveillance. And like many American citizens I’m ashamed we’ve let our politicians sneak the country down this path.” — Bonneau

US approves drones for civilian useThe Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has issued certificates for two types of unmanned aircraft for civilian use. The move is expected to lead to the first approved commercial drone operation later this summer. The two unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) are the Scan Eagle X200 and Aero Vironment’s PUMA.

Rand Paul slams Obama’s plans for military involvement in SyriaSenator Rand Paul (R-Kentucky) had harsh words this week for the White House with regards to the Obama administration’s consistent inching towards a war in Syria. Lawmakers in the United States continue to debate what role the US should take in the increasingly bloody Syrian civil war, but Sen.

Bankers Own the WorldToday, some of the most celebrated individuals and institutions are ensconced within the financial industry; in banks, hedge funds, and private equity firms. Which is odd because none of these firms or individuals actually make anything, which society might point to as additive to our living standards.

Administration Attacks on Free Press: Succeeding Where Nixon Failed?On Friday, the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled in favor of the Obama administration that New York Times writer and author James Risen must testify in the trial of Jeffrey Sterling, a former CIA agent charged with leaking information on an apparently bungled CIA operation that Risen reports led to an increase in nuclear weapons-building knowledge by Iran.

The Few Banks that Own AllIn the autumn of 2011 an already legendary study by a number of Swiss scientists revealed that a small number of banks controlled a decisive stake in the globe’s economy. The idea that the banks are a cartel and that this cartel controls the economy is now a scientifically quantified matter of record.

A constitutional right to health care: Many countries have it, but not the U.S.More than half of the world’s countries have some degree of a guaranteed, specific right to public health and medical care for their citizens written into their national constitutions. The United States is one of 86 countries whose constitutions do not guarantee their citizens any kind of health protection.

Senate and C.I.A. Spar Over Secret Report on Interrogation ProgramWASHINGTON – The chairwoman of the Senate Intelligence Committee says she is planning a push to declassify hundreds of pages of a secret committee report that accuses the Central Intelligence Agency of misleading Congress and the White House about the agency’s detention and interrogation program, which is now defunct.

The Unspoken Truth: Coup d’etat in AmericaThe Unspoken Truth: Coup d’etat in America The American people have suffered a coup d’etat, but they are hesitant to acknowledge it. The regime ruling in Washington today lacks constitutional and legal legitimacy. Americans are ruled by usurpers who claim that the executive branch is above the law and that the US Constitution is a mere “scrap of paper.”

Glenn Greenwald: Growing Backlash Against NSA Spying Shows Why U.S. Wants to Silence Edward SnowdenAs Congress holds its second major public hearing on the National Security Agency’s bulk spying, we speak with Glenn Greenwald, the Guardian journalist who first published whistleblower Edward Snowden’s revelations. The NSA admitted their analysis of phone records and online behavior far exceeded what it had previously disclosed.

NSA-Affäre: Ex-Präsident Carter verdammt US-Schnüffelei – SPIEGEL ONLINEDer ehemalige US-Präsident Jimmy Carter hat im Nachgang des NSA-Spähskandals das amerikanische politische System heftig kritisiert. “Amerika hat derzeit keine funktionierende Demokratie”, sagte Carter am Dienstag bei einer Veranstaltung der “Atlantik-Brücke” in Atlanta. Bereits zuvor hatte sich der Demokrat sehr kritisch über die Praktiken der US-Geheimdienste geäußert.