memeorandum: Edward Snowden Is No Hero (Jeffrey Toobin/News Desk)

3:10 AM ET, June 11, 2013

Top Items:

Jeffrey Toobin / News Desk:

Edward Snowden Is No Hero — Edward Snowden, a twenty-nine-year-old former C.I.A. employee and current government contractor, has leaked news of National Security Agency programs that collect vast amounts of information about the telephone calls made by millions of Americans …

Daily Mail:

Revealed: The acrobat girlfriend of NSA whistle blower Edward Snowden... who he abandoned when he fled the U.S. — Lindsay Mills, 28, is reportedly the girlfriend Edward Snowden left behind when he leaked information about PRISM surveillance — The girlfriend of NSA whistle blower Edward Snowden …

Discussion: Washington Post, Guardian, Rush Limbaugh, Gawker, Business Insider, The Gateway Pundit, The Other McCain, The Daily Caller, Mediaite, The Political Carnival and CNN

Irin Carmon / Salon:

How we broke the NSA story — Exclusive: Laura Poitras tells Salon about getting contacted by Edward Snowden, and reveals more footage is coming — Shortly after Salon's biographical sketch on Laura Poitras went live, the award-winning documentary filmmaker agreed to a phone interview …

Discussion: New York Times, The Huffington Post, Guardian, The Impolitic, ThinkProgress, Pressing Issues, Washington Post and Business Insider, more at Mediagazer »

Ian Swanson / The Hill:

Sen. Feinstein calls Snowden's NSA leaks an ‘act of treason’ — Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) on Monday said the 29-year-old man who leaked information about two national security programs is guilty of treason. — Feinstein said former National Security Agency Edward Snowden she doesn't see him as a hero or a whistle blower.

Discussion: Wall Street Journal, Politico, National Review, The Huffington Post, Mediaite, emptywheel, Guardian and The Daily Beast, more at Mediagazer »

Jeremy Herb / The Hill:

NSA leak is treason, says Feinstein — “I don't look at this as being a whistle-blower,” Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calf.) said. “I think it's an act of treason.” — The whereabouts of Snowden were unclear Monday as authorities ramped up an investigation that could lead to his extradition and prosecution.

Jeremy Herb / The Hill:

17,000 sign petition urging Obama to pardon NSA whistle-blower — More than 17,000 people have signed a petition urging President Obama to pardon the man who revealed details about two classified National Security Agency (NSA) programs. — The “Pardon Edward Snowden” …

Discussion: Politico, Crooks and Liars, CNN, Reuters, Red Alert Politics, Post Politics, Alan Colmes' Liberaland, Business Insider, Gawker and Mashable

Mackenzie Weinger / Politico:

Barton Gellman, Glenn Greenwald feud over NSA leaker — The Guardian's Glenn Greenwald on Monday blasted investigative reporter Barton Gellman for making “false” claims about the man they shared as a source: Edward Snowden. — The public tiff between two journalists who have led …

Discussion: Telegraph, FishbowlDC and Washington Wire, more at Mediagazer »

Eli Lake / The Daily Beast:
Inside the ‘Q Group,’ the Directorate Hunting Down Edward Snowden

Discussion: New York Times, BobCesca.com, DownWithTyranny!, News Desk, Business Insider, Guardian, Hot Air, Hit & Run and Hullabaloo

Rand Paul / CNN:
Ron Paul gives thanks for leaker

Discussion: Campaign for Liberty, Politico and Activist Post

David Edwards / The Raw Story:
Fox News analyst: ‘Bring back the death penalty’ for NSA leaker

Discussion: BuzzFeed, Washington Monthly, Los Angeles Times and The Huffington Post

John Stanton / BuzzFeed:
James Clyburn: NSA Leaks Part Of Effort To “Embarrass” Obama

Discussion: Weasel Zippers

Matt Schiavenza / The Atlantic Online:
Edward Snowden Shouldn't Have Gone to Hong Kong

Discussion: scmp.com and Guardian

Douglas Rushkoff / CNN:
Edward Snowden is a hero

Discussion: Washington Post, Yahoo! News, China Real Time Report, Piers Morgan, Mashable, Business Insider, The Agonist, The Daily Beast, Blogs of War and The Week

John McCormack / Weekly Standard:
Snowden Warned WashPost Reporter: U.S. Intel Community ‘Will Most Certainly Kill You...’

Discussion: Hot Air, Wired, National Review, Power Line and The Huffington Post

Tom Kludt / Talking Points Memo:
Greenwald Says 'There's A Lot More Coming,' Argues NSA Revelations Don't Harm Security

Discussion: Liberal Values, The Other McCain, Hot Air, Maggie's Farm, Alan Colmes' Liberaland and Washington Post

Numbers / Pew Research Center for the People …:

Majority Views NSA Phone Tracking as Acceptable Anti-terror Tactic — Public Says Investigate Terrorism, Even IF It Intrudes on Privacy — OVERVIEW — A majority of Americans - 56% - say the National Security Agency's (NSA) program tracking the telephone records of millions of Americans …

Discussion: Yahoo! News, Hit & Run, msnbc.com, Taylor Marsh, TechCrunch, No More Mister Nice Blog, The Week, The Monkey Cage, Business Insider, American Power and Washington Free Beacon

Jon Cohen / Washington Post:

Most Americans back NSA tracking phone records, prioritize probes over privacy — A large majority of Americans say the federal government should focus on investigating possible terrorist threats even if personal privacy is compromised, and most support the blanket tracking of telephone records …

Discussion: p m carpenter's commentary, Hot Air, Hullabaloo, The Volokh Conspiracy, Post Politics, The Reaction, KALW, Capital New York and Firedoglake

Perry Stein / Talking Points Memo:
Pew Poll: 56 Percent Of Americans Say Phone Tracking Is Acceptable Anti-Terror Tactic

Discussion: CNN, Alan Colmes' Liberaland and ECHIDNE OF THE SNAKES

New York Times:

Obama to End Effort to Restrict Morning-After Pill — WASHINGTON — The Obama administration has decided to stop trying to block over-the-counter availability of the best-known morning-after contraceptive pill for all women and girls, a move fraught with political repercussions for President Obama.

Discussion: Booman Tribune, Taylor Marsh, The Talking Dog and Blue Mass Group

Sam Baker / The Hill:
Obama administration will approve ‘Plan B’ pill for women and girls of all ages

Discussion: Reuters

Steven Ertelt / LifeNews.com:

IRS Caught on Tape Telling Nonprofit: “Keep Your Faith to Yourself” — The IRS scandal is deepening as a new tape has been released today showing a disturbing phone call the Internal Revenue Service placed to a non-profit organization. — Alliance Defending Freedom, a pro-life legal group …

Discussion: Hot Air, The PJ Tatler and The Gateway Pundit

Byron York / Washington Examiner:

Marco Rubio: In immigration reform, legalization comes first — ‘It is not conditional’ … In a Spanish-language interview Sunday with the network Univision, Sen. Marco Rubio, the leading Republican on the Gang of Eight comprehensive immigration reform group, made his strongest statement yet …

Discussion: Power Line, The Gateway Pundit and Politico

Jerry Kammer / Front page feed:
Rubio, McCain, Reid Talk Strategy on Reform Bill

Discussion: msnbc.com, Hot Air, The Plum Line, National Review and Politico

CBS News:

State Department memo reveals possible cover-ups, halted investigations — (CBS News) CBS News has uncovered documents that show the State Department may have covered up allegations of illegal and inappropriate behavior within their ranks. — The Diplomatic Security Service, or the DSS …

Kieran Healy:

Using Metadata to find Paul Revere — London, 1772. — I have been asked by my superiors to give a brief demonstration of the surprising effectiveness of even the simplest techniques of the new-fangled Social Networke Analysis in the pursuit of those who would seek to undermine the liberty enjoyed by His Majesty's subjects.

Discussion: Balloon Juice and Doug Ross

Avik Roy / Forbes:

Ohio Dept. Of Insurance: Obamacare To Increase Individual-Market Health Premiums By 88 Percent — Democrats continue to try to dismiss the evidence that Obamacare will dramatically increase the cost of insurance for people who buy it on their own. But on Thursday, the Ohio Department …

Discussion: New Republic, Weasel Zippers, Washington Free Beacon, Doug Ross and VodkaPundit

Adrienne Royer / Immigration Reform Blog:

New State Polls: Voters Overwhelmingly Oppose Amnesty — Voters overwhelmingly oppose the Gang of Eight amnesty bill according to new polling conducted in seven key states including Arkansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Montana, North Carolina, Ohio and West Virginia by Pulse Opinion Research for FAIR.

Discussion: The Daily Caller and Power Line

Adam Kredo / Washington Free Beacon:

A Billion Bucks in Bullets — The U.S. government has given the embattled Afghan National Army (ANA) more than $1 billion in taxpayer-funded ammunition, according to the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction's (SIGAR) latest oversight report.

Discussion: Red Alert Politics