The Solitary Leaker  —  From what we know so far, Edward Snowden appears to be the ultimate unmediated man.  Though obviously terrifically bright, he could not successfully work his way through the institution of high school.  Then he failed to navigate his way through community college.

U.S. disrupts al-Qaeda's online magazine  —  U.S. intelligence operatives covertly sabotaged a prominent al-Qaeda online magazine last month in an apparent attempt to sow confusion among the group's followers, according to officials.  —  The operation succeeded, at least temporarily …

Wake Up!  —  In 2007, John McCain's “comprehensive” immigrant-legalization bill failed after opponents flooded the Senate with calls, shutting down the switchboard.  Despite considerable press hype, the bill didn't even muster a majority on the crucial cloture vote.  —  It won't be that easy this time.

Asking the U.S. government to allow Google to publish more national security request data  —  This morning we sent the following letter to the offices of the Attorney General and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.  Read the full text below.  -Ed.  —  Dear Attorney General Holder and Director Mueller

Senators: End Secret Law  —  Bipartisan Group of Senators Introduce Bill to Declassify FISA Court Opinions  —  Washington, DC - Today, Oregon's Senator Jeff Merkley and Senator Mike Lee (R-UT), accompanied by Senators Patrick Leahy (D-VT), Dean Heller (R-NV), Mark Begich (D-AK), Al Franken …

Hillary's sorry state of affairs  —  Probes into her department's sex scandals were quashed, memo says  —  WASHINGTON — A State Department whistleblower has accused high-ranking staff of a massive coverup — including keeping a lid on findings that members of then-Secretary Hillary Clinton's security detail …

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.

The New York Times takes down Anthony Weiner story  —  The New York Times “inadvertently” posted an article on the women involved in Anthony Weiner's sexting scandal — and then deleted it.  —  “For Women in Weiner Scandal, Indignity Lingers” by Michael Barbaro was posted on the Times's website Monday …

What to Make of a Warming Plateau  —  As unlikely as this may sound, we have lucked out in recent years when it comes to global warming.  —  The rise in the surface temperature of earth has been markedly slower over the last 15 years than in the 20 years before that.

Bill Daley forms exploratory committee  —  Former White House chief of staff Bill Daley is the latest Obama White House alum to set his sights on higher office in Illinois, announcing on Tuesday he's forming an exploratory campaign to run for Illinois governor.

NBC News/WSJ poll: Affirmative action support at historic low  —  As the Supreme Court prepares to once again weigh in on the issue of affirmative action, a record-low number of Americans support such programs, according to the latest NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll.

Inside the NSA's Domestic Surveillance Apparatus: Whistleblower William Binney Speaks Out  —  Watch Part 1 of Interview with William Binney  —  William Binney describes how his former agency has built a massive system to track, monitor and record phone and Internet communications of U.S. citizens and people around the world.