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.

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

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 …

Kelly Ayotte, GOP star, changes mind on immigration … Immigration wasn't the main issue in the 2010 New Hampshire Senate race.  But it was a topic of great interest for many Republican voters, and GOP candidate Kelly Ayotte took a pretty hard line.  —  Rather than calling …

Former President George W. Bush's Image Ratings Improve  —  Views of Bush more positive than negative for first time since 2005  —  PRINCETON, NJ — Americans' views of former president George W. Bush have improved, with 49% now viewing him favorably and 46% unfavorably.

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 Schmoozes Reporters At Secret Meeting  —  The president popped into an off-the-record briefing with reporters Monday.  —  Via: Pablo Martinez Monsivais / AP  —  WASHINGTON — President Obama held an off-the-record meeting with select reporters from some of the nation's largest print …

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 …

Why Should We Even Care If the Government Is Collecting Our Data?  —  Kafka, not Orwell, can help us understand the problems of digitized mass surveillance, argues legal scholar Daniel J. Solove.  —  As people have tried to make sense of the recent revelations about the government's mass …

Obama didn't change his mind on Plan B, Justice changed its legal strategy  —  President Obama still opposes over-the-counter access to emergency contraceptives for women and girls of all ages.  (Washington Post)  —  The Obama administration announced Monday it would no longer defend age limits …

Tear gas, fireworks: Chaos in Istanbul as police drive out protesters  —  From Nick Paton Walsh and Gul Tuysuz, CNN … Istanbul (CNN) — A central square in Istanbul erupted Tuesday night in an unsettling, chaotic chorus, with tear gas canisters and water cannons from police met by fireworks …

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.