U.S. charges Edward Snowden with espionage in leaks about NSA surveillance programs  —  Federal prosecutors have filed a sealed criminal complaint against Edward Snowden, the former National Security Agency contractor who leaked a trove of documents about top-secret surveillance programs …

Important Message from Facebook's White Hat Program  —  At Facebook, we take people's privacy seriously, and we strive to protect people's information to the very best of our ability.  We implement many safeguards, hire the brightest engineers and train them to ensure we have only high-quality code behind …

Cantor, Hoyer trade blame on farm bill failure  —  House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-Va.) and Minority Whip Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) blamed each other for the House's failure to pass the farm bill Thursday.  —  Hoyer started by accusing House Republicans of taking a bipartisan bill that was reported …

Is Michael Bloomberg Using City Resources For His “Mayors Against Illegal Guns” Group?  —  I really hate doing the question headline, but this definitely needs answering.  I started poking around last night.  —  At first I pinged mayorsagainstillegalguns.org and found that it was resolving at a New York City government IP address.

White House doesn't have ‘figure on costs’ of Africa trip  —  President Barack Obama makes the first extended trip to Africa of his presidency next week—but he won't be stopping in the country of his birth.  —  Obama's weeklong trip—June 26-July 3—which he's taking with his wife, Michelle …

New pro-Hillary Clinton super PAC attracts donors and worries  —  The campaign has a flashy Web site and official logo T-shirts and signs.  Prominent Democrats have endorsed it and written $25,000 checks.  Its paid operatives and volunteers have set up shop in an Alexandria strip mall office …

Leahy: GOP Border Security Amendment ‘A Christmas Wish List For Haliburton’  —  Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-VT) said Friday that the new border security amendment added to the immigration reform bill in the Senate is nothing more than a gift to defense contractors, but the Senate Judiciary Committee …

My Abortion, at 23 Weeks  —  KIRKLAND, Wash. — I BELIEVE that parenthood starts before conception, at the moment you decide you want a child, and are ready and able to create a safe and loving home for her or him.  I support abortion rights, but I reject the false distinction between the terms “pro-choice” and “pro-life.”

Food Network Drops Paula Deen  —  Paula Deen, the self-proclaimed queen of Southern cooking and a sugary mainstay of the Food Network, was dropped by the network on Friday, following a bewildering day in which she failed to show up for an interview on the “Today” show and then in two online videos begged …

The other hacking scandal: Suppressed report reveals that law firms, telecoms giants and insurance companies routinely hire criminals to steal rivals' information  —  Suppressed official report accuses respected industries of hiring criminals to steal rivals' secrets.

Netroots Nation: First Impressions  —  SAN JOSE, Calif.—The main ballroom of the convention hall was about half-full.  The big “draw” for the first night's keynote speech was Oregon Sen. Jeff Merkley, who's beloved on the left for trying to reform the filibuster.  But he's not exactly a major newsmaker.

What's Taking the Supreme Court So Long?  —  The biggest cases are still to come—and we should be celebrating this drawn-out finale, writes Richard L. Hasen, in defense of the court's end-of-term crunch.  —  With everyone anxiously awaiting potentially blockbuster decisions on issues …

Mormon Mom Who Fought for Prop 8, Now Fights for Gay Son  —  Wendy and Tom Montgomery are devout Mormons from California who pounded on doors in 2008 to support the passage of Proposition 8, the state referendum that overturned the ruling that allowed same-sex couples to marry in California, and is now before the U.S. Supreme Court.