memeorandum: America Can Take a Breather. And It Should. (Richard N. Haass/New York Times)

10:50 AM ET, June 23, 2013

Top Items:

James Pomfret / Reuters:

Hong Kong lets Snowden leave, with Cuba among possible destinations — (Reuters) - A former contractor for the U.S. National Security Agency, charged by the United States with espionage, was allowed to leave Hong Kong on Sunday, his final destination as yet unknown, because a U.S. request …

Discussion: TalkLeft, Joe. My. God., Xinhua News Agency, Hot Air, Alan Colmes' Liberaland, Associated Press, Prairie Weather and New York Times

New York Times:

N.S.A. Leaker Leaves Hong Kong on Flight to Moscow — HONG KONG — The Hong Kong government announced on Sunday afternoon that it had allowed the departure from its territory of Edward J. Snowden, the former National Security Agency contractor who has acknowledged disclosing classified documents …

Discussion: Reuters, Yahoo! News, ThinkProgress, Alan Colmes' Liberaland, Washington Monthly, Outside the Beltway, Weasel Zippers, The Verge, Guardian and American Power, more at Mediagazer »

Richard N. Haass / New York Times:

America Can Take a Breather. And It Should. — THE United States is currently enjoying an unprecedented respite in the foreign policy arena — a temporary relief from the normal rigors of history that allows us to take stock at home and abroad. — It may seem outlandish to claim that we're …

Discussion: Daily Kos

CNN:

WikiLeaks: Snowden arrives in Moscow — (CNN) — The global cat-and-mouse hunt for Edward Snowden took a dramatic turn Sunday when the man wanted on U.S. espionage charges fled Hong Kong and reportedly arrived in Russia. — WikiLeaks said in a Twitter post Sunday that Snowden had touched down in Moscow.

Discussion: Alan Colmes' Liberaland and Guardian

Emily Schultheis / Politico:

Nancy Pelosi booed, heckled at Netroots Nation 2013 — SAN JOSE, Calif. — House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi was booed by progressive activists Saturday for defending President Obama on the NSA's surveillance programs and suggesting that alleged leaker Edward Snowden broke the law.

Discussion: Washington Monthly, Slate, AL.com, Taylor Marsh, Electronic Frontier Foundation, The Raw Story, The Huffington Post and The Hinterland Gazette

WikiLeaks:

WikiLeaks Statement On Edward Snowden's Exit From Hong Kong — Mr Edward Snowden, the American whistleblower who exposed evidence of a global surveillance regime conducted by US and UK intelligence agencies, has left Hong Kong legally. He is bound for a democratic nation via a safe route …

Discussion: New York Times, Business Insider, The Raw Story and Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion

Guardian:

Edward Snowden leaves Hong Kong for Moscow — NSA whistleblower left on Aeroflot flight to Moscow, Hong Kong government confirms, two days after US charged him with espionage — The NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden has flown out of Hong Kong, where he had been in hiding since identifying himself …

Discussion: Mediaite, Hit & Run, The Hinterland Gazette and ViralRead

Meghashyam Mali / The Hill:

NSA leaker Snowden leaves Hong Kong — Edward Snowden, the former contractor who leaked classified information detailing the National Security Agency's secret surveillance programs, was allowed to leave Hong Kong despite a U.S. extradition request, according to reports.

Discussion: CNN, Associated Press and Politico

Peter Walker / Guardian:
Edward Snowden leaves Hong Kong for Moscow: live updates

Discussion: Balloon Juice, China Real Time Report, Blogs of War and AL.com

Jake Miller / CBS News:
White House: “We expect” Hong Kong to comply with Snowden extradition

Discussion: Sky News, Firedoglake, Post Politics, New York Times, Politico, Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion, The Verge, The Hill and AllThingsD

Michael Gordon / The Charlotte Observer:

N.C. lawyers listen as Justice Scalia bemoans ‘moral arbiter’ on eve of gay marriage ruling — ASHEVILLE With a potentially ground-breaking decision on gay marriage expected next week, Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia said Friday morning that he and other judges should stop setting moral …

Discussion: Alan Colmes' Liberaland, Hullabaloo, Joe. My. God. and Towleroad News #gay

Adam Liptak / New York Times: Supreme Court Weighs Cases Redefining Legal Equality

CNN:

Stunt plane crashes in Ohio; 2 dead — (CNN) — A fiery plane crash at an Ohio air show killed two people on Saturday, CNN affiliate WHIO reported. — A wing walker was performing on a Stearman biplane when it plunged to the ground, FAA spokesman Lynn Lunsford said.

Discussion: KTLA 5, The Gateway Pundit, Mediaite and WDTN-TV

Politico:

Politicians sound off on Snowden — POLITICO rounds up the latest comments made by politicians on Edward Snowden, the computer technician who acknowledged leaking classified documents to The Guardian and The Washington Post. 06/11/2013 1:37 PM EDT

Peggy Noonan's Blog:

Where Was the Tea Party? — One of the great questions about the 2012 campaign has been “Where was the tea party?” They were not the fierce force they'd been in the 2010 cycle, when Republicans took back the House. Some of us think the answer to the question is: “Targeted by the IRS …

Discussion: Instapundit

Juliet Eilperin / Post Politics:

Obama to announce Tuesday he will regulate existing power plants as part of climate strategy — President Obama will announce Tuesday that he plans to regulate greenhouse-gas emissions from existing power plants, according to individuals who have been briefed on the plan but asked not to be identified.