In my article Tuesday morning I talked about NSA lies and the lying spyers who tell them. As one might expect, many unresolved issues remain, thanks in large part to the public statements of intelligence officials. To wit: On June…
Senator Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) grappled with a sinister catch-22. As a member of the Senate Intelligence Committee, he knew the government was systematically spying on its own citizens. But the Oregon Democrat also knew discussing classified programs put him on…
Appearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee early Tuesday, FBI nominee James Comey faced questions about NSA surveillance, domestic drones, and his approval of CIA enhanced interrogation techniques as assistant attorney general under President Bush. The man President Obama picked to…
The United States Trade and Development Agency is currently offering a number of exciting business opportunities for private companies interested in spending public dollars on projects in foreign countries! My personal favorite is the $614,615 grant to develop smart grid…
Earlier today the Guardian released a second video excerpt from filmmaker Laura Poitras’ interview she and Glenn Greenwald conducted with NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden on June 6: A key quote: “There are literally no ingress or egress points anywhere in…
Yesterday’s Independence Day festivities in the nation’s capital included a protest of NSA surveillance called #RestoreTheFourth. A diverse crowd of 200 to 250 gathered, brandishing signs, distributing literature, and chanting slogans. Speakers included NSA whistleblower Thomas Drake, who was unsuccessfully…
Edward Snowden and Glenn Greenwald have both been promising that their revelations about the NSA will continue. Now another round of leaks has hit the web. Are you an American? Did you send an email between 2001 and 2011? The…
As if the three NSA leaks we blogged earlier were not enough, the Guardian has also published a March 2009 Inspector General’s report on Stellar Wind, the leviathan post-9/11 domestic spying program that was leaked and shut down between 2005…
A press representative tells TAS that Senator Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.) “has not been in contact with Vice President Biden,” about the background check compromise he opposed earlier this year. “He is not reevaluating his stance” on background checks, Flake’s spokesman…
The Dodd-Frank financial “reform” inhabits a special dungeon in my heart because meditating on it alone is enough to inspire existential dread about the future of society. Thursday afternoon’s hearing on “Safeguarding our Nation’s Secrets: Examining The Security Clearance Process”…