Fat Tuesday, Dr. Oz, Big Food, Ag-Gag and Agri-Torture, Buzz-Kill; Abortion and Birth Control, Obamacare, VA, Think of the Children, Psych; Gone Viral, Vax Populi

Fat Tuesday

• Court: Teacher Teasing Overweight Student Is Child Abuse
• House GOP wants to cut Michelle Obama's healthy school lunches: These Republicans come from the unhealthiest states
• State high court rules NYC ban on large sodas is illegal—Suck it, Bloomie.
• China to recruit 'more portly' soldiers with brainpower—"China's military relaxes height, eyesight and weight requirements for soldiers in effort to attract more educated personnel, newspaper says."

Dr. Oz

• Last Week Tonight with John Oliver: Dr. Oz and Nutritional Supplements
• Why Dr. Oz can say anything and keep his medical license
• A Snake Oil Salesman Alive and Well in Dr. Oz
• Twitter gets predictably snarky when Dr. Oz asks, "What are you eating that is Oz Approved"? Salon

Big Food

• Chipotle's anti-Big-Food ad wins Cannes PR award
• How the US Government Helps McDonald's Sell Junk Food—"The feds also helped bring you the Taco Bell Cantina Double Steak Quesadilla and several other fast-food gems."
• Hamburger Chef Jamie Oliver Proves McDonald's Burgers "Unfit for human consumption"
• Monsanto Tries to Patent & Control Natural, Non-GMO Tomatoes
• Whole Foods to pay $800,000 in overpricing case
• U.S. meat producers square off against consumer groups in request to peel back on labeling
• Last Week Tonight with John Oliver: Letter of the Week -- POM Wonderful

Ag-Gag and Agri-Torture

• Undercover animal abuse videos could soon be outlawed
• Canada's Largest Dairy Farm Employees Accused Of Animal Cruelty
• The Abstinence Method—"Dutch farmers just say no to antibiotics for livestock." Gerbert Oosterlaken, owner of Hoeve de Hulsdonk farm, "believes the more you can see, the better."

Buzz-Kill

• Obama orders review of pesticides' effect on bees
• Pesticides threaten birds and bees alike, study says
• Pesticides linked to bee deaths must be banned, scientists say
• French scientists revive assault on pesticide, GM corn
• Study links pesticide exposure in pregnancy to autism

Abortion and Birth Control

• Supreme Court says employers with religious objections can refuse to pay for contraception
• Corporations Are People, And They Have More Rights Than You
• SCOTUS end of term: The Supreme Court’s conservatives are using the First Amendment as a weapon
• 'Supreme Court strikes down abortion clinic buffer zone
• Anti-abortion protesters take advantage of Supreme Court ruling
• Alabama Abortion Clinic Forced To Close Because Its Hallways Aren't Wide Enough
• The Rise of the DIY Abortion in Texas—"A pill that revolutionized reproductive rights in Latin America is now gaining ground on the black market in South Texas."

Obamacare

• McAuliffe Defies GOP: We're 'Moving Forward' With Obamacare Expansion
• Capitol police gave House clerks access to governor's office—"Father's Day budget delivery to the governor's secure suite of offices prompts protests from the administration, which alleged an 'unacceptable' security breach."
• Emails: GOP Secured Majority After VA Dem Promised Job, Phone And Car
• Analysis Shows GOP Fear-Mongering On Obamacare Premiums Is Probably Bogus
• Republicans Finally Admit Why They Really Hate Obamacare
• Here Is the Most Shameless Anti-Obamacare Argument Yet

VA

• White House report: Overhaul VA's 'corrosive culture' Politico
• Letters Claim Vets Were Mistreated At West Palm Beach VA
• Acton Vet Finally Gets VA Doctor's Appointment – 2 Years After He Died
• Obama to name new VA chief

Think of the Children

• Alaska to put free pregnancy tests in bars to curb fetal alcohol syndrome rate
• Is veganism child abuse?—"A mother is arrested for infant neglect after a hospital crisis that began with her veganism." Salon
• Meet the con man selling fake stem cell treatments to children—"Davide Vannoni is playing with people's lives, and the Italian government is paying for it."
• No, PETA, Cow Milk Does Not Cause Autism—"The group that brought you animal-fur horror stories has just launched a campaign claiming cow's milk causes autism. Hold on to your Cheerios, this one needs explaining."

Psych

• Cost of not caring: Stigma set in stone—"People with mental illness face prejudice and discrimination nearly everywhere they turn, from friends and employers and even insurance plans."
• Minnesota teen who planned school massacre: 'I think I'm really mentally ill'
• Stop Telling Your Depressed Friends to "Cheer Up"—"It's more helpful to express that their feelings are valid."

Gone Viral

• Untreatable virus spreading in the Caribbean now afflicts 4,600 LA Times
• Doctors Without Borders: Ebola 'out of control'—Experts say it's just the 'tip of the iceberg' and it's getting worse [WaPo].
• CDC: Up to 86 workers possibly exposed to anthrax

Vax Populi

• One unvaccinated child was patient zero of a measles epidemic
• Measles cases are spreading, despite high vaccination rates. What's going on?—In other news, Jenny allegedly-not-against-vaccinations McCarthy is no longer on 'The View'. WaPo
• First measles case in at least 6 years reported in Pierce County—"The case is connected to eight confirmed cases being investigated in South King County, all among members of the same extended family, officials said."
• Judge Upholds Policy Barring Unvaccinated Students During Illnesses NYT
• Ohio Amish begin vaccinations amid largest measles outbreak in recent U.S. history
• Blast from the Past: Fear and frustration dominated Somali community forum on measles, vaccines and autism

Normandy Landings 70th Anniversary; War on Terror, Domestic Threats, Bergdahl, Guantánamo, Iraq, Israel and Palestine; Veterans; Snowden, NSA Spying, Surveillance and Privacy, Civil Liberties, Journalism and Press Freedom, Police State, Civil Forfeiture

Normandy Landings 70th Anniversary

• D-Day 70th anniversary: World leaders gather for ceremony
• Normandy D-Day landing sites: Then & Now
• 93-year-old WWII vet to parachute into Normandy —again
• Pensioner who hid medals and absconded from care home found at D-Day celebrations in France—"The 89-year old was reported missing from his Hove care home but actually sneaked onboard a coach for a final reunion with his D-Day comrades across the Channel."

War on Terror

• Chiquita Is Blocking a 9/11 Victims' Bill—"For years, the conglomerate paid off Colombian militias. So it's no wonder the company is now furiously lobbying to stop a bill that would make it easier to sue terror financiers."
• CIA drone strikes: embarrassment for US as Pakistan court orders murder investigation—"Campaigners say court decision could open floodgates to more criminal cases against controversial strikes and call for international arrest warrant against American spy."
• US confirms Syria suicide bomber was American
• CBS' Lara Logan problem: Why is disgraced reporter returning to "60 Minutes"?—"Months after Logan's discredited Benghazi report shamed the network, CBS gives her another shot." Salon
• Zakaria: What next for Afghanistan?
• Former NSA Director: 'An attack is going to come'

Domestic Threats

• Holder announces task force on 'homegrown' terrorists
• Boston: Man charged with obstructing bombing probe
• Right-wing Extremism in the United States
• America, Worry About Your Own 'Terrorists'

Bergdahl

• Bowe Bergdahl, American Soldier, Freed by Taliban in Prisoner Trade NYT
• What do we know about Bowe Bergdahl's disappearance?
• Republicans Frantically Scrub Their Praise Of Bowe Bergdahl
• Oliver North Of All People Blasts Obama For Financing Terrorist Orgs In Bergdahl Swap
• GOP Congressman Criticizes Own Party Over Bowe Bergdahl Response
• McChrystal on Bergdahl: 'We don't leave Americans behind. That's unequivocal'
• Brooks: President Obama Was Right—"National solidarity is essential to the health of the country. And President Obama’s prisoner swap for Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl nurtured that sentiment." NYT

Guantánamo

• What Excuse Remains for Obama's Failure to Close GITMO?
• Official: US Moving Ahead With Guantanamo Closure
• U.S. expects more Guantanamo transfers despite Bergdahl controversy
• Guantánamo inmate makes new force-feeding complaint after judge's ruling

Iraq

• Iraq war costs U.S. more than $2 trillion: study
• Full account of Tony Blair's exchanges with George Bush on Iraq war to be kept secret—"Gists of Tony Blair's conversations with George Bush to be published while former US President's views will remain secret, Chilcot Inquiry told."
• Deadly fighting breaks out in Iraq's Mosul

Israel and Palestine

• Israel 'deeply disappointed' with US—"The Israeli ambassador to the United States late Monday slammed the Obama administration for its willingness to work with the new Palestinian unity government formed earlier that day."
• India, China and Turkey endorse Palestinian unity government—"All three powers call on international community to support Fatah-Hamas unity government, breaking ranks from Israel."
• Angered by Palestinian unity gov't, Israel to build more settler homes
• Israeli doctors refuse to force-feed Palestinian prisoners, despite govt pressure

Veterans

• Republicans refuse to fund the VA
• Veterans Group Targets Mitch McConnell, Richard Burr In New Ad Campaign
• Senators reach bipartisan deal on VA health care —Still up for a vote.

Snowden

• Edward Snowden, a year on: reformers frustrated as NSA preserves its power—"A year ago, Edward Snowden exposed the NSA's widespread surveillance practices. Privacy advocates demanded a change in the law – but today, the agency's powers remain largely intact."
• Four ways Edward Snowden changed the world – and why the fight's not over
• Snowden showed us just how big the panopticon really was. Now it's up to us
• You Can Fight the NSA—"Edward Snowden wants Internet users to make surveillance too expensive for the government."
• Most Americans Think Snowden Did the Right Thing, Poll Says
• NSA chief Michael Rogers: Edward Snowden 'probably not' a foreign spy—"New NSA director plays down speculation that 'our gentleman in Moscow' was working for a foreign intelligence agency."
• 'New York Times' Editor: Losing Snowden Scoop 'Really Painful'—That's what they get for submerging an NSA story before the 2004 elections that literally could have changed history.
• The media genius of Edward Snowden—Greenwald shows the mainstream media's vilification in action.

NSA Spying

• On 6/5, 65 Things We Know About NSA Surveillance That We Didn't Know a Year Ago
• The NSA knew our secrets. One year later, we know theirs.
• Germany investigates alleged NSA Merkel phone tap WaPo
• Another federal judge rules on legality of NSA surveillance WaPo
• No worries: NSA chief says facial recognition program is totally legal—"'We do not do this in some unilateral basis against US citizens,' NSA chief says."
• Mathematicians Urge Colleagues To Refuse To Work For The NSA
• There's A Huge New Snowden Leak -- And No One Knows Where It Came From—"On Tuesday, news site The Register published a story containing explosive 'above top secret' information about Britain's surveillance programs including details of a "clandestine British base tapping undersea cables in the Middle East."
• DOJ Admits It's Still Destroying Evidence In NSA Case; Judge Orders Them (Again) To Stop; DOJ Flips Out

Surveillance and Privacy

• New Whistleblower Organization Launched on Anniversary of Snowden Revelations—"Former whistleblowers Radack, Wiebe, Coleman-Adebayo and Ellsberg speak out at the launch of ExposeFacts.org, a US-based independent media organization that encourages whistleblowers to expose government and corporate malfeasance."
• Guardian launches SecureDrop system for whistleblowers to share files—"SecureDrop platform allows sources to submit documents and data while avoiding most common forms of online tracking."
• NSA-Proof Server Protonet Smashes Crowdfunding Record by Raising $1m in 89 Minutes
• Polish NGO to Obama: Mass Surveillance Is Not Freedom
• Vodafone reveals existence of secret wires that allow state surveillance—"Wires allow agencies to listen to or record live conversations, in what privacy campaigners are calling a 'nightmare scenario.'"
• German intelligence agency confesses to spy stations—"Federal Intelligence Service attaches its logo to sites after amateur investigators post locations online."

Civil Liberties

• Secret terror trial is threat to open justice, human rights campaigners warn—"Trial of two men charged with terrorism offences could be heard entirely behind closed doors for first time in modern UK history."
• Life sentences for serious cyberattacks are proposed in Queen's speech—"Any cyberattackers who cause 'loss of life, serious injury or damage to national security' could face full sentence."
• Federal agency seeks to widen surveillance beyond Idle No More to any demonstrators in Canada
• Deutsche Telekom, Hungarian government collude to silence independent media
• Nine 'terrorists' sentenced to death in China—"The 29 cases were processed according to new rules calling on state prosecutors to complete terror-related investigations within 24 hours, the report said."
• Thai police: We'll 'get you' for junta criticism—"Thai police warned online critics of the military junta Friday that they will "come get you" for posting political views that could incite divisiveness, the latest reminder about surveillance of social media in post-coup Thailand." WaPo

Journalism and Press Freedom

• Supreme Court rejects effort to compel FoxNews.com reporter to reveal sources
• Supreme Court Rejects Appeal From Times Reporter Over Refusal to Identify Source—"The order gave no reasons for the decision but effectively sided with the government in a case involving James Risen of The New York Times, who has said he has no intention of complying with the subpoena." NYT
• The House Passes a Journalism Shield Law and Nobody Notices

Police State

• ACLU: Judge Releases Information about Police Use of Stingray Cell Phone Trackers
• LAPD adds drones to arsenal, says they'll be used sparingly
• Widespread US Police Surveillance Is Happening In Total Secrecy
• U.S. Marshals Seize Local Cops' Cell Phone Tracking Files in Extraordinary Attempt to Keep Information From Public

Civil Forfeiture

• Former Brooklyn DA Accused of Misusing Over One Million Dollars in Asset Forfeiture—"Former Brooklyn District Attorney Charles Hynes may now face felony larceny charges. In 85 percent of cases pursued by the NYPD, the owners are never charged with a crime."
• Cops In Texas Seize Millions By "Policing for Profit"
• Charges dismissed, but $200K still in custody—"The strange journey of the $200 grand in the silver attaché case began when drug investigators raided a Minneapolis tobacco shop."
• The cash smelled like pot, so the feds kept it

Fat Tuesday; War on Terror; Veterans; Gitmo; Military Industrial Complex, Drones; Afghanistan, Benghazi; DHS, FBI; USA "Freedom" Act, Snowden, Greenwald, NSA Spying, Surveillance and Privacy

Fat Tuesday

• Retired military leaders fret kids will be 'too fat to fight'
• Army's new training shooter makes out of shape soldiers look fat—"Virtual Battlespace 3 applies real-world fitness scores to avatars' performance."
• Heavy duty: Army creates fat camps

War on Terror

• A Memorial Inscription's Grim Origins—"Questions have arisen about whether a quotation from a translation of Virgil's 'Aeneid' about two warriors' deaths is appropriate for the National September 11 Memorial Museum." It's taken out of context. NYT
• CIA: No more vaccination campaigns in spy operations WaPo
• Al Qaeda's American Fighters Are Coming Home—And U.S. Intelligence Can't Find Them
• Lawsuit over 'INF1DL' and 'WAR SUX' license plates headed to trial
• The case for abolishing the TSA

Veterans

• Veterans Fire Back at Letter by Senator—"Senator Richard M. Burr's letter that said leaders of veterans groups were defending the status quo at the V.A. drew fierce responses." Says he clearly represents the worst in politics. NYT
• Thank You for Being Expendable—"The scandal over the care of veterans is really an old story." NYT
• Flashback: Republicans Block VA Benefits

Gitmo

• US forced to acknowledge secret tapes of Guantánamo force-feedings
• Guantánamo inmate vomited blood after force-feeding, documents show
• Judge allows forced feeding to resume on Guantanamo detainee
• Mos Def (Yasiin Bey) Unable To Re-Enter America Due To "Immigration Issues"—Retaliation for his force-feeding "simulations"? Update: This rumor has been debunked [Salon].
• Why Guantanamo remains open

Military Industrial Complex

• 'Over My Dead Body': Spies Fight Obama Push to Downsize Terror War
• House Poised to Reject Pentagon's Cost-Cutting Plans—"The House of Representative on Wednesday edged toward passage of an annual defense policy bill that rejects Pentagon plans to retire older weapons systems and slow the rise in military pay as it implements long-term spending cuts ordered by Congress." NYT
• Congress Blocks Navy's Plan to Lay Up 11 Cruisers—"The Navy's plan to lay up 11 cruisers and three amphibious ships as part of a cost-saving, long-term modernization plan has been met with skepticism, concern and caution from members of Congress."
• White House threatens veto of defense bill—"The White House is threatening a veto of the House version of a $601 billion defense bill over election-year moves to spare weapons systems and popular programs in the face of limited budgets."
• US House approves $600 million military aid package for Israel—And "authorizes provisions for Iron Dome, David's Sling and Arrow 3."

Drones

• Secret laws are a threat to American democracy—"Releasing the drone-assassination memo is only the first step."
• Iran Knows the Secrets of America's Stealth Drone—"Tehran tracked, captured, studied, copied RQ-170."
• The Catholic Church Proved the US Government Is Making Up Drone Rules On the Fly
• New Zealand PM John Key Confirms 'Legal' Data-Sharing with U.S.; Justifies U.S. Drone Strikes

Afghanistan

• Obama signals US to keep limited Afghanistan role—"President Barack Obama slipped into Afghanistan for a surprise visit Sunday and made clear that the U.S. will likely maintain a limited role here even after its combat mission ends this year and America's longest war comes to a close."
• Karzai refused to meet Obama at Bagram Air Base, says US official
• White House mistakenly identifies CIA chief in Afghanistan—Oops. WaPo
• Afghanistan Hits Out at U.S. Spying Allegations

Benghazi

• This Is How the Right Milks Benghazi for Cash—"And more proof it's all about Hillary Clinton."
• Allen West Says Rep. Tammy Duckworth, Decorated Veteran, Not 'Loyal' To America
• Issa's latest Benghazi stunt backfires
• John Kerry Trolls The House—Adroit political manuevering.

DHS

• We need to know why DHS is an NSA intelligence "customer", and what that means
• Planned Homeland Security headquarters, long delayed and over budget, now in doubt Salon
• Did GoDaddy and Homeland Security shut down a Mexican protest site?

FBI

• FBI chief: 'Be suspicious' of government power
• Microsoft wins case to block FBI request for customer data—Didn't "win" as much as the FBI withdrew their case, preventing legal precedence over NSLs.
• Pension for FBI shooter of Todashev draws scrutiny in Oakland

USA "Freedom" Act

• The White House Is Trying to Weaken the NSA Reform Bill: Report
• As Feared: House Guts USA Freedom Act, Every Civil Liberties Organization Pulls Their Support
• Changes to Surveillance Bill Stoke Anger—"At the Obama administration's request, House leaders revised a bill that limits the government's bulk collection of phone records, spurring several civil liberties groups to withdraw support for the bill."
• The NSA Reform Bill the House Passed Today Is a Watered-Down Piece of Nonsense
• The NSA Bill That Just Passed Is So Weak, Original Backers Voted Against It

Snowden

• Snowden's First Move Against the NSA Was a Party in Hawaii
• NBC News Trumps ABC's Hillary Clinton Exclusive With Edward Snowden's First American Interview Since NSA Info Dump
• Edward Snowden Seeking Return to US: Der Spiegel
• Snowden: "I Was Trained as a Spy."

Greenwald

• NYT Book Reviewer Wonders If Glenn Greenwald Should Be Locked Up—Greenwald responds to Kinsley and his hacktastic review.
• 'Journalist' Argues In NY Times That Publishing Decisions Should Ultimately Be Made By Government
• The Government Isn't Very Good at Deciding What to Keep Secret—"So why do so many Americans insist that the state, not the press, should call the shots?"
• NYT Public Editor Slams 'Sneering' Review Of Glenn Greenwald's Book
• Sony Acquires Film Rights For Glenn Greenwald's Snowden Book—The first part read like a thiller novel.
• Glenn Greenwald to publish list of U.S. citizens that NSA spied on

NSA Spying

• Privacy under attack: the NSA files revealed new threats to democracy—"Thanks to Edward Snowden, we know the apparatus of repression has been covertly attached to the democratic state. However, our struggle to retain privacy is far from hopeless."
• Pentagon report: scope of intelligence compromised by Snowden 'staggering'—Yeah, about that report.
• California lawmakers make modest attempt to halt NSA data collection—"There's nothing that says states have to cooperate with a federal agency."
• Fine Line Seen in U.S. Spying on Companies—"United States officials say the N.S.A. is free to spy on trade negotiators to help American trade officials, and by extension, American industries and workers they are trying to bolster." NYT
• Marc Andreessen: Tech companies are still fuming over the NSA WaPo
• China Said to Study IBM Servers for Bank Security Risks—"Government agencies, including the People's Bank of China and the Ministry of Finance, are asking banks to remove the IBM servers and replace them with a local brand as part of a trial program...."
• House Committee Puts NSA on Notice Over Encryption Standards—"Amendment would remove requirement that the National Institute of Standards and Technology consult with the NSA on encryption standards."
• Man who lost all those NSA secrets to teach cybersecurity at Harvard
• PBS: United States of Secrets

Surveillance and Privacy

• Secrets, lies and Snowden's email: why I was forced to shut down Lavabit—"For the first time, the founder of an encrypted email startup that was supposed to insure privacy for all reveals how the FBI and the US legal system made sure we don't have the right to much privacy in the first place." Update: More from Levision.
• Everything Is Broken
• Empty promises: ProtonMail—A caveat to using "secure" email services.
• Federal 'Biosurveillance' Plan Seeking Direct Access to Americans' Private Medical Records
• ID theft protector LifeLock deletes user data over concerns that app isn't safe
• LG Will Take The 'Smart' Out Of Your Smart TV If You Don't Agree To Share Your Viewing And Search Data With Third Parties
• Internet 'Do Not Track' system is in shatters
• For Do Not Call violations, Sprint will pay FCC $7.5M in largest ever settlement—FCC: "Protecting consumer privacy is a top enforcement priority."

War on Terror, Benghazi, Drones; Police State, No Place to Hide, NSA and GCHQ Spying, Tech Sector, Encryption, Privacy; Your Rights Online; Net Neutrality; Free Speech and Transparency

War on Terror

• ICC to examine claims that British troops carried out war crimes in Iraq—"Court to conduct preliminary examination of around 60 alleged cases of unlawful killing and claims of mistreatment."
• Judge Orders U.S. to Stop Force-Feeding Syrian Held at Guantánamo NYT
• Released Pakistani Prisoner Named Taliban Military Commander

Benghazi

• Cohen: The GOP's Benghazi hangup is baffling—"What do Republicans think another congressional hearing will prove?" WaPo
• How Much Money Can Republicans Raise Off Benghazi? Ask Darrell Issa
• Republicans Are Already Ignoring The Benghazi Special Committee They've Been Begging For

Drones

• Show Us the Drone Memos—"We must see the legal case for executing a United States citizen without a trial." NYT
• The ultra-lethal drones of the future
• Pakistan Wants Drones, and It Doesn't Need America's Permission to Get Them
• "The Stuff I Saw Really Began to Disturb Me": How the U.S. Drone War Pushed Snowden to Leak NSA Docs

Police State

• License plate readers spark privacy, public safety debate
• Erie County Sheriff to legislature: My surveillance powers are none of your business
• Six Reasons to Be Afraid of the Private Sector/Government Security State

No Place to Hide

• The Man Who Knows Too Much—"Glenn Greenwald is the gatekeeper of Edward Snowden's NSA secrets. And he's about to drop the biggest bomb yet."
• NSA may be putting Israeli security interests above U.S., new document reveals—"Journalist Glenn Greenwald's new book, 'No Place to Hide,' includes materials on intelligence relations with Israel."
• NSA Gave Canada Money For Surveillance Program
• Glenn Greenwald reveals 7 new NSA crimes against graphic design

NSA and GCHQ Spying

• Data Pirates of the Caribbean: The NSA Is Recording Every Cell Phone Call in the Bahamas
• New York Times under fire for spiking NSA leaks story in 2004—"White House told paper's editors it would be 'dangerous' to run the story."
• Greenwald: NYT's new editor 'subservient to national security state'
• U.S. revealed secret legal basis for NSA program to Sprint, documents show—"New documents, interviews indicate intelligence community shared details to ward off court challenge." WaPo
• DOJ Still Trying To Hide The Fact It Flat Out Lied To The Supreme Court About Domestic Surveillance
• Everyone should know just how much the government lied to defend the NSA—"A web of deception has finally been untangled: the Justice Department got the US supreme court to dismiss a case that could have curtailed the NSA's dragnet. Why?"
• Nosey Smurf, Gumfish and Foggybottom: The snooping tools that may have got GCHQ in hot water
• British Spies Face Legal Action Over Secret Hacking Programs
• Washington spends £200m creating intelligence hub in Britain
• The official US position on the NSA is still unlimited eavesdropping power—"One year after Snowden, the government is defending – in not-so-plain sight – the 'paramount' power to spy on every call and email between you and your friends abroad."

Tech Sector

• Obama's NSA spying reforms fail to satisfy cyber experts
• Photos of an NSA "upgrade" factory show Cisco router getting implant—"Servers, routers get 'beacons' implanted at secret locations by NSA's TAO team." That's gonna sting.
• 80 Tech Companies Cooperating with NSA, Claims Wikileaks
• Top tech titans get thumbs-up in EFF transparency report—"The advocacy group says Apple, Facebook, Google, and others have done a lot to protect users' privacy."
• Snowden Forced Silicon Valley to Value Privacy and Transparency
• Internet Engineering Task Force Considers Making Surveillance Mitigation A Standard Part Of Its Specifications

Encryption

• Edward Snowden's Other Motive for Leaking—"He wasn't just trying to spark democratic debate on surveillance. He also hoped his revelations would prompt programmers to build better encryption."
• Encrypted or not, Skype communications prove "vital" to NSA surveillance—"Newly published memo leaked by Edward Snowden details the value of Skype data."
• Microsoft: NSA and GCHQ are capable of monitoring 'secure' browsing using Tor
• Startup pitches snoop-proof (even NSA-proof) email
• More People Are Encrypting Their Web Traffic In The Wake Of NSA Spying Revelations

Privacy

• EU court backs 'right to be forgotten': Google must amend results on request—Wikipedia's Jimmy Wales is astonished by the decision that has far-reaching implications.
• Anti-cyberbullying bill could harm privacy rights, Amanda Todd's mother warns—"Parents shouldn't have to 'sacrifice'their children's privacy rights to make them safe from 'cyberbullying, 'sextortion' and revenge pornography.'"
• Shutterfly congratulates people without babies on their new arrivals in email.—"Shutterfly's error is just the latest reminder of how closely companies and advertisers are tracking everything about our personal lives."
• Lawsuit alleges unauthorized publication of personal genetics data—"Proposed class-action suit says Family Tree violated Alaska Genetic Privacy Act."
• Never Forgetting a Face—"Joseph Atick, a pioneer of facial-recognition systems, is now cautioning against their unfettered use. Never, he says, should they undermine anyone’s choice to remain anonymous." NYT

Your Rights Online

• Government gags Twitter and Yahoo over grand jury subpoena, court blocks companies from fighting back
• US Government Begins Rollout Of Its 'Driver's License For The Internet'
• Police ask blogger to remove tweet about Ukip—"Concerns raised about stifling of political debate after police visit man following complaint from Ukip councillor over policy tweet."
• How a Power-Mad Illinois Mayor Launched a Police Crusade Against a Parody Twitter Account—Jim Adirs' petty and likely illegal retaliation backfires as the ACLU steps in to represent Jon Daniel.
• UK Government Willing To Block EU Net Neutrality Deal—"The British government wants to keep its ability to block internet content."
• President Rouhani Stresses Iranian Citizens' Right to Freely Access Internet

Net Neutrality

• 5 Freedoms You'll Lose Without Net Neutrality
• Did Regulators Break the Internet or Did They Save It? Yes. NYT
• The FCC Thinks We're All Idiots
• Can AOL save the internet?—"Despite Google having the biggest tech lobby in Washington aside from the big internet service providers, AOL — the company best known for giving the world dial-up internet in the '90s and being one of the country's largest ISPs — has outspent Google on net neutrality issues."

Free Speech and Transparency

• Man facing charges for hanging American flag upside down, spray painting it
• IU survey: U.S. journalists say they are less satisfied and have less autonomy
• Will the UK Government Ever Release These Secret Files to the Public?

School of Crock, Bullying, LGBT; Comply! Zero Tolerance; Rape; Law and Disorder, Troubled Youth, Educamation; Parenting

School of Crock

• Louis C.K. Has Figured Something Out About Why Our Kids Are Sad—"Their love of learning is dying. And the only way to fix it is to listen to them."
• TOEIC, TOEFL axed as route to U.K. visa—"Two of the most popular English-language proficiency tests in Japan can no longer be used to obtain student visas to Britain after a British TV program exposed fraud in the test-taking process."
• Chinese media: Kindergartens suspected of drugging students to boost attendance
• President of Drug-Testing Company Is Brother of St. Edward High School President—One of two high schools "kicking off a mandatory drug-testing program for their students in the fall."
• Students suspended after porn found on teacher's computer—"School classroom and the students ended up getting in big trouble."
• Students humiliated by staff member at North High School rally, KHSD apologizes
• Plymouth University forced to remove anti-cheating posters 'that helped students cheat'
• Stevens High substitute teacher quits over Facebook ultimatum

Bullying

• Special Ed. Student Records Audio Proof of Bullying, Threatened With Charges of Warrentless Wiretapping—He's been convicted for disorderly conduct.
• South Fayette parents express dissatisfaction with handling of bullying
• School Advises Students Not to Report Bullying, and Basically Just Accept It
• Girl Gives Her Bullies 'Semen-Filled' Cupcakes
• DA: Teens charged with ethnic intimidation for 'smack cam' video
• Argentine girl dies after apparent bullying attack by classmates

LGBT

• Why Would A Gay Teenager Commit Hate Crimes Against Herself?—"Ten years ago, a liberal San Francisco suburb was traumatized by a rash of hate crimes against a 17-year-old lesbian. But when it was revealed that the victim herself had staged the attacks, the entire community turned on her and she never spoke about the incidents publicly. Until now."
• 'Man Up,' 'Don't Be A Pussy' Labeled Offensive Language at Duke University—"A new word-discouragement campaign at Duke University has labeled phrases such as 'Man Up,' 'That's So Gay,' and 'Don't Be a Pussy' offensive language that 'delegitimizes' homosexuality and oppresses and insults people."
• Canada: Human-rights tribunal probing student's complaints of homophobic discrimination

Comply!

• Torturing Children at School—"Complaints of dangerous disciplinary practices involving Tasers are cropping up all over the country." NYT
• Teenager kicked off Florida school bus by driver while having seizure—"The sister of Andrew Shepard, 16, had to carry her big brother off the bus April 16 after he had a seizure on the way home from school in Broward County."
• Second-Grader Says School Put Him In Handcuffs For Misbehaving
• Miss America: Don't Suspend Teen Who Asked Me to Prom
• RSA Animate - Changing Education Paradigms—Sir Ken Robinson speaks on Divergent Thinking

Zero Tolerance

• Science teacher's suspension spurs petition drive—"Cortines School's Greg Schiller was removed by L.A. Unified after two students' projects were deemed to resemble weapons."
• Vernon teen Ethan Chaplin suspended from school for pencil gesture
• Kids who imitate gun with food, fingers would not face punishment under Missouri bill

Rape

• Nonconsensual sex: How colleges rebranded rape
• 'We reject rape culture': American Univ. students demand sanctions against rogue frat
• 55 colleges under investigation over handling of sexual violence complaints
• Student Alleges Brown University Let Her Rapist Return to Classes While She Was Still There
• Trial set for superintendent after Steubenville rape case
• Girl raped in high school hallway as class goes on
• Mass DNA testing in French school to find rapist

Law and Disorder

• 15 Years After Columbine, How "Never Again" Became "Oh Well"
• Waseca police say they foiled teen's plot to kill parents, stage school massacre—A teacher called 911 when she noticed a student acting strange.
• Two girls arrested on suspicion of teacher 'murder plot'
• Illinois teacher left note: school 'will b n flames,' officials say
• High school senior class prank leads to 62 arrests—"Sixty-two students were arrested Thursday after police said they broke into their high school overnight for a senior class prank, urinating in hallways, greasing doorknobs with petroleum jelly and taping hot dogs to lockers."

Troubled Youth

• Teens use baseball bat and golf club to beat mentally disabled man to death for his Xbox
• Chicago girl, 14, charged with killing rival
• Teen arrested in connection to Brandon Road attack; vigil held for victim
• Anne Maguire stabbing: Boy, 15, due in court charged with murder
• Tanana resident, 20, arraigned in killing of 2 Alaska State Troopers
• Teen crews linked to 40 percent of NYC shootings—"There are more than 300 of them in New York — violent crews of dozens of 12- to 20-year-olds with names such as Very Crispy Gangsters, True Money Gang and Cash Bama Bullies." WaPo
• Oregon teen sentenced in swastika attack

Educamation

• Teacher who 'ordered a hit' on 7th grader gets fired
• Teacher fired for using broom to break up Detroit classroom fight—Damned when she did, damned if she didn't.
• Santa Monica coach may become a hero for exasperated teachers

Parenting

• Celebrity Quack Moms Are a Terrible Influence on Everyday Parents
• Gen Y and Millennial moms having more kids and abandoning helicopter parenting
• Parent calls cops on teen for giving books away at a book giveaway—"Trying to give away award-winning novels got this girl a chat with the cops in Idaho."

War on Terror, Torture, FBI, Police State; NSA Spying, Surveillance and Privacy; Whistleblowers; Big Data, Tech Tracking; Your Rights Online, Free Speech

War on Terror

• House Democrat Renews Push To End Controversial 9/11 Rules Of War On Terror—"A top Democrat on the House intelligence committee is spearheading a renewed effort to end the administration's controversial, 9/11-era counterterrorism rules of war."
• Obama ordered to divulge legal basis for killing Americans with drones—"Appeals court will have the veil of secrecy lifted in targeted killing program."
• Judge slaps State Department over Blackwater—"A federal judge is calling for an investigation of the State Department over years of delays in prosecuting Blackwater security guards in the shootings of dozens of Iraqi citizens in 2007."
• New York police end Muslim surveillance program—"A special New York Police Department unit that sparked controversy by tracking the daily lives of Muslims in an effort to detect terror threats has been disbanded, police officials said Tuesday."
• US Has A 'Secret Exception' To Reasonable Suspicion For Putting People On The No Fly List
• Was the police response to the Boston bombing really appropriate?—"It's time we had a frank discussion about how the government reacted after the Boston Marathon bombing." WaPo
• Obama signs into law 'terrorist' UN envoy visa ban
• TSA Gives Full-Body Pat-Downs to 2-YO Boy, Older Sister

Torture

• On CIA abuses, denial does Americans no favors
• ACLU: Don't Let the Torturer Play Censor
• Spanish judge defies pressure to scrap Guantanamo torture case against Bush

FBI

• Guantánamo hearings halted amid accusations of FBI spying on legal team—"Allegations surfaced Monday that the FBI turned a member of a 9/11 defendant's defence team into a secret informant."
• Covert Inquiry by F.B.I. Rattles 9/11 Tribunals—"The F.B.I.'s inquiry became the focus of the pretrial hearings at Guantánamo this week, after the contractor who was visited by the F.B.I. disclosed it to the defense team." NYT
• The FBI Is Trying to Recruit Muslims As Snitches by Putting Them On No-Fly Lists
• Facing gun charges, Ayyub Abdul-Alim accuses Springfield police, FBI of planting weapon
• FBI Abruptly Walks Out On Senate Briefing After Being Asked How 'Insider Threat' Program Avoids Whistleblowers
• FBI Keeps Secret How Massive Facial Recognition Database Will Work—It will contain 52 million images by 2015.

Police State

• Eyes Over Compton: How Police Spied on a Whole City—"A sergeant in the L.A. County Sheriff's Department compared the experiment to Big Brother, even though he went ahead with it willingly. Is your city next?"
• LA Sheriff's Dept. On New Surveillance Program: We Knew The Public Wouldn't Like It, So We Kept It A Secret
• State of Surveillance: Police, Privacy and Technology
• Police Want your Home Video Surveillance Footage
• Austrlalia: Civil liberties fears at boom in police surveillance operations

NSA Spying

• Snowden reporting lands Guardian and Post Pulitzers—"The publications were recognized for revealing 'widespread secret surveillance.'"
• Greenwald: Rep. King's Condemnation A 'Badge Of Honor'
• The Most Bizarre Response To The Pulitzers Yet, From The Guy Who Authorized CIA Torture
• Journalists who broke NSA story in Guardian dedicate award to Snowden—"Glenn Greenwald, Laura Poitras and Ewen MacAskill accept George Polk award as Barton Gellman of the Washington Post is also honoured."
• Snowden revelations 'good for society'—"By two to one, British people say it was good, not bad, for society that newspapers reported the materials given to them by Edward Snowden."
• Edward Snowden installed as Glasgow University rector
• Snowden op-ed explains reasons for calling out Putin on live TV—"The whistleblower again speaks up to spark debate on state surveillance."
• Clapper bans US intelligence employees from 'unauthorised' media contact
• How the NSA shot itself in the foot by denying prior knowledge of Heartbleed vulnerability
• Snowden email service Lavabit loses contempt appeal

Surveillance and Privacy

• Banksy Is Believed To Be Behind Eavesdropping Mural Near British Spy HQ
• UK Spies Considered Using Kinect, Microsoft 'Concerned'
• Reference Note on Russian Communications Surveillance

Whistleblowers

• U.S. Army Rejects Clemency for WikiLeaks Source Manning
• Bureau of Prisons Throws CIA Torture Whistleblower John Kiriakou's Children Out of Visitors Room
• Julian Assange book to recount clash with Google chief Eric Schmidt

Big Data

• Canadians' mental-health info routinely shared with FBI, U.S. customs—"Privacy commissioner Ann Cavoukian found attempted suicide calls uploaded to international database."
• HMRC to sell taxpayers' financial data—"Firms could buy 'anonymised' financial details under scheme described by senior Tory MP as 'borderline insane.'"
• Dutch Student Sells All of His Personal Data for 350 Euros

Tech Tracking

• It's Time to Encrypt the Entire Internet
• Is Your VPN / Proxy Working? Check Your Torrent IP-Address
• Protests Continue Against Dropbox After Appointment of Condoleezza Rice to Board NYT
• Google updates TOS to clarify email scanning process—"New paragraph in the Web giant's terms of service is intended to more clearly explain the manner in which software automatically scans and analyzes the content of emails."
• When the restaurant you Googled Googles you back—"It's not the thought that counts; unexpected in-person customization feels icky."
• "Brightest Flashlight" Android app disclosed location of 50 million people, but FTC imposes no fine

Your Rights Online

• China launches campaign to purge Internet of porn, rumors and, critics say, dissent WaPo
• Mexico Marches Against New Internet Censorship Laws—¿Qué está pasando en México?
• Russian social network founder says he has been fired—"The founder of Russia's most popular social network site says he has been fired and that allies of President Putin have taken over his site."
• Two anonymous Twitter accounts blocked in Turkey—"Accounts linked to the spread of government corruption allegations appeared blocked less than a week after the social network agreed to shutter some accounts." In related news, Turkey denies saying it would leave the internet.
• Secret Plan to Advance Global Internet Censorship. ISPs to Act as "Internet Police"—"To be Implemented under TPP Auspices."

Free Speech

• The Aereo Case Isn't About the Future of TV. It's About the Future of Speech.
• Andrew Coyne: Free speech withers when we abandon judgment, proportion, open-mindedness and tolerance
• xkcd: Free Speech

War on Terror, CIA Torture Report, Drones, Cuban Twitter; NSA Spying, Surveillance and Privacy; Tech Cases, Censorship, Press; CNN and MH370

War on Terror

• Blast from the Past: US dirty tricks to win vote on Iraq war—"Secret document details American plan to bug phones and emails of key Security Council members." And Britain too.
• Rand Paul Says Dick Cheney Pushed for the Iraq War So Halliburton Would Profit
• Judge blasts FBI over Saudi family investigation
• Anti-terror surveillance law used in Iowa grain spy probe—"Investigators used a law designed to eavesdrop on foreign spies and terrorists when they probed Chinese seed company officials suspected of stealing trademark hybrid corn from Iowa."
• Government breaches at all-time high, press blunder under-reports by millions—"This is one of those articles that spoils your faith in mankind. Not only are government security incidents fully into holy-cow territory, the press is reporting numbers three magnitudes too low because someone misread a chart and everyone else copied that report."

CIA Torture Report

• Senate votes to release parts, not whole, of torture report—"Select aspects of the lengthy Senate report on CIA torture will be made public. The whole thing should be released." Salon
• Declassify: The Importance of Releasing the CIA Torture Report—"Unless a Senate committee votes to release the 6,300-page document, the Bush Administration's illegal, ineffective interrogation policies are bound to return."
• Leak the CIA report: it's the only way to know the whole truth about torture—"Unless, of course, you think spies redacting 6,300 pages of their own sins is transparency. Look how much leaks told us this week."
• State Department Official Freaks Out That Declassifying CIA Torture Report Might Make The World Angry
• Michael Hayden Says Dianne Feinstein Too 'Emotional' To Be Objective On Intelligence Report
• U.S. senator gets so angry at Cheney's torture defense that he offers to waterboard him
• Pelosi: Former VP Dick Cheney 'set the tone' for the CIA's use of torture
• Liz Cheney, Juan Williams Clash Over CIA Torture Report
• Tony Blair 'knew all about CIA secret kidnap programme'—"Former British PM was 'fully briefed' on CIA's interrogation programme after Sept 11 attacks."
• Jon Stewart Rips Cheney, Rumsfeld For Taking America 'Back To The Torture'
• It's Time the CIA Gets Some Serious Oversight
• Using the 'Top Secret' Stamp to Hide Lies and War Crimes—"By letting the CIA vet the torture report, the White House and Congress are giving Americans a new reason to have contempt for an illegitimate classification system."

Drones

• Suit challenging drone strikes that killed Americans, 16-year-old boy is tossed—"Judge says drone killings are US military and president's prerogative."
• Artists install massive poster of child's face in Pakistan field to shame drone operators
• Triathlete injured by "hacked" camera drone—"Operator claims someone 'channel hopped'control away." Who can say with 100% certainty armed military drones can't be hacked as well?

Cuban Twitter

• US Secretly Created 'Cuban Twitter' to Stir Unrest
• #CancelCastro: Why Is U.S. Policy Toward Cuba So Absurd?
• The Fall of Internet Freedom: Meet the Company That Secretly Built 'Cuban Twitter'
• Secret 'Cuban Twitter' program poses challenge for bloggers and exiles—"Finding that program funded by USAid could be damaging to groups working to increase access to technology, say analysts."
• The "Cuban Twitter" Scam Is a Drop in the Internet Propaganda Bucket

NSA Spying

• Snowden Speaks: A Vanity Fair Exclusive—"The most significant leaker in recent history spoke with Vanity Fair for an exclusive, comprehensive story about his life."
• Edward Snowden: US government spied on human rights workers—'Whistleblower tells Council of Europe NSA deliberately snooped on groups such as Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International."
• Edward Snowden and Glenn Greenwald address US campaigners via video—"Whistleblower and journalist warn human rights activists of dangers of NSA collection of metadata." Such as there being "no legal means currently exist to challenge such activities or to see penalties for such abuses."
• Snowden to Receive Truth-Telling Prize—"Edward J. Snowden and the journalist Laura Poitras, who helped him disclose the documents on government surveillance, will receive a Ridenhour prize." NYT
• DOJ Apologizes For Misleading FISC Concerning Evidence; Hints Strongly That It Used Opportunity To Destroy Evidence
• If President Obama wanted the NSA to quit storing phone metadata, he'd act now—"Obama's pen, not Congress, could stop NSA bulk telephone metadata collection immediately."
• Supreme Court passes on NSA bulk phone surveillance case—"Case will head to appeals court first, but will likely end up with the Supremes."
• NSA logs reveal flood of post-Snowden FOIA requests | Al Jazeera America
• Merkel ally says U.S. assurances on NSA spying 'insufficient'
• How Much Is NSA Spying Costing In Lost Productivity?

Surveillance and Privacy

• Assange: US Annexed Whole World Through Surveillance
• As gov't discusses expanding digital searches, ACLU sounds caution—"Proposed changes not 'minor'—'it is a major reorganization of judicial power.'"
• Big Brother's Facebook: UK, US intelligence 'infiltrating' social media
• Mohamed Mohamud deserves new trial due to 'unconstitutional' surveillance, lawyers argue
• EU court rules against requirement to keep data of telecom users
• Yahoo fixes Flickr invitation bug that leaked real names and email addresses—"Privacy flaw on photo sharing website initially dismissed as ‘working as designed’ and not making sensitive data available."
• FireChat's anonymous, off-grid messaging app arrives on Android
• Google Chrome bug: To Listen Without Consent – Abusing the HTML5 Speech
• Critical crypto bug in OpenSSL opens two-thirds of the Web to eavesdropping—"Exploits allow attackers to obtain private keys used to decrypt sensitive data."
• Big Data Is A Civil Rights Issue

Tech Cases

• The inside story of MIT and Aaron Swartz—"More than a year after Swartz killed himself rather than face prosecution, questions about MIT's handling of the hacking case persist." Despite all their claims of neutrality, "e-mails illustrate how MIT energetically assisted authorities in capturing him and gathering evidence — even prodding JSTOR to get answers for prosecutors more quickly — before a subpoena had been issued." In related news, one artist is printing 250,000 pages of pirated JSTOR documents, in Tribute to Aaron Swartz
• Former Yahoo employee alleges he was harassed, threatened and lost job because of online interactions—"Ross Dmochowski, a 42-year-old tech professional, was unprepared when his online chats resulted in a bomb threat under his name that brought FBI agents to his Livermore home -- and contributed to his getting fired in September from his $120,000-a-year job at Yahoo."
• Barrett Brown Signs Plea Deal in Case Involving Stratfor Hack—"Barrett Brown, whose case became a cause célèbre after he was charged with crimes related to the Stratfor hack, has agreed to a plea deal with prosecutors, according to court filings." Complete with a gag-order... sigh.

Censorship

• Australia: Border Protection forces Facebook content removal through Twitter
• Google Appeals Turkey YouTube Blackout WSJ
• Philippines: Inching Toward Censorship
• Net Censors Arrested In China For Taking Bribes To Delete Unflattering Posts As Well As The 'Harmful' Ones
• US plan to end ICANN oversight could lead to 'Net censorship, lawmakers say

Press

• NSA Uses Corporate News to Spread Propaganda and Silence Dissent
• The Blade, pair of journalists who were held file FBI complaints
• Legal Schnauzer blogger freed from jail after 5 months; had been held on contempt charge

CNN and MH370

• CNN's Missing Plane Coverage Turns Up Garbage—In more ways than one.
• CNN, what do you even do anymore?—"Jon Stewart mocks CNN for its continued non-news coverage of Flight MH370." Salon
• Larry King Calls CNN's MH370 Coverage "Abysmal" While Ripping Networks' Use Of "Breaking News"—Bread and circuses.
• CNN 'Breaking News' 31 Days After MH370 Vanished: 'Families Frustrated by Media Coverage'
• Fox News Host Defends CNN's Plane Coverage: It's Not Just For The Ratings