June 2013 Current Events: U.S. News. Here are the key events in United States news for the month of June 2013. *. U.S. Government under Heavy Scrutiny after NSA leaks (June 6):The Guardianreceives information that reveals that the National Security Agency (NSA) is using PRISM to spy on the web activities, including email, of U.S. citizens. Through PRISM, a clandestine national security surveillance program, the NSA has direct access to Facebook, YouTube, Skype, Google, Apple, Yahoo and other websites. In its report,The Guardiandoes not state who they received the information from.(June 7):The Wall Street Journalreports that the NSA also monitors the credit card transactions and customer records of three major phone service providers. U.S. Director of National Intelligence James Clapper calls the recent newspaper reports on government surveillance "reprehensible."(June 8):The Guardianpublishes a report on another NSA tool called Boundless Informant, used by the U.S. government to watch activity in every country in the world. Facebook's Mark Zuckerbergand Google's Larry Pageboth deny any knowledge of PRISM. President Obamaconfirms PRISM's existence and its use to spy on the online activity of U.S. citizens.The New York Timesreports that some companies, such as Facebook and Google, negotiated with the U.S. government over spying on customers. The report contradicts previous denials by those companies.(June 9):Edward Snowden, a former CIA employee, comes forward and admits that he is the source of the recent NSA leaks. Snowden, fearing prosecution, defects to Hong Kongand is currently on the run, wanted for questioning. *. Supreme Court Orders University to Re-examine Affirmative Action Policy (June 24):InFisherv.University of Texas, the Supreme Court allows universities to continue considering race as a factor in admissions to achieve diversity, but it does tell them that they must prove that "available, workable race-neutral alternatives do not suffice" before considering race. The court rules 7–1 to send the case back to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit for further review to determine if the school passes the test of "strict scrutiny," the highest level of judicial review. The ruling is considered a compromise between the court's conservative and liberal factions. *. Supreme Court Rules on Voting Rights Act (June 25):In Shelby County v. Holder, the Supreme Court strikes down Section 4 of the Voting Rights Act, which established a formula for Congress to use when determining if a state or voting jurisdiction requires prior approval before changing its voting laws. Currently under Section 5 of the act nine-mostly Southern-states with a history of discrimination must get clearance from Congress before changing voting rules to make sure racial minorities are not negatively affected. While the 5-4 decision does not invalidate Section 5, it makes it toothless. Chief Justice John Roberts says the formula Congress now uses, which was written in 1965, has become outdated. "While any racial discrimination in voting is too much, Congress must ensure that the legislation it passes to remedy that problem speaks to current conditions," he says in the majority opinion. In a strongly worded dissent, Judge Ruth Bader Ginsburg says, "Hubris is a fit word for today's demolition of the V.R.A." (Voting Rights Act). *. Supreme Court Strikes Down DOMA (June 26):The Supreme Court rules that the 1996 Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) is unconstitutional. In a 5 to 4 vote, the court rules that DOMA violates the rights of gays and lesbians. The court also rules that the law interferes with the states' rights to define marriage. It is the first case ever on the issue of gay marriage for the Supreme Court. Chief Justice John G. Roberts, Jr.votes against striking it down as does Antonin Scalia, Samuel Alitoand Clarence Thomas. However, conservative-leaning Justice Anthony M. Kennedyvotes with his liberal colleagues to overturn DOMA. *. Supreme Court Rules on California Same-Sex Marriage Case (June 26):The Supreme Court rules that same-sex marriage opponents in Californiadid not have standing to appeal the lower court ruling that overturned the state's ban, known as Proposition 8. This ruling will most likely remove legal battles for same-sex couples wishing to marry in California. However, the ruling does not directly affect other states.

May 2013 Current Events: Business News. Here are the key events in business and science news for the month of May 2013. *. Spring Economic Slowdown Is Avoided (May 3):According to the Labor Department, 165,000 jobs are added in April, exceeding the 140,000 jobs predicted by economists. It is also a big improvement over March's numbers. The Labor Department also provides more good news, revising the number of jobs added in February and March. Their latest data adds 114,000 jobs to totals from February and March. However, unemployment drops only slightly from 7.6 percent in March to 7.5 percent in April.

May 2013 Current Events: Disasters & Science News. Here are the key events in Science and Disasters news for the month of May 2013. *. Death Toll Increases in Bangladesh Factory Building Disaster (May 9):The number of casualties in the Bangladeshfactory building collapse rises to at least 900 workers. The building, Rana Plaza, had more than 3,000 employees. The building's collapse is considered the deadliest accident in the garment industry's history. More than 2,500 people have been rescued from the building.(May 14):With rescue operations at Rana Plaza ending, the death toll rises to 1,127 people. *. Mile-Wide Category 4 Tornado Hits Oklahoma (May 20):An enormous category 4 tornado hits Oklahoma City, Moore, and Newcastle. Moore is hardest hit. The city's Plaza Towers Elementary School is flattened. At least 24 people are killed in the storm. The tornado, stretching about a mile wide, is on the ground for 40 minutes.

June 2013 Current Events: Disasters & Science News. Here are the key events in Science and Disasters news for the month of June 2013. *. Several Wildfires Burn through Colorado (June):Several wildfires erupt in Coloradodue to dry and dead evergreen trees. The trees are particularly vulnerable this year from drought and a spruce beetle outbreak. The fire causing the most damage is in a suburb near Colorado Springs. That fire destroys more than 500 homes and kills two people. The largest fire, about 70,000 acres in size, burns through southern Colorado. Even though it forces the evacuation of at least 1,000 people, it causes less damage than the suburban Colorado Springs fire due to its location. *. Elite Firefighters Killed in Arizona (June 30):Members of the Granite Mountain Hotshots are killed fighting the Yarnell Hill Fire. The wind suddenly changed direction, giving the firefighters little time to escape its path. The fire consumed 8,000 acres. It was the worst single loss of firefighters since the 2001 terrorist attacks.

June 2013 Current Events: Business News. Here are the key events in business and science news for the month of June 2013. *. Job Growth Increases in May (June 7):According to the Labor Department, 175,000 jobs are added in May, ten thousand more jobs than were added in April. However, unemployment increases slightly as well, from 7.5 percent in April to 7.6 in May.