The NSA, Edward Snowden, and Surveillance (part 1 of 2): An overview of the NSA surveillance program leaked to the media by Edward Snowden by Beth Rowen Edward Snowden Related Links U.S. Spying and Surveillance Timeline National Security Agency Biography of Edward Snowden One of the biggest and most far-reaching stories of 2013 broke in early June and continued to make headlines—and raise eyebrows—for the remainder of the year. On June 6, the British newspaper theGuardianpublished the first of many stories by Glenn Greenwald about the top-secret surveillance activities of the National Security Agency. Reports of the leaks, many of which were published simultaneously by theWashington Post, revealed that the NSA has secretly collected information from U.S. citizens without their consent, gathering data about their phone calls, internet use, instant messaging, and email activity. On June 9, Edward Snowden, a former CIA employee, admitted that he was the source of the NSA leaks. The Snowden leaks divulged that the NSA collects meta data about virtually every phone call made in the U.S., amounting to billions of calls. Meta data includes the phone numbers of the caller and recipient and the duration of the call; it does not include recordings of the actual conversations. Major phone companies, including Verizon, AT&T, and Sprint Nextel, have complied with court orders to turn over these records to the NSA. The leaks also uncovered details about PRISM, a secret program that gave NSA direct access to the servers of Facebook, YouTube, Skype, Google, Apple, Yahoo and other companies. Such access allowed the government to retrieve emails, photographs, and documents of millions of users. These companies denied that they offered the government "back door" access to their networks. Britain's Government Communications Headquarters (GCHQ)—an agency similar to the NSA—had access to data gleaned through PRISM. Snowden: A Hero or a Traitor? Public reaction to the leaks was mixed; some people considered Snowden a whistle-blower and a champion of government transparency, while others called him a traitor. President Barack Obamaissued a carefully worded statement about the leaks, saying that there must be a balance between protecting national security and the privacy of citizens. "You can't have 100 percent security and also then have 100 percent privacy and zero inconvenience," Obama said. He also said the NSA programs "do not involve listening to people's phone calls, do not involve reading the emails of U.S. citizens or U.S. residents, absent further action by a federal court that is entirely consistent with what we would do, for example, in a criminal investigation." He was referring to the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court, the secret court, known as the FISA court, established in 1978 to hear requests for warrants for "electronic surveillance to obtain foreign intelligence information." U.S. intelligence officials defended the NSA programs. In mid-June, NSA Director Keith Alexander told the House intelligence committee that the surveillance programs have prevented more than 50 "potential terrorist events" since 2001. Fighting Extradition and Looking for a Place to Call Home Snowden, fearing prosecution, fled to Hong Kong before the Guardian ran its first story. He arrived in Hong Kong with four laptop computers from which he could access some of the U.S. government's most closely held secrets. He remained in Hong Kong while he sought asylum in a number of countries. The U.S. government filed espionage and theft charges against Snowden on June 21 and also requested that Hong Kong extradite Snowden. Fighting extradition, Snowden traveled from Hong Kong to Moscow on June 23. When Snowden first arrived at the Russian airport, he sought asylum in Russia. Russian president Vladimir Putin responded by saying that Snowden could stay in Russia only if he ceased "his work aimed at inflicting damage on our American partners." Meanwhile, the United States made diplomatic moves to prevent Snowden from receiving permanent asylum in Ecuador, Bolivia, Nicaragua, or Venezuela, the Latin American governments that stated they would take him.

The U.S. Government Is Closed for Business: Standoff over Obamacare results in government shutdown. U.S. Capital Photo Credit: Carol Highsmith On September 30, 2013, after several attempts by the House, Senate, and President Barack Obama to reach a deal on the federal budget ceiling and the funding of the Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare, the Senate rejected a Republican bill, forcing a partial shutdown of the government beginning on Oct. 1. The bill, approved earlier by the House, would have funded the government but delayed full implementation of Obamacare and eliminated a tax on medical devices that would cover some costs of the new health care program. As the Oct. 1 deadline approached, Republicans in the House showed no signs of backing down on the bill, despite little public support for the shutdown. In a New York Times/CBS News poll, 87% of respondents said they were frustrated about the potential shutdown and 69% said they would prefer an agreement over the budget and Obamacare over a U.S. default on its debt. On the morning of September 30, Speaker John Boehnersaid on the House floor, "The House has done its work. We passed a bill on Saturday night — sent it to the United States Senate — that would delay Obamacare for one year, and would eliminate permanently the medical device tax that is costing us tens of thousands of jobs that are being shipped overseas." Boehner also said that the health care law "is not ready for prime time." Boehner's intransigence may be a response to pressure from the Tea Party and other conservative groups, which have been lobbying members of Congress and staging "Defund Obamacare" protests for months. That same day, President Obamaurged Congress to agree on a bill. “We are the foundation of the world economy and the world financial system. And our currency is the reserve currency of the world. We don’t mess with that. And we certainly don’t allow domestic policy differences on issues that are unrelated to the budget to endanger not only our economy but the world economy," he said during a public appearance. As the government shut down on October 1, some Americans felt the impact more than others. A partial shutdown meant that unemployment, social security and Medicare benefits would not be interrupted. The mail service would continue. Federal air traffic controllers and airport security screeners would still report to work. However, all national parks and Smithsonian museums would close. People seeking government backed mortgages and loans could see delays. Active military personnel, about 1.4 million people, would stay on duty, but their paychecks would be delayed. Health and safety inspectors would stop workplace inspections except in emergency situations. The impact of the U.S. government shutdown was already being felt by the world's financial markets as stocks fell around the globe on September 30, 2013.

October 2013 Current Events: U.S. News. Here are the key events in United States news for the month of October 2013. *. Standoff over Obamacare Results in Government Shutdown (Oct. 1):Congress fails to agree on a budget and pass a spending bill, causing the government to shut down. The failure to pass a bill is largely due to a standoff over the Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare. Republicans show no signs of backing down on the bill, which passed in the House the weekend. The bill will fund the government but delay the Affordable Care Act and eliminate a tax on medical devices that would cover some costs of the new health care program. Some Americans feel the impact of the shutdown more than others. The partial shutdown means that unemployment, social security and Medicare benefits will not be interrupted. The mail service will continue. Federal air traffic controllers and airport security screeners will still report to work. However, all national parks and Smithsonian museums close. People seeking government backed mortgages and loans might see delays. Active military personnel, about 1.4 million people, will stay on duty, but their paychecks will be delayed. Health and safety inspectors will stop workplace inspections except in emergency situations. Overall, the government shutdown forces about 800,000 federal workers off the job.(Oct. 10):In an effort to end the shutdown they began, Republicans in the House offer President Obamaa plan to increase the debt limit through Nov. 22 if he promises to negotiate with them on a tax overhaul and long-term deficit reduction deal. If Obama agrees, the debt ceiling increase proposal may come to a vote in the House within twenty-four hours. Currently, the government is scheduled to hit its debt ceiling on October 17.

October 2013 Current Events: World News. Here are the key events in world news for the month of October 2013. *. Netanyahu Maintains Tough Stance against Iran (Oct. 1):Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahutravels to Washington D.C. to meet with President Obamato discuss the situation with Iran, including Iranian President Hassan Rowhani's recent overtures toward thawing relations with the west. The meeting between Netanyahu and Obama comes less than a week after Obama had spoken with Rowhani on the phone, the first time the leaders of the United States and Iran have talked in 34 years. During their meeting, Netanyahu and Obama present a united front when it comes to Iran having nuclear weapons. Obama assures Netanyahu that the U.S. will still turn to military action to prevent Iran from getting nuclear weapons.(Oct 2):Netanyahu gives his annual speech at the United Nations. During the speech, he refers to Iranian President Rowhani as a "wolf in sheep's clothing" and warns the international community not to be fooled by Rowhani's recent overtures. "I want there to be no confusion on this point. Israel will not allow Iran to get nuclear weapons. If Israelis forced to stand alone, Israel will stand alone," Netanyahu says. *. Top al-Qaeda Operative Captured in Tripoli (Oct. 5):U.S. commandoes capture Nazih Abdul-Hamed al-Ruqai, a high-ranking al-Qaeda operative who is known as Abu Anas al-Libi, in Tripoli. U.S. authorities have been pursuing Abu Anas, who was indicted for helping plan the 1998 bombings of the U.S. Embassies in Kenya and Tanzania, for about 15 years. While commandoes capture Abu Anas, U.S. Navy SEALs storm a villa in Somalia in pursuit of an Al Shabab leader who goes by the name Ikrimah. The commandos are met with strong resistance and engage in a gun battle with militants before retreating without capturing or killing Ikrimah. U.S. officials do not link Ikrimah to the mall attack in Nairobi last month, but do say he is one of the militants in charge of planning attacks outside Somaliaand that he is connected to members of Al Qaeda who masterminded the 1998 attack on the American Embassy in Nairobi, Kenya.

October 2013 Current Events: Disasters & Science News. Here are the key events in Science and Disasters news for the month of October 2013. *. Boat Sinks in the Mediterranean, Killing Dozens (Oct. 3):At least 94 people are dead and another 250 are missing after a boat capsizes in the Mediterraneannear the Sicilian island of Lampedusa. The boat, carrying African migrants to Europe, sinks after passengers light a blanket on fire to signal their position. The fire spreads from the blanket to gasoline, creating a panic that sinks the boat. It is the worst boating accident of its kind in the region.