Outside the Beltway

Rand Paul held the Senate floor for nearly twelve hours yesterday to talk about the PATRIOT Act, but it’s unclear if he accomplished anything.

The House has passed a bill that would place real restrictions on the National Security Agency’s data mining program. Now, it moves to the Senate.

Seymour Hersh is out with a conspiracy theory about the death of Osama bin Laden that just doesn’t make sense.

Like most Republicans, Jeb Bush either fails or refuses to recognize what an utter, unjustifiable disaster his brother’s decision to invade Iraq actually was.

Director of National Intelligence now tells Congress that he testified falsely about NSA spying because he forgot the program existed.

Largely in reaction to revelations about N,S.A. surveillance, Germany has cut back on its intelligence cooperation with the United States.

A Federal Appeals Court has ruled that the N.S.A.’s data mining program is illegal, but its ruling may not have a very big impact.

An attack on al Qaeda outposts in January resulted in the death of two hostages, but also resulted in the death of two high value al Qaeda targets.

Chinese analysts are telling their American counterparts that North Korea’s nuclear arsenal is far more sophisticated than previously believed.

Not surprisingly, the Select Committee established by House Republicans to investigate something that has already been investigated multiple times, will be in operation well into the Presidential Election season.

President George W. Bush had a running battle with the CIA throughout his eight years in office. Now, they’ve given him an award.

Yet another probable rift between the U.S. and Israel over Iran.

The most widely honored General from the Iraq and Afghanistan War has plead guilty to sharing classified information with his mistress.

David Petraeus provided highly classified secrets to his mistress. Will he be charged?

President Obama criticized Sony for backing down, and said that the U.S. would respond to North Korea’s cyber attack “at a place and time we choose,”

The U.S. Government has formally charged North Korea with responsibility for the hacking attack on Sony. How to respond to that attack is a more complicated question.

Vice-President Cheney’s amoral defense of torture has come to define how most conservatives view the issue, and that’s a problem.

What now?

A dark and regrettable time in American history is finally seeing the light of day.

The House Intelligence Committee has concluded that the conspiracy theories regarding the 9/11/2012 attack in Benghazi are not supported by the evidence. That’s unlikely to change anyone’s mind, though.

The CIA has always separated its core spying and analysis functions; that may soon change.

Not surprisingly, a law passed in the wake of the September 11th attacks has been used mostly for things that have nothing to do with terrorism.

Yesterday’s apparent terrorist shooting in Ottawa reveals again a phenomenon that seems difficult if not impossible to stop in advance.

A new report from the New York Times confirms the adage that, in war, the first casualty is the truth.

Last week’s security breach just became a lot more serious.

Apparently, the buck doesn’t stop in the Oval Office these days.

WaPo’s Emily Wax-Thibodeaux reports that, “At CIA Starbucks, even the baristas are covert.”

The C.I.A. has admitted spying on Senate investigators.

Someone took down a Boeing 777 over Ukraine today.

The US intelligence community is gambling that it can be more efficient through a public-private partnership than going it alone.

The NSA and FBI are doing more spy stuff.

There’s a new round of allegations about American spying on Germany.

The justice system works, there’s no need to scrap it.

Retired General Keith Alexander is hawking his services to banks at princely sums.

Ahmed Abu Kattalah, the alleged ringleader of the September 2012 attack in Benghazi, has been arrested.

The Supreme Court rejected another opportunity to clarify Federal Law on testimonial immunity for journalists.

For the first time, Edward Snowden is talking to the American media.

Some odd developments in Nigeria

Not every tragedy can be resolved with a military response.

Thanks to Edward Snowden, the Washington Post and the Guardian are Pulitzer Prize winners.

Bill Clinton seems far more understanding of Edward Snowden than the current President

Middle East peace talks are apparently in such bad shape that the U.S. is thinking of releasing Jonathan Pollard as an incentive to Israel.