Domestic Glance
The National Security Agency monitored the phone conversations of 35 world leaders after being given the numbers by an official in another US government department, according to a classified document provided by whistleblower Edward Snowden.
The confidential memo reveals that the NSA encourages senior officials in its "customer" departments, such the White House, State and the Pentagon, to share their "Rolodexes" so the agency can add the phone numbers of leading foreign politicians to their surveillance systems.
The document notes that one unnamed US official handed over 200 numbers, including those of the 35 world leaders, none of whom is named. These were immediately "tasked" for monitoring by the NSA.
NSA monitored calls of 35 world leaders after US official handed over contacts
Food stamp cuts to affect millions ahead of holidays
Millions of Americans will see their Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits cut ahead of the holiday season, as food stamp stimulus spending is set to expire October 31.
The fiscal stimulus legislation of 2009, followed by further rounds of stimulus, increased the SNAP benefits, first by $20 to $25 per month to spur economic recovery. According to the USDA, the average monthly benefit is about $275 per household, or about $1.40 per meal.
EPIC FOIA fails to get secret GW Bush cybersecurity order
A secret presidential directive on cybersecurity is going to stay secret, despite the best FOIA-filing efforts of the Electronic Privacy Information Center.
In a decision issued Monday, U.S. District Judge Beryl A. Howell rejected the long-running Freedom of Information Act request for the unredacted text of National Security Presidential Directive 54.
After saying no to feds on Medicaid expansion, Florida may ask for more federal money
Months after Florida lawmakers rejected $51 billion from the federal government to expand Medicaid, state officials are prepared to request billions in new federal aid for a different program to improve care for the poor, uninsured and under-insured.
But this cash grab, for whatever reason, has yet to ignite a political furor.
State officials want to grow their Low Income Pool (LIP) program from $1 billion a year to possibly $3 billion a year, said Justin Senior, deputy secretary for Medicaid at the Agency for Health Care Administration. The additional money could be used to help hospitals cover charity care, provide premium support for low-income Floridians or expand current healthcare programs.
Toyota announces recall of 10,000 cars
Japanese automaker Toyota Motor Corp. said it is recalling about 10,000 model year 2013 and 2014 cars to replace faulty windshield wiper switches.
The recall involves the 2013-14 Camry and Camry Hybrid, the 2013 Avalon and Avalon Hybrid and the 2014 Corolla, the Los Angeles Times reported Saturday.
U.S. builders hoard mineral rights under new homes
Robert and Julie Davidson fell hard for the gleaming new house at the Valencia Golf and Country Club in Naples, Florida. They loved the way the palm-fringed, Spanish-style home backed up to the fifth-hole fairway. And they were taken with the three-bedroom's high ceilings and open plan. Plus the neighborhood - with its power-washed driveways, blooming hibiscus and guarded gatehouse - seemed all "dressed up."
But when the Davidsons paid $255,385 in 2011 for the house on Birdie Drive, they didn't know that they had, in essence, bought only from the ground up, and that their homebuilder, D.R. Horton, had kept everything underneath.
NSA and GCHQ target Tor network that protects anonymity of web users
The National Security Agency has made repeated attempts to develop attacks against people using Tor, a popular tool designed to protect online anonymity, despite the fact the software is primarily funded and promoted by the US government itself.
Top-secret NSA documents, disclosed by whistleblower Edward Snowden, reveal that the agency's current successes against Tor rely on identifying users and then attacking vulnerable software on their computers. One technique developed by the agency targeted the Firefox web browser used with Tor, giving the agency full control over targets' computers, including access to files, all keystrokes and all online activity.
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