By Steve Rhodes
The NSA story has disappeared from the Chicago papers, but if you simply plug “NSA” into Google News you’ll find plenty of developments being reported elsewhere.
Here are a few we found, with assists also to Altercation and the Drudge Report.
1. The Washington Post reports that “Negroponte Had Denied Domestic Call Monitoring.” The Post‘s full collection of NSA stories can be found under the rubric “NSA: Spying at Home,” including links to what bloggers are saying about their articles.
2. An intelligence expert tells Salon that we’ll soon find out that Internet and cell phone companies have also cooperated with the NSA.
3. “NSA’s Data Mining Explained,” by CNET News.
4. USA Today reports that cooperating phone companies may face a growing legal problem.
5. Qwest calling plans.
6. From Qworst to first.
7. A senior law enforcement source tells ABC News the feds are tracking reporters’ phone calls.
8. Margaret Smyth of Charlestown, Mass. writes to The New York Times: “Good luck to the National Security Agency if it can decipher my phone records. It will need more success than I had in understanding information provided by AT&T and Verizon when I spent hours analyzing my bills trying to find less expensive plans.”
9. This is not your government’s NSA.
10. “Inside Bush’s Secret Spy Net,” by Time magazine.
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Lamest Defense Ever
So let’s get this straight. The defense strategy in the Robert Sorich trial is to blame Harold Washington and John Kass? The mayor is in big trouble.
Cubs Culture
Cubs GM Jim Hendry is officially a doofus. Perhaps this would help him see the light. Put us out of our misery, Jim. Fire Dusty, if for no other reason than his quote in the Sun-Times today saying “I’m the motivator and the leader, but sometimes it’s hard because how do you motivate the motivator?”
Government Press
The Sun-Times once again turns over precious editorial real estate to a politician’s press release. What is this, Doodah, Iowa?
What’s worse is that the press release is from Don Rumsfeld, and is about, of all things, a free press. The multiple levels of absurdity are beyond my punch-line writing ability.
Rove Rap
Truthout reported on Saturday that Karl Rove has been indicted, with an announcement coming this week.
UPDATE 3:45 p.m.: Truthout’s Rove story is getting a thorough workout in the blogosphere. Salon‘s roundup is the best I’ve seen thus far.
UPDATE 4:45 p.m.: Another good roundup on Truthout and its Rove reporter, Jason Leopold, on Capitol Hill Blue.
Meanwhile, Truthout stands by its story.
By the way, Truthout is apparently not related to Truthdig, the relatively new Website led by former Los Angeles Times columnist Robert Scheer. But I think no matter how the Rove story turns out, Truthdig has a branding problem, because, quite frankly, I was thinking of Scheer’s outfit this whole time. Maybe I’m an idiot, but, as John Lennon once said, I bet I’m not the only one.
The Beachwood Tip Line: Be an unindicted co-conspirator.
Posted on May 16, 2006