NSA

Washington Post contributor Barton Gellman sat down with Edward Snowden in Moscow for a 14 hour interview, recently. It was the former NSA contractor’s first major interview since he was granted asylum in Russia. Gellman describes Snowden as something of a shut-in who doesn’t mind living alone in his Moscow residence, now that he’s sparked an international debate on surveillance.

Edward Snowden has offered to assist Brazil in its criminal investigation of US surveillance in the Latin American nation. And, by the way, he’s also looking for a country to grant him “permanent political asylum” — hint, hint.

Edward Snowden is looking to leave Russia, where he has temporary asylum. So he offered to help Brazil investigate the NSA’s spying on that country. But if Brazil takes up the offer and gives Snowden asylum, it can expect serious consequences from a displeased US.

A British parliamentary panel questioned Alan Rusbridger, the editor of the newspaper that first published many of the documents leaked by Edward Snowden. He was asked about his love of his country, and he defended his newspaper as acting to help the public understand what its government was doing.

Senator Ron Wyden of Oregon had received classified briefings on the NSA’s collection of phone call data, but he didn’t feel free to warn the country about it, until Edward Snowden revealed the program.