Yup, Private Sector Assists in Spying

National Intelligence Director Mike McConnell seems to have confirmed what many people already knew: Private companies have been assisting the government in its warrantless domestic spying.

At the end of the interview, McConnell cautioned reporter Chris Roberts that he should consider whether enemies of the U.S. could gain from the information he just shared in the interview, Roberts said. McConnell left it to the paper to decide what to publish.

GOP YouTube Debate is On

After initially shying away, almost all of the GOP Presidential candidates have agreed to participate in a YouTube debate, now scheduled for the last Wednesday in November. Mitt Romney, who was dismissive of the Democrats YouTube debate last month, has not yet agreed to attend.

Cindy Cohn Interview

This is an overdue post. Our guest on August 4 was Cindy Cohn, Legal Director for the EFF. We talk about the President's desire for increased powers, expanded claims of ownership by copyright holders, and the importance of citizen involvement.

- Listen to the Inteview -

20,000 Intl Passengers Stuck at LAX

The failure of a "major switch" at Los Angeles International Airport is preventing U.S. Customs officials from accessing databases containing information on arriving passengers. Because of this, more than 20,000 international passengers arriving at the airport were forced to spend hours in planes and terminal buildings while the component was replaced.

"This is probably one of the worst days we've had. I've been with the agency for 30 years and I've never seen the system go down and stay down for as long as it did," Peter Gordon, acting port director for customs, told The Los Angeles Times.