Topic: Central Intelligence Agency

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Where do things stand at Guantánamo? Six basic questions answered.

President Obama this week pledged to “reengage” with Congress to find a way to close the terror detention camp at the Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, naval base. The renewed focus comes as 100 of the 166 detainees are reported to be engaged in a hunger strike. Here is a brief look at where things stand now.

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Former head of CIA: Huawei engaged in espionage for Chinese state

Former CIA chief Michael Hayden accused the Chinese telecom company Huawei of colluding with the Chinese government.
Italy eyes ex-CIA spook's extradition, complicating US ties

Panamanian authorities detained Robert Seldon Lady on request from Italy, which convicted him for the 2003 'rendition' kidnapping of a cleric in Milan.
'Red 2': A little of oldsters in action movies goes a long way (+video)

'Red 2' stars Bruce Willis, Helen Mirren, and John Malkovich as senior citizens in a shoot 'em-up film.
Panama arrests former CIA station chief sought by Italy in rendition case

Robert Lady was the CIA station chief in Milan when wanted Egyptian cleric Nasr was pulled from the streets there and sent back to Egypt where his lawyer says he was tortured.
Briefing Osama bin Laden's life in Pakistan

A leaked report reveals new details, as well as a nation's vulnerabilities.
Global News Blog Good Reads: From rules for rebels, to elevator cables, to an enchanting sci-fi world

This week's round-up of Good Reads includes rules for arming rebels, defense contractors may know more than our own government, buildings may get taller thanks to new elevator cables, a profile of a cyberwar general, and sci-fi brings magic back to the mundane.
Poisoned N.J. flight: Ranting man restrained by passengers

Poisoned N.J. flight: While on a flight from Hong Kong to Newark, N.J. on Monday, a man yelled about poisoning, Edward Snowden, national security, and international spying.
N.J. flight: Man yells he'll be poisoned. Gets tackled, bound.

N.J. flight from Hong Kong is met by FBI agents, who take away man whose rant about the CIA, international spying, and poison alarmed passengers so much they subdued him in flight. Despite the disruption, United Airlines continued the flight to Newark, N.J., international airport.
US promises military aid to Syrian rebels. Now what?

US military aid to Syrian rebels is expected to begin arriving in a few weeks, delivered by the CIA through secret bases in Turkey and Jordan. Reports say it will include light weaponry, but not shoulder-fired antiaircraft missiles. The Pentagon also has proposed a partial no-fly zone.
US military aid to Syria rebels: Why Obama is starting with the minimum

Obama's cautious shift away from providing only non-lethal assistance to Syria's rebels reflects continued deep misgivings about sending US arms into the war and a desire to keep a door open to diplomacy.
Why Obama chose woman with no CIA experience for No. 2 CIA job

Avril Haines will be the first woman to be second in command at the CIA, but critics point not to her gender but her lack of CIA experience. Her choice suggests Obama wants a close ally.
CIA deputy director Michael Morell steps down. Who is the new CIA No. 2?

Michael Morell, the CIA deputy director, is leaving. The new CIA deputy director: White House lawyer Avril Haines, who will be the first woman in the job.
Who is Edward Snowden? Many questions remain.

In interviews Edward Snowden, the former National Security Agency contractor who revealed details of the government's collection of data, has also revealed details about himself. Some question his descriptions and the facts that are known paint an unclear picture of the leaker, currently hiding in Hong Kong.
Edward Snowden: NSA leaker reveals himself, expects retribution

The Guardian newspaper Sunday revealed the principal source for its reports on NSA telephone and Internet intelligence gathering. Edward Snowden is a hero to some, while others see him as a highly damaging leaker of important secrets that could harm US national security.
Chapter & Verse Former Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta will release a memoir

The book by Panetta will be released by Penguin but does not yet have a release date or title.
American public has few qualms with drone strikes, poll finds

President Obama's aggressive campaign of drone strikes has generated controversy overseas and among terrorism experts. But Americans seem fine with it, according to a Monitor/TIPP poll.
Obama administration targets Fox News reporter in 'chilling' echo of AP probe (+video)

Last week, news broke that the Justice Department obtained records from AP for its investigation into an internal leak. Now, details are emerging about an investigation of a Fox News reporter that some experts say could harm investigative journalism even more.
Iran hangs spies it says worked for US, Israel

Iran hangs spies: Two Iranian men were executed Sunday, convicted of working for the CIA and Israel's Mossad spy agency.
Why IRS investigation is already Obama's Watergate – and Benghazi, too (+video)

Since Watergate, every two-term president has had a second-term scandal. First-term mistakes and hyperpartisanship make probes – like those into Benghazi and the IRS – almost inevitable.
Did the Associated Press blow an Al Qaeda informant's cover?

Some officials say the Associated Press scoop on a thwarted terrorist plot by an Al Qaeda affiliate in Yemen harmed the effort to neutralize a master bomb-builder. Does that excuse the Obama administration's aggressive crackdown on national security leaks?
Decoder Wire Bob Woodward compares Benghazi with Watergate. Is he right? (+video)

The similarities: line-by-line edits of what to tell the public, says Bob Woodward, the media's authority on all things Watergate. Regarding the White House Benghazi edits, they show pressure 'in the system not to tell the truth' about what happened, he said Friday.
Decoder Wire Why Benghazi talking points make US government seem like Dunder Mifflin (+video)

Let's put aside for a moment who did what to the talking points on Benghazi last September and focus just on the editing process, which could have come from an episode of 'The Office,' it seems.
Benghazi emails: What do they reveal?

One email confirmed officials removed information about CIA warnings regarding an al Qaeda threat before the attacks in Benghazi, Libya in September 2012 from talking points the U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations presented to the public. The administration released the emails in an effort to seem more transparent.
USA Update White House releases Benghazi e-mails. Will that quiet critics? (+video)

The White House has released 100 pages of e-mails related to its handling of the terrorist attack on a US diplomatic facility in Benghazi, Libya. They present a fuller picture of a chaotic situation, but are unlikely to quiet critics questioning the administration's 'talking points' at the time.
The Monitor's View How to avoid another Justice raid on reporter phone records

The secret combing of AP phone records by Justice in pursuit of a security leak shows the need to better define the overlapping roles of government and the press in their mutual desire to protect the American people.