The Commentariat -- June 30, 2013

Michael Shear & Rick Lyman of the New York Times: "... President Obama abandoned his hope for a visit [with Nelson Mandela] and instead on Saturday used every stop [in South Africa] to talk in emotional and sweeping terms about what Mr. Mandela meant to the world, and to him."

Enough Already. Tom Goldstein of SCOTUSblog: "Attorneys for the parties who sought to defend Proposition 8 in federal court have filed an emergency motion in the Supreme Court seeking to block same-sex marriages from proceeding in California. The filing (via Jess Bravin) is available here." ...

... "The Real John Roberts Emerges." Linda Greenhouse: "In its sweeping disregard of history, precedent and constitutional text, the chief justice's 5-to-4 opinion in the voting rights case was startling for its naked activism, but no one watching the court over the past few years could have been surprised by the outcome.... Clearly, he doesn't trust Congress.... But oddly for someone who earned his early stripes in the Justice Department and White House Counsel's Office, he doesn't like the executive branch any better.... What's left? The Supreme Court." ...

... New York Times Editors: "The most fundamental change Congress could make would be a law declaring a universal right to vote that could not be infringed by any level of government. The Voting Rights Act was aimed at combating discrimination 'on account of race or color,' which was the urgent problem of the time. Discrimination has now broadened to encompass more groups of different kinds, and it is time for a broader law, especially given the Supreme Court's clear intent to dismantle all racial protections." CW: oh yeah? Watch the Tenthers on the Court find universal voting rights unconstitutional. ...

... Lincoln Caplan of the New York Times: "Elena Kagan..., the first Supreme Court justice appointed in almost 40 years who wasn't a judge before she arrived at the court..., is achieving a goal that other justices say they strive for and yet seldom attain: writing readable judicial opinions that non-lawyers can understand.... What puts her in a class by herself is her combination of down-to-earth writing and the ingredients essential to influential opinions: conceptual insight, penetrating legal analysis and argumentative verve.... Before she joined the court in 2010, the dominance of the five conservatives was bolstered by their aggressiveness and sometimes arrogance at oral arguments and in opinions. Their bravado and occasional bullying haven't abated much, but she is an effective counterweight." ...

... Just the fact that he talks about black people voting as an entitlement, that is so much more racist than anything Paula Deen ever said. -- Bill Maher on Antonin Scalia

New York Times Editors: "Wendy Davis's filibuster is a reminder of the need for engagement by elected officials and voters to prevent further restrictions that trample on the rights and health of women. With so many damaging restrictions already on the books, though, much also depends on the courts to do their job and insist on respect for existing constitutional protections. That includes the Supreme Court...."

David Fahrenthold of the Washington Post: "Edward Snowden is 'marooned in Russia' without a valid U.S. passport, [Julian Assange,] the leader of the WikiLeaks organization said Sunday morning on ABC's 'This Week With George Stephanopoulos.'" ...

... Joe's on the Case. William Neuman of the New York Times: "President Rafael Correa of Ecuador said Saturday that Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr. had asked him in a telephone call not to grant asylum to Edward J. Snowden.... Mr. Correa, speaking on his weekly television broadcast, said that the two had a 'cordial' conversation on Friday initiated by Mr. Biden, but said he could not decide on Mr. Snowden's request until he entered Ecuador." ...

... Poornima Gupta of Reuters: "Former National Security Agency director Mike McConnell, who now works for defense contractor Booz Allen Hamilton, said people employed to sift through classified government data should not have solo access to the information. McConnell, a Booz Allen vice chairman, was making one of his first public comments since former U.S. spy agency contractor and Booz Allen employee Edward Snowden revealed the agency's top-secret monitoring of phone and internet data. Speaking at the Aspen Ideas Festival on Friday, McConnell said he supports a proposal made by NSA chief General Keith Alexander." CW: so I guess this safeguard hasn't been obvious for, oh, the last half-century. ...

... Laura Poitras, et al., in Der Spiegel: "Information obtained by Spiegel shows that America's National Security Agency (NSA) not only conducted online surveillance of European citizens, but also appears to have specifically targeted buildings housing European Union institutions. The information appears in secret documents obtained by whistleblower Edward Snowden that Spiegel has in part seen. A 'top secret' 2010 document describes how the secret service attacked the EU's diplomatic representation in Washington. The document suggests that in addition to installing bugs in the building in downtown Washington, DC, the EU representation's computer network was also infiltrated. In this way, the Americans were able to access discussions in EU rooms as well as emails and internal documents on computers."

... Komrade Snowden. Ellen Barry of the New York Times: "While Edward J. Snowden has remained mysteriously hidden from sight during his visit to Russia this week, Russian television has been making him a hero.... Since Mr. Snowden landed in Moscow on Sunday, the likelihood that he will remain in Russia has steadily crept up.... The chance that Russia will turn him in [to the U.S.] has all but vanished, as evidenced by Thursday's television programs, which were almost certainly produced under Kremlin orders and have a powerful effect on public opinion. Officials here have signaled an openness to granting him political asylum, and each passing day would seem to narrow Mr. Snowden's options, giving the United States time to negotiate with Ecuador and Venezuela, other countries that may grant him asylum." ...

... Ian Phillips of the AP: "... I deliberately got myself sequestered in the hopes of finding Edward Snowden at Moscow's main airport. The experience leaves me feeling that if the NSA leaker is indeed in the transit zone of the airport, as President Vladimir Putin claims, he may already have a taste of what it's like to be in prison.... But no sign of Snowden." ...

... Steve M. of No More Mister Nice Blog: "It's ironic if [Snowden] refused to return to the U.S. because he didn't want to face Bradley Manning's fate and is now effectively a prisoner somewhere in Putin's sphere of interest." ...

... Edith Lederer of the AP: "U.S. Ambassador Susan Rice dismissed claims that Edward Snowden's highly classified leaks have weakened the Obama presidency and damaged U.S. foreign policy, insisting that the United States will remain 'the most influential, powerful and important country in the world.'" CW: how does Rice know this? Why, because the NSA has been reading the correspondence & listening in on the phone calls of world leaders, & they're not actually all that ticked off. ...

... Really? "Germans Loved Obama. Now We Don't Trust Him. Malte Spitz, of Germany's Green Party, in a New York Times op-ed: "During Mr. Obama's presidency, no American political debate has received as much attention in Germany as the N.S.A. Prism program. People are beginning to second-guess the belief that digital communication stays private. It changes both our perception of communication and our trust in Mr. Obama." CW P.S. Our European allies also will be right pleased to read the new Der Spiegel story above.

... Glenn Greenwald's speech to the Socialism Conference in Chicago, video & transcript courtesy of Kevin Gosztola of Firedoglake. The part about Bill Keller is exceptional. ...

... Edward Epstein, in a Wall Street Journal op-ed, asks who helped Ed Snowden steal classified documents. Epstein implies Glenn Greenwald & others might have done so, since they began communicating with Snowden prior to his taking the Booz Allen job, which Snowden says he sought & took only so he could get access to the data. ...

To the extent that you have aided and abetted Snowden, even in his current movements, why shouldn't you, Mr. Greenwald, be charged with a crime? -- David Gregory, to Glenn Greenwald, last week ...

... If It's Sunday, It's "Meet the Press." On the subject of accusing Greenwald, without evidence, BTW, of aiding & abetting Snowden, Frank Rich asks -- & implicitly answers -- the question, "Is David Gregory a journalist?" CW: Given the obvious answer, here's my question: "Is NBC violating truth-in-advertising standards by calling The Dancing Dave Show "Meet the Press?" Think about it. No actual reporters appear on the show -- uh, unless it's to accuse them of committing the crime of journalism. Their paid "journalists" run to Mary Matelin, Peggy Noonan & Carly Fiorina.

Brendan Farrington of the AP: "A group of atheists unveiled a monument to their nonbelief in God on Saturday to sit alongside a granite slab that lists the Ten Commandments in front of the Bradford County, [Florida,] courthouse. As a small group of protesters blasted Christian country music and waved 'Honk for Jesus' signs, the atheists celebrated what they believe is the first atheist monument allowed on government property in the United States."

News Ledes

New York Times: "Hundreds of thousands of protesters demanding the ouster of Egypt's president, Mohamed Morsi, poured into the streets of the capital and cities across the country Sunday, while tens of thousands of his Islamist allies gathered with makeshift clubs, helmets and shields vowing to defend the presidential palace."

Jerusalem Post: "Any future agreement with the Palestinians will be brought to the country in the form of a referendum, Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu said at the outset of the weekly cabinet meeting on Sunday, just hours after finishing a six-hour late-night meeting with US Secretary of State John Kerry.... Generally promises of a referendum are made to neutralize a political crisis by assuring ministers opposed that they need not bolt the government over the issue because the public will ultimately decide." ...

... Reuters: "U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry ended a marathon round of shuttle diplomacy between Israelis and Palestinians on Sunday without an agreement on restarting peace talks."

The Commentariat -- June 29, 2013

Declan Walsh, et al., of the New York Times: " President Obama arrived in South Africa on Friday evening, saying he was bearing a message of 'profound gratitude' to Nelson Mandela, the stricken former leader, and that he would defer to Mr. Mandela's family on whether to visit him. After an eight-hour flight, Air Force One landed at Waterkloof Air Base, just a few miles from the Pretoria hospital where Mr. Mandela has been under intensive care with a serious lung infection for nearly three weeks, as concerns about his health have intensified in recent days despite government assurances that Mr. Mandela's condition had stabilized." ...

     ... Update: "President Obama will meet privately with members of Nelson Mandela's family Saturday afternoon.... [Obama] still plans to salute Mr. Mandela's life with a visit on Sunday to Robben Island, the prison where the iconic South African leader spent 18 years in a tiny cell."

The President's Weekly Address:

     ... The transcript is here. ...

... Jonathan Cohn of The New Republic: "The best television coverage of President Obama's climate speech Tuesday wasn't on Fox, CNN, or even MSNBC. It was on the Weather Channel, the only network to carry the address live and to treat it as the major development that it was. Before Obama spoke, the network carried a special, 'The Science Behind Climate Change.' After the speech, the network ran more analysis, including a discussion of ways to reduce carbon emissions." This was all lost on Republicans. ...

... Jeff Goodell in Rolling Stone: "By century's end, rising sea levels will turn [Miami,] the nation's urban fantasyland, into an American Atlantis. But long before the city is completely underwater, chaos will begin."

(Camille Dodero of Gawker has the backstory on the New Yorker cover.)

Ah, Love. Maura Dolan, et al., of the Los Angeles Times: "Same-sex marriages in California resumed Friday when a federal appeals court lifted a hold on a 2010 injunction, sparking jubilation among gays and cries of lawlessness from the supporters of Proposition 8. In a surprise action, a federal appeals court cleared the way, bypassing a normal waiting period and lifting a hold on a trial judge's order that declared Proposition 8 unconstitutional. The news came in a single, legalistic sentence Friday afternoon from the appeals court. 'The stay in the above matter is dissolved immediately,' the three-judge panel wrote. Gov. Jerry Brown told county clerks that they could begin marrying same-sex couples immediately...." ...

... Lisa Leff of the AP: "The lead plaintiffs in the U.S. Supreme Court case that overturned California's same-sex marriage ban tied the knot at San Francisco City Hall on Friday, about an hour after a federal appeals court freed gay couples to obtain marriage licenses for the first time in 4 1/2 years. State Attorney General Kamala Harris presided at the wedding of Kris Perry and Sandy Stier, of Berkeley, as hundreds of supporters looked on and cheered." ...

... Dorothy Wickenden of the New Yorker speaks with Jeff Toobin & Ariel Levy about this week's Supreme Court decisions. Justice Anthony Kennedy is "actually rather extreme in his views; he just has eccentric enthusiasms. Fortunately for the world, I think, one of his enthusiasms is gay rights," Toobin says:

Rick Hertzberg explains what treason is. He gets too het up about Kerry's use of the word "traitor," which I find appropriate. Webster defines traitor as "one who betrays another's trust or is false to an obligation or duty," which is exactly what Snowden did. Webster's second definition is "one who commits treason." But that aside, it's good to remember what "treason" is as others foolishly throw the term around. ...

... Dan Roberts of the Guardian: "A bipartisan group of 26 US senators has written to intelligence chiefs to complain that the administration is relying on a 'secret body of law' to collect massive amounts of data on US citizens. The senators accuse officials of making misleading statements and demand that the director of national intelligence James Clapper answer a series of specific questions on the scale of domestic surveillance as well as the legal justification for it." A facsimile of the letter is here. Good luck reading the names of some of the signers. Looks as if Tom Hanks has become a U.S. Senator.

GOP Intimidates NFL. Sandhya Somashekhar & Lenny Bernstein of the Washington Post: "Earlier this week, Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius disclosed that the Obama administration was in talks with the [NFL] to help promote [ObamaCare], which enters a new phase as advocates prepare to begin enrolling millions of Americans in health insurance this fall. On Friday, Republican leaders in the Senate issued a stern warning to sports organizations not to partner with the White House on an issue marked by such 'divisiveness and persistent unpopularity.' ... NFL spokesman Greg Aiello said [in an e-mail], 'We have responded to the letters we received from members of Congress to inform them we currently have no plans to engage in this area and have had no substantive contact with the administration about [the health-care law's] implementation.'"

Karen DeYoung of the Washington Post: "No one will ever be able to say John Kerry didn't try hard enough. Whether he brings the Israelis and Palestinians back to the negotiating table or ultimately fails where so many have failed before him, Kerry seems a man obsessed. Currently on his fifth trip to the region since becoming secretary of state in February, he met Friday afternoon with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, just 15 hours after the two had ended marathon talks that extended well past midnight."

Dana Milbank. This guy "is full of [sh]it." Milbank runs down Darrell's fanciful efforts to bring down President Obama & members of his administration with a series of fake "scandals." Definitely worth a read.

Julia Moskin of the New York Times: "Paula Deen's ... new cookbook hit No. 1 on the best-seller list at Amazon.com, as thousands of fans ... ordered the book months before its October release. But on Friday, its publisher, Random House, said it would not publish the cookbook, and would cancel a five-book contract it signed with Ms. Deen last year.... Its cancellation came on a day when Sears, Kmart and J. C. Penney announced that they would stop selling products, including cookbooks, branded with her name. Since last week, the Food Network, Smithfield Foods, Walmart, Target, Caesars Entertainment, QVC and the pharmaceutical company Novo Nordisk have decided to suspend or sever ties with Ms. Deen after her admission in a legal deposition that she had used racist language in the past and allowed racist, sexist, homophobic and anti-Semitic jokes in one of her restaurants."

Gail Collins: Texas Gov. Rick "Perry claimed that, in fighting for abortion rights, [State Senator Wendy] Davis, the daughter of a single mother and herself a single mother at 19 who got herself through college and Harvard Law, 'hasn't learned from her own example.' You will not be stunned to hear that Davis takes a different lesson from her story. 'The Planned Parenthood clinic on Henderson Street in Fort Worth was my sole source of health care for four to five years when I was a young adult,' she said. 'Consider a 19-year-old single mom who wants to be smarter about her family planning so she can go to school and move forward with her career. Had I not had those services available to me, I would not be standing where I am today.'" Collins illuminates what usually get short shrift in this story -- the bill was not just about curtailing abortions; it would have (or will) shut down most of the state's women's health clinics.

Local News

Kevin Murphy of Reuters: "A Kansas judge on Friday issued a temporary injunction on two parts of the state's new anti-abortion law, while upholding the majority of far-reaching measure that goes into effect Monday. Shawnee County District Judge Rebecca Crotty struck down a part of the law that forbids a waiver of the required 24-hour waiting period to be granted based on the woman's mental health. Crotty also struck down a part of the law requiring abortion providers on their websites to vouch for the accuracy and independence of the state's health department material on abortions." ...

... CW: not much of a victory for women and their healthcare providers. Pause, if you will, to think about the Kansas law. The mullahs of Brownbackistan scream freeeedom! for themselves, but they have no compunction about denying free speech rights to medical personnel. They don't want to just probe lady parts; they want to muzzle the professionals who do so honorably as part of their jobs. No matter how charitable you may try to be, it is simply impossible not to see these petty despots as dangerous, sick fucks.

News Ledes

New York Times: " Secretary of State John Kerry extended his trip to Israel a day on Saturday amid speculation that he was closing in on a deal to revive the dormant Israeli-Palestinian peace talks."

AP: Hasan Rouhani, "Iran's president-elect, called his win in national elections this month a vote for change and vowed Saturday to remain committed to his campaign promises of moderation and constructive interaction with the outside world."

The Commentariat -- June 28, 2013

Name This Shady Character & Get a Free Car Alarm (okay, just kidding about the free alarm). No Photoshopping has harmed this likeness:

NEW. How Stupid Is This? Spencer Ackerman & Dan Roberts of the Guardian: "The US army has admitted to blocking access to parts of the Guardian website for thousands of defence personnel across the country. A spokesman said the military was filtering out reports and content relating to government surveillance programs to preserve 'network hygiene' and prevent any classified material appearing on unclassified parts of its computer systems."

Declan Walsh & Rick Lyman of the New York Times: " South Africans awaited fresh word on Friday about the fate of Nelson Mandela as a heady blend of rumor and official reports deepened concerns over his health despite an assurance from the president's office on Thursday that Mr. Mandela's condition had stabilized. The worries spread as South African leaders prepared to welcome President Obama on Friday evening on the second leg of his African tour after a visit to Dakar, Senegal."

CW: Tim Egan pulls a MoDo & runs down a laundry list of President Obama's failings, real & perceived (by Egan). I guess you have to be in the mood for it; I wasn't convinced, and I usually appreciate Egan's takes on his subjects. For example, he contrasts an off-the-cuff remark by Obama with a prepared speech by Dubya. And he writes that Obama's climate-change speech "seemed more dutiful than alarmed.... To say the obvious: the speech will not join the words of Thoreau or Leopold in Earth Day tributes." By contrast, Krugman describes "a terrific speech" and "a very big deal." Let me know what you think. ...

... Paul Krugman: "... unlike earlier efforts to address climate change, [President Obama's plan] can bypass the anti-environmentalists who control the House of Representatives.... Right now [Republicans] don't seem eager to attack climate science, maybe because that would make them sound unreasonable (which they are). Instead, they're going for the economic angle, denouncing the Obama administration for waging a 'war on coal' that will destroy jobs." Krugman discusses the likely job shifts & concludes, "We really can invest in new energy sources, divest from old sources, and actually make the economy stronger."

Ed O'Keefe of the Washington Post: "Senators approved sweeping legislation Thursday to remake the nation's immigration system for the first time in a generation by spending tens of billions of dollars to bolster security along the U.S. southern border and offering a path to citizenship for millions of illegal immigrants. By a vote of 68 to 32, senators concluded a nearly month-long debate of the 1,200-page measure. Fourteen Republicans voted with every member of the Senate Democratic caucus to approve the bill.To note the significance, Vice President Biden presided over the vote and Senate Majority Leader Harry M. Reid (D-Nev.) made the unusual request that senators sit at their assigned desks and stand to vote when called." ...

... The New York Times story, by Ashley Parker, is here. ....

... Dan Berman of Politico lists the Republican Senators who voted for the bill. All 52 Democrats & the two Independents voted "aye." ...

No. -- Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), when asked if the GOP could recover in 2016 if immigration reform dies

... Marco Rubio will be a formidable presidential candidate:

     ... Weaving a personal story into a string of patriotic platitudes works.

... Aaron Blake of the Washington Post: "House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) said Thursday that any immigration legislation will have to have the support of a majority of House Republicans in order to come to a vote."

Claudio Sanchez of NPR: "The interest rate on government-backed student loans is going to jump from 3.4 percent to 6.8 percent Monday. Republicans, Democrats and the Obama administration could not agree on a plan to keep it from happening. Lawmakers say a deal is still possible after the July 4 recess. But if they don't agree on a plan soon, 7 million students expected to take out new Stafford loans could be stuck with a much bigger bill when they start paying the money back."

Chris Christie is running for president on the Grand Old Straight White Men Party ticket. Noah Rothman of Mediaite: "New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie scoffed at the Supreme Court's decision on Wednesday to declare the Defense of Marriage Act unconstitutional. During his regular 'Ask the Governor' appearance on New Jersey 101.5 on Wednesday, Christie blasted what he characterized as the Court exercising 'judicial supremacy' in overriding an act of Congress. Christie said he opposes gay marriage.... Christie vetoed a bill passed by the state legislature that would have made same-sex marriage legal in the Garden State, but insisted he would not object to a referendum being put to the state's voters." ...

... AND, like every elected GOSWMP candidate, Christie is clueless in more ways than one. According to Christie, the DOMA ruling "... was a bad decision, but it has no effect on New Jersey at all...." Actually, that's wrong. Zack Ford of Think Progress:"Wednesday's DOMA decision probably has a bigger impact on New Jersey than on any other state. In the 2006 case Lewis v. Harris, the New Jersey Supreme Court unanimously ruled that the state's constitution guarantees 'every statutory right and benefit conferred to heterosexual couples through civil marriage.' The Court left it up to the legislature to determine how those rights are conferred, and lawmakers ... passed a civil unions bill. An investigation that concluded in 2008 found that these 'separate but equal' unions ... did not meet the Supreme Court's expectations, and a lawsuit is already pending to challenge their unequal status.... A state judge has already scheduled a hearing .. to fast-track Lambda Legal's lawsuit in light of [the DOMA ruling].... Full marriage equality is now the only way to fulfill New Jersey's constitutional guarantee of equality for same-sex couples." ...

... The "New" GOP. Awwwkward! Beth Reinhard of the National Journal: "Crusading against gay marriage, a timeworn Republican strategy to rally social conservatives, is out of step with polls that show increasing support for gay marriage, particularly among young voters. The court also put congressional Republicans on the spot by demanding a rewrite of the landmark law protecting minority voting rights, setting up potentially awkward battles with African-American and Hispanic leaders that would reprise the rallying cry in those communities last year over voter ID laws."

This is unprecedented, Congressman .... During the Nixon Administration, there were attempts to use the Internal Revenue Service in manners that might be comparable in terms of misusing it. I'm not saying that ... the actions that were taken are comparable, but I'm just saying, you know, that the misuse of the -- causing a distrust of the system occurred some time ago. But this is unprecedented. -- IRS Inspector General Russell George, during Congressional testimony earlier this month ...

... Tamara Keith of NPR: "Changing its story. Walking it back. Clarifying. Whatever you call it, the IRS inspector general now has a different account of what investigators knew about the ideologies of the groups that underwent extra scrutiny as they sought tax-exempt status." Get this: "On Tuesday the spokeswoman said the treatment of progressive groups was outside the scope of the audit requested by House Oversight Committee Chairman Darrell Issa, R-Calif." Now, in a series of walkbacks, the IG & his spokesperson are saying that the instructions on the "Be on the Lookout" (BOLO) pages were different for "progressive" & "tea party." [Yeah, the "progressive" & "blue" designations were labeled "overtly political."] And, um, the IG didn't notice the "progressive" pages. And other bullshit. ...

     ... CW: Read the story. If you have trouble following it, that could be because IG Russell George keeps changing his story. Did I mention that George was a Bush II appointee? Did I mention that an IG is supposed to be non-fucking-partisan? S/he's supposed to be the person who guarantees the integrity of an agency or department & protects Americans from its politicalization. Instead, George politicized an investigation of IRS employees who had no political motives. This whole "scandal" was a Republican production from start to finish. And it is finished, except for some Democratic pushback. Back to Benghaaaaaazi!! ...

... Steve Benen has more details. Thanks to Haley S. for the link. ...

... Greg Sargent: "Congressional Democrats have sent a letter to House Republicans formally demanding that they call the author of the now-infamous audit on IRS targeting of conservative groups to come back to the Hill and testify under oath -- where he'll be pressed to explain why the audit failed to detail that progressive groups had also been targeted." Sargent also points out more of George's "misstatements" and "clarifications." ...

... Now This Is an IRS Scandal. Jim McElhatton of the Military Times: "Braulio Castillo broke his foot* in a prep school injury nearly three decades ago at the U.S. Military Preparatory School, which he attended for nine months before playing football in college. He owns a technology business certified as a service-disabled, veteran-owned company eligible for government set aside contracts.... [The hearing excerpted in the video below was part of] a months-long House probe into whether Castillo's company won IRS contracts thanks, in part, to help from a top contracting official and friend inside the IRS named Greg Roseman, who pleaded the Fifth Amendment when called to testify." ...

     ... *CW: According to Rep. Duckworth & other reports, Castillo actually twisted his ankle rather than broke his foot. His firm won IRS contracts, based on his "disability," worth as much as $500 million. Thanks to James S. for the lead:

Martin Finucane & John Ellement of the Boston Globe: "Boston Marathon bombings suspect Dzhokhar A. Tsarnaev faces a 30-count indictment by a federal grand jury that charges him with using weapons of mass destruction and killing four people. The indictment alleges that Tsarnaev, who had been inspired by Al Qaeda publications, left a confession in the boat where he was captured in a Watertown back yard, saying, 'I don't like killing innocent people' but it was justified because of US government actions abroad." ...

... Michael Scherer of Time: "... embedded within the indictment are new details about Tsarnaev's alleged motivations, actions and the planning involved in the attack." Scherer runs down the details.

Michael Isikoff of NBC News: "... the former second ranking officer in the U.S. military is now the target of a Justice Department investigation into a politically sensitive leak of classified information about a covert U.S. cyber attack on Iran's nuclear program. Retired Marine Gen. James 'Hoss' Cartwright, the former vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, has received a target letter informing him that he's under investigation for allegedly leaking information about a massive attack using a computer virus named Stuxnet on Iran's nuclear facilities.... Last year, the New York Times reported that Cartwright ... conceived and ran the cyber operation, called Olympic Games, under Presidents Bush and Obama. According to the front-page story by chief Washington correspondent David Sanger, President Obama ordered the cyber attacks sped up, and in 2010 an attack using the Stuxnet worm temporarily disabled 1,000 centrifuges that the Iranians were using to enrich uranium." With video.

Chris Hayes wonders why government officials are not declaiming against CNN reporter Barbara Starr who reported information of interest to Al Qaeda -- leaked by government officials. Starr's print report is here:

Eun Kyung Kim of NBC News: "The father of Edward Snowden acknowledged Friday that his son broke U.S. law, but maintained that he is not a traitor for releasing classified information about the government's previously secret surveillance programs. Snowden said he has told Attorney General Eric Holder through his lawyer that his son will probably return home if the Justice Department promises not to detain him before a trial nor subject him to a gag order. He also wants his son to select where a trial would take place." With video. ...

... Tom Hamburger & Zachary Goldfarb of the Washington Post: "Federal investigators have told lawmakers they have evidence that USIS, the contractor that screened Edward Snowden for his top-secret clearance, repeatedly misled the government about the thoroughness of its background checks.... The alleged transgressions are so serious that a federal watchdog indicated he plans to recommend that the Office of Personnel Management, which oversees most background checks, end ties with USIS unless it can show it is performing responsibly...." CW: now compare this to honest IRS employees trying to figure out if Tea Party groups were political under the terms of ambiguous Congressional law. Ain't corporatization great?

Ed Beeson of the New Jersey Star-Ledger: "A federal agency has sued former New Jersey Gov. Jon Corzine over his disastrous run as head of MF Global. The Commodity Futures Trading Commission walloped Corzine with charges that he violated his duties as chairman and chief executive officer to properly supervise the futures brokerage, which imploded and left in its wake the unprecedented disappearance of more than $1 billion in customer cash."

Ian Crouch of the New Yorker on accused murderer & (now former) Boston Patriots star Aaron Hernandez & the NFL's culture of violence. "...according to a recent report, twenty-eight N.F.L. players have been charged with crimes since the Super Bowl ended in February."

Local News

Man-splaining. Igor Volsky of Think Progress: "Texas Gov. Rick Perry (R) directly attacked state Sen. Wendy Davis (D) during a speech at the National Right To Life conference on Thursday, arguing that the state senator who filibustered for 13 hours to defeat an omnibus anti-abortion bill should have learned from her own life experiences as a single mother to value 'every life':

Rick Perry's statement is without dignity and tarnishes the high office he holds. They are small words that reflect a dark and negative point of view. Our governor should reflect our Texas values. Sadly, Gov. Perry fails that test. -- Wendy Davis

Rick Perry's remarks are incredibly condescending and insulting to women. This is exactly why the vast majority of Texans believe that politicians shouldn't be involved in a woman's personal health care decisions. Women are perfectly capable of deciding whether to choose adoption, end a pregnancy, or raise a child, and they don't need Rick Perry's help making that decision. -- Planned Parenthood

It really takes some brass for this privileged jackass to not only tell women what they can do with their own bodies but also lecture them on the lessons they should take from their own life experience. -- Digby

... Gail Collins: "Texas is a state with one of the nation's highest teenage motherhood rates, where a majority of women who give birth are poor enough to qualify for Medicaid. So, naturally, its political leaders have declared war against the right of women to choose whether or not they want to be pregnant. Funding for family planning has been slashed. This month, Gov. Rick Perry tried to pass a new law that would have shut down almost all the abortion clinics in the state, under the guise of expanded health and safety requirements. Huge crowds showed up to protest! ...A few years back, Davis told me about an incident during a debate when she had asked a veteran Republican a question about a pending bill. Dodging her query, he said: 'I have trouble hearing women's voices.' I guess they can hear her now." ...

... Stephen Webster of Raw Story: "Gilberto Hinojosa, chairman of the Texas Democratic Party, said he hopes that Sen. Wendy Davis (D), who conducted a 10-hour filibuster against a bill that would close all but five abortion clinics in the state and ban all abortions after 20 weeks, will run for statewide office.... Hinojosa said she would likely win a bid for the governor's office thanks to her marathon filibuster." ...

... Markos Moulitsas: "Davis wants to run for governor, the only question is whether she'll be able to rally a big enough movement to propel her in what would undoubtedly be a tough battle."

News Ledes

New York Times: "A Yemeni detainee who was found dead last year at the military prison at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, committed suicide by taking an overdose of psychiatric medication, according to a military report made public on Friday. The 79-page report found that the detainee, Adnan Farhan Abdul Latif, had hoarded medication prescribed for mental illness and died after ingesting two dozen capsules of a drug known as Invega, confirming a

Boston Globe: "Former New England Patriots player Aaron Hernandez, already facing charges in a murder last week in North Attleborough, is also being investigated in connection with a July 2012 double murder in Boston, according to two law enforcement officials.... The two officials ... said investigators now believe that Odin Lloyd, the man Hernandez is charged with killing in a North Attleborough industrial park June 17, may have had information about Hernandez's role in the slayings of Daniel Abreu and Safiro Furtado."

Reuters: "A senior Vatican cleric suspected of trying to help rich friends bring millions of euros into Italy illegally was arrested on Friday as part of an investigation into the Vatican bank, police sources and his lawyer said. Monsignor Nunzio Scarano, 61, worked as a senior accountant in the Vatican's financial administration and is already involved in another investigation by magistrates in southern Italy.... Also arrested in the investigation were a member of Italy's secret services and a financial broker."