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world lead
Murdoch's empire under fire
Two former editors of media mogul Rupert Murdoch's now defunct British tabloid "News of the World" are on
trial for conspiring to illegally hack into the voicemail inboxes of politicians, celebrities, and even crime victims.
Former editor Rebekah Brooks and David Cameron's former director of communications Andy Coulson, along with six other defendants, deny the allegations. The London trial could have repercussions here in the United States.
Murdoch "has the sprawling media empire that goes across borders and across the globe. In the UK, the two tabloid editors on trial, one went on to be the CEO of his publishing arm, the other to be the chief P.R. official for prime minister David Cameron," said NPR correspondent David Folkenflik, author of "Murdoch's World: The Last of the Old Media Empires"
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politics lead
Analysis: Obama should have known about NSA programs
The White House and Congress are reviewing U.S. intelligence efforts to spy on world leaders, after questions were raised about the extent the president and the congressional community with oversight over intelligence were aware of the efforts.
President Barack Obama did not learn until recently of the National Security Agency surveillance of other world leaders, including allies, a senior administration official said Monday. But other officials said the existence of the program targeting world leaders was something the president, or at least his White House staff, was aware of.
"I'm glad that he knew about the framework of these programs, especially because many Americans are concerned that these programs might be going too far," said CNN political commentator and Democratic strategist Donna Brazile.
"On one hand, it's very useful to have this intelligence, I'm sure. On the other hand, we're concerned about our privacy. So I'm glad the NSA is not on autopilot, that somebody is watching the watchers," said Brazile.
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national lead
Texas abortion restrictions overturned
Some of the strictest abortion restrictions in the country have been tossed out just one day before they were supposed to take effect in Texas.
A federal judge ruled that parts of the new Texas law are unconstitutional because they would make getting an abortion in the state nearly impossible. Under the law, doctors would need admitting privileges at a hospital within 30 miles of any abortion clinic, and they would have to follow strict rules for pill-induced medical abortions.
The law inspired a nearly 13-hour filibuster by State Senator Wendy Davis, who is now running for governor, and prompted a protest of screams when lawmakers tried to vote back in June.
Planned Parenthood and abortion providers in the state challenged the law, but the attorney general called it necessary to protect women, and protect the life of a fetus.
"The Supreme Court has said about abortion that a law cannot be an undue burden on the rights of women," said senior legal analyst Jeffrey Toobin.
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national lead
How many times has Dick Cheney cheated death?
By CNN Chief Washington Correspondent Jake Tapper and Sherisse Pham
By his count, former Vice President Dick Cheney has cheated death at least three times – if you start after the fifth heart attack.
In December of 2009, the year after he left the White House, Cheney went into sudden cardiac arrest – which is normally fatal – while backing his car out of a garage. Cheney had an implanted defibrillator at the time, which kicked him back to life in 16 seconds.
In July 2010, he was in end-stage heart failure, his liver and kidneys shutting down. His heart was not providing enough blood for the rest of his body to survive.
He underwent a nine-hour surgery where doctors installed a left ventricle assist device (LVAD), a pump that attached to his heart and supplemented the blood flow throughout the rest of his body.
During that procedure, Cheney writes about what he experienced in his new book “Heart: An American Medical Odyssey.”
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