News Summary: NSA whistleblowers on Verizon order
News Summary: NSA whistleblowers say agency casts wide net, Verizon order is part of 'routine'
An aerial view of the NSA's Utah Data Center in Bluffdale, Utah, Thursday, June 6, 2013. The government is secretly collecting the telephone records of millions of U.S. customers of Verizon under a top-secret court order, according to the chairwoman of the Senate Intelligence Committee. The Obama administration is defending the National Security Agency's need to collect such records, but critics are calling it a huge over-reach. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer)
SHEDDING LIGHT: Former National Security Agency employees say the publishing of a court order asking Verizon to hand over phone calling records opens a new window on an operation that has been in place for years and involves all major U.S. phone companies.
NO SURPRISE: Thomas Drake, an NSA whistleblower, says these orders are routine, but "what's new is we're seeing an actual order, and people are surprised by it."
EXPERT'S TAKE: James Bamford, author of several books on the NSA, says it's surprising to see that the agency tracks domestic calls, including local calls.
