Thomas Gaist: Edward Snowden's father Lon and attorney Bruce Fein discuss Snowden's next moves in Russia. - In an interview Sunday on ABC News’ “This Week” program, Lon Snowden, the father of National Security Agency (NSA) whistle-blower Edward Snowden, and his lawyer, Bruce Fein, strongly defended the younger Snowden’s actions and criticized President Obama and the congressional leadership. Snowden and Fein said they were not open to a plea deal. “The only deal will be true justice,” Snowden said.

Russia Today: Saudi prince defects: 'Brutality, oppression as govt scared of Arab revolts' (EXCLUSIVE) ■ Saudi Arabia, a major supporter of opposition forces in Syria, has increased crackdown on its own dissenters, with 30,000 activists reportedly in jail. In an exclusive interview to RT a Saudi prince defector explained what the monarchy fears most. ■ “Saudi Arabia has stepped up arrests and trials of peaceful dissidents, and responded with force to demonstrations by citizens,” Human Rights Watch begins the country’s profile on its website.■ Political parties are banned in Saudi Arabia and human rights groups willing to function legally have to go no further than investigating things like corruption or inadequate services. Campaigning for political freedoms is outlawed. One of such groups, which failed to get its license from the government, the Saudi Civil and Political Rights Association (ACPRA), was cited by AFP as saying the kingdom was holding around 30,000 political prisoners. Saudi Prince Khaled Bin Farhan Al-Saud, who spoke to RT from Dusseldorf, Germany, confirmed reports of increased prosecution of anti-government activists and said that it’s exactly what forced him to defect from his family. He accused the monarchy of corruption and silencing all voices of dissent and explained how the Saudi mechanism for suppression functioned.

● I knew that Obama wasn't going to reduce the NSA spying in any way shape or form - it is now too bound up with the entire American political and economic system, not to mention the wealth and position of the 1% - but what surprises me is the sheer artlessness in his attempt to disguise the fact he is not doing anything. The 1% can usually count on a certain quality of bullshit from Barry, but on this file it appears to be all he can do from screaming at anyone who even slightly questions what is going on (and Snowden obviously drives him completely out of his mind). The condescension, always near the surface when he deigns to speak on any subject, fairly bubbles over. What happened to that silver-tongued devil? ● If you wade through the crap, you will see that his big solution to the problem is to add, 'in appropriate cases', some sort of 'civil liberties advocate' to present the opposing case to the rubber stamp to the FISA court, just before the rubber stamp comes down (and remember this is a 'court' which the NSA doesn't even feel compelled to visit for a rubber stamp most of the time). It is ludicrous, and insulting to the American people. Even more insulting is his assertion that he was working on this before anyone had heard of Snowden (in secret, naturally, and his statement that he was working on it is obviously a bare-faced lie), and Snowden's revelations just buggered up what would have been his most excellent solution. ● Obama's inability to deal with this - and I must ask if he is being blackmailed by the NSA - is going to define his failed Presidency.