Cheat Sheet - Recruiting for Big Brother

Today: Obama to Address NSA Reforms , Dianne Feinstein and the Pink Drone, or Was It? , $1.1T Budget Sails Through Senate January 17, 2014 RECRUITING FOR BIG BROTHER 1. How to Get a Job at the World's Biggest Spy Agency Once sold to hackers as the coolest place to work, the NSA is now seen as the enemy, and that means going elsewhere to build an army of digital cat burglars. Now, reports The Daily Beast's Joshua Kepstein, the agency is tapping into academia and industry. Read it at The Daily Beast VICTORY FOR SNOWDEN 2. Obama to Address NSA Reforms President Obama will speak Friday at the Justice Department about reforms in post-9/11 government surveillance practices. Among the changes, reports the New York Times, is a requirement that agencies obtain permission from secret courts before tapping into phone data. Once obtained, the data itself will remain in the hands of the government. The reforms, prompted by the Edward Snowden leaks, are seen as an attempt by Obama to make structural changes in terrorism policies as well as affect his legacy. He is also expected to address proposals to protect foreigners and nominate a public advocate to represent privacy concerns at the secret intelligence court. Read it at The New York Times PRIVATE EYES 3. Dianne Feinstein and the Pink Drone The powerful Democratic senator Dianne Feinstein had Washington rapt with her tale of being spied on by a drone. It turns out the "drone" at her home may have been one of Code Pink's little toy helicopters, spotted when the campaign group visited the senator this summer to protest her description of Edward Snowden as a traitor. The Daily Beast's Abby Haglage talks to Code Pink's thrilled campaign manager who says it's "mission accomplished." Read it at The Daily Beast MONEY MONEY MONEY 4. $1.1T Budget Sails Through Senate This is still going on? A mammoth $1.1 trillion budget funding every agency of the government made it through Congress Thursday evening, passing the Senate 72-26. The bill, which is over 1,500 pages, made it through the House Wednesday with a margin of 359-67. The bill likely means there won't be a government shutdown threat until after the midterms, and was based on a compromise forged by Democratic Senator Patty Murray, and Republican Representative Paul Ryan. Read it at NPR KNOW YOUR ROLE 5. Facebook Takes a Page From Twitter They say imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, but is it? The social networking behemoth Facebook will be adding a trending topics feature to its website in the coming weeks. The rollout will initially only be available in the U.S., U.K., India, Canada, and Australia. The topics people see will be tailored to the user's interests and location, Facebook said. Read it at Facebook OUT OF NOWHERE Uganda Prez Blocks Anti-Gay Law Criticizes the parliamentary speaker. FAREWELL 'Dr. No' Says Yes to Retirement Oklahoma Senator Tom Coburn Steps Down. NOT AGAIN Smoking Is Worse Than You Thought Surgeon General warns of more diseases. FAKE CURRENCY Bitcoin Breaks Into NBA Now accepted by the Sacramento Kings. 16TH IN LINE Zara Phillips Gives Birth To A Baby Girl To Queen's great-granddaughter. GET The Cheat Sheet A speedy, smart summary of news and must-reads from across the Web. You'll love the featured original stories on politics, entertainment, and more from The Daily Beast's diverse group of contributors. GET Culture Beast Weekly cultural recommendations from The Daily Beast. 40 Scripts for an Oscar Classic MGM commissioned 40 scripts for its 1959 classic 'Ben-Hur' before production began. Find out more about the making of this Oscar-winning epic, starring Charlton Heston. More Videos Too Handsome For an Oscar? by Andrew Romano Snapchatting With Senator Rand Paul by Gideon Resnick On Foreign Policy and France, Hold the Swiss by P. J. O'Rourke

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