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Manning Verdict Coming: Reuters: “The verdict in the court-martial of Army Private First Class Bradley Manning, accused of the biggest leak of classified information in U.S. history, will be read on Tuesday, the presiding judge said on Monday. Manning, who is accused of spilling secrets to the WikiLeaks anti-secrecy website, is charged with 21 criminal counts, the most serious of which, aiding the enemy, carries a life sentence. Judge Colonel Denise Lind, who presided over Manning’s court-martial in Fort Meade, Maryland and began deliberations on Friday, said she plans to read the verdict at 1 p.m. on Tuesday.”
A Quick Recap: Los Angeles Times: “During the trial at Ft. Meade, military prosecutors presented what they called a ‘mountain of evidence’ showing that Manning purposely sought out WikiLeaks and its founder, Julian Assange, and gave it secret combat videos, terror detainee assessments, State Department cables and other confidential material. They have described it as the largest breach of U.S. secrets in the nation’s history. Manning’s defense team, however, has maintained he was a whistle-blower who through his work as an intelligence analyst in a unit southeast of Baghdad, Iraq, discovered what he considered government misconduct and wanted to share it with the public. David Coombs, his chief attorney, described him as young, naive and good-intentioned.”
What’s At Stake: Guardian: “The outcome of the trial has huge potential ramifications, not just for Manning personally but for the wider health of investigative journalism in the United States. Leading media experts have warned that a guilty verdict on the most serious charges could send a devastating chill across news outlets by frightening away potential official leakers. The impact of the aggressive prosecution of Manning can already be seen in the actions of Edward Snowden, the NSA leaker, who told the Guardian that he was partly motivated to flee the country having watched the harsh treatment that the US soldier received at the hands of the military.”
Happy Monday! Welcome to the Slatest PM, where we’re rounding up the day’s top stories and wondering where our weekend went. Follow me, your afternoon news guide, on Twitter at @s_brodez and the whole team at @slatest.
The Slatest: Reza Aslan Knew Exactly What He Was Doing on Fox News. That Only Made it More Fun to Watch.
Egypt Tensions Mount: Associated Press: “Egyptian police detained two leaders of a Muslim Brotherhood-allied party in the latest in a wave of arrests of prominent Islamists, while the European Union’s top diplomat held talks Monday with officials in Cairo in an attempt to mediate an end to the country’s crisis, officials said. All eyes are now on the Islamist protest camps where demonstrators have been demanding the restoration of the Morsi presidency, reports CBS News correspondent Clarissa Ward. Egypt’s interior minister said these camps must be dismantled. The question now is not if, but when it will happen. Morsi supporters say they will not leave, they will face down tanks, and they will even give up their lives to demonstrate freely.”
The Slatest: Pope Francis on Gay Priests: “Who Am I to Judge?”
Israel-Palestine Talks Begin Today: Reuters: “U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry called on Monday for Israel and the Palestinians to make ‘reasonable compromises’ for peace as he prepared to preside over their first direct negotiations in nearly three years. ‘It is no secret this is a difficult process. If it were easy, it would have happened a long time ago,’ Kerry said with his newly named envoy for Israeli-Palestinian peace, former U.S. ambassador to Israel Martin Indyk, at his side. ‘It is no secret, therefore, that many difficult choices lie ahead for the negotiators and for the leaders as we seek reasonable compromises on tough, complicated, emotional and symbolic issues,’ Kerry told reporters.”
The Slatest: Mitt Romney Is Still Trying, Failing to Explain Away His “47 Percent” Remarks
Iraq in Turmoil: Associated Press: “A wave of over a dozen car bombings hit central and southern Iraq during morning rush hour on Monday, officials said, killing at least 51 people in the latest coordinated attack by insurgents determined to undermine the government. The blasts, which wounded scores more, are part of a months-long surge of attacks that is reviving fears of a return to the widespread sectarian bloodshed that pushed the country to the brink of civil war after the 2003 U.S.-led invasion. Suicide attacks, car bombings and other violence have killed more than 3,000 people since April, including more than 500 since the start of July, according to an Associated Press count.”
The Slatest: The FBI Rescued More Than 100 Sexually Exploited Teens Last Weekend
Train Crash in Switzerland: USA Today: “More than 40 people were injured after two trains collided head-on outside a station in western Switzerland, numerous media are reporting. Sky News reported that emergency services were on the scene of the crash at Granges-pres-Marnand, about 31 miles southwest of Bern. Police spokesman Jean-Christophe Sauterel said that rescue operations were still under way. The mangled wreckage remained on the tracks.”
The Slatest: Bus Plunges Off Italian Highway, Killing Dozens
Obama and Hillary Lunch at the White House: NBC News: “The two Democrats and former rivals met for lunch Monday in a private dining room at the White House, spawning a frenzy of predictable media speculation about whether they might be putting their heads together about Clinton’s much-rumored 2016 run. White House spokesman Josh Earnest told reporters at a daily briefing that the meal is simply a chance for the two pols to pal around. ‘Over the course of the last four years … Secretary Clinton and the president have developed not just a strong working relationship, but also a genuine friendship,’ he said.”
Building Collapse in Philadelphia: CBS News: “Eight people, including two children, were injured following a row home explosion and collapse in Philadelphia Monday morning. CBS station KYW reports that a helicopter crew saw one row collapsed and two other homes partially collapsed following what witnesses are calling an explosion in a South Philadelphia neighborhood. Investigators say six adults and two children were injured. Seven were taken to Thomas Jefferson University Hospital; one was taken to Hahnemann University Hospital. One of the children was reportedly injured by flying glass.”
A Few More Quick Hits from Slate:
- MoneyBox: What Larry Summers Needs to Do If He Wants to Lead the Federal Reserve
- BrowBeat: Remarkably Frank, Overtly Liberal, Totally Great: ABC Family’s The Fosters
- Bad Astronomy: Another Congressional Attack on Climate Science?
- XX Factor: The Heroic Campaign to Keep Women Off Money Takes to Twitter
- Weigel: Christie, Paul: The Money Party and the Peace Party
That’s all for today. See you back here tomorrow. Until next time, tell your friends to subscribe, or simply forward the newsletter on and let them make up their own minds.
