Revelations of massive government collections of Americans’ phone and email records have reinvigorated an odd-couple political alliance of the far left and right.

Lawmakers voiced their confusion and concern, and some called for the end of sweeping surveillance programs by U.S. spy agencies after receiving an unusual briefing on the government’s yearslong collection of phone records and Internet usage.

Backers of far-reaching immigration legislation are turning their attention to courting support and counting votes after the Senate pushed the contentious bill over early procedural hurdles.

The man who gave classified documents to reporters, making public two sweeping U.S. surveillance programs and touching off a national debate on privacy versus security, has revealed his own identity. He risked decades in jail for the disclosures – if the U.S. can extradite him from Hong Kong where he says he has taken refuge.

The employer of a 29-year-old man who says he is behind the leaks of sensitive National Security Agency programs is calling the disclosure “shocking” and is pledging to work with authorities.

President Barack Obama and Gov. Chris Christie, the odd couple of politics, are finding common cause again.

A Democratic campaign office here usually would be quiet this time of year, a few weeks after the state’s legislature wrapped up work and lawmakers headed off to summer vacations.

The Obama administration kills four U.S. citizens in counterterrorism drone strikes overseas. It helps pay for the New York Police Department’s controversial surveillance program against Muslim Americans. It says a journalist seeking national security information may have been a criminal “co-conspirator.”

Forecasting the changing nature of threats against the U.S. for years to come, President Barack Obama says “America is at a crossroads.” And so, too, is his presidency’s counterterrorism policy, which has long struggled to balance protecting the nation from terror attacks while upholding Americans’ rights.

The Internal Revenue Service official who led the unit that targeted tea party groups and publicly disclosed the activity has been replaced, making her the third top IRS official moved aside since the episode was revealed two weeks ago.