From government eavesdropping on private citizens to revelatory details about Russian interference in the 2016 election to Washington’s draconian efforts to track and punish whistleblowers and journalists, surveillance and spying have been recurring themes this year. Influence-peddling has been rampant, with Saudi Arabia and its Gulf allies cozying up to the Trump administration in exchange for insider information, freedom to silence dissidents, and crucial assistance for their brutal war in Yemen. The U.S. government, meanwhile, has been up to its old tricks, honoring war criminals and promoting a notorious overseer of torture to lead the CIA, while pursuing Muslims at home and harming civilians in distant conflict zones.
Photo Illustration: The Intercept
As I took the stand, I thought about how much press freedom had been lost and how drastically national security reporting had changed in the post-9/11 era.
By James Risen
Photo: Steven Day
These fortress-like AT&T buildings are central to a secret NSA program that has monitored billions of communications, documents and sources reveal.
By Ryan Gallagher, Henrik Moltke
Illustration: Oivind Hovland/Getty Images
The indictment has a surprising amount of technical information and presents the most detailed and plausible picture of the Russian cyberattacks so far.
By Micah Lee
Photo: The White House/flickr
Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman told confidants that Kushner discussed the names of royal family members opposed to his power grab.
By Alex Emmons, Ryan Grim, Clayton Swisher
Photo: Saul Loeb/AFP/Getty Images
The plan involved Saudi ground troops crossing the land border into Qatar, and, with military support from the UAE, seizing control of Doha.
By Alex Emmons
Photo: Naif Rahma/Reuters
Members of the Saudi-led coalition are ignoring their own procedures aimed at minimizing civilian casualties in Yemen, a U.S. intelligence report says.
By Iona Craig, Shuaib Almosawa
Photo: Bandar Algaloud/Getty Images
Mohammed bin Salman was celebrated by Silicon Valley and Hollywood titans during his U.S. visit. They ignored his role in the slaughter in Yemen.
By Mehdi Hasan
Photo: U.S. Navy
The Medal of Honor will be awarded to Britt Slabinski, who was banned from SEAL Team 6 for alleged war crimes.
By Matthew Cole
Photo: Ramzi Haidar/AFP/Getty Images
To understand Iraq’s current reality, we must confront not just 15 years of U.S. policy, but a history that spans the administrations of 11 U.S. presidents.
By Jeremy Scahill
Photo: Debi Cornwall
The lawyer-turned-photographer shows life on the periphery of the prison camp — and the former detainees who carry its scars with them.
By Siddhartha Mitter
Image: Janet Hamlin/AP
A doctor and Naval reserve officer who examined a high-profile prisoner tortured under Haspel’s supervision urged the Senate to oppose her nomination as CIA director.
By Jeremy Scahill
Illustration: Hanna Barczyk
Winner is accused of leaking a classified NSA document that helped alert Americans to Russian hacking attacks against the U.S. voting system.
By Peter Maass
Photo: May Jeong
Aisha lost her mother, father, and little brother when a drone attacked their truck. Twelve days later, she left Afghanistan in the care of a mysterious NGO.
By May Jeong
Photo: Joey Roulette/Reuters
The rarest of events has occurred: Justice is served in a terrorism case involving a Muslim defendant.
By Glenn Greenwald
Photo: Pearl Gabel/ Reuters
The prosecution of Ahmad Sheikhzadeh suggests his real crime was not picking a side.
By Johnny Dwyer
Photo: Facebook
Rahe Clancy thought the NSA had become too corporate. So he wrote an agitated series of missives — for the agency.
By Peter Maass