“The involvement of health professionals in the Bush-era interrogation program was significant because it enabled the Justice Department to argue in secret opinions that the program was legal and did not constitute torture.” The NYT’s James Risen on how the American Psychological Association bolstered the post 9-11 torture program. (If the water boarding doesn’t get them to break, then maybe a $300 bill for 50 minutes will.)

+ The Intercept: The life and death of an Al Qaeda spokesman. “One of the pictures he sent me showed him with long hair, dressed in a blue T-shirt with the words ‘Men gone surfing’ printed across it.”