Huffington Magazine Issue 55-56 | Page 8

Enter 2 POINTERS TEXAS ABORTION BILL GOES DOWN A Texas anti-abortion bill that would have shuttered nearly all of the state’s abortion clinics has been defeated for now. State Sen. Wendy Davis (D) filibustered the bill for 11 hours with no breaks, and hundreds of people flooded the Capitol to support her. Although the Senate ultimately voted to pass the bill, it was declared dead following disputes over whether the vote occurred before the midnight deadline. The bill would have banned abortions after 20 weeks of pregnancy, required many clinics to be classified as ambulatory surgical centers, and required doctors to have admitting privileges at a hospital within 30 miles. FROM TOP: AP PHOTO/ERIC GAY; AP PHOTO/VINCENT YU; RODGER BOSCH/AFP/GETTY IMAGES 3 SNOWDEN’S MAJOR REVELATION 4 HUFFINGTON 06.30-07.07.13 Edward Snowden, the man responsible for leaking information about the NSA’s surveillance programs, said in an interview that he took his former contracting job expressly to collect information on the NSA. “My position with Booz Allen Hamilton granted me access to lists of machines all over the world the NSA hacked,” he told the South China Morning Post. “That is why I accepted that position...” Snowden, who has been charged with espionage, fled Hong Kong on Sunday and is believed to be in an airport transit zone in Moscow. CRITICAL CONDITION Former South African leader Nelson Mandela was in critical condition this week after being hospitalized earlier this month for a recurring lung infection. Mandela’s last public appearance was at the 2010 World Cup. The 94-year-old, who helped the country transition from apartheid to democracy after spending 27 years in jail, is revered across the country. “The doctors are doing everything possible to get his condition to improve and are ensuring that Madiba is well-looked after and is comfortable,” President Jacob Zuma said.