Spy spending to drop, and more

Spy spending to drop

U.S. intelligence agencies are bracing for lean times. The U.S. intelligence budget, which is classified, is believed to have doubled over the past decade, to $48 billion a year. But officials say spending on intelligence-gathering is likely to fall, amid soaring deficits and economic woes. “Everyone senses we’re reaching the end of growth for the intelligence budget,” said former CIA official Mark Lowenthal.

Guantánamo visits approved

The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

Join more than 350,000 subscribers and keep yourself informed with a selection of The Week’s most interesting, enlightening and entertaining stories - plus daily puzzles.

Join more than 350,000 subscribers and keep yourself informed with a selection of The Week’s most interesting, enlightening and entertaining stories - plus daily puzzles.

Sign up

A military judge ruled that defense lawyers may visit a secret facility in Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, where top al Qaida suspects are held. Judge Ralph Kohlmann said lawyers could visit the facility to evaluate whether detainees are psychologically fit to stand trial. Among the prisoners are 9/11 mastermind Khalid Shaikh Mohammed and Ramzi Binalshibh, allegedly the liaison between the 9/11 attackers and Osama bin Laden.