The U.S. says it is considering whether it should be spying on leaders of American allies after reports of surveillance that government officials say President Barack Obama was not aware of until a few months ago, even though it dates to 2002.
Influential American rock musician Lou Reed, the widely acknowledged poet laureate of the dark, hard-edged genre known as punk rock, has died in New York.
Leaders of the European Union's 28 nations will meet in Brussels on Thursday as controversy swirls over allegations the U.S. National Security Agency monitored the cell phone calls of German Chancellor Angela Merkel.
A White House national security official was fired for anonymously tweeting harsh criticism of the Obama administration and others.