Ed Snowden Pardoned, Visits Los Angeles
By the Yes Lab - On Saturday, a capacity crowd at the Los Angeles Convention Center saw Edward Snowden make a surprise in-person public appearance, his first on U.S. soil since receiving a pardon from President Obama last week. The crowd at thebi-partisan event immediately burst into cheers, jumped to their feet, and rushed in to take Snowden's photo. US presidents have pardoned thousands of people accused of or convicted of crimes, often because their actions were deemed to be in the public interest. "Edward Snowden's actions launched an extraordinary global debate and led to the most significant reforms in intelligence oversight in a generation," said Ben Wizner of the ACLU. "He should be thanked, not charged with espionage and locked in a cage."