Snowden Nominated for Nobel Peace Prize

It's a safe bet that Nobel peace laureate Barack Obama will not be rooting for this particular fellow American to join him in the winners' circle. Two Norwegian politicians today formally nominated Edward Snowden for the honor, reports Bloomberg. The members of parliament acknowledged that Snowden's NSA leaks probably "damaged the security interests of several nations in the short term," but they say the public debate and subsequent policy changes will lead to a better world, reports Reuters.

"His actions have in effect led to the reintroduction of trust and transparency as a leading principle in global security policies," they say in a joint statement. (The head of the prize committee has voiced a similar sentiment previously.) Meanwhile, US intelligence chief James Clapper testified on Capitol Hill today and urged Snowden and "his accomplices" to turn over the rest of their information instead of publishing it. Terrorists are "going to school" on the what's already out there," said Clapper, reports CNN. As for the peace prize, the Nobel committee will stop collecting nominations on Feb. 1, finalize its list on March 4, and announce a winner on Oct. 10. (Click to read how Snowden thinks the US government wants him dead.)