A.M. Links: Republicans Hopeful About Winning Senate, Snowden Reportedly Used “Web Crawler” Software to Scrape NSA Data, Danish Zoo Kills Healthy Giraffe

Republican donors are becoming more
optimistic about their party’s chances of taking the Senate in
November.
Edward Snowden reportedly used
inexpensive and widely available “web crawler” software to
easily extract data from the NSA, a federal agency whose tasks
include protecting intelligence-related computer systems.
Two Los Angeles sheriff’s deputies were
indicted for an alleged jail beating based in part on a
complaint by a prison chaplain.
Missouri defensive
lineman Michael Sam, who is expected to be drafted into the
NFL, told multiple media outlets this weekend that he had come out
as gay to his teammates last year.
Filmmakers may have to rely on a CGI Phillip Seymour Hoffman to

finish the last installment of the Hunger Games
trilogy.
The Copenhagen Zoo
dismembered a healthy giraffe in front of an audience that
included children and fed it to lions. Zoo officials said the
killing made room for more genetically valuable giraffes.