The Daily Beast’s Best Longreads, Aug 17, 2014

The Most Wanted Man in the WorldBy James Bamford, WiredThe message arrives on my “clean machine,” a MacBook Air loaded only with a sophisticated encryption package. “Change in plans,” my contact says. “Be in the lobby of the Hotel ______ by 1 pm. Bring a book and wait for ES to find you.” ES is Edward Snowden, the most wanted man in the world. For almost nine months, I have been trying to set up an interview with him—traveling to Berlin, Rio de Janeiro twice, and New York multiple times to talk with the handful of his confidants who can arrange a meeting.

You’re 16. You’re a Pedophile. You Don’t Want to Hurt Anyone. What Do You Do Now?By Luke Malone, Medium.comThere’s no helpline for pedophiles who want treatment before they act. So a teen with a terrible secret had to find his own way to save himself and others like him.

How a Squad of Ex-Cops Fights Police AbusesBy Jason Fagone, Mother JonesAllen E. Smith and I are sitting in his black Chevy Avalanche with tinted windows, staring out at a small deli in northwest Fort Lauderdale. It was 1976, Smith tells me. He was 28, an officer in the Fort Lauderdale Police Department working a detail that involved watching certain vulnerable stores for robberies. Sure enough, one night while he was crouching under a tree across the way, a robber overpowered the elderly clerk. Smith caught him coming out the door. The guy had a gun in his waistband. Smith had a shotgun. He pumped it and said, “Freeze!” The guy made like he was reaching for his gun. “So I shot him.”

How Dr. Heimlich Maneuvered Hollywood Into Backing His Dangerous AIDS “Cure"By Seth Abramovitch, The Hollywood ReporterAt the height of the AIDS crisis, the inventor of the famous anti-choking technique claimed HIV could be cured by injecting patients with malaria. New documents reveal how stars like Jack Nicholson and Ron Howard gave thousands to his cause.

Vicky Beeching, Christian rock star ‘I’m gay. God loves me just the way I am’By Patrick Strudwick, The IndependentBeeching’s God-fearing lyrics are sung by millions in America’s Bible Belt. Here, the singer and religious commentator discusses her sexuality for the first time and reflects on the political ramifications of coming out as a lesbian.