NEW YORK (AP) — Mel Wymore is a typical city council candidate in many ways, campaigning as a community board appointee, ex-PTA chair and founder of a roster of local organizations. But Wymore's community-leader resume has an unusual feature: He built much of it while he was a woman.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - General Keith Alexander, the director of the U.S. National Security Agency, said on Tuesday that the NSA's data gathering programs had prevented potential terrorist attacks more than 50 times since September 11, 2001. "In recent years these programs, together with other intelligence, have protected the U.S. and our allies from terrorist threats across the globe to include helping prevent ... potential terrorist events over 50 times since 9/11," he said in testimony to the U.S. House of Representatives intelligence committee. ...

The following list represents the top streamed tracks on Spotify from Monday, June 10, to Sunday, June 16:

BOSTON (AP) — Former hitman John Martorano has described more killings as he testifies for a second day in the racketeering trial of James "Whitey" Bulger in Boston.

ENNISKILLEN, Northern Ireland (AP) — World leaders including the U.S. and Russia declared Tuesday they are united in wanting a negotiated and peaceful end to the Syrian civil war that will produce a government "under a top leadership that inspires public confidence."

WASHINGTON (AP) — The director of the National Security Agency insisted on Tuesday that the government's sweeping surveillance programs have foiled some 50 terrorist plots worldwide in a forceful defense echoed by the leaders of the House Intelligence Committee.

SANFORD, Fla. (AP) — A voice recognition researcher for George Zimmerman is discounting the methods of prosecution experts who claim that screams captured on a 911 call belong to 17-year-old Trayvon Martin and not to the ex-neighborhood watch volunteer.

OGDEN, Utah (AP) — It was a quiet part of the Father's Day Mass as about 300 people stood up in preparation for communion. A parishioner, known by many at the church as Ricky Jennings, entered through the glass doors in back, holding his wife Cheryl's hand.

ENNISKILLEN, Northern Ireland (AP) — The leaders of major industrial nations including the U.S. and Russia say they are united in wanting a negotiated and peaceful end to the Syrian civil war that will produce a government "under a top leadership that inspires public confidence."

WASHINGTON (AP) — The leaders of the House Intelligence Committee are vigorously defending the government's sweeping electronic surveillance programs.

ENNISKILLEN, Northern Ireland (AP) — World leaders at the G-8 summit declared Tuesday that governments must work together to close loopholes that allow multinational corporate giants to avoid paying taxes in their home countries.

OAKLAND TOWNSHIP, Mich. (AP) — The FBI saw enough merit in a reputed Mafia captain's tip to once again break out the digging equipment to search for the remains of former Teamsters union leader Jimmy Hoffa, last seen alive before a lunch meeting with two mobsters nearly 40 years ago.