Midday Roundup: Ecuador seeks U.S. position on Snowden, in writing

Please file in triplicate? The Ecuadorian government says it would “responsibly” review the U.S. government’s position on Edward Snowden, the former National Security Agency contractor who leaked details of the U.S. government surveillance programs. But it must be a written request. Snowden is seeking asylum in the South American country. “The legal basis for each individual case must be rigorously established, in accordance with our national Constitution and the applicable national and international legal framework. This legal process takes human rights obligations into consideration as well,” a statement from the Ecuadorian Embassy in Washington said. Snowden reportedly remains in hiding at a Moscow airport.

NFL player arrested. New England Patriots tight end Aaron Hernandez has been arrested in connection to the death of a man whose body was found near the player’s house. The Patriots promptly released him. “Words cannot express the disappointment we feel knowing that one of our players was arrested as a result of this investigation,” the team said in a statement. No charges have been publicly announced, but Hernandez will be arraigned later today. UPDATE (4:15 p.m.): Hernandez has been charged with murder.

Democrats hold Kerry seat. Democrat Edward Markey, who has served 37 years in the U.S. House of Representatives, easily defeated Republican newcomer Gabriel Gomez in a special election in Massachusetts yesterday to replace John Kerry in the U.S. Senate. Kerry stepped down after being named secretary of state. The final margin of victory was 55 percent to 45 percent, a much different outcome than the last Senate special election there, when Republican Scott Brown won in the heavily Democratic state in 2010.

Zimmerman trial update: The judge in the George Zimmerman trial in Florida has ruled that calls Zimmerman made to police in the months before he shot Trayvon Martin can be used as evidence in the murder trial. Defense attorneys objected to their use, saying they were irrelevant. A prosecutor said the calls would give the jury context in Zimmerman’s “building level of frustration [he] had” prior to the shooting.