Drones Provide an Eye in the Sky, but Who's Watching Them?

Making News

After Romney's Haul, Obama Steps Up Fundraising Efforts ()

For the second month in a row, President Obama's campaign has raised less money than Mitt Romney's, and the President's attacks on Wall Street and Romney's wealth aren't helping him raise big money. Ken Vogel is chief investigative reporter for Politico.

Guests:

• Ken Vogel: Politico.com, @kenvogel

Main Topic

Is America Ready for Unmanned Drones? ()

The Obama Administration has made unmanned, remotely-controlled drones famous — or infamous -- for the targeted killings of enemies overseas. Predators and Reapers are able to carry missiles and 500-pound bombs. The new Switchblade weighs six pounds all by itself, fits into a rucksack, and can take out a rooftop sniper without destroying the building he stands on. In the next few years, the FAA says, tens of thousands of drones -- some small enough to fly inside buildings -- will be flying within the borders of the US. In the meantime, the $6 billion drone industry has developed a voluntary Code of Conduct. What will they be used for? Should law enforcement install weapons on board?  Will surveillance violate privacy rights? What about sharing air space with airplanes big and small?  We look at the benefits and the risks of a $6 billion industry that's just beginning to grow.

Guests:

• Bill Hennigan: Los Angeles Times, @wjhenn
• Peter Singer: Brookings Institution, @peterwsinger
• Catherine Crump: American Civil Liberties Union, @CatherineNCrump
• Steve Gitlin: AeroVironment, @aerovironment

Links:

• Preserving Freedom from Unwarranted Surveillance Act of 2012 (SB 3287)
• First Street Research
• Hennigan on drone industry adopting voluntary guidelines for flying over US airspace
• Singer's 'Wired for War: The Robotics Revolution and Conflict in the 21st Century'
• ACLU on need for privacy guidelines for domestic drone use
• AeroVironment on the unmanned aircraft systems

Reporter's Notebook

Congolese Warlord Thomas Lubanga Sentenced by the ICC ()

Ten years after its founding, the International Criminal Court at The Hague has sentenced its first defendant. Like all those now facing trial, he's from Africa. Congolese warlord Thomas Lubanga has been sentenced to 14 years in prison for recruiting and using child soldiers in his rebel army in 2002 and 2003. But can the court do its job without more support from major nations, including Russia, China, India and the United States? Paul Seils, who worked in the Prosecutor's Office of the International Criminal Court and took part in putting together the case against Lubanga, is now Vice President of the International Center for Transitional Justice.

Guests:

• Paul Seils: International Center for Transitional Justice, @theictj