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Vice News
Investigative reporter for Vice News
PROFILE
Jason Leopold
Guest
FROM Jason Leopold
To the Point
15 Guantánamo detainees released President Obama promised to close the detention facility at Guantánamo Bay, and the population is dwindling down. Last night the Pentagon announced the largest release so far: 12 Yeminis and three Afghans were transferred to the United Arab Emirates. Jason Leopold, investigative reporter for Vice News , has more on the detainees and the release decision.
Scheer Intelligence
Jason Leopold and the Power of FOIA Robert Scheer sits down with journalist Jason Leopold to discuss how he has used the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) again and again to obtain previously undisclosed government documents.
To the Point
Guantánamo Bay: The Unmet Promise Since 2002, the "detention center" at Guantánamo Bay in Cuba has held almost 800 prisoners. When he got to the White House in 2009, President Obama said closing Guantánamo was his first order of business. Last week, five men of Yemeni descent were released, but 122 inmates are still there. The prison population is down to 122 -- with President Obama still trying to shut it down. John McCain -- the former POW -- once advocated closing the prison, but now he's joined other Republican Senators to oppose more releases any time soon. Meantime, a book by an inmate has generated claims that Guantánamo was a "laboratory for torture" of people held without charges. Will the President's first order of business be accomplished before he leaves office?
To the Point
Black Sites and Dark Days for the CIA In the first years after 911, the CIA allowed the torture of detainees and lied to the Bush Administration and Congress about the intelligence it produced. That's according to a massive 6,000-page report of the CIA's so-called “enhanced interrogation program” released today by the Senate Intelligence Committee, chaired by California Democrat, Dianne Feinstein. Congress is divided over the content and the impact of today's release. While some Republicans claim torture of prisoners “saved American lives,” others warn today's report will produce a backlash overseas.
Press Play with Madeleine Brand
Ferguson Police Email Investigation A grand jury in Ferguson, Missouri, has not announced yet whether the officer who shot Michael Brown will be criminally charged. The city is braced for demonstrations if officer Darren Wilson doesn’t stand trial. Meanwhile, reporters have been filing Freedom of Information requests to see emails between police and city officials in the days following the shooting. But Ferguson police have only produced seven emails. We hear from one reporter who says that’s suspiciously low.
Recommended
To the Point
Will the Senate write a healthcare bill in secret? While Democrats and Republicans argue White House relations with Russia, another question is being decided behind closed doors: who gets help buying health insurance and who doesn't? We hear how the pros and cons are being shrouded in secrecy.
To the Point
Ex-FBI Director Comey tells his side of the story Today, former FBI Director James Comey came close to calling the President who fired him a liar. The White House denied the claim and called it insulting, but Republican Senators did not challenge Comey’s truthfulness. Many questions remain: did the President try to obstruct a federal investigation? Later, we’ll go behind the “velvet rope” for a look at 5-Star health care for the richest Americans.
To the Point
Replacing Obamacare: Now you see it… now you don’t As the Senate deliberates replacing Obmacare, health coverage for millions of people is at stake. There've been no public hearings, and a draft measure won't be made public. Is the House version so unpopular that that Senate is hiding a version that looks much the same?
To the Point
Is the threat from Russia missing from the Russia meddling probe? There's much being made about the Trump administration's possible ties with Russia. But the bottom line is Russia's effort to influence American democracy. Do the President and his aides care enough to take action before voters go back to the polls?