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The Week
Editor-at-Large of The Week, contributing editor at the Atlantic and co-author of Deep State: Inside the Government Secrecy Industry; former White House correspondent for the National Journal
PROFILE
Marc Ambinder
Guest
FROM Marc Ambinder
To the Point
Will the Latest NSA Revelations Lead to Reform? For more than a year, reporters have been poring over the vast trove of National Security Agency files made public by Edward Snowden. Promised reform to protect the privacy of innocent citizens whose records were being swept up is now stalled in Congress. Meantime, revelations keep coming: the latest analysis of files he made public show the NSA spied on well-known public figures and looked at the private communications of American citizens, even though they were not official “targets.”
To the Point
The Trial of Bradley Manning for WikiLeaks Leaks PFC Bradley Manning has pled guilty to releasing 700,000 classified documents, which WikiLeaks then published on the Internet — the largest intelligence breach in American history. At the time, Manning worked in what's called a "Sensitive Compartmented Information Facility" at Forward Operating Base Hammer near Baghdad. He's now facing a court martial on espionage charges at Fort Mead, Maryland. Critics say he betrayed his country. His defenders are framing the case, in part, as a challenge to what they call excessive classification of information the public has a right to know. Is he a whistle-blower or a traitor who deserves life in prison?
Which Way, L.A.?
JSOC and the Killing of Osama bin Laden A photograph from the Obama White House shows the President, Vice President, Secretaries of State and Defense, Chair of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and other aides watching in rapt attention as the raid on Osama bin Laden's hideout takes place. Deputy National Security Advisor John Brennan called it an " anxiety-filled " moment, but it's also a demonstration of state-of-the-art technology used by JSOC, the highly secretive Joint Special Operations Command. We hear about the death of bin Laden, and benefits and the risks of high-tech, high-risk anti-terrorism compared to the long slog of counter-insurgency?.
To the Point
JSOC and the Killing of Osama bin Laden A photograph from the Obama White House shows the President, Vice President, Secretaries of State and Defense, Chair of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and other aides watching in rapt attention as the raid on Osama bin Laden's hideout takes place. Deputy National Security Advisor John Brennan called it an " anxiety-filled " moment, but it's also a demonstration of the state-of-the-art technology used by JSOC, the Joint Special Operations Command. The head of al Qaeda was killed by a team that's part of JSOC, an organization most Americans never heard. It now may become a household word, synonymous with anti-terrorism that's very high-tech and very high-risk. We hear how members are chosen, trained and equipped, and what kinds of missions they're used for. JSOC costs a billion dollars a year, but Congress doesn't ask many questions. What interrogation methods does JSOC use? Should it be more open?
To the Point
Obama Meets with State Governors President Obama warned the nation's Governors' Conference today against making needed savings at the expense of public servants. With half the states suing to overturn his healthcare reform, the President also told the governors they can design alternative plans as long as they meet the goals of the program. Marc Ambinder is the White House correspondent for the National Journal .
To the Point
Obama's Economic Team and Unemployment Unemployment has dropped from 9.8 to 9.4 percent of the American workforce, and President Obama lost no time in seizing the moment, noting that for the first time since 2006, the US has experienced "twelve straight months of private sector job growth." The President also announced his new economic team , led by Gene Sperling, who will replace Summers as head of the National Economic Council. Marc Ambinder is White House reporter for the National Journal .
To the Point
Can Anyone Keep a Secret Any More? WikiLeaks' latest " mega-dump " of information has caused distress and embarrassment worldwide, especially at the US State Department where Secretary of State Clinton says they "allegedly" originated. Publication in five newspapers around the world has only begun, and staffs of reporters and checkers have been assigned to determine what's real and what's not. After shaking up international diplomacy, WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange says upcoming revelations might bring down a major American bank. Can Assange be stopped? Is WikiLeaks destroying the trust crucial to US diplomacy, or do documents leaked so far show State Department officials just doing their jobs? What about Hillary Clinton ordering diplomats to spy on their counterparts? Has WikiLeaks uncovered an unsavory kind of business as usual?
Which Way, L.A.?
GOP, Palin Steep in Tea Party Politics It was a tea party with a lot of angry people, right-wing true believers who've had it with the current political state of affairs. Sarah Palin helped stoke that anger when she spoke to the recent inaugural Tea Party Convention , but will the anger of newly organized Tea partiers translate into real political change? Marc Ambinder is political editor at the Atlantic Monthly, a contributing editor at the National Journal and a consultant for CBS News.
To the Point
GOP, Palin Steep in Tea Party Politics It was a tea party with a lot of angry people, right-wing true believers who've had it with the current political state of affairs. Sarah Palin helped stoke that anger when she spoke to the recent inaugural Tea Party Convention , but will the anger of newly organized Tea partiers translate into real political change? Marc Ambinder is political editor at the Atlantic Monthly, a contributing editor at the National Journal and a consultant for CBS News.
Which Way, L.A.?
Healthcare Reform: Angry Crowds and the 'Public Option' On a Sunday talk show, Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius said the so-called "public option" is " not an essential part " of healthcare reform. That was yesterday, but this is today, with the White House insisting that Sebelius "misspoke" and that the President still thinks it’s the best way to go. Meantime, Blue Dog Democrats are still being challenged by crowds that are clearly riled up about much more than healthcare reform. Is the White House muddling the message? Is it being not just diverted, but intimidated, by the number of protesters and the volume of their voices?
To the Point
Healthcare Reform: Angry Crowds and the 'Public Option' On a Sunday talk show, Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius said the so-called "public option" is " not an essential part " of healthcare reform. That was yesterday, but this is today, with the White House insisting that Sebelius "misspoke" and that the President still thinks it’s the best way to go. Meantime, Blue Dog Democrats are still being challenged by crowds that are clearly riled up about much more than healthcare reform. Is the White House muddling the message? Is it being not just diverted, but intimidated, by the number of protesters and the volume of their voices?
Which Way, L.A.?
As the Conventions End, a State-by-State Battle Begins The Obama-Biden ticket got a bounce in the polls after the Democratic convention and the McCain-Palin ticket got a bigger bounce after the Republican convention. But the latest national polls indicate a virtual tie in the presidential race. Today's Washington Post poll shows Barack Obama holding 47% of the vote to John McCain’s 46%. What do the polls tell us about how the race has changed since the conventions? Why do all the polls come up with different results? How do the poll results influence voters? What polls do the candidates use in deciding how to deploy their resources and chart the course to victory in the Electoral College?
To the Point
As the Conventions End, a State-by-State Battle Begins The Obama-Biden ticket got a bounce in the polls after the Democratic convention and the McCain-Palin ticket got a bigger bounce after the Republican convention . But the latest national polls indicate a virtual tie in the presidential race. Today's Washington Post poll shows Barack Obama holding 47% of the vote to John McCain’s 46%. What do the polls tell us about how the race has changed since the conventions? Why do all the polls come up with different results? How do the poll results influence voters? What polls do the candidates use in deciding how to deploy their resources and chart the course to victory in the Electoral College ?
To the Point
What's Next for McCain and Obama? After Saturday's back-to-back appearances with an evangelical pastor, both presidential candidates are back on the campaign trail. Neither Barack Obama nor John McCain has announced his selection of a vice president. Speculation is rampant. We find out who's hot, who's not and what voters might have learned from Saturday's low-key "conversations."
To the Point
AP Calls Primary for Obama, Clinton Ponders Next Move New reports and pundits are speculating today about what Hillary Clinton will say tonight in her speech from New York after polls close in the final two primary states of South Dakota and Montana. Regardless of whether Barack Obama wins those contests, political analysts say, the focus will be on Clinton. Marc Ambinder is associate editor at The Atlantic, where he writes a daily political blog .
Recommended
To the Point
Who's to blame for the opioid crisis? Some of the lawyers who took on Big Tobacco are now going after Big Pharma. It’s all about the deadly epidemic of opioid use. Are the drug companies to blame? What about the users? Later, on today’s Talking Point: making sense of Britain’s upset election.
To the Point
Janesville and the American Dream Janesville, Wisconsin is the hometown of Republican House Speaker Paul Ryan. But he couldn’t prevent the closing of the General Motors factory after 100 years. On this Memorial Day rebroadcast of To the Point, we hear what’s happened to what once was a model of American middle-class unity.
To the Point
What happens when America retreats from the world? Is President Trump taking his "America First" agenda to extremes, withdrawing the country from the international stage on trade and climate change, distancing America from its traditional allies across the Atlantic and even threatening to physically isolate the country through the building of a wall along its southern border? León Krauze guest hosts.
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?