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independent journalist
Independent journalist writing about national security and civil liberties for the website Expose Facts, as well as for Foreign Policy, the Guardian and Salon
PROFILE
Marcy Wheeler
Guest
FROM Marcy Wheeler
To the Point
Preview of CIA Whistleblower Trial For seven years, Attorney General Eric Holder has been trying to force New York Times reporter James Risen to reveal what he learned from CIA officer Jeffrey Sterling. Next week, Sterling will go on trial for leaking classified information that he revealed government secrets to James Risen for the book, State of War , which was published nine years ago — but Risen still isn't talking. Sterling says he's being selectively prosecuted for things other CIA agents have also done. Marcy Wheeler, who writes about national security and civil liberties for Foreign Policy, the Guardian, and the website Expose Facts.com , has the details.
To the Point
CIA Torture: Partisanship — and Accountability Last week, Democrats on the Senate Intelligence Committee released a 400-page report on what they called CIA "torture" of imprisoned suspects in the aftermath of September 11. Yesterday on NBC's Meet the Press, former Vice President Dick Cheney defended the program . "We got the authorization from the president and authorization from the Justice Department to go forward with the program. It worked. It worked now for 13 years. We've avoided another mass casualty attack against the United States and we did capture Bin Laden and we did capture an awful lot of the senior guys of Al Qaeda who were responsible for that attack on 9/11. I'd do it again in a minute." One-time POW John McCain is one of few Republicans to agree with Senate Democrats that American values were endangered along with national security. "There were violations of the Geneva conventions for the treatment of prisoners, there were violations of the convention against torture which Ronald Reagan was a primary signatory of, and I think in retrospect some of these practices fly in the face of everything America values and stands for." Former CIA insiders blame inexperienced agents and outside contractors, along with orders from Washington to "get tough" with prisoners. What are the prospects for accountability 13 years later?
Recommended
To the Point
What is Trump's plan for Middle East peace? On his first foreign tour, President Trump has promised "peace" between Israel and the Palestinians. Are there any details for re-starting talks that have been stalled for the past three years?
To the Point
Human Rights in the era of Donald Trump President Trump’s UN Ambassador, Nikki Haley, said today the US might pull out of the United Nations’ Human Rights Council. Serious violators of human rights are members of the Council itself–and a US resignation could make things worse. Later on today’s show, now that he’s into his second term, comedian turned US Senator Al Franken is telling jokes again.
Left, Right & Center
How was the trip? President Trump's travels got less fun as he went from the Middle East to Europe.
To the Point
Trump's 'America First' goes missing abroad In the Middle East, President Trump is changing some policies of the Obama Administration—and reversing his own campaign attacks on Islam as a religion that "hates us." We hear about his visit to Saudi Arabia and what's at stake for the rest of his foreign excursion.