Brennan Center for Justice
Michael German is a fellow at the Brennan Center for Justice's Liberty and National Security Program. A former agent with the FBI, where he worked on domestic terrorism, he has also served as policy counsel at the American Civil Liberties Union on national security issues.
The legacy of the Charlottesville protest Should Confederate monuments come down?
Explosion in Domestic Intelligence Gathering The Department of Homeland Security is spending tens of billions of dollars on domestic intelligence and is coordinating with state and local organizations. More than 70 so-called "fusion centers" have been established across the country.
Fighting Terror and Protecting Civil Liberties Some 4000 federal, state and local organizations are battling domestic terrorism, far more than the number of terrorists who've been identified. The FBI is amassing data on US citizens who've never committed a crime. Local agencies monitor anti-war groups and Tea Party meetings. The Department of Homeland Security is spending tens of billions of dollars, more money than it can keep track of, and local agencies and "fusion centers" are happy to snap it up. Is fear breeding over-reaction? Are Constitutional rights at risk? Will the US develop a coherent intelligence strategy or become a police state?
The Trump agenda: where's the beef? President Trump says big things are happening. After celebrating a House bill on health care, he doesn’t yet have Senate agreement. With James Comey’s public testimony scheduled tomorrow, the President today tweeted his selection of a new FBI Director. Is the Chief Executive all style and no substance? Later, terror attacks in Iran and conflicting claims about who’s behind them.
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.