Brown University
Senior fellow at Brown University's Watson Institute for International Studies; former Director of Privacy and Civil Liberties for Obama's National Security staff and First Deputy for Civil Liberties for the Director of National Intelligence under George W. Bush; former National Security Counsel for the American Civil Liberties Union
Secrecy versus the right to privacy in a dangerous world While Edward Snowden's in exile in Moscow, debate is raging: should President Obama grant him a pardon? Human rights groups, bolstered by Oliver Stone's latest movie , say Snowden performed public service by revealing the excesses of government spying.
Cracking the Code on Terror Since the Charlie Hebdo murders 10 months ago, France has been on high alert against possible terror. Authorities knew that attacks on Paris were being planned, but could not prevent the killing of 129 people, the wounding of many more — and the growing uncertainty about what to expect in the future.
Definitely not talking about Julian Assange Fine, maybe we talk about him a little. Plus, Paul Manafort’s flawed redacting, and we still don’t know much about the secret foreign company subpoenaed by the federal prosecutor who could be the special counsel.
Politics, the World Order and Donald Trump’s New Year Newly divided government could mean change in this new year… or not. House Democrats don’t always stick together--and presidential campaigns could get in the way. The GOP might not heed Mitt Romney’s call for respectability. Meantime, will America’s allies unify to sustain world order without America’s leadership?
National Security: An Adult in the Room America’s mainstream media are obsessed with President Trump’s off-hand policymaking in military and foreign affairs. But his mistakes don’t justify the unquestioned authority given the Pentagon, the CIA and the FBI. William Arkin is quitting NBC News with a scathing assessment. He says the national security state has created a condition of “perpetual war” without making America safer--and that the media are failing to report it. L ater on our Climate Change Update segment: how the government shutdown is hurting American science.