never have to use. that's it for "the lead." i'm jake tapper. i turn you over to jim acosta who's filling in for wolf blitzer. jimacosta away. >> thanks, jake. intelligence says government surveillance has foiled more than 50 plots. i'll ask senator rand paul if he's buying it. authorities want you to help solve an unsolved crime of a bombing in times square. and mod irp-day slavery in ohio. federal prosecutors say the spts used beatings, dogs, and snakes against a mentally disabled woman and her child. wolf blitzer is off today. i'm jim acosta, and you're in the situation room. . facing public outrage over massic government surveillance, the nsa and other security

agencies took their case to the public telling a rare open door congressional hearing that those programs have helped foil more than 50 terror plots. then those officials took the unusual step of detailing those handful of threats. our correspondent dana bash is up on capitol hill. she has the details. hi there, there, dana. >> hi, jim. the goal of the hearing was to try to de mismystify the heariny giving more detail to the public than ever before, but even those on the panel who are mostly supportive have some skeptics. a plot to blow up the new york stock exchange was disrupted. the planes arrest and convicted thanks in part to a secret program monitoring internet activity abroad. that's one of two new terror plots top intelligence officials declassified in the hopes of convincing americans unprecedented government surveillance is work it. >> these programs are critical

to the intelligence community's ability to protect our nation and our allies' security. they assist the intelligence community efforts to connect the dots. it usually meets in private. especially when top intelligence officials testify. it speaks volumes about how newly reported systems are to the community and to lawmakers who oversee it all, trying to calm their constituents' concerns. >> does the nsa have the ability to listen to americans' phone calls or read these e-mails unthese two programs? >> no, we do not have that authority. >> does the technology assist at the nsa to flip the switch by some analyst to listen to americans' phone calls or read their e-mails? >> no. >> in pain staininging detail, they provided safeguards to preserve civil liberties while tracking millions of phone records, dates, and lengths of

calls. >> if you look for needles in a hay steak, you have to get the haystack first, and that's why we have the ability under the court order to acquire. and the key word here is acquire all of that data. we don't get to use all of that data necessarily. >> to really reassure the public, the bipartisan committee heads wanted to declassify many more terror plots they helped foil but couldn't. >> if we give all those out, we're giving out all the secrets we're tracking down. and we can't do that. too much is at risk for us and our allies. >> all they got was a new number. >> over 50 times since 9/11. so just a little over ten. we're a domestic -- head a domestic nexus. >> still proof of that, they say, is classified. and the nsa director admitted most alemged terror plots were foreign internet surveillance, now but wha many americans and

some lawmakers were concerned with, collecting phone records. >> in the verizon disclosures which quite frankly trouble me. they trouble me because of the breadth and the scope of the information collection. if a capability exists from time to time, it will be abused. >> now, intelligence officials are going to return here to the capital tomorrow in order to give lawmakers more details about those 50-plus terror plots they say were foiled at least in part by some of the secret programs, but because some of that information is mostly classified, it will not be in public which does not help the lawmakers in their request to reashurp their constituents are valid and that they should be in place. >> dana, we know you'll be on top of it. sthafrpg you very much. yahoo said it seens between 12,000 and 13,000 requests for user data from law enforcement agent is in the last six months.

yahoo! indicates they've had more than facebook, microsoft, or apple. they say they cannot break out the numbers of intelligence requests because they are classified. meanwhile investigators in new york are asking for the public's hello to solve a bombing in the heart of new york city. the case has gone cold but there are new clues to share. cnn's mary snow has the latest. >> they say the bomber may not have acted alone. that there may have been as many as five people acting as lookouts. a new push if there in an unsolved case of a serial bomber in new york city. the fbi is hoping a surveillance video and a f $5,000 reward will nab the person responsible for setting off a bomb in 2008 outside a recruit station in new york city square. authorities also believe it

could be linked to similar incidents, one in 2005 at the british consulate and another in 2007 at the mexican kol sul lat. in the times square case, the device was set off in the middle of this night, but no one was in injured. what is known is someone was seen riding on a bicycle before it was detonated. how powerful was that device? >> it was, according to our forensics people and our explosive experts, it was powerful and we're very concerned about a device like that going off in new york. >> reporter: the fbi said the device was used building an ammunition can, bylaw powder, and a time fuse. bomb technicians say the times square bomb was stronger than that that went off in the boston marathon but unlike. after the recruitment scepter was targeted. a possible motive emerged as

billion military relate. but matthew upon till lowe said that's just one theory. >> that is a very, very common device. they're available in hardware stores. it's essentially a steel box. it may have just been something that was available to the person. but we really don't know for certain. >> the fbi is looking to the public for help. it's a tactic the agency used for other cases including whitey bulger. when a tip led to bulger's arrest after being on the lam for decades. now the fbi is turning to social media putting up hash tags and billboards hoping someone will come forward some of why is the fbi making this push now. the agency says when the five-year anniversary of this small bombing came up in this unsolved case, it decided to appeal to public. jim? >> thank you very much. major milestone for the long and bloody war in afghanistan

handed over responsibility to security for afghan forces and peace talks with the taliban are now in the works but president obama warns the u.s. will continue its military campaign. >> we do believe is any insurgent group including taliban, is going to need to accept an afghan constitution that renounces ties with al qaeda, ends violence, and is committed to protection of women and minorities in the country. over the months i've discussed this frequently with president karzai. >> to facilitate peace talks, the gulf nation of cutter has announced the opening of a taliban office and an afghan government group will travel tll for talks and the administration in the u.s. will be involved in those talks as well soon. turning now to shocking new allegations about modern-day slavery in ohio. authorities say a mentally

disabled woman and her child were held for two years in an apartment, forced to perform manual labor and threatened with dogs and snakes to keep them compliant. cnn krum correspondent joe johns has the details. joe, this is just an unbelievable story. >> it really is hard to bear, jim. modern-day slavery happens from time to time but usually overseas. just a horrifying drive about an hour's drive south of cleveland. two men and a woman. they're now accused of forced labor and witness tampering involving a cognitively disabled mother and her young child about 7 years oil. authorities say they were held against their will for two years, that the woman was forced to work, that she and her child were locked up in their room at night, that they were threatened with reptiles and dogs. >> suffice it to say these

individuals were exposed to repeated frightening conditions, denials of meals, bathrooms and threatened not only with weapons but vicious animals to include pit bulls and pythons. >> the mother and daughter allegedly held captive, identified in court papers only by the initials s.e. and juvenile child. s. echlt wevident was used get her government assistance checks. they videotaped the child to be used against her. they got on it when the mother was arrested of shoplifting and taken to jail because the people living in the apartment were mean to her, jim. >> very disturbing story, jim. we know cnn is staying on top of it, sending teams to that area to get more information and we'll be reporting that in the

next several hours. joe johns, thank you very much. senator rand paul is setting himself apart from other republicans on many key issues including government key surveillance. could that help or hurt in a run for the white house? i will ask him coming up next. michael, tell us why you used priceline express deals

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surveillance program stopped a number of attacks over the last several years. he even detailed some of those attacks. let's take a listen to what he had to say and then get your reaction. >> in recent years the information gathered from these programs provided the u.s. government with critical leads to help prevent over 50 terrorist events in over 20 countries around the world. >> and, senator paul, general alexander, the other officials at this hearing, they said that the surveillance program stopped an attack on the new york subway system on the new york stock exchange and others. do you buy what the general and the other officials were saying? >> well, frankly they told us four months ago they weren't collecting any data on american citizens which was an outright lie, so i think they're at a bit of a credibility gap at this point. the other point -- and i've listened to them in both public and private hearings -- i haven't heard of a single case that couldn't have been captured

or investigated with a traditional judicial warrant and looking at the phone calls of the suspect. to my knowledge -- and i'm a bit at a disadvantage because they have all the secret knowledge and i don't have it -- but to my knowledge none of the people captured or prevented were traced from random numbers. they were traced from a suspect. so you have a suspect who makes phone calls. i'm all for looking at a suspect's phone calls when the judges warrant and the next person, you look at their phone calls. my understanding is they like looking at all americans' phone records because they think it's easier and faster. that's what i heard from them. easier and faster, but not that they couldn't have done this with a regular traditional judicial warrant. >> and, senator, i just want to make sure i wasn't misunderstanding you. you just said that the head of the nsa was guilty of an outright lie. are you saying that the general and these other officials are liars? >> what i home saying is that the director of national

intelligence in march did districtly l ll lly -- directly congress, which is a law. he said they were not collecting any data on american citizens -- >> you're talking about james clapper. >> -- and it turns out they're collecting billions of data on phone calls every day, which was a lie. what i'm saying is by lying to congress, which is against the law, he severely damaged the credit of the entire intelligence committee. >> what should be done about that? i know clapper said he went on another network -- i know what you're talking about. he went on the andrea mitchell program and sate it was the leekt least untruthful answer he could give. i'm suggesting that that's not satisfactory to you. should the president ask for his resignation.

>> i don't know how you consider him credible. when you come before the senate and lie -- he was warned of it. they called the director of national intelligence and said, we're going to ask you this question. so even though he was told in advance he would get the question, he still lied in a public hearing. i think there needs to be an open debate and americans need to decide are you willing to give up the da a on all of your phone calls every day all the time because of your fear for terrorism or do you think like i do that you can catch terrorists and have the bill of rights at the same time? i frankly think you can have both. >> so should mr. clapper resign, do you think? >> well, you know, the president has to decide that. i don't get a choice to decide. >> if you were the president would you ask for his resignation. >> yes, he would not work in my administration. the thing is we have to be able to trust our officials, and when you're doing this, when you have the ability to completely destroy people's living, you

have the ability to actually kill people overseas, i would think that you really have to have the utmost trust, and think he's lost our trust by lying to us. >> you know, your words on this issue have been taken to task. dick cheney was on one of the sunday talk shows over the weekend. he said you were wrong about all of this. let's listen to what he had to say. >> question, is senator paul wrong? >> i believe he is. we made the decision based on 9/11 that we no longer had a law enforcement problem, that we're at war, and congress, in fact, authorized the military force to deal with the crisis and that puts you over in the category of being able to use all of your military assets and intelligence assets to protect the country against another attack. >> do you take issue with the former vice president's comments, senator? >> what i would ask is who did they fire after 9/11? not one person was fired. do you remember the 20th hijacker?

ma sawi captured a month in advance? the fbi wrote 70 letters saying let's look at this guy's computer. the fbi turned him down. it wasn't that they couldn't get a warrant. nobody asked for a warrant. to me that was really, really bad intelligence, really bad police work, and really someone should have been removed from office for that, and they should have said this is never going to happen again. instead they said we need to look at the records of all the innocent american phone calls every day, and i think you snead to have a respect for bill of rights and a respect for privacy and particularly a respect for the fourth amendment. i think you have to protect americans and protect freedom at the same time. i know of no case where a traditional warrant wouldn't have worked. >> you're also laying the groundwork for a potential run. how do you expect to gather nominations when your views are

such? >> there was a poll out just this week that said well over 60% of republicans thing the nsa's gone too far. they think your private phone calls and your records, you should have to have a warrant. so i think as we have a fuller debate on these discussions, you're going to find not only republicans are with me on this issue, the youth are. president obama lost 20 points among the young voters in the last month, and the reason he did so is because they see him now as a hypocrite who's unwilling to defend the privacy of the internet. i think issues like this resonate beyond the republican label and i think they're going to help us become a bigger national party and republicans will find out i will and i do say that we do everything we can to protect our country consistent with our constitution. that's what we're defending. >> let me ask you about another issue that's resonating with a lot of young voters. you know view said a lot of things recently indicating that you'd like to support a bill

that would reform the immigration system in this country. earlier today as you may know, house speaker john boehner might abide by what's known as the hastert rule, that he may not bring the immigration bill to the floor of the house if it does not have the majority of the floor of the republicans. what do you make of that? is that a good idea? >> yes. if he says that, encouraging that, then we'll get a stronger immigration bill. i am for immigration reform, but i think legalization of those undock mondayed on border security. the authors, the gang of eight, the senators saying, oh, no, let's legal lease people with no conditions, i say we legalize people, doctrinate them, find them a place in our country, but do it after supporting the poefts. >> they described you as the most interesting man in the political word.

i don't know if you drink tu seeky's but you're being held up with the most interesting man in the world. you're running for president, right? >> well, you know, thing those were compliments. i think that i tried to be genuine and honest, and as a physician, i look at things, i see problems in our country and i want to fix them regardless whether it's a republican or democrat label who's supporting them. whether i donor not, we're about a year from making a decision but i want to help the republican party grow, all races and walks of life, with tattoos, without tattoos. i want to make sure everybody has place in the party. i'm trying to make the party bigger. thanks very much for your time. we appreciate it. >> thank you. when we come back, president obama gets candid about just how difficult the situation is in syria. but does his honesty about what happens in the white house

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happening now, president obama pushes hard against the csa. plus an eighth grader arrested and now possibly facing a year in prison after wearing an nra t-shirt to school. and we're at the big dig for jimmy hoffa's body with a cop who's been searching for the mob boss for decades. i'm jim acosta in for wolf

blitzer, and you're in the situation room. he's moving from crisis to crisis, scandal to scandal. with all the president's problems, who would want this job. turns out there are plenty of takers. >> the peace process is the best way to end the violence. >> don't let the european road trip fool you. whether it's the war in afghanistan he's trying to wind down or the war on syria that divides the u.s. and russia, these are heavy times for president obama. in his interview with charlie rose, the weight of the world was palpable as he defended his record on government surveillance. >> some people say, well, obama was this raving liberal before. now he's dick cheney. >> but look across the political landscape and there are plenty of politicians who will say, give me some of that. i recognize there are people who will recognize the fact that i've used my job against me. >> governor chris christie says

he won't have a decision on 2016 until 2015, which will keep everybody guessing. that may explain why spending so much time with the president lately mr. christie chose to slam obama's outrage to the public. >> all of a sudden we're in june 2013 and we're talking about charm and you're in the congress. it's getting a little bit late. >> while the former secretary of state hasn't decided whether to run she's gotten an endorsement from senator claire mccaskill who's asking for donations, saying i'm proud to ask for hillary clinton. >> you will pay a price, a political price for not, for not getting engaged in dealing with gun safety.

>> but the republican family also has "i" share of divisions. >> i think we've got a split ballot amongst the bush senior family. >> some potential candidates are trying to generate warmth. >> at the essence of our immigration policy is compassion. >> while others turn up the heat. >> i say not one more penny to countries that are burning the american black flag. >> with sarah palin vowing to stay relevant the next three years, that keeps one more wild card in the mix. >> time's awasting. things are moving quickly. if we don't get out there and defend the american public it will with transformed into something we ooh will not recognize. >> something that caught my attention, guys, from the president's interview with charlie rose last night was this candid comment that he made about the situation in syria.

let's listen to that and get your reaction. >> if you haven't been in the situation room poring through intelligence and meeting directly with our military folks and asking what are all our options and examining what are all the consequences and understanding, for example, if you set up a no-fly zone that you may not be actually solving the problem on the ground. >> and, gloria, i mean besiesd the plug for "the situation room" -- it was his "situation room," now ours "let me ask you about that. you're saying he needs to get out on front. >> he's trying. he's starting. >> but it sounded a little bit like he was complaining, sounding kind of miserable about the job, you don't whauns i dwoem going through. >> it's hard. hard to be president. so hard. >> what did you make of that performance? >> think what the president is trying to do -- and if you go through the whole transcript -- what he was try dog is explain to people that no option in

syria is perfect, which i think we already know, but it's never a black-and-white situation. so do you a no-fly zone, and, boom, the conflict is over or you do incremental things and, boom, the conflict is over. he said, look, there are no easy answers here. and i think that it's not bad for people to hear presidents say, look, i weigh things all the time. it's difficult. my job is difficult. on the other hand, there can be too much of that at some point and you want them to say, this is why i've made the decision and this is how we're going to do things. >> various officials of the white house were talking this interview all day yesterday. they were tweeting about it. did that interview come across very well to you? would you advise the president to say those things? >> actually i would. on the nsa program i'm not on board with him but i am in support of it. >> on syria, this country does

not want another war. i can tell by the war, he's frustrated with the easy pot shots that we take but also some of his friends on capitol hill are taking and the other party. they say he's dithering. i'd rather have him dithering. his supporters are going to like this a lot. >> the only problem is the red line. if he had. said there's a red line, then he wouldn't be having this sort of a problem. but he did say there's a red line and syria crossed it. >> he's right though. there are very few food options here and think what makes it challenging for the president and quite a debate, frankly, is there hasn't been a sense of clarity, and i think for it to get the public's -- to get the public behind you and to get the public to understand what our goals and objectives are, there has to be a great deal of clarity to. this point there hasn't been. that's not partisan.

i think even president clinton has criticized president obama for the lack of clarity in the policy. >> what did you make -- i want to get to 2016. >> 2013? >> despite of all of these problems, you still have no shortage of candidates or potential candidates that would like that job. chris christie this morning on msnbc, even though he's been palling around with president obama lately took a shot at him and said now's a time to have a charm offensive and rand paul is saying, you know, the american people, the young peep, agree with my approach on the nsa. how do you think the republicans are doing in terms of the president and how they're responding to his job performance right now? >> it's the first thing i took away interest the rand paul interview, that he did notdy ace degree with your premise. usually at this point they're saying, look, i'm leaving all my options open.

i don't think this is an issue to talk about. he's standing on principle rather than looking at polls and trying to position himself, what do voters between the ages of 18 and 34 in iowa think. >> that will come later, i think. >> which candidate are you more afraid of? >> rand paul, or chris christie? >> or sfrp. run, governor, run. >> if rand paul is not running, i don't know what running is. >> the truth is rand paul is a talented guy. he's got a lot of excitement on the far right, libertarian far right but chris christie, he's running in a blue state. he's got a lot more talent. he's winning in a place where republicans don't usually win and he could appeal to the middle. >> the one in the middle? >> elections are. presidencies are. >> and we heard chris christie

positioning himself this morning. let's get to some of these issues right after the break. coming up next, is immigration reform in trouble? that and much more when we return with our panel. plus, why an eighth grader who came to school with an nra shirt may face a year in prison. we'll explain. toward all your financial goals. a quick glance, and you can see if you're on track. when the conversation turns to knowing where you stand, turn to us. wells fargo advisors. [ engine revs ] ♪ [ male announcer ] just when you thought you had experienced performance, a new ride comes along and changes everything. ♪ the 2013 lexus gs, with a dynamically tuned suspension and adjustable drive modes. because the ultimate expression of power is control. this is the pursuit of perfection.

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political panel. gloria, i want to ask you because yesterday you wrote that striking >> he's had the dni out there

saying the same thing. the justice department saying the same thing. i'm not sure when that would be, but i think the president who's very good at making speeches ought to be able to talk to the american public about this. he's lost younger voters by 17 points. >> how scarey was that poll when you saw that poll, the nosedive. >> it's going to bleed into 2016. >> no, it's not going to bleed into 2016. this is supervised by the courts, checks and balances. i think it's good at saving lives. i'm sticking with it. >> then he said let's have a conversation. we have to balance security. >> i think it's bet theiren the speech. >> are you having the conversation -- do you just make the call? >> he says he wants to have the

conversation, have the conversation. up to now the person who's been doing the most talking for the nsa has been edward snowden. >> he's right. >> and think the folks on the hill in a bipartisan manner, both democrats and republicans have vetted it. they believe the president should be out there taking the lead. >> and they're trying to declassify more and more information as we saw today. we learned about a couple of terror attacks that have been thwarted. but you're never going to be able to declassify enough to give people all the information they really crave on this. >> let me -- hold on a second. i believe it could. first of all, he's not going to be on the ballot then, but the idea that he's not going to become a status quo president -- >> not for hill rip clinton. >> you don't think if you lose it in 17 days you can get it back in three years? >> you're right, but it still

has to be something to worry about. >> let's talk about an issue. immigration. he was up on the hill talking about reporters talking about maybe he might abide by the old hastert rule. i guess it is still the hastert rule, not the old hastert rule, but there may be the house republicans. let's play a quick clip from that if we can. >> any immigration reform bill that is going to go into law ought to have a majority of both parties' support if we're really serious about making that happen. so i don't see anyway of bringing immigration bill to the floor that doesn't have the majority support of republicans. >> isn't it true that -- isn't it true that if the speaker were to bring this bill to the floor without a majority of republicans it would pass? >> well, look, john's said and he's been very coin kohn sis te-- consistent on this and we've

seen the cnn poll on this. john wants to see a good bill passed, and think the public wants to see a good bill to pass, not just any bill. for a good bill to pass, it has to be a combination of democrats and republicans. >> i think john boehner thoos have a majority of republicans because he wants to remain speaker of the house, and if he did not do that and challenge a man -- >> john -- >> if he didn't -- >> john saner doesn't want to be speaker for sake of being a speaker. he wants to be speaker and get bills passed. >> it doesn't say one party's minority gets to control. it's going kill republicans with latinos if john boehner kill this bill. >> do you see it going down? >> no, sir, i'd much more have the accomplishments thatten the issues. the majority of both parties believe we need this. if speaker boehner kill this bill, bad for the country. >> all right. paul and maury and gloria. thank you so much. when we come back, general

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reverse just hours before the deadline. our mary snow is monitoring that and other top stories in "the situation room." mary, what do you have? >> hey, there, jim. this dispute could have ended with a dispute with the regulators. chrysler maintains the

government analysis is faulty and that the 1993 to 2004 jeep grand cherokees and 2002 to 2007 jeep liberties is safe. the auto maker faces liability risks in a number of undisputed suits. now, a new study in the british medical journal is suggests otherwise. using balance as a measure, researchers found that expectant mothers who drank between three and seven glasses of alcohol a week did not on average have children with balance issues by age 10 and some actually had better balance. but there is no proof alcohol was responsible. now, major medical groups continue to stress that no amount of alcohol is safe for pregnant women and it's safest not to take the chance. and check this out. take a look. this is amazing video capturing the moment a volcano in mexico

started to erupt, spewing arab into the school. the volcano is southeast of mexico city and one of the world's most active. pretty incredible, jim. very incredible. i've flown into mexico and it's remarkable. when you fly down there, you can see the volcanos billowing smoke and it's always quite a sight. thanks for that. coming up, an eighth grader arrested and now facing up to 1 year in prison because of his t-shirt. plus michelle obama, the first lord jamie. , thou cometh and we thy saveth! what are you doing? we doth offer so many discounts, we have some to spare. oh, you have any of those homeowners discounts? here we go. thank you. he took my shield, my lady. these are troubling times in the kingdom. more discounts than we knoweth what to do with.

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an eighth grader who came to school wearing an nra t-shirt -- erin mcpike is joining us with the details. >> this west virginia eighth grader jared marcum came to school with the nra t-shirt saying protect your rights on it as well as a rifle. a teacher challenged whether it was appropriate. here's what jared has to say about that. >> there's nothing wrong with it and it doesn't violate the policy in any way. if anyone disturbed it, it was definitely the educator and not me. >> obviously this is a sensitive issue just months after newtown. and it also raises first and second amendment questions, but that's not what is at play here. logan county says the real is that jared was so disruptive with the teacher that they had

to call the police and he was then charged with obstruction. >> what happens next? >> marcum had a court appearance today and he's scheduled to have another one next month. but the case has been settled before then. i actually spoke to marcum's attorney ben white today and he said last night the prosecution filed a gag order. and the prosecution and ben white spoke and they're trying to work something out in the next ten days or so. now, ben white did say that jared marcum was disruptive, but he said he didn't deserve to be charged with obstruction. >> there are first amendment issues here, second amendment issues here. something tells me this may not get sorted out right away at the local level. thank you. coming up, what is a visit to ireland without seeing bono? that's a good question. details on the first lady's pub

lunch with the u2 star. and we'll talk to a police officer who's been searching for jimmy hoffa for decades. [ male announcer ] we've been conditioned to accept less and less in the name of style and sophistication. but to us, less isn't more. more is more. abundant space, available leading-edge technology, impeccable design, and more than you've come to expect from a luxury vehicle. the lexus es350 and epa-estimated 40 mpg es hybrid. this is the pursuit of perfection. even in stupid loud places. to prove it, we set up our call center right here... [ chirp ] all good? [ chirp ] getty up. seriously, this is really happening! [ cellphone rings ] hello? it's a giant helicopter ma'am.

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meeting with world leaders at the g8 summit today, first lady obama and her daughters were having some fun of their own. ♪ it's a beautiful day >> reporter: not bad when your summer vacation to ireland includes lunch with u2 lead singer bono. his meeting with the first lady, sas sasha, and malia was officially off camera. but some of the locals invited managed to tweet out pictures from inside the pub. the obamas' trip wasn't all about celebrities and food. >> with all the dancing and singing and energy, it's a perfect representation of ireland itself. >> reporter: the first lady and her girls were treated to a rehearsal of riverdance. ireland adores the obamas. crowds of thousands greeted them during their visit in 2011. fond memories that mrs. obama

says she now wants to share with her daughters. >> when we left, we knew that our girls had to experience all of the warmth and beauty of this place for themselves. >> reporter: while here, the girls also had a chance to explore their irish heritage at trinity college. they pored over transcripts tracing their ancestry to the 1800s. >> that was a very powerful moment for me as their mother. hopefully it will be something that they cherish for the rest of their lives. >> reporter: the girls at times appeared bored, but to their mother, the trip offered up a powerful lesson. >> you never forget home, right? you never forget home. and what my girls are learning is that every day their home gets bigger and bigger and bigger. it is no longer just the south side of chicago or washington, d.c. but it is dublin. it is the world. >> reporter: the first lady,

sasha, and malia also took a trip to wiglow mountain national park which is home to ancient ruins. they reunited with the president before traveling to germany. jim? >> thank you. that is all for this hour. "the situation room" continues right now with my colleague jay tapper. jake? . happening now, new details of foiled plots to attack the new york stock exchange and other targets. are u.s. officials overstating the value of phone and internet spying? plus the shocking charges against ohio man accused of holding a mother and child captive for years. it's being described as modern day slavery. and we're live at the dig for jimmy hoffa's body talking to a cop who's been searching for him today. i am jake tapper, welcome to our viewers in the united states and around the world. you're in "the situation room."

america's top national security officials are exposing their own secrets to try to prove the controversial surveillance programs stop terrorists. today they revealed that more than 50 potential attacks worldwide have been prevented since 9/11. because of those programs, they claim. including plots targeting the new york stock exchange and the new york city subway system. they accused the nsa of helping enemies. barbara starr has more on the details made public today at a congressional hearing. >> well, we all watched it. the nsa a saying its surveillance programs are vital to stopping terrorism that regular traditional law enforcement just isn't enough. >> reporter: could edward snowden be right? >> even if you're not doing anything wrong, you're being watched and recorded. >> reporter: is the national security agency's collection of massive amounts of telephone and

internet data really necessary to keep the country safe? >> the information gathered from these programs provided the u.s. government with critical leads to help prevent over 50 potential terrorist events in more than 20 countries. >> what is less clear is whether these specific programs now in the news were themselves crucial to breaking up the plots? >> reporter: the nsa tried to offer some details on terror plots it says would not have been uncovered solely with traditional law enforcement. in the matter of najibullah zazi. >> the zazi plots were intercepted as a result of an e-mail sent by an al qaeda operative in pakistan to zazi in denver, colorado. before that e-mail was sent, the united states had no idea a plot was in the works to attack new york. >> reporter: case number two, the u.s. monitored an extremist

in yemen communicating with a man in the u.s. who was arrested for plotting to bomb the new york stock exchange. case number three, monitoring of an al qaeda terrorist led to american david headley's plan to bomb a europe office that published a cartoon of muhammad. >> to make their case to the american people. and i don't think the small amount of details that were given today in an unclassified setting are going to be enough to satisfy the american people. >> reporter: in a fourth case, officials offered very few details about another plot in which electric surveillance they say was used to stop overseas terrorism. jake? >> thank you, barbara. let's bring in national security analyst peter bergen. the nsa surveillance programs are a wide ranging fishing expedition with little to show for them. did you hear anything in the

hearing today that changed your point of view? >> i think nsa officials moved the ball a bit forward today. they pointed to two cases we hadn't heard about. the new york stock exchange. by the way, i don't think there was a real plot to attack the new york stock exchange. it was probably on the drawing board. >> the individual didn't go to jail for that. >> no. he was sent to jail for sending money to al qaeda which is bad enough. and there's a case in san diego where somebody was sending money to an al qaeda affiliate in 2007. again, worrisome, but not an attack in this country. i think the program is generally being solved as something that protects americans here. i don't think we heard a lot more about that other than assertions that 50 plots have been averted. but they're all classified and we can't discuss them publicly. when the government says just trust us, there are 50 things we can't tell you, people have

reason to be skeptical. >> general alexander the head of the nsa today suggested about 10 of the 50 plots they claim were thwarted because of these programs were homeland based here in the u.s. you did a breakdown about how many of these failed plots you obviously wrote your piece before today's testimony, but how many of these failed plots had nothing to do with these foreign surveillance programs and domestic surveillance programs. >> overwhelmingly these are thwarted by police work. which is a tip from the community, somebody makes a mistake, there is an informant inserted into a group, there is an undercover officer. i mean, that said, the zazi case which they pointed to today is a serious case. it was the first al qaeda case for a long time in this country. they did have a serious plan to bomb the manhattan subway. so i think the debate is going to continue. i don't think it was settled by the hearing today. >> i think one of the questions

is is all this surveillance -- assuming that the zazi plot would not have been uncovered without this surveillance program, is that enough? or do they need to be more than just one? and that is a discussion difficult to fix out right here. but intelligence officials would say if you save one life with these programs, why not? >> well that's a reasonable point. the question is will some -- ten years down the road will the fact your internet data and phone data be used in some way that, you know, we may not agree with right now. i think that's the larger problem. of course there are safeguards and we heard some about that right now. phone data only kept for five years. clearly there's a lot of careful people monitoring this system. but that said, it wouldn't be the first time in american history that this kind of government power has been abused eventually in some shape or form. >> the wiretapping of martin luther king jr. started out as a legitimate security concern.

it became something else entirely. i want to play sound from house intelligence chairman mike rogers. this is what he said to reporters after today's hearing. >> we still need secrets in the united states. if we're going to protect americans, our national security apparatus still needs to keep secrets about how we do things. it's called sources and methods. so the disclosure you heard today has been devastating to that end. so this was cleanup on aisle 9. >> but we hear from government officials they are going to try to continue to press for more declassification to explain to the american people what exactly is going on. obviously the poll numbers show that americans have concerns. do you think that this further declassification poses a risk to the united states? >> not if it reveals sources and methods. and there's a way -- >> you mean only if it reveals sources. >> if it reveals sources and methods, clearly that's a problem. but i think there's a way to

talk about these programs with more specificity. let's start with the 20 countries we're talking about around the world where other plots have been stopped. which countries are they? i think right now we -- it wasn't a great deal of information released today that we didn't know. the two big plots, the zazi plot and headley plot. we knew about these already. and some of that, by the way, we've known about for a long time. >> right. all right. peter bergen, thank you so much. president obama is about to get an earful from the german chancellor about his administration's secret surveillance programs. president obama is now in berlin after wrapping up talks at the g8 summit. jessica yellin is traveling with the president. >> president obama has just landed in berlin. his first visit since he spoke to a cheering crowd of 200,000 as a candidate five years ago.

his star has since dimmed in germany. there's outrage over the nsa surveillance program and it's especially intense given their history with east germany's secret police. and the surveillance as a topic the president will have to address in the meeting tomorrow. the president defended the programs in this pbs interview. >> if you are a u.s. person, the nsa cannot listen to your telephone calls and the nsa cannot target your e-mails. >> and have not. >> and have not. >> critics say that answer is a bit of a distraction from the overall issue that the government is saving the records of every phone call made by every american. experts say the government can learn just as much about your lives by those records as they can by listening. the president has wrapped up at the g8 summit in ireland. headlines from there, they clashed with putin over the war

in syria. president obama accepted an invitation to visit moscow in the next few months and there is an announcement the u.s. is backing peace talks between the afghan government and the taliban. up next, the speech comes almost 50 years after kennedy gave his famous remarks in berlin also at the brandenburg gate. angry protests that could ultimately threaten some of the world's biggest sporting events. ♪

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it happened in ashland, ohio. about two hours outside of cleveland. scott taylor of woio joins us from cleveland. scott, thanks for joining us. what was happening inside this house for two years? >> reporter: well, according to the fbi, agents told me that they kept this mom and her daughter in the basement. they actually allowed them to sleep on cement floors, no mattresses. and they used 30-year-old mom from ashland, ohio, as a slave. they told her to cook, to clean, to do the laundry. actually timed we are when she left the house to do shopping. she actually did their shopping and timed her to get back. never let her daughter go. they threatened her, actually beat her and her daughter, threatened her by saying that i might sick my pit bulls on you. they had snakes, a large python. they tried to scare her with that and a poisonous coral snake. you have to understand this

30-year-old mom had a brain injury when she was 16, so she has some mental issues. and fortunately unfortunately i they took advantage of that. >> how did she ultimately get away? >> reporter: well, last october she actually went into a family dollar store in ashland and shoplifted. the store security caught her. she talked to police. and she told police that somebody at my house is mean to me. so after some good investigative work from the police department, they went back to the house and discovered what they believed was going on. i do want to mention i did talk to jake callahan's attorney, one of the suspects, and he tells me that the allegations are ludicrous. that mom ruz a roommate and she was able to come and go as he

please. right now agents don't believe that. >> obviously, scott, this comes on the heels of another story you covered closely. the three girls held captive for years in cleveland. this is a remarkably horrific turn of events. >> reporter: yeah, it is. cleveland is really getting smothered with bad news right now. ariel castro is back in court tomorrow for a pretrial. so you hit the nail on the head. cleveland is really taking its toll right now with extremely horrible and bad news. >> all right, scott taylor, thank you. tomorrow on my show "the lead" we'll have a special investigation into a form of slavery not much discussed at fancy parties in d.c. foreign diplomats using slaves right here in the u.s. that'll be on "the lead" tomorrow. still ahead, the national fascinatiowith a nearly 40-year-old unsolved mystery. it has fbi agents digging for clues again today.

take a look at the size of this crowd. literally people stretched as far as the eye can see. for block after block last night coming together to protest what they see as the large and growing gap between their needs and their government's priorities. it's happening across brazil. chasta darling has the latest. thousands of people on the streets. what do they want?

i'm not sure if she can hear us. what are the protesters want? can you hear me? it sounds like we're having a problem with her uplink. we'll get back to her later in the program. up next, law enforcement officials hope they will finally solve the decades-old mystery of jimmy hoffa's disappearance. we're at the big dig in michigan. plus a turning point in afghanistan for u.s.-led forces and for the taliban. (announcer) born with a natural energy cycle... cats. they were born to play. to eat. then rest. to fuel the metabolic cycle they were born to have, purina one created new healthy metabolism wet and dry. with purina one and the right activity, we're turning

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happening now, new hopes one of the most mysterious cold cases will be solved. plus a new timeline and guidelines for women in combat. the u.s. military reveals specifics about its historic change in policy. and the story of a tough as nails congressman who nearly

died because of a kernel of popcorn. i'm jake tapper and you are in "the situation room." you're looking at live pictures right now of massive protests across brazil. we're re-established the uplink connection with shasta darlington in bureau sail. thousands of people on the streets protesting. what do they want? >> reporter: well, this actually started as something pretty simple. people were angry about a ten cent hike in bus fares. but it has snowballed. we have brazilians pouring into the streets. they say they're fed up with paying high taxes and getting very little in return. they see the government turning around and spending huge amounts of money on these big sporting events when they don't have good

education, don't have good health care or public transportation. there's also been a backlash against initial police violence at some of the first protests. so we've got all these ideas coming together. people carrying signs and really getting behind this movement, jake. >> and shasta, will the government give in on any of these issues, do you think? >> reporter: you know, it's a good question. today we heard the president come out and say that she was with the people, she was with the protesters, she understood where they were coming from. and you have to remember she has an interesting history. she was tortured by the military dictatorship here in brazil. she said all of these protests are a sign that democracy is stronger. that she, too, wants better education, better health. but the fact is on the specifics no one is budging. the organizers of some of these protests have met with local officials. they said no way we're not going

to lower that bus fare. that's the symbol, that's the sign everyone here wants before they agree to stay home at night. >> thank you so much. now to the never-ending search for jimmy hoffa. the one-time boss of the teamsters union. the latest tip about where his body may be hidden has the fbi digging up a field near detroit. no bodies have turned up yet, but they did find some concrete slaps. is that significant? let's go to poppy harlow. is it significant that they found some concrete slabs in this field? >> reporter: it's a good question, jake. it could be. we really have no clarify from the fbi on that point. day two of digging in this field behind me outside of detroit. just wrapped up in the past few minutes. this was all because of a tip that came from alleged mob underboss tony zarelli. he is 85 years old. he went to the fbi months ago with information that he says

that jimmy hoffa was taken to this field, hit on the head with a shovel, and then buried alive and concrete was apparently poured over his body. that is why the fact that authorities say that some concrete was found in this field, that's why that is so important. because it seems to corroborate that story. i asked the sheriff here do we know if this is concrete from previous structures and they don't know. but i also had a chance to talk today with john anthony. he searched for hoffa back in 1975 when he disappeared. he served as a special agent in the fbi for 25 years. he agrees with law enforcement that this tip is highly credible. listen. >> what do you make of the credibility of tony zarelli's story? >> when i first heard about it, i thought gee this is great. this is the first made member of the rg oed crime family that i'm aware of that spoke freely and

openly with the fbi in detail about the hoffa disappearance. keep in mind, he was in jail on a racketeering conviction when mr. hoffa disappeared. when he got out, his father was still the boss. he was the underboss. i'm sure it would make sense if he asked what happened to jimmy hoffas. the individuals probably would have told tony zarelli exactly what happened. they wouldn't have lied to him. he was the son of the boss and would have been told the truth. i think he is now relaying what he was told what he believes to be true. and i believe it's credible. >> do you think it is the most credible tip the fbi has had since hoffa disappeared in. >> yes, i would agree with that. >> reporter: now, the part of this, jake, that doesn't sit well with john anthony is the fact that he knew hoffa and he said that there's no way that they would have buried him alive and that he would have gone down

kicking and screaming. and he certainly no matter how many men were around him would not been able to have been buried alive. >> poppy, you also spoke with the lawyer for tony zarelli who is the source of this information. what did the lawyer have to say? >> reporter: well, the main question i had for him is why now if tony is such a good friend of hoffa, why is he only coming forward in the last year with this information? he said i don't know. i can't answer that. but he's coming forward because he wants the hoffa family to have some peace and closure. what makes this story even more odd is the fact there's this website hoffafound.com. and on it and it's claimed to be created by tony zarelli, that's what his attorney says. on it there is a manuscript for $5 for sale. a manuscript of tony zarelli telling his story to the world of how hoffa was taken here.

i was told writers put that together from hours and hours of tape of tony zarelli. the hunt begins again. fbi agents 8:00 a.m. tomorrow morning. >> poppy harlow, something of an e-book there. hoffa's disappearance is one of the most baffling mysteries in u.s. history that never seems to stop producing poblg clues. let's bring in tom foreman. this is the 15th one of these serious digs. >> you know what the problem is? the problem is that word "credible." they've all been credible, but so far not one has been true. >> reporter: like a magician in a blue shirt and white socks, james riddle hoffa stood outside the red fox restaurant in michigan on july 30th, 1975, and vanished without a trace. and now in a field not far away investigators are following yet another lead.

digging up yet another possible grave yet again spending taxes trying to solve the riddle of where jimmy hoffa went. >> we hope to give the closure not only to the hoffa family but also the community. to stop tearing that scab off with every new lead and bring some conclusion. >> what do you do for entertainment? >> right here, work. >> this is entertainment? >> seven days a week i have more fun here working than anybody can have on a golf course or sport you can name. >> reporter: that was hoffa on the cbc in 1960. so how many searches have they done for him? they have responded to 15 leads. one tipster said it was on a horse farm. >> there is probable cause that the body of hoffa may be buried here. >> reporter: some put him in new jersey in the concrete of giants stadium.

other versions have him sunk in the swamps of florida. carted off to california. even crushed in a car and shipped overseas. how much has all of this searching cost? based on just one search by the detroit news, it's not unreasonable to estimate that police agencies including the fbi have spent well over $3 million trying to find jimmy hoffa with no luck. so do they have to do this every time there's a tip? >> hoffa body is in that field. no doubt about it. there used to be a barn in the field buried under a cement slab. and that's where our understanding is that the body should be. >> reporter: maybe so. after all, it's still an open case. his family still wants answers. and jimmy hoffa is still hiding. although in truth, jake, you do have to ask about the diminishing return on this. if hoffa were alive today, he'd

be 100 years old. and anybody involved in killing here was near his age, they'd be 100 years old. at some point law enforcement will have to say how are we ever going to close it with all the players at that age? >> indeed. thank you so much. coming up, details of a close call for a u.s. congressman. it was a matter of life and death. something that could happen to anyone. [ alarm clock ringing ] [ female announcer ] if you have rheumatoid arthritis, can you start the day the way you want? can orencia (abatacept) help? could your "i want" become "i can"? talk to your rheumatologist. orencia reduces many ra symptoms like pain, morning stiffness and the progression of joint damage. it's helped new ra patients and those not helped enough by other treatments. do not take orencia with another biologic medicine for ra due to an increased risk of serious infection. serious side effects can occur including fatal infections. cases of lymphoma and lung cancer have been reported. tell your doctor if you are prone to or have any infection

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breaking news from afghanistan. we have our pentagon

correspondent chris lawrence and our international correspondent in kabul on breaking news four americans have been killed at bagram air base. let's start with you, chris. what have pentagon officials told you? >> this was supposed to be a day where u.s. officials were highlighting the fact they were stepping back from the front lines in afghanistan. instead, they're now trying to explain how at least two more american service members have been killed. sources are saying this was an indirect fire attack in eastern afghanistan. that suggests that it could be a mortar attack or rpg attack. we know at least two of the dead are u.s. service members. four casualties in all. jake? >> and raza, what are you hearing there? >> we just got off the phone with isaf officials. they're not revealing anything other than what chris just told us. they said it happened late last night. it's 3:00 in the morning right now. so we know it didn't happen within the past three hours.

they said late last night. this was an incident that took place and they could have details in the next 24 hours. >> while i have you, there was also a major handover in afghanistan today. tell us about that. >> this is the moment of truth for afghan security forces and in many ways with u.s. military officials and nato forces have accomplished over the last years is riding on how the afghan forces do in the coming years. in a ceremony this morning, handing over the lead role for security to afghan forces. that means for the coming 18 months, u.s. and nato forces will still be here, but only as a backup role in the driver's seat leading the charge it will be afghan security forces. coalition officials say they're improving. critics of this force say they have a lot more work to do, that they're not ready to defend the country on their own.

ready or not, they're in the driver's seat now. >> thank you. here in the united states, a dramatic moment at the pentagon. and another milestone for women in the military. declaring quote, the days of rambo are over, unquote. officials announce in a few years women will be allowed in combat units. that may include the most elite special forces. i want to bring cnn pentagon correspondent chris lawrence back to explain how long this transition will take. >> well, jake, for at least one job it's literally a matter of weeks. next month the navy is going to open up the force to women. that could include combat operations. but for the most elite positions, that could still be a long ways off. >> reporter: women may soon be on the ropes, in the sand with the men training to be s.e.a.l.s. but the opportunity won't come

for several years, if then. >> i hear the rank and file. >> reporter: they are pushing back on the plan to open combat jobs to women. >> we send smaller into remote environments by themselves. >> reporter: general bennett socolick says these may be the only americans in a given country. >> that complicates integration. >> reporter: he wants to gauge the feeling of current rangers, s.e.a.l.s and green berets. >> i'm more concerned with the men and their reaction. >> reporter: the movie "g.i. jane" told the story of the first fictional female candidate. but some troops are concerned the reality is a long way off. >> this is really a young person's kind of challenge. the longer they wait, the less likely the opportunities are. >> reporter: by 2015, the army

will develop gender neutral standards for its rangers. and the following year, qualified women could begin training for the navy s.e.a.l.s if officials approve. the marines are using specific tests of strength to develop one standard for combat jobs that men and women must meet. >> in a cramped compartment, a tank gunner must reach over to the rack, lift that 55 pound shell from the rack, pull it out, flip it over, and insert it in the breach. >> reporter: but special operations remains the hardest hurdle to cross. >> the days of rambo are over. >> reporter: the general did say he is keeping an open mind and special operations are keeping an open mind bringing women into the force. ultimately if any job wants to be kept offline to women, they will have to submit a decision.

and all the jobs are going to come back to the obama administration one way or the other. jake? >> chris, you said there's going to be one standard for women and men to meet if they want to join any of these elite groups. but is that standard going to be different than the one that men have to meet right now? or is it going to be changed and maybe brought down a little bit because women and men have different physical capabilities, it's why men and women compete in different events in the olympics. >> reporter: it's a good question. it's going to go job by job. you heard the marine colonel mention if you want to be a tank gunner, you've got to be able to pick up this 55 pound shell and perform this mission. there's no two ways about it. if you can't lift that and do that on a consistent basis, you cannot be a tank gunner. it's hard to see where any of the standards would be raised, but it is possible. and some of the officials talked about perhaps lowering some of the physical standards in

certain jobs where perhaps you don't need as much strength in the technically proficient military of today that maybe you needed for that job 10 to 20 years ago. >> it'll be interesting to see how this develops. thank you so much. still aed head, the oxford dictionary breaks its own rules to keep up with technology. >> i was choking on a piece of popcorn. ♪ norfolk southern what's your function? ♪ ♪ hooking up the country helping business run ♪

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a republican congressman who has stared down some pretty nasty threats before nearly didn't survive this one.

and it wasn't politics that put ted poe in danger. it was popcorn. brian todd is here to pick up the story. >> congressman poe laughs about it now, but a single piece of popcorn nearly killed him just a few days ago. it would have been an unworthy ending for a congressman who's taking on some pretty frightening characters. >> reporter: ted poe is a former county judge from texas. he's stared down murderers and drug dealers, ordered offenders to carry signs admitting their crimes. but what was it that almost did him in recently? >> i was choking on a piece of popcorn. >> reporter: nothing but the truth. poe, a republican congressman from houston was in the capitol hill club. he threw a few grains of popcorn in his mouth and one was lodged in his throat. >> i couldn't inhale. several people noticed that. i don't know how long it was. >> reporter: fellow congressman and another person tried to give

him the heimlich maneuver. it didn't work at first. then nick musin who happens to be a licensed doctor joined in. at one point when nick was giving the heimlich maneuver, during that congressman sammon gave back blows to help. we'll demonstrate it. all that to dislodge this one piece of popcorn. >> did you ever think this is it? >> no, i wasn't thinking that. i was encouraging them to keep trying. i was waving my hand for them to keep trying, and they did. >> reporter: finally the heimlich rotations dislodged the popcorn. the capitol hill club refused to comment. but ted poe says this about that place and that moment. >> i'm rather than maybe around some of my former defendants that i saw at the courthouse.

they might not have moved quite so fast to help me out. >> that's two prominent republicans from texas who have colorful and scary choking stories to tell. former president george w. bush once choked so hard on a pretzel that he passed out and injured his face. >> when you're eating pretzels, chew before you swallow. >> reporter: is this something now you may want to share stories with the former president about? >> well, we could exchange those conversations about that, as well. and of course, i'm glad that i didn't actually have any other problems. didn't throw up on anybody. i was just choking a little bit. >> reporter: poe says he went on to finish his meal. for the record he had a hamburger for dinner. he jobbed later that the reason for his accident was that he had just heard the result of the congressional baseball game that very night with the democrats beat the republicans 22-0. jake, he also says he was watching the miami heat playing, his favorite team the san antonio spurs, in game two of the finals, and that's the game that he won the series. >> people joke about this. but it's the kind of thing where

he might not ever want to eat popcorn again. it almost killed him. >> for the record he says he's off popcorn. not off hamburgers but off popcorn. >> brian todd thank you so much. let's take a quick look at some other stories in "the situation room" with mary snow. >> there's a new attempt to solve a 2008 bombing case. the fbi and the new york city police department today released never before scene surveillance video of the attack at an army recruiting office in times square. no one was injured. they also released images of a suspect riding a bicycle around new york in the early morning hours and offered a $65,000 reward for information. a u-turn from chrysler's management today. it agreed to recall almost 3 million jeeps to fix a problem that causes some gas tanks to leak and cause fires after collisions. the government says at least 51 people have died in such accidents. but chrysler resisted the recall, contending its jeeps are safe. the recall affects jeep grand

cherokees made between 1993 and 2004 as well as jeep liberties from 2002 to 2007. it turns out nothing improves your penmanship more than the prospect of putting your signature on a dollar bill. now take a look. this was treasury secretary jack lew's signature before he got the job. here's what it will look like on the new $5 bill. he's using his fuel name jacob j.lew. and while his grade school teachers may be quibbling, it's a huge improvement. the treasury revealed the new look via twitter this afternoon. speaking of twitter the ultimate arbiter of the english language is catching up with technology. the oxford english's definition of tweet includes what you do on twitter. officials say they're breaking their own rule that a new word has to be couldn't before ten years before it's even considered for inclusion. twitter's only been around since 2006. and in its explanation, the

dictionary said seems to be catching on. jake? >> all right. mary, thank you. you can also use twitter to follow what's going on here in "the situation room." tweet the show, @cnnsitroom or tweet me @jaketapper. cnn's erin burnett is going "outfront" on the story at the top of the hour. we should also note erinburnett all one word that's your twitter handle. >> wow you are amazing. that was totally uneven, unasked for. thank you. you can follow us on twitter. but we are going to talk about whether the government is watching you on twitter, on your phone calls, on your e-mails and everything else. the nsa scandal as jake's been talking about, they say they have thwarted 50 terror attacks because of collecting all of that data on american citizens. obviously americans are pretty frustrated with the president for doing this. democratic congressman adam schiff on the intelligence committee is going to be our special guest tonight. but another bizarre and horrible story out of ohio tonight out of cleveland. we're going to tell you about this young woman, her daughter, held hostage by a man.

they have just been freed and we're going to tell you that, that bizarre and horrible story, unbelievable, coming out of the same place as those three women who were held hostage for a decade. in the meantime, back to you. >> thanks, erin. sounds like a good show. it seems safe to call freedom fries french fries again. so why are some people campaigning to send the statue of liberty back to france? jeanne moos has the answer, next. it's a hundred calories. yoplait greek 100. it is so good. yoplait greek 100. (announcenergy cycle... natural cats. they were born to play.

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finally tonight it's one of the country's most recognizable landmarks so why would anyone even think about deporting the statue of liberty? well, cnn's jeanne moos is on the case. >> reporter: you know that french lady out in new york harbor? somebody wants her deported. >> bonjour. no hab la espanol. >> reporter: in fact she's getting grilled by immigration. >> do you speak english? >> of course. i was just saying hello. >> name, please. >> liberty. >> full name? >> statue of liberty. >> reporter: a campaign is gathering momentum. ship her back to france before she has an anchor baby. >> preserve american culture. deport the statue.

>> reporter: this reminds me of the glory days of freedom fries. >> can i see your entry papers? >> i don't have any. i came here in some crates by boat. >> reporter: give me your tired, your poor, your gullible? other goal was never to trick people it was to do a spoof and use satire. >> do you have any education? >> i have over 120 years of experience in my field. >> there were people like oh, my god, i almost believed this. >> reporter: the producer for a human rights organization called breakthrough that's trying to break through the immigration debate with humor. they created a fake campaign with fake twitter accounts, and called themselves legals for the preservation of american culture. >> i am an icon of american freedom. >> reporter: the campaign to deport the statue is really in favor of immigration reform. the statue's grilling is supposed to represent what immigrants experience. cartoonists hadded same idea

last year. she was here illegally and got deported back to france. but lady liberty could suffer a much worse fate than deportation. how about decapitation? that's happened to liberty in movies ranging from cloverfield to deep impact. when she lost her head to a giant tsunami. charlton heston found her beached in planet of the apes. after all of the liberties that have been taken with this lady, what's a little fake deportation? >> can you prove that you are not taking a job away from an educated american statue? >> reporter: jeanne moos, cnn, new york. >> and jeanne says the actress who played lady liberty is an american with a decent french accent. she went to her next job interview slightly green because they could not remove all the paint. i'm jake tapper in the "the situation room." erin your honor bet "outfront" starts right now.

>> "outfront" next the nsa says they've stopped dozens of terror attacks by snooping. they described a few of them in detail today. so here's the question. would americans have died if it were not for these secret snooping programs? plus police say they have uncovered another instance of people being held captive for years in ohio, this time it was a mother and a daughter. and we're going to have the latest on that store you tonight. and then amanda knox, an italian court citing what might have happened the night her roommate was killed. a major development that could totally change knox's life. for a special report let's go "outfront." good evening everyone i'm erin burnett. attacks foiled. today the head of the national security agency told congress the top secret surveillance programs, like the ones recently le