civil rights advocates who once cheered yes we can are finding themselves saying no you can't not only has the obama administration blocked torture accountability and refused to investigate and prosecute. he's he's basically maintained indefinite detention he's revived military commissions. and as we've seen as well he has expanded targeted killings so they've increased under the obama administration many fold and he's even authorize the killing of a u.s. citizen so you know i think yeah we're in a you know there is a bad state of civil liberties under the obama administration world renowned author and scholar noam chomsky believes the obama administration has changed gears and accelerated illegal practice into overdrive. between bush's policies and obama's. push bush's policy was to kill people. whatever.

put them one time. for them information. to kill. kill him all over the world. one another is the targeting drone killing of anwar joachim an american born cleric u.s. drone strikes during obama's first two years in office exceeded the total carried out during bush's tenure president obama described a walky as the leader of external operations for al qaeda in the arabian peninsula human rights groups which voiced international opposition against the bush counterterrorism policies quickly condemned a walkie killing journalist jeremy scahill says obama's policies have drifted far from his political roots a president mccain doing the exact same thing that president obama is doing would have been done now. by

a lot of liberals and so we're at one of those dangerous moments in u.s. history and we saw it a bit with clinton in the ninety's where a democrat who campaigned on a pledge to change the you know the country in the world has actually pushed a right wing agenda further forward than a republican republican could have if they remained in power or they took power or expanded power as obama gears up for his reelection campaign civil liberty groups that believed his words the first time around are now left to judge the commander in chief on his actions america's democracy is represented by a president can't even. walk and it's now armed with the duty to carry it out but critics say as long as obama raised by his own rules the constitution and his promise of change both remain compromise or not artsy. now iran has successfully test several long range missiles in the last day of

a major naval exercises in international waters of the persian gulf it comes amid mounting western pressure on the country over its nuclear ambitions tehran says it's ready to talk down to any attack by countries like israel or the united states has reacted angrily to new u.s. sanctions targeting its central sect it has been threatening to close the strait of the world's most important oil exports in the persian gulf nation meanwhile the e.u. is mulling an embargo on the purchase of iranian oil the decision of that expected before the end of the month side mohammad marandi from the university of tehran says a war with iran wouldn't the whole region. it is really the americans that are being provocative they are trying to make ordinary iranians suffer at the same time you see senior american officials and politicians constantly calling for the assassination of iranian scientists of iranian military commanders of politicians

and the constant threat of attacking and bombing the country so really the problem lies with the united states the maneuvers in the persian gulf are basically to show the united states that iran is strong and can protect themselves and it is basically the only way in which to force the united states to recognize that certain lines just simply shouldn't be crossed if the americans and its allies try to make the iranian economy suffocate the iranians will have no option but to respond in a sea of severe manner this is a region where an extraordinarily large amount of oil and gas. goes through and if there is insecurity in the region it's not just the strait of hormuz if there is a conflict in the persian gulf tankers who will be at risk boil insulations will be adverse war is hell and this instability will go beyond the persian gulf it will i

think of oil exports and gas exports will be at risk in central asia and throughout the middle east and there will be a lot of backlash from the public throughout the region but to our top story now the u.s. new war to attain terrorist suspects without charge let's get some reaction now of that insight in fact from surf landis international action center thank you for joining us here live on t.v. so what exactly does the new defense bill allow the u.s. military to do does it really mean anyone could be detained in held without charge or trial. yes it certainly does mean that it's an extremely dangerous attack on the bill of rights on right said had been one and defended time and again in the past it gives the u.s. military direct intervention within the us in other words not just outside could be used against citizen or non-citizen but it's important that it's to recognize it's

within a military appropriations bill a bill that already is a funding for a thousand u.s. bases around the world for continuing war and threats of war and that's why there is really no legislation that also increases the repression here at home the two are intimately linked to the u.s. needs to keep fighting terrorism doesn't the tough threats warrant and he could tough response surely. well really the u.s. wars are a form of absolute terror there's no other way of explaining secret rendition torture should not being targeted assassinations drone attacks on countries which the us is not even in a declared war whether it's in pakistan somalia yemen. and and hundreds of drowned surveillance over countries all over the planet all of

this is a form of release date terror and a must be linked to defense of our rights right here because the people of the war on when when the sovereignty of every country is under attack of course it resonates here at home because everyone here who speaks out for their rights also is increasingly finding themselves targeted the occupy wall street movement targeted. the muslim population as a whole targeted way but it's about in there but president obama has promised to keep the military in check to make sure terror suspects are treated fairly isn't that some reassurance. well there has been no fairness in the way those even charged with terrorism have been treated president obama came into office promising to shut down guantanamo and that certainly has not happened and as

a matter of fact this continue kuantan a mole and stop even the moving of people from guantanamo to prisons in the u.s. it has a very dangerous provisions for sanctions and more aggressive attacks on iran very dangerous that are linked to threats on the population right here so despite president obama's promises we've heard it many many promises from president obama and yet when it comes to the rights of people here and the rights of people around the world that has not been my experience unfortunately now the presidential election is coming up in the very is the signing of this new a locket to affect the race in any way will it come up. well it really means that that other possible presidents given this authority given this carte blanche my crew to use it also in dangerous and even more dangerous ways every right within

the us has been won on the basis of enormous resistance and struggle that was true for the historic civil rights movement the women's movement the union movement and it's going to be the only way of pushing down back the dangerous provisions in this defense authorization bill of the hour a dangerous new precedent for direct u.s. military involvement and for taking away the right to even know your charges the right to trial by jury all of these things are under attack right now in the u.s. and increasingly being used against a popular grassroots movement such as the occupy wall street movement so given those dangers then how do you expect the international community to react to these measures. well hopefully the international community also will raise a hue and cry because the u.s. government the state department claims to speak for democracy all over the world

and to make all manner of demands upon other countries while at the very same moment taking away those rights right here when you look at almost one hundred cities in the u.s. where in the last couple of months there was direct police action mass arrests and shutting down of the occupy wall street movements and you look at what's happened to the muslim community in the u.s. where hundreds and hundreds of people targeted secretly detained facing long sentences and when you look at the largest prison population in the world right here a black and latino prisoners overwhelmingly we cannot allow the u.s. to do these things right here at home and yet claim to speak for democracy and human rights around the world they must be held accountable here and for their wars around the world that's essential ok thank you for joining us we're out of time a lot from the in the u.s.

that was sarah found this from the international action center thank you. now the arab league says the syrian government has with join its troops from cities across the country but the regional body stress that security forces are still shooting at protests is and must stop immediately a team of in the examples is overseeing the implementation of things that. was not permissible something to end its crackdown on the opposition needs this is patrick henningsen say she. was dot com thinks the regime is fighting an armed insurgency funded from a broom and. a lot of these so-called human rights reports definitely skewed in favor of whatever the current western policies coming out of the us or london and paris of what they would like to see happen in syria which is really. people in the u.s. state department and the u.k. foreign office and the u.n. want to frame this argument is that assad is having

a crackdown on dissidents these are not dissidents these are in some cases armed insurgent and they're being backed in a material way by the u.s. and by some of these countries who actually are in the league qatar also has an interest in regime change in this country libya has sent al-qaeda fighters under the command of their tripoli governor to go and fight in syria this contravenes all united name and laws ok if the u.s. is actively involved in supporting this then they are culpable in international court. well some other world news in brief for you now first to south sudan where the u.n. has advised villages to flee from advancing fighters of a rival troy the town of people was the center of ethnic clashes on saturday when they were forced from their homes as a local hospital and several other buildings were set on fire the government says

it's deploying police officers and troops to the town road to bring the conflict under control around a thousand people have died in clashes over the past few months sparked by cattle raids. riot police and rain have clashed with hundreds of demonstrators after the funeral of a fifteen year old protester killed a day earlier the opposition claimed a teenager was hit by a tear gas canister close range over the authorities did later raise questions about the circumstances of their incident and investigate at least thirty five people were left dead in the bahraini unrest during twenty seven including police officers killed as protesters attacked security forces. south korea's president is offering the north's nuclear kim jong un new talks if he agrees to suspend nuclear activities leader said in the new year sweets that the korean peninsula is that it turning point but warned against future provocation by the north north korea walked out of nuclear talks in two thousand and eight of the object into south korea's

requests to inspect its atomic facilities the comments come just after kim jong un was named the ruling party leader and his father in the sense. that the modern world of satellite imaging is now able to give us a glimpse into most parts of the globe but until now israel has been protected from closeup images of every new turkish satellite will soon put an end to the country's zoom in baghdad as the turks prepare to launch their high tech satellite israel is being watched and is worried about its security poor slim reports. israel's leaders are worried and they've good reason to be in just a matter of months still be nothing stop. satellite companies from getting up close and personal. security. to enable me to very high resolution. until now only the americans had the technology capable of taking

images greater than two meters per pixel resolution and american law stopped us companies from distributing the pictures the americans very sensitive security and scrutiny that plays along with it which means even with google earth one can zoom into israel but only so far look at specific parts of israel many of them will come up blurry than any other place in the world that i've checked but that's about to change turkey is putting the finishing touches to military satellite it plans to launch within the next two years the gawked took satellite will be capable of taking the very pictures tel aviv doesn't want distributed and there are no american star legal qualms in turkey about upsetting its photosensitive neighbor to keep a soul directly or indirectly some of these injury to him and his office right and that's the fear here especially because tensions between tell of ever danko are at an all time low and aid for to attempt on gaza two years ago that left ninety two

exterior and cause expulsion of the israeli ambassador has tel aviv nervously weighing its options the irony is that it was not so long ago that the gawked took satellite would have spelled good news for israel the two countries cooperated extensively often sharing military intelligence but whereas turkey was once israel's a closest ally in the muslim world today it is ankara that is asserting itself without a television as a powerful player in the region or his trying to say that he isn't really not to be granted the special. service. to have this saying it recently. the playground of. the four countries everyone should abide by the same laws should have the same standards one satellite is barely enough to put israel's picture shy world in a spin but this is not a country that wants its neighbors knowing its business especially with an arab world in flux and israel fast losing former friends policy r.t.

and a veil on israel. more news and analysis always available online at r.t. dot com some of what's lined up for you this hour discover more about the leading lights of the bolshoi theater also known as the father of the nutcracker who celebrated his eighty fifth birthday today. discover more about the first newspaper ever printed in russia which was created on the order of peter the great on this day three centuries ago we thought about it. and then forget you can watch all of our best videos on you tube. one of the first of promises made by president obama when he first came to power back in two thousand and eight was to close the controversial guantanamo bay detention center four years later it's to live to talk to the center's former chief prosecutor of military commissions he speaks of his disappointment.

we're sitting down with morris davis a man of a very interesting career he was the chief prosecutor for the military tribunals are guantanamo bay in two thousand and seven he resigned over his objection to the use of evidence obtained by torture and to what he saw as growing political interference in those military tribunals now he says although president obama promised to shut down guantanamo he doesn't have the using colonel davis' own terms

the balls to do that colonel davis could you clarify about later. he was elected i was thrilled you know that he took office the first thing he did was sign an order . closing guantanamo within one year of his order which was signed in january of two thousand and nine and we're sitting here today and guantanamo still open the military commissions have resumed and in my view the president just didn't have the balls to follow through with doing the right thing do you think it's because when he became president he learned things that he hadn't known before i don't know if it was he learned things that he didn't know before or he faced a bigger obstacle than he anticipated you know saying you know the slogan close guantanamo sounds fairly simple actually following through and doing it is a much more difficult process you know they're saying the reason we're not shutting down guantanamo is because we don't know what to do with the remaining detainees

other countries don't want to have them well you know we haven't helped ourselves in that front of the week or so for instance the chinese muslims that were cleared years ago is not being a threat to the u.s. we beg two dozen countries to help us out they're not a threat take the weekers. and a few did a few countries did a couple of years ago a judge here in washington d.c. ordered the weavers released and brought to the us and suddenly our government said oh no they're too dangerous we can't have them in the u.s. so while we begged other countries to help us out and take some of the detainees we've never been willing to take one or so so we're a little hypocritical on that front colonel davis you were the chief prosecutor at guantanamo i want to know how did you go from being an advocate of the process to being a hard lying critic of the practices i took the job as chief prosecutor in september of two thousand and five and i believed at the time and did for most of my tenure

that we were committed to having full fair and open trials my policy had been we were not going to use. any evidence obtained by waterboarding or any of the other enhanced interrogation techniques that most people call torture and i had support above me for doing that then in the summer of two thousand and seven some new people came in and said wait a minute president bush said we don't torture so president bush says we don't torture who are you to say that we do and we've got all this information that was collected that you're not using you need to get in there and use it and that was when i felt that our commitment to full fair and open trials had diminished and i submitted my resignation what would you say to those who claim the difference between president obama and president bush as far as their anti-terrorism policy is bush would detain the suspects torture them prosecute them president obama just kills them doesn't have to go into all that detention trouble less certainly i think there's some facts to support that perception. like i said

candidate obama you know said all the right things about justice and american values and closing guantanamo and doing away with military commissions and upholding the rule of law and then once he gets in office you know he didn't just embrace the bush policies he kissed him on the lips and ran with them and has advanced them further than president bush ever did like killing an american with a drone strike in yemen. correct which is just. astounding that an american president can make the unilateral decision but an american citizen for an american president to make the unilateral decision that a civilian agency the cia. would go to another country and launch an military operation for a missile and kill american and bystanders it would just anwar all the walky that was killed or four people killed that day. i'm not aware of any legal justification

for that i think it's called murder to kill another human being deliberately without legal justice. cation are drones becoming the new arm of the u.s. justice you know there's nothing wrong with per se with drones i mean just another weapon system is basically an airplane with a pilot sitting in a in a lounge chair rather than the cockpit it's how they're used to concerns me. if they're being used to avoid. complying with the law and giving people due process and their day in court and that's a sad chapter in america's history if that's what we're doing. you know we've always our strength for two hundred years was the wall not turning our back on it's you know it's great when we're the country that has the drones it may not be quite as great when other countries have that same capability that are used against us and. crossing another border once again up into the tac often conducted by the cia which is

a civilian agency that you know they're not they're not the military they don't have combatant immunity and put it for the president to send them out to conduct often said military operations. is just unprecedented on a different now if president obama during his next presidential campaign again promises to shut down guantanamo and says well this time yes we will and yes we can would you believe and i believe president obama the first time he told me he was going to close guantanamo i'd recently retired from the military when he was running for president and for the first time in my adult life i got to participate in a campaign you know the military stays out of politics so i have to. put in a bomb a sign in the front door and i've been aided to the campaign i went door to door campaigning for him somebody came in my yard bomb a sign on fire and i put up another one so i believed in this hope and change that he promised you know what you're saying reminds me someone wisely said it's useless to hold a person to anything he says while he is in love drunk or running for office.

or all three at the same time for even worse but. you know i've seen his lips move before and say the right words i'll believe it when i see it thanks for the interview sir. morning. what is now. more than sixty square kilometers of the station and those are still surprisingly. i'm finding. it's getting bad out here. not saying hardly any birds squirrels.

you know what's going on. on the creek.

from. please. it starts on t.v. dot com. it's .

time for a look at the headlines now. there's uproar in the u.s. says the president authorizes a law to detain terrorist suspects without charge trial all the right to defense rights advocates are describing the unprecedented measures as a blight on obama's legacy and. iran testifies long range missiles during naval drills in the persian gulf and says it's prepared to hit back if it's attacked it comes as western nations plan to impose further sanctions targeting its oil and financial sectors while tehran threatens to shut off key oil supplies. plus the conflict in syria takes a new twist as arab league observers say the regime has pulled its forces back from

flashpoint opposition strongholds has demanded the peace plan but league warns there's still the issue of snipers firing on protesters. as well the headlines up next the story of a catastrophic environmental disaster in our special report tom creek. will rogers once they had somebody asking about my and they said well i just don't make much of anymore and we need the lord intends for us to be good sturtz what he gave us and we did a terrible job here we have better terrible to. you nothing about pitcher i'd spent half of the football game in picher oklahoma back in one thousand nine hundred four it was dark didn't have the team to appreciate the scenic view that the pitcher offer.