one gut feeling if. you've got a lobbyist and you have the white pork industry. anti-hunting and talk down. you name it they always seem to have more money than the good guy i want to make a decent living. so farmers these pigs are their lives and a source of income but to the state of michigan they're a hazard that needs to be disposed of well take you to the town of marion where farmers are being forced to slaughter their swine. and if you're annoyed with how long it takes to get our roads repaired don't blame the construction company is all this bipartisan bickering is leading to u.s. infrastructure down a road to nowhere so what will it take to bridge the gap between our political

parties. and just when you thought long security lines and t.s.a. pat downs go way too far the latest failed bomb plot has given f.b.i. officials reason to ask for more surveillance power in cyberspace. it's thursday may tenth here in washington d.c. i'm liz wall and you're watching r t. well imagine being forced to open fire on your own animals some farmers in michigan say they had no choice but to do just that they say the pig carnage in the state was at the demand of the michigan department of natural resources it's all due to a law that went into effect on april first the laws aimed at getting rid of pigs michigan d.n.r. is now calling an invasive species the government agency says the pigs can become

dangerous carry diseases and cause problems for the environment but farmers are saying this doesn't describe the pigs that they've been raising for years so it's a find out what's really going on i ventured out to the to western michigan my investigation took me here to a quaint rural town called marion i also visited other farms and talked to folks that say their whole way of life is shaken by the new law that doesn't make much sense to them. in the heart of western michigan are picturesque world towns where some wild animals are free to roam. for many folks living here local farms are their livelihood. but serene fields are a backdrop to a raging battle between farmers and the government this is the way people have raised pigs for. market beggar

has been raising pigs for fifteen years he and his family live off their family farm. here a baker's green acres bigger takes pride in letting his pigs and piglets roam free on the farm. the department of natural resources here in michigan has deemed these pigs and base of species that they have ordered farmers to slaughter every last one of these pigs in piglets and farmers that have been complied are now considered to be felons but baker refuses to mass slaughter his animals but the d.n.r. is going to make me do it they can do it they can pull the trigger themselves others say they had no choice but to pull the trigger on their own animals it's very sad all i see are tracks of the animals that used to be here this plot of land i'm dave talks birds farm was once thriving with hundreds of healthy pigs they're all playing around in and it is really. it's

a fun way of of raising animals because you can sit out and watch him and. you can tell that they're happy pig if there is such thing as a happy pig these were really happy pigs but today this pen is empty he says he and his fellow farmers were forced to exterminate their swine before the april first deadline yeah they take the mom out first or you have to watch your back because he get pretty anger had to. had to shoot her first and then then have to go round up the piglet and shoot them all so they were small pay glitz and they were there was enough meat on him to to doing with some we sold for just pennies on a dollar. a lot of this ows of course had young inside them ready to give birth so they just they of course just got buried some farmers are calling the government mandate pig genocide if you're found with any of these animals these

type of animals on your property and you'd be fined you'd be jailed. and you have a felony as well as they would kill every animal on here that they have found. so what's so bad about these pigs for the government to demand they be wiped off the face of the state michigan d.n.r. did not answer repeated interview requests but their web site argues feral swine pose a problem because they host parasites and diseases that they're and humans and animals and can cause extensive damage to the environment farmers say that hogwash hogs were the most healthiest ones in the state because we tested every single one that died every pig that that we harvested i would take a vial of blood and i would send him into the studs and hundreds of these vials into the state of michigan get him tested every year michigan d.n.r. also asserts the pigs can get aggressive and attack humans when cornered or

threatened but according to farmers that raised them not these pigs when they're outside like this they're in their environment you see the tails going back and forth we could we could take a stroll in there and they would want to just come over and maybe sniff you a little bit. so what's really behind the law farmers have their suspicions my gut feeling and. you've got a lobbyist you have the white pork industry. anti hunters anti gun. you name it they always seem to have more money than the good guy want to make a decent living around here i think what they're what they're getting at is they want pigs that are raised in confinement in confinement operation or k. fall. i think that they think that that would be acceptable because they can control is in animals operations like this or pigs are mass raised in confinement

the michigan pork producers association stands by the government invasive species order they say quote we must defend an up hold michigan's ban on these destructive disease carrying animals and close the door to all invasive species. pigs the big pork businesses consider a threat local farmers have counted on for years this was actually a very very good income for us so i don't have an answer on how to survive. after here i don't know if they've already shot my business though i cannot sell these animals live now this is half of what i do what my income is. it's a fight for their livelihood and a way of life baker is now battling to keep in court in michigan liz wall r t so farmers in michigan think the state government's claims are hogwash but people

are also growing more frustrated with the leaders here in washington doesn't seem like they can agree on anything these days and when it comes to politically neutral issues like maintaining infrastructure and transportation still lawmakers seem to be bad luck this week congress took up the transportation bill but no one seems to be holding their breath that it will go anywhere meanwhile america's infrastructure is crumbling plenty of roads and bridges in desperate need of repair take a look at these projects the late due to bipartisan bickering all the hudson river tunnel the project was canceled in october of two thousand and ten when governor chris christie blames the federal government. over in beverly hills the subway extension project it was approved by the metro board but delayed due to a political deadlock and a very big problem around here bridge is over twelve percent of washington d.c. is bridges are structurally d. fish in six point nine percent of maryland's bridges are also structurally deficient and nine point four percent of virginia's bridges have the same problem

across the country the national average is at eleven percent so i can congress build a bridge and get over it for more of the issue i'm joined now by dan holler he's the communications director at the heritage foundation welcome dan so these are bipartisan issues but still no consensus why why not i think what you're seeing here is a really fundamental difference on how we can start a project that through all of i don't washington to be the sort of genesis of what bridges do we build what roads doing and that sort of thing and what we're seeing is that washington doesn't work and what conservatives like me. and others about the city is the federal government get out of it returned the states where it was so you know you're saying washington doesn't work but something has happened along the way because you know past presidents have presided over very ambitious projects

you know things like the transcontinental railroad or the interstate highway system so what is it about this congress that camp can't seem to pass things that come to infrastructure things that are in the benefit of everyone. well let's remember the highway system with completed one hundred eighty two i mean i never had a great vision the complete and that was fine but we're still using the old model for something that's been completed for more than two three decades so we have to do is reevaluating say is washington now the best place to be funneling money to an industry being back to the states and i would argue no i mean what we saw back in two thousand was that ninety percent of all makers voted they were highway bill that highway bill broke the highway trust fund it made it go bankrupt with that thirty billion dollars in bailouts for it and we still have all these problems so clearly the federal government is not the answer ok so if washington doesn't work and you know and all these states with a alexy the leaders to do this job that right now they can't seem to get anything

passed so what then is the alternative to washington and the alternative is what you're seeing all around the country whether it's a democrat mayor in atlanta working with the republican legislature down there to figure out ways to raise funds and tackle local infrastructure projects in that sort of the model is that local locally elected officials coming together crossing party lines and figuring out what they need best for their state instead of having money either state go to washington and then come back with strings attached say that the money should then be should be allocated locally rather than federally i think we need to get the federal government out of the book into the federal government is involved in so many different things it's impossible for him to do everything well one of the easy things that they can do is say to the states you know what is your money you carry out the process anyway all we do is make your life more difficult so we're going to let you keep the money we're not going to take it you know do what you need you know if you need to raise your local or state

yes that you know that's a decision you can make and you can explain to your address and that's fine but you don't need us being involved in your daily road projects now what we're seeing a lot of issues are just that a deadlock right now but you say it's all politically motivated you know not being able to resolve these issues instead of you know making decisions for in the best interest of the people which is what they're elected to do that and they're instead motivated by politics. oh i sort of reject this whole notion that everything is politically motivated and one of the things that you're seeing in this country is a real fundamental divide in the divide is what's the proper role of the federal government if you want to have the federal government be more involved in their daily lives you know what happens in the state economy you know who build the bridges and roads or do you want them to be less involved and i think that's a real turning point because in the past you have democrats when a lot of involvement from the federal government and republicans would say you know we want a little more involvement from the federal government but not a lot and then i think you sort of see republicans say the federal government has grown too far we need to figure out how to pare back its authority and really

return our individual private sector in the state all right so you know this lack of compromise is not a lot of getting done here things like infrastructure being left neglected so ultimately how is this affecting you know everyday citizens here in the last. i think we can look at all these little is using really say they undermine the trust of the american people have in their federal government that's a huge problem but i don't think that's going to change simply because washington politicians come together and say you know what the way to bridge this impasse is to go spend more money think ultimately when the happen is watching these and say look the american people are sick and tired of us doing what we've been doing for the past several decades we need to stop spending money we need to stop growing government stop beating that special interest ever really return power where it belongs i think that's the only way you can restore faith in the institutions and really get the economy going all right interesting take there thanks for coming on the show that was dan hauler he's the communications director at the heritage

foundation. president obama will have plenty of extra cash tonight after the largest single fundraiser and presidential election history the exclusive party at actor george clooney as house is expected to raise fifteen million dollars and is just part of what will be a record spending election year but while a few major donors spend millions to influence politicians those without the cash who are feeling the pain of our current political and economic policies are to go and oh shows us how far fifteen million dollars can go when it's not when it's not in a politician's pocket. this crowd is not in a rush for the latest high in sneakers men and women of all ages are just trying to get a spot in a food pantry line in south los angeles last night i made

a chicken soup with the food i got from another food bank so tonight i'm planning on the same thing homemade chicken soup again since having a stroke and becoming disabled eric davis lost his job and has relied on the food bank while davis and other needy families in los angeles struggle to feed themselves a short drive away actor george clooney will be throwing one of the priciest dinner parties l.a. has seen in hopes of raising fifteen million dollars for the obama campaign preparations are underway for what is considered to be the most expensive fundraiser in presidential election history some of southern california's wealthiest donors will be rubbing elbows with president obama and each will pay forty thousand dollars for the privilege of going to take a lobster but we're not even soup only soup you know davis believes politicians and big donors have misplaced priorities the extravagance of this year's presidential

campaign is a stark contrast to the austerity millions of hungry americans experience every day . according to the los angeles food bank it can provide for meals for every one dollar donation of fifteen million dollars donation would help provide sixty million meals. food which is much needed in a city where hundreds of thousands are hungry and thousands of others are living on the streets here because this isn't just just i mean you know this is like it's a life changer at the los angeles mission demand has shot up but donations have dropped forcing layoffs and cuts the nonprofit group which runs the homeless kitchen says it cost them about two dollars to serve each meal for fifteen million dollars you could take seven and a half million people off the street and you know there's obviously and the side of it but that we're here to help we're here to bring home hope is what president

obama promised four years ago but when you look at his campaign and that mitt romney's nothing has changed and when it comes to massive campaign spending this morning romney's camp hopes to raise eight hundred million dollars by november back in two thousand and eight obama raised seven hundred thirty million dollars and his total spending during this campaign is expected to approach one billion dollars super pacs have already spent nearly one hundred million in this election cycle well there's only two kinds of power in the world organized money and organized people yeah they've got the organizing body which we have to have organized well thousands of teachers face layoff notices again in california some of the nation's largest corporations are still asking for favors and finding every loophole to avoid taxes obama and the rest of the politician you just don't want to the plate

and realizes people the song we out here twenty twelve will be a record election year with nearly two billion dollars expected to be raised unthinkable amount to americans who are constantly told of the need for the nation to take its belt. in los angeles remote good lindo r t. l still ahead on our team from our airspace to cyberspace the f.b.i. wants permission to see all of the latest measure government officials call imperative to our national security efforts while telling you what this means for your privacy next. it's one of american power continues. things on our show about. might actually be time for a revolution. and it turns out that a programmer drink at starbucks or the surprising him really you want to.

thank. you. r t is the state run english speaking russian channel it's kind of like al-jazeera. russia today has an extremely confrontational stance when it comes to us. what drives the world the fear mongering used by politicians who makes decision to break through that sort of a being made who can you trust no one who is in view with a global missionary see where we had a state controlled capitalism it's called sasha's when nobody dares to

ask we do r t question more. and more surveillance please that's what the f.b.i. is asking for yesterday the f.b.i. director urged congress to give the agency extensive surveillance powers the justification the latest foil terrorism plot here as f.b.i. director robert mueller pleading before congress meanwhile al qaeda affiliates especially al qaeda in the arabian peninsula represent a top counterterrorism threat to the nation a.q. a.p. has attempted several attacks on the united states including the failed christmas day airline bombing in two thousand and nine and the attempted bombing of u.s. bound cargo planes in two thousand and ten and of course we are currently we in the bureau are currently exploiting an i.e.d. an improvised explosive device seized overseas which is similar to the devices used by a.q. a.p. in the past. now the f.b.i.

says this is a good reason to expand their ability to snoop on people online they want to be able to wiretap the internet and are asking companies like google and facebook to alter their code to enable them to do so and they hope to do this by amending a law that allows the wiretapping of funds and expand that power to internet sites that people use to communicate on these days so is this infringing on your online privacy or a necessary tool to ensure public safety so look further into the story we spoke with declan mccollough he is the chief political correspondent for c.n.n. news he first explained what he makes of the f.b.i. asking for more surveillance powers to take a lesson well it depends on who you talk to the f.b.i. is going to say this is something that lets us keep up with technology and privacy advocates are going to be alarmed by this because i mean if you think about it if facebook or microsoft or google or apple care or order

a lawful order order there are already going to have to comply with they can't very well say oh sorry joe joe we i just don't really feel like doing it today so ready and is this how this is creating what amounts to back doors and these internet companies networks and systems and servers and i would like to know a lot more about this but are saying no problem let's go ahead and do it now the f.b.i. is saying that this is essential for public safety and it's a very timely argument because of this latest foiled al qaeda bomb plot that's being used as justification is it fear of honoring or is it truly necessary to obtain the intelligence to prevent these kinds of attacks. well this is a problem we've had we meaning anyone especially journalists on the outside trying to evaluate the surveillance demands that the f.b.i. has been making not even since the two thousand and one september eleventh numbers

even before back in the mid one nine hundred ninety s. during the encryption wars so you have secret briefings and we don't come in from the outside you can't judge what that what's in them the f.b.i. also says well do this or bad things will happen even terrorist attacks but you know what how do we know whether this is true or not we were operating in a lack of useful information almost a vacuum so it's very difficult to evaluate these demands and so at the very least it makes sense to ask the f.b.i. for specifics and what they've been doing for about five years is polling their field offices to say what kind of investigations have been imperiled by your lack of access and so far they have not come up with a bunch of good examples now. what this law would do. where it would expand the power of what because traditionally they've been able to wiretap falling but people these days are communicating more so on the internet by e-mail by or by

text messaging or by skype so that doesn't make sense that if they've been able to wiretap phone that now some people are communicating by other ways that they would be able to wiretap these means of communication. well i've been to think circles around the one thousand nine hundred four law called the communications assistance for law enforcement act also known as coolly and that established what's going to weird principle and that is if you have a new technology that lets americans communicate you have to build in back doors to make it to wiretap able why the federal government and so there's almost no good gives the federal government to veto over new communications technologies sorry americans you can't have them unless we can wiretap them and this is not something that i think the framers of the constitution and vision it's not something that i i can see any provision in the constitution obviously permitting it and so you're right it is an extension of that one thousand nine hundred four law and it's a pretty direct six extension of it but maybe that nice ninety four law was not all

that wonderful in the first place that's a good point that you bring up so and it does this sound like you are worried that if we do grant this extended power that there is the potential there for it to be abused. well we've seen examples over the last the most eleven years now since the patriot act was enacted in late two thousand and two thousand and one in including the department of justice justice inspector general reports that have said this is a power the f.b.i. was granted by congress and this is what they've actually done with that with they've gone beyond what we expected we've also seen in the last year or so warnings by u.s. senators who have been to some of these secret briefings on the intelligence committees thing that americans would be alarmed if they knew what the f. they're f.b.i. was actually doing with the power they've been given so you know i mean that the history of the last ten eleven years is not great whether that at the very least if

we're going to grant government these new powers we should do a lot of oversight a lot of reporting a lot of citizens kind of privacy commission involved in other words do it with our eyes open and the proposals that have been expended to not do that. that was deafening mccullough teep current political correspondent at the met. meanwhile victor boot has become infamous and the last prosecutor has dubbed him the merchant of death hollywood called him lord of war and in new york jerry the cleric hand guilty of armchair trafficking there been a lot of questions assumptions and misconceptions over have in recent years but no one seems to have a clear picture on who victor boot really ends well are his very own on the safiya turkey that was able to get an exclusive phone interview with but himself from prison here's a sneak peek. type of trial it's a little sort of very you know similar to the minute detail in

a lean child trial of inquisition where you know you must accept that you confess that you went and you know did bad things or that what is happening to me that's a pure political case you're in the process of appeal why hoping for legally as politically i have almost known hope because the way the system works once you label to once you're put to the so-called. jury's decision so no judge or even supreme court would ever counsel that because like this is the truth in the. hoopers state that you're after you learned your sentence in court on april fifth you turned to the d.n.a. jones who were inside the courtroom and you said god knows the truth you know the truth what is your message to u.s. officials today and maybe even the u.s. president well i have a message for u.s. president that he will keep using these fucks who will have an aim of did a drug enforcement agents and they would be in advance of crimes this world not

only not help america to really solve the problem of drug force anywhere but it's that of going to the a real problem and solve the real problem they just inventing the crime you were dubbed the merchant of death the lord of war do you think these nicknames ended up affecting your case more than they should have of course this is entire story is about first you crazy me and then you bring people follow this so the more we've followed to read through all this article which not a single article brought any single fact about my wrongdoing look with all their money they went through all over the world and they brought two pilots who confronted yes my phone my my company was engaging the transportation but it was legitimate contact with the legitimate government of rwanda but out of all the businessmen that they could. gone after why do you think they went after you before then doesn't matter whom they're going to pick up because when you're one of the

growth spoon feed to the mainstream media spoon feeding the american population all great things i mean if they don't care when they pick up we know that you've seen the movie about you with nicolas cage what do you what do you think about his performance i feel sort of for him that this is a very. middle career movie has a very bad general screen and i don't think it's even interesting to watch it all it's a fair representation of the problem which is because an african nation if you knew you would be serving a twenty five year sentence behind bars do you think you would have done anything differently no i don't regret nothing in my life and i can see and face anything i did because i didn't did anything wrong with my life those are things correspondent on a safiya churkin on the line with convicted arms dealer victor boot that's going to do it for tonight for more on the stories we've covered you can check out our you tube channel you tube dot com slash our theme america you can also follow.