not in real life. coming up on our t.v. to new year but twenty thirteen will go down as a very bad year for violence in iraq a look at what's happening inside the country after u.s. troops left and we'll look at which country is thought of as the greatest threat to world peace plus n.s.a. leaks and possible military strikes in syria in two thousand and thirteen were just some of the topics that the obama administration stumbled through r.t. takes a look back at the year that was in the beleaguered white house. and raising the minimum wage the measure was approved last year by several states but only two days into the new year one former congressman says raising it actually hurts more than it helps the lower class is that really the case find out later today show.

it's thursday january second eight pm in washington d.c. i'm sam sax and you're watching are to and we begin with a developing story about the n.s.a. if the spy agency hoped the leaks would stop in two thousand and fourteen they hope to wrong today the washington post is reporting on n.s.a. efforts to build a supercomputer or what they refer to as a crypto logically useful quantum computer capable of breaking any sort of encryption on the internet documents provided by edward snowden revealed that the project is part of a nearly eighty million dollar research program called penetrating hard targets as it's called penetrating hard targets. civilian computer labs have long been working in the field of quantum computing a cutting edge science requiring large shielded rooms known as farraday cages to create supercomputers that have far more capabilities than classical computers we

all use today but despite the amount of money and attention devoted to their quantum computer project it appears the n.s.a. is no farther along in research than top civilian labs are but experts believe a fully functional quantum computer could be built within ten years with code breaking capabilities that could render all forms of online encrypt unreliable course that would have significant impacts on the security of banking medical and financial transactions all across the web. two major newspapers around the world began the new year by taking a stand for edward snowden first the guardian's editorial board on wednesday made a case for a pardon of edward snowden arguing mr snowden through journalists in the absence of meaningful reliable democratic oversight have given people enough knowledge about the nature of modern intelligence gathering to allow an informed debate. on the

other side of the atlantic on the same day the new york times also praised snowden calling him a whistleblower and saying when someone reveals that government officials have routinely and deliberately broken the law that person should not face life in prison at the hands of the same government president obama should tell his aides to begin finding a way to end mr snowden's vilification and give him an incentive to return home. new york times went on to bullet point several of the n.s.a. violations as revealed by snowden including the hacking of data links at google and yahoo the efforts to undermine in christian and prove that the director of national intelligence james clapper lied to congress last march when he said that the n.s.a. was not collecting data on americans. and now to iraq which is just coming off its deadliest year since two thousand and eight according to the united nations mission of baghdad seven thousand eight hundred eighteen civilians were killed in a second sectarian violence this year alone in iraq at an iraqi security forces

deaths and the death toll rises to more than eighty eight hundred although the war in that country officially ended in two thousand and eleven the violence continues and peace is still hard to find iraq is that lasting legacy of u.s. intervention in the middle east which might explain the results of a new global poll conducted in over sixty five countries around the world at the end of two thousand and thirteen done by the worldwide independent network and gallup the poll asked people which country do you think is the greatest threat to peace in the world today and far and away the not so distinguished honors went to the united states with twenty four percent saying america is the greatest threat to peace other nuclear armed nation is rounded out the top three with pakistan second and eight percent in china and third at six percent some of the strongest anti us sentiments came from russia and china where roughly fifty percent of respondents in each of those countries pointed to the u.s. as the greatest threat to peace. even residents in allied nations like mexico like

brazil spain and germany as well as residents in islamic nations like algeria and indonesia all pick the u.s. as the top threat to peace other nations like lebanon iraq in tunisia picked israel as the greatest threat to peace meanwhile those living in poland in georgia found russia to be the greatest threat to peace now despite the overwhelmingly negative attitudes the world is has toward u.s. policies that threaten peace the poll also asked the global community which country they would prefer to live in and the united states top that list as well by nine points so there's that consolation for americans but what should we take away from these numbers and as iraq continues its descent into violence is it time for the united states to rethink its role as the world's policeman well earlier i spoke with retired brigadier general david reste he's the vice president in the potomac institute for policy studies strategy and planning division i first asked him if

you believe that the violence in iraq resulted from the u.s. is two thousand and three invasion and the occupation that followed. sam i don't think it's that there's a direct correlation between our occupation and what's happening today i believe more than anything else it's the way the situation in iraq was left and then the powerbrokers inside iraq settling disputes or grasping for those elements which will give them control in the future within that country which is a very rich country relative towards natural resources and i think that's what a lot of the fights about at this point in time when you say how we left i remember in the two thousand election mccain john mccain caught a lot of flak because he said you know i'd stay there fifty years one hundred years as long as as long as it takes are you saying that the u.s. left iraq too soon. i don't think we left too soon because obviously the way our nation conducts wars and engaged is based on the political will and our country's just wasn't behind it at that point in time but i believe from at least how i

engaged in anbar province and i was there for about a year and a half through the middle two thousand. i believe we could have set them up for a little bit better of economic success which would have ensured a lot more of the security that that was that was needed at that time and by not study not those economic deals and those structures you can put all the policemen or all the military you want the world when that oversight of that time when the parents aren't there anymore be it iraqi forces or u.s. forces things are going to happen and unfortunately when people squabble for that for those financial assets it's going to get brutal what happens now what's to be done in that country we can't leave you the u.s. population isn't willing to put more to send more troops back to iraq at this point obviously the president and congress are going to be on board with that so does the u.s. have any sort of role in creating peace in that country at this point. that's

a great question sam and if i the answer to that one i wouldn't be sitting here but i would offer i think we continue to need to stress those things that the united states stands for those things which are right and that will manifest itself across time when you gave your intro you spoke about that a lot of people don't like the united states but they'd still like to live here and you mentioned that that was a consolation almost like a consolation prize you might view it like that but the people of the world i still think i still believe and a lot of people still still think this that the united states is that country that's the beacon we need to continue to act like a beacon don't waver from those those policies those issues and eventually things will work out but consistency in foreign policy and things like that they take time and effort and unfortunately innocent people are being caught in the middle right now in

a very tumultuous middle east with the arab spring and all that comes with that well on that poll you just mentioned you brought up that disconnect of the u.s. being far and away the leader in this poll as as the greatest threat to violence and yet a plurality of people around the world still want to live there how do you explain that disconnect and does it suggest that that the world still wants the united states there they just want the united states to live up to the ideals that the united states says it is trying to live up to rather than exporting violence across the world yes and i think you just hit the nail on the head no unfortunately in a couple of the countries that you mention that have the highest anti u.s. opinion there's a lack of a freedom of press which is one of the things when people look at the united states they very much strive for that dichotomy in those two buz speaks exactly. one of them one of the troubling things no one who's can who's doing anything bad likes the police around and i shy away from that term police. section because i

don't think the united states is trying to be the world's policeman but that's how the perception is changing in altering that perception where we where we manifest our good qualities with without being too heavy handed there is an art to that there's not a science engaging with every country is going to be a little bit different and we have to be exceptionally careful in the way our government and gauges throughout the globe or we will run into opinion polls that that you cited and those who don't have the freedom of the press won't get the good side of what the united states offers or is trying to do and retired u.s. marine brigadier general david reste he's also the vice president strategy and planning at the potomac institute for policy studies thank you and as we transition into the new year there's at least one person who is grateful for the end of two thousand and thirteen are here david looks at president obama's trouble there and some of the stumbling blocks he faced. in the last few days billions of people

around the world have been raising their glasses and saying cheers to the start of twenty fourteen but perhaps no one is excited to kiss two thousand and thirteen goodbye and more than president barack obama in fact it's something he addressed in his end of the year press conference after being asked if he thought it was the worst year of his presidency i have now been in office five years close to five years. was running for president for two years before that and for those of you who've covered me during that time we have had ups and we have that had downs and. if i look at this past year there are areas where there obviously been some frustrations where i wish congress had moved more aggressively while the president is frustrated with congress many americans are equally frustrated with obama over his policies last year let's take a quick look at the issues that will define president obama's twenty thirteen year

in office starting with a tory is an essay in june of two thousand and thirteen former government contractor edward snowden blew the lid off of the national security agency's secret surveillance program and the revelations show the n.s.a. has reach had extended to major companies world leaders and american citizens and his first public comments about the leaks this is what obama had to say by sifting through this so-called metadata they may identify potential leads with respect to folks who might engage in terrorism. this does not apply to u.s. citizens and it doesn't apply to people living in the united states the president's defense of these programs even as they've come under fire in the court system and within the white house's own review panel have alienated privacy and civil liberties advocates so let's move on to the syrian disaster for the past two years the crisis in syria has worsened but most americans could agree on one thing that

a u.s. led war in syria would not be the answer in fact according to a reuters ipsos poll from august of two thousand and thirteen only nine percent of respondents were in favor of intervening militarily in the country but despite the overwhelming public opinion president obama remains steadfast in his september speech to americans that a targeted strike be the next course of action ultimately a diplomatic solution was announced however some analysts have said that obama's drumming up of support for military intervention chipped away big at his liberal base and that takes us to what was supposed to be president obama's most significant legislative accomplishment health care now although the health care dot gov website was nearly impossible to use when it launched what was perhaps more detrimental is the president backtracking on one of his most prominent claims no matter what you've heard if you like your doctor or health care plan you can keep

it if you like your doctor you can keep your doctor if you like your private health insurance plan you can keep your point for years president obama had been promising millions of americans that they could keep their health insurance if they wanted to but as we finally learned in two thousand and thirteen that's not exactly the case for president obama forgot to mention is that only grandfathered health plans would be able to meet all of the law's new coverage requirements he's made some temporary reparations to fix the bugs but health care remains a thorn in his side. now these are just three of the many lows obama saw last year which help explain why the president ended his fifth year in office with the worst public approval ratings of his presidency if you just take a look at this whole sir aggregate you'll see his approval dropped from about fifty three percent in january last year to forty two percent in december and those are the numbers that close out obama's twenty thirteen so even though two thousand and

fourteen signifies a new year it may not necessarily signify a clean slate for the oval office and washington and the david our team. workers around the country are ringing in a new year with a new raise workers will see a bigger paycheck in thirteen states with new york new jersey connecticut and rhode island raising the state minimum wage several other states including arizona colorado and florida are increasing the cost of living wage for workers california will be increasing its statement from wage to nine dollars halfway through the year in july and washington d.c. and parts of maryland also see minimum wage increases in two thousand and fourteen now twenty one states require employers to pay workers above the federal minimum wage which is still just seven twenty five an hour president obama and democrats are hoping to increase the federal minimum wage some time this year to nine or ten

dollars an hour but they're facing a lot of opposition from the right that opposition is perhaps best in capsulated in a recent op ed by former congressman ron paul who argued raising the minimum wage increases the price of labor does decreasing the demand for labor so an increase in minimum wage will lead to hiring freezes and layoffs unskilled and inexperienced workers are the ones of most often deprived of employment opportunities by increases in the minimum wage. now i spoke earlier with brian doherty senior editor at reason to learn more about this perspective and i first asked him why he thinks raising the minimum wage isn't a good idea. well i mean there's no way to quantify it but we do know that this people think and earn the minimum wage send the lowest skilled among us and in many cases bring youngest among us today is worth remembering that more than half of the

people earning the minimum wage in america people between the ages of sixteen and twenty four generally are workers a minimum wage that's not really right when there are people trying to earn an entire family income so you look at the people who are most affected by. these are people who need most of all to get a hold in the job market one of the best ways to increase your ability to earn more money in any job market having had the door and if we walk out which we inevitably will no employer is going to hire an employee who needs money so value your employer in the end up being less than whatever the minimum wage is you're not going to get hired and this can have a really bad effect on your life and again it is worth remembering we're not talking about family. we're talking. and the data does show that states that already have a higher minimum wage than the federal law and i are teen unemployment and that's

where the real lack of well i'm really wondering though if these laws in this of supply and demand necessarily apply to the labor market like ron paul was suggesting and like you're suggesting there have been several studies done on this issue in virtually every single want to show no increase in unemployment when the minimum wages increase a two thousand study compared fast food employment in neighboring new jersey in pennsylvania after new jersey raise their minimum wage employment was affected another study in two thousand and ten from u.n.c. university of california u. mass looked at every single pair of neighboring counties in the us with different minimum wages and found no discernible impact on unemployment so why doesn't the science seem to back up these spoken warnings about raising the minimum wage first of all the car you're talking about now is mostly based on all of them sort of if you actually look at a real. telephone. there's a reason and science that we come up with regularity and laws if anything regarding economics there are so many things that go into affecting any given choice and would make that there is no way for me that look at just one thing to actually know

what the cause of a million things that could affect what makes a restaurant or any other restaurant choose to make any given hiring the engine so we actually look for laws and regular that go beyond just looking at what. science is all about and it is economics in its entirety becomes utterly meaningless chaos if we do not understand that other things being equal if you charge more for something people are going to demand a lower quantity basically an economist who is trying to look at the world and claim that not a lot of demand is not saying that economic science is worthless and we have plenty of the no in almost every other fast of the world that when the price of something has increased band for the last you should look at these opposed to them which are always being done for a political. debate i got one place in the world where you know the

laws of economics fall apart and you should look at that really the economist in two thousand and twelve it's not exactly a bastion of liberal thought said evidence is mounting that moderate minimum wage wages can do more good than harm and i'm wondering if we're neglecting the stimulative effect of an increase in minimum wage low wage workers basically spend all of their income many if they had more income through a minimum wage increase they would spend that too and spending it generates economic activity the economic policy institute estimates that a minimum wage increase of ten dollars would create thirty two billion dollars in new economic activity and of course that's all done without adding a single dime to the deficit which i'm sure reason hates so why isn't this a good idea because it doesn't cost the lowest skill. the youngest workers yeah absolutely if you raise the minimum wage they from seven to ten you're going to attract some people generally not the lowest skilled people who might go i don't feel like working burgers for seven dollars you know white kid needs

a job during summer vacation for college maybe i'm willing to do it absolutely you can attract people in the market that way but you're still harming the lowest wage workers and if you if all you're looking at is the notion that we want to help so we want the people who already. have more money for them to stand then that's all you care about go ahead but if you care at all about getting people at the bottom of the job ladder working on if you care at all about not encouraging companies automate in ways that are going to cut low wage labor for example or down the line in ways that. are not going to show then go ahead again it's extremely silly to claim that the law that the entire base with economic suddenly stopped working in this one area where it's politically convenient for want to put money left in place we're running out of time only one more question here aside from the economic share the reality is that there are millions of americans who are working full time jobs and making minimum wage that they can't get by on and they're having to rely on federal benefits to to make ends meet what should we be doing about those these

people in the short term in the immediate term to address this rather serious problem with our economy. we need jobs we need more people to have more jobs and the way you get economic growth it's not government management not the government ordering people around the allow businesses to grow it's allow them to hire who they want at the price they want to hire if not but job of any given business to hire minimum wage workers to you know make a federal policy about what amount of money people think anyone should have there's a line of thinking i mean my answer your question is we shouldn't be doing anything about it except allowing the force of the economic growth to work and don't work and that my no wait wait wait for the free market to work brian doherty senior editor at reason thanks for coming on do americans have faith in their lawmakers to address the many problems the country is facing a new poll suggests no the associated press and o.r.c.

center for public affairs research finds that fifty five percent of americans believe the government is doing a poor job representing the views of most americans and just one out of twenty americans just one out of twenty are willing to say that the american system of democracy works well and needs no changes despite the mistrust lawmakers at least on the state and local level are still work they're still passing laws and there are quite a few interesting new laws set to take effect in two thousand and fourteen parties making lopez break them down. well happy twenty fourteen everyone january first brings with it not only a new year but also new laws that come into effect the moment the ball dropped in times square some forty thousand new local state and federal laws kicked in across the country here's a look at some of the interesting ones that we found now in delaware residents can no longer possess sell or distribute shark fins inside state lines shark has become

an increasingly popular phenomenon globally in recent years and is used in eastern medicine as well as to make shark fin soup estimates suggest that up to seventy three million sharks are killed annually for their fins and fears are that the shark population is in danger as a result and speaking of eating in oregon a new law on the books now allows mothers to take their placentas home after giving birth it's a growing trend for new mothers to eat their placentas for the nutrients and sign usually in pill form some cultures call for mothers to bury it in the ground to protect the newborn babies soul and some people like to make art out of it like a man to england who creates a mobile prints for portland area families illinois is the center of a new slew of laws that just might raise some eyebrows both illinois and oregon have banned teens under eighteen from going to tanning salons so looks like they will have to get their winter glow from the sun's reflection on the snow also in

illinois drones are now provided from monitoring hunters and fishermen this lie is in direct response to the people for the ethical treatment of animals a new initiative called air angels which encourages drone hobbyists to search by sky for illegal hunters p.s. even sells the drones for that explicit purpose the website says that the drones are for those who are fourteen and older and can be used for other things like catching people who are drinking while in possession of a firearm and last but not least the final installation of a two thousand and seven law signed by president bush means lights out for manufacturers lou. only the federal law stops companies from producing the two most popular bowls in the country the forty watt and the sixty watt bulbs in place of those incandescent lights will be the more expensive house legend bulbs compact fluorescent bulbs l.e.d. lights and high efficiency in candace ince the goal here is to reduce energy consumption in the us and to save money those are just a few of the interesting laws that we found do you know of any others well right on

our you tube page and share some of your favorites in washington meghan lopez r t but a chef boy or do you try to inspire consumers with the promise of a home cooked meal but what about home cooked. writes rosa takes a look at the rise of meth cocaine and america's households. according to a recent a.p. report there's a new business in entrepreneurial america that's starting to take off you see we love cooking at home we make everything from microwave dinner can delete and now

there's a new item we're cooking up in our homes regularly the druggist crystal methamphetamine jamba over the past decade tens of thousands of homes have been used to cook mass according to federal data but unlike the delicious scent of microwave horsemeat the effect of cooking the drugs mask linger much longer and could be harmful to your home when the masses took chemicals are steamed all over the place and carpets and ventilation systems in walls you name it exposure to meth residue can cause bad health problems like respiratory issues so since we're cooking up so much mass a new industry has sprung up that deals soley with cleaning homes after they've been busted as meth kitchens and some clean up business owners say their businesses are rolling by like thirty percent each year recently business is booming which is good because so far we've been lucky at cleaning up meth houses only about twenty

five states have clean up laws right now states where math houses are abundant like tennessee and kentucky place them on quarantine list where they can stay for years and that's because quarantine houses can end up in foreclosure and the banks don't want to pay. cleanup naturally which can cost up to twenty five thousand dollars it's a whole expensive process to clean them up first a certified contractor must remove and replace all contaminated materials knacked a certified industrial high genet test the home to make sure it's clean for a living but the real kicker is that despite laws requiring landlords to disclose if maps has been made on the property experts say such disclosures often never happen the result is that many people are living in contaminated homes across the u.s. so it's a good thing and the mask house cleanup business is starting to take off because

the process has got to be nationally standardized mandated and in forth until it is you might want to ask what kind of cooking the previous owners were into when house hunting and be glad when they say something just plain gross like microwave dinners instead of something just plain poisonous like a drug crystal meth tonight let's talk about that by following me on twitter at the residence. about those are for now for more on the stories we covered go to youtube dot com slush or to america or check out our website archie dot com slash usa you can follow me on twitter sam sachs until next time take it easy. i've. been. trying to.

do. all that. much and i've actually picked for a politician the last. year just to lead. a. welcome to the kaiser a ford imax kaiser britain's clowning community fears its good name has been tarnished after incidents of people in clown costume scaring members of the public the copy cat craze believed to have been started by a man known on facebook as the northampton clown involves people dressing as the circus characters to.