this is "bbc world news america." american spy agencies face criticism again after new reports the u.n. and eight agencies were under surveillance. the former russian oil tycoon is a free man after receiving a pardon from president vladimir putin. cuba is changing its swing when it comes to baseball. the lure of america's big league is still off-limits. welcome to our viewers on public television in america and around the globe. tonight am a there are more damaging revelations about the number and type of organizations placed under surveillance are american and british spy agencies. new documents leaked by edward snowden suggest targets included , eight agencies, and national leaders. our security correspondent reports. >> an embrace between the prime minister and angela merkel at the european summit in brussels which ended today. the next time they meet, things might be more awkward after fresh allegations surfaced about britain spying on allies, including allies in europe. two months ago, a row broke out overcharges the u.s.

the reason why america american high here is that are. going to grow up and because they have a russian there yeah absolutely and in fact you these people took an interest in the russian language for a reason they often visit the town of balanced budget for decades the neighboring towns have shared visits for sporting events. we may be different in many aspects but i'm sure everyone's happy to have a neighbor pool you see there are no other neighbors around here. and we've had a lot of enjoyable meetings in baron's burg. fucked up now you're leaving for work yes you have a regular working day of course not it's a holiday today a holiday there are no holidays in the mind two years ago came to spitzbergen alone to see how it would work out. many people can't bear being separated from their relatives. is not everyone manages to move their families here. you can not everyone can cope with the atmosphere in this arctic night. he left his wife and three children at home. we didn't feel anything for the first six months. then mum started missing

foreign policy people can say enough is enough absolutely enough and i think it's a shift because america americans are tired they're watching tens of thousands of veterans come home and they know in their heart that they have created a generation of injured souls that were going to be taken care of for a lifetime they see that they see the cost it's done to our economy i mean we're still living in a recession here no matter what republicans on the hill want to say about. growth people are still feeling the effects of the recession. and. i think we're. going to. i'm. all about money and i actually think for politicians right. back right. here just to. buy. well it under will marginalise should be making news all the face the same time you know. pleasure to have you with us here on t.v. today i'm researcher. over. did you know the price is the only industry specifically mentioned in the constitution which says that's because a free and open press is critical to our democracy shrek alves. well i'm. going to go on i'm sorry and i'm this show we were the real the picture of what's actually going on we

america." reinventing the american grocer. ♪ ♪ and an exclusive look at the former deli clerk who is the ceo. ." a from the wheatfields of the midwest to hvac, and the latest on an icon iconic american brands. a company doing its best to reduce the u.s. trade

and that's a value that i think is at the heart of not just america, but american sports. >> watch all of president obama's end of the year press conference today at 10:35 a.m. eastern here on c-span. now the senate intelligence committee hears testimony and questions about nominees for positions in the c.i.a. and state department. witnesses include caroline dianne krass, nominee for general counsel, who currently serves in the justice department, and daniel bennett smith, nominee to lead the state department's into rowe of intelligence and research this. uns about two hours. >> the committee will come to

us to put historical figures in the context in which we found them if not on the question of america american construct even if you can just jump in sorry. can i just jump in here quickly go ahead quickly peter can i just jump in here yes i well i think that he socialist sympathizers should not begrudge mandela because he rebranded socialism and he was a very crafty third way a politician he has followed the neo marxist prescription to the teeth in terms of land distribution aggressive affirmative action social racialism socialized racialism in which companies have to be coordinate by cohen to buy by blacks but not vice versa so i think a socialist friend should not be so disappointed in the so-called neo liberal agenda he did not liberalise the economy threatening nationalization were featured lee so. as far as my myself i'm concerned as a free market i certainly do not think. that it liberates go back to new york right before we go to the break here no matter you are going to give jeremy a chance and i would like to respond you got ten seconds go ahead well let me give jeremy a chance perha

we were americans working for america defending americans in an american action overseas. >> jon: i dogree with you. i think it's oonl easy -- it's an easy target blackwater. your name is black water for god's sakes. >> not even some smart marketing firm came up with. when we were building the place it was a training facility we built it to train seals. >> jon: when he says seals he means navy seals. >> right. >> jon: people might think it's an odd change of direction. >> the logo of a bear paw came from putting five miles of power poles and the bears were ripping the claws into the poles marking their turf. it was developed on the back of a napkin. >> jon: that's interesting. there were some incidents in iraq that you would probably agree were, if not out of control, as close to out of control. the nissar square is the famous one where 17 civilians were killed in what the inquest descriebdz as unnecessary violence. >> certainly any time a car bomb goes off the situation sought of control. we did more than 100 missions where no one was killed or injured. any time an innocent life is lo

economic and of it is you know all these these banks not just banks basically every sector of america american business is now in the hands of four or five relatively small companies or very large companies but a small number of companies ecosystems that are broad diverse are strong and healthy you know forests and jungles withstand droughts for example but if you have a field that's all one type of wheat all the same d.n.a. it doesn't withstand drought so we have now both a political ecosystem which has been corrupted badly and we have an economic ecosystem which has been corrupted badly and now in the third thing was different from the one nine hundred thirty s. is that in the one nine hundred thirty s. we had manufacturing capability we could build things we could build our way out of things which is exactly what we did we have now exported almost all of that manufacture a large portion of it we're the world's largest weapons manufacturer but that's it so kind of when you say you know an ecosystem we're lacking a diversification if you will now in your books forward you actually credit the

economic and of it is you know all these these banks not just banks basically every sector of america american business is now in the hands of four or five relatively small companies or very large companies but a small number of companies ecosystems that are broad diverse are strong and healthy you know forests and jungles withstand droughts for example if you have a field that's all one type of wheat all the same d.n.a. it doesn't withstand drought so we have now both a political ecosystem which has been corrupted badly and we have an economic ecosystem which has been corrupted badly and now in the third thing was different from the one nine hundred thirty s. is that in the one nine hundred thirty s. we had manufacturing capability we could build things we could build our way out of things which is exactly what we did we have now exported almost all of that manufacture a large portion of it we're the world's largest weapons manufacturers but that's it so kind of when you say you know an ecosystem we're lacking a diversification if you will now in your books forward you actually credit the aut

nation and editor of the selective poetry of john greensleaf whittier, a volume in the library of americas american poets project. in 2009 she received a pushcart prize, a guggenheim fellowship, a fellowship from the american council of learned societies and two national endowment for the humanities fellowships, among others. last year she was elected a fellow of the american academy of arts and sciences. brenda was a former director of the leon levy center for biography at the graduate school at -- [inaudible] in new york. she teaches in the mfa programs at the new school university and columbia university school of the arts and has taught at sarah lawrence college and union college in new york where she was irving, washington irving professor of modern literary and historical studies. please welcome brenda wineapple and nathaniel philbrick. [applause] and nathaniel philbrick. [applause] >> on my way over here, nathaniel and i talked about how both of these subjects are obviously the most -- among the most notable eras of american history. how could we characterize a comparative deal between your

john: we did not always have these in america. american their own generally exempted right to property. >> those areas where you shaved off part of the tree. indicate they had accepted it. in some cases where they grew corn, for example, the corn grew from here to there and that established a ride from here to there. those are actually called corn rights. it was an improvement on land that gave you the type. you had worked it. john: still developing such property rights. >> much of the countryside, the past prevail. >> the whole notion of property rights has been pretty alien tow formerly socialist countries because right from the beginning , in the 19th century, property -- john: compare the countryside to cities like shanghai. >> i visited shanghai about 30 years ago. none of these buildings existed at that time. it is incredible what happens when you change the rules of the game. john: should the rules of the game. >> the rules of the game have to say and recognize who really knows what because how you relate to the assets you have dete

i think my job, or the job of us european filmmakers is to just hold up america to americans and presentt to you in a new way. man," it is a road movie, and you see all of this amazing america. -- what ias all wanted to say is, look at your country, it is magnificent. look at the side of the road, just put a spotlight on it. it really does help when you come in with fresh eyes and then present it that way. tavis: i am laughing on the inside. this all happens to a guy who took piano lessons for two we eks? i was in there for years, banging away, and you get to be the winner of every award in town. what happened? >> you should have met my piano teacher, you would have stopped, too. [laughter] i was always banging around on the piano. i took refuge in music. my father died when i was very young. one place of refuge was the piano. then my mother said, do you want to start piano lessons? as a six-year-old, you misunderstand what that means. i had all this music inside me, and i thought this guy was going to show me how to get it out, as opposed to doing acrobatic exercises. i wasn't intereste

america -- americans don't like-- and they shouldn't like-- class warfare. there's nothing to be gained from tearing down the rich for the sake of tearing down the rich and the dream of great success is what propels a great deal in america. on the other hand, to be concerned about inequality is not to be engaged in class warfare. you know, i was struck, frankly, by the incoming mayor here in new york >> bill de blasio. >> he's proposed, as i understand it, to raise tax rates on people like you and me by one half of one percent in order to provide for universal pre-school. i think that's a good, powerful and important idea and people who call that class warfare don't get it. they don't get in the terms of their short run, their long run interests in the country staying together and they don't get it as a matter of morality. that doesn't mean that everything's that's proposed in the name of redistribution is the right thing. >> rose: redistribution is a pregnant term in its own. >> exactly. exactly, charlie. but we need to find a vocabulary and with that vocab

america. >> more americans are getting back to work. also, firsthand look at the full-time pursuit of freelance jobs. plus how some investors are putting a price tag on how much you're worth and what you might earn in the future. i'm ali velshi, and this is "real money." >> this is reel money. you are the most important part of the show. join our live conversation @aj real money or . this is christmas and the best gift we can receive is job growth. the most troubling part of the recovery is employment. evidence the economy is generating consistent job growth. at a rate that is actually quite healthy. it's not stellar. in november the u.s. economy added 203,000 new jobs. that's coming off revised figures for september and october that show that we've added 200,000 new jobs a month since the summer. so far the economy is up 2.1 million jobs this year. 2013 is likely to be the best year for job creation since 2005. we're going to get to the december numbers on january 10th. we also got a pleasant jolt this month when we unwrap the job open

american past agreement to play the unmentionable. with respect for what might be called the hare street of america. they have at one level explores circuits and cultural fusion from which make sense to american literature in particular as distinctive as any other. each in his or her own way cracked up in the realms of weirdness of what is essentially a strange american culture come including the strange american political culture is a bit on display for the last two weeks better than i can possibly explain. a culture of objects to positions, of all the archetypes trying to make even the cohen brothers have come close to elaborating. i'm the same candor admire some exploration more than others. but today they agree on enormous debt showing how would add great writers so that those writers are inexplicable with a deep and discriminated knowledge of american weirdness. thank you. >> i'm not next. >> good afternoon. it's a rare privilege and pleasure to be here. i want to thank david for inviting me, including me on this panel with friends new and old. i begin by name i have a deep set contempt for what

america." who did steal the american dream?so, you have not said the words that are clear to me where what it is saying, the government is the solution. i am a reagan republican. government is the problem, not the solution. given that, what do you see? who is close to fixing this? guest: i think that businesses could do a lot to fix this by paying their workers a lot more than they are paying them now. i just gave you an example of the billions in profits in 2012, the last year we have the figures for, with management imposing a wage freeze on workers rather than a profit- sharing program so that workers could share along with stockholders. no, i do not believe the government is the solution. a lot can be done and needs to be done in the private sector. there needs to be a lot more investment in manufacturing. are dyingwall street to invest in the american transportation system. ,oadways, highways, bridges they are not government guarantees. government seed money, they could do it with private money. if five percent of those jo

e wrote to america "american magazine" she does tell about his life. he seem to feel strongly about what is happening in the nation, his friends say he is not good at figuring his medical problems and denies medical treatment and grace goes out and walks back and just by happenstance finds him and he has died. >> a quote from her about the death of her husband, i'm just a lost soul, nobody is going to be wleeve what i believe what i have to could and then calvin told me what i have to do. >> it is a different time and different kind of wife and for someone who didn't know what she was going to do, she did a lot of what was a widow. a story of grite love. president bush has built his library. and coolidge had to raise money for his library and he did get his friends, led by clarence barron of the "wall street journal" to raise $2 million. they didn't believe him. but he did what he said, he gave the money of his friends to his wife's favorite charity, the clark's school for the deaf because he was giving back. coolidge wanted to give to grace and theref

older americans ethnically in many cases have more links to europe. america is becoming less european. we become more hispanic, more asian. and the memories of world war ii and its aftermath are increasingly what grandpa did or your great-grandfather. direction of the world seems to be more to asia and more to the middle east. this is not a criticism, but an observation. the era in which europe dominated foreign-policy and the atlantic alliance was so central, this era is coming to an end. >> what does the report say about the curious concept around the world of american exceptionalism? have you seen a change in their -- a change there? >> americans have not and will never give up on american exceptionalism. but the report does sense that something is wrong here, that we are not just doing as well as we could or short or have done historically. that is why you're seeing a surprising number of americans saying we have got to get it right at home. >> thank you very much. the dual legacies of the war in iraq and the crash of 2008 on american attitudes there on f

i honestly think this is a win for america and the world. again, american students are some of the best in the world. the rest will benefit from more students coming to work. at the same time, america will benefit from having more americans who understand the rest of the world. the evidence is that the more migrants the more trade and investment they get back. this is a great way to keep america, the shining city on the hill. and to take advantage of a rising rest, which offered greater opportunities than ever. from the unemployed to the joe worked. the reality is americas are logging more hours at work, year after year, than our friends in canada, germany, the u.k., france, and japan. for more, i'm joined in our studio psychologist who has studies the work life balance, and the national coordinator of take back your time. a group that advocates for more vacation and leave time. great to have you on the show tonight. >> sure. >> americans are working longer hours it doesn't look like it will change. a rasmussen survey says that 31% of employed americans wor

america." reinventing the american grocery store. ♪ ♪ and an exclusive look at the former deli clerk who is them th wheatfields of the midwest to hvac, and the latest on an icon iconic american brands. a company doing its best to reduce the u.s. trade

this is "bbc world news america." american agencies face criticism again after new reports the u.n. and eight agencies were under surveillance. the former russian oil tycoon is a free man after receiving a pardon from president vladimir putin. cuba is changing its swing when it comes to baseball. the lure of america's big league is still off-limits. welcome to our viewers on public television in america and arnd

american colleges. the scottish faculty who come to teach in the americas. scottish ministers who come govern over the schools. and loads of american student, colonial students who those scotland to study science and medicine. and come back to north america to do things like establish the first medical school in the north american alcohol anies will be established by american colonial students for places like new jersey and philadelphia who head to scotland. >> host: now the scottish don't -- correct me if i'm wrong, they aren't the player in the slave trade? >> they're not the usual suspect you look at. there's a trade that comes out of scotland like the small town. and i think we have to remember the small towns. we have to remember how massive the slave trade is. part of what the book is about in many ways is actually the enormity of the africa trade. in the 17th and 18th century. the ways in which that trade actually shaped the atlantic world. and that trade substituted the economy that connected europe to the americas to africa to south america. >> host:

president obama was elected with over 90% african-american support and perhaps, just perhaps those voters don't want to hear talk of impeaching america'sirst african-american black. last night on "hardball" michael steele reacted to the rosa parks' tweet. >> it speaks to the lack of connection and the fact that internally there is no objective oversight. there's no one looking at that with a black voice, if you will, who can say, you know, this is not going -- a, historically incorrect, factually wrong, but more importantly, b, it's not going to resonate with the audience you're trying to reach. >> orlando watson is the rnc's newly appointed communications director for black media and joins us now to talk about this, also about the outreach going forward. orlando, i have to say you got one of the hardest jobs in america right now, because you were brought on as part of the rnc's effort to reach out to african-american voters as a result of the autopsy results. so what's your first reaction to michael steele's comment about the tone deafness of the party as it currently stands? >> hey, thomas, let me first start off with saying that it'

and that is a value that i think is at the heart of not just america but american sports. >> i'm going to just roll down these last few real quickly, ari schapiro, last day of the white house he deserves a question. >> thank you very much, mr. president. >> senator max because chus was widely seen as the best to overhaul the tax code watch. does your decision to nominate the ambassador to china say about your hope for a major tax -- >> it is as that max will be an outstanding ambassador to china and i would like a swift confirmation and my expectation and hope is that if both senator democrats or if democrats and republicans in the house and the senate are serious about tax reform it is to the going to depend on one guy t will depend on all of us working together. and my office is ready, willing and eager to engage both parties in having a conversation about how we can simplify the tax code, make it fairer, make it work to create more jobs and do right by middle class americans. >> jackie. >> thank you, mr. president. and how do you say it in hawaii -- >> malik -- >> looking back at th

so dave, for a lot of americans, walking up to the register with something proudly made in america makes you feel like you're doing your part to help american companies and keeping american jobs. does made in the usa really mean made in the usa? >> it depends on how you define it. if you go by the fcc, it's fairly rigid. i have a terrible echo, but made in the usa is often something that companies leverage, and in fact, it may not be made in the usa at all. and that's a travesty. but the flipside, sometimes things are made in the usa in part. imagine the suit that's made with italian fabric, but the cut and sew is in this country, and it's partially a good thing. so there needs to be inclusion in this. >> why does it matter. >> for three reasons, local tax, and local jobs, and there's a sense that wages are under pressure because they have been, and that the economy is losing alongside of the united states, but in a lot of people's minds, people are buffeted around by market being campaigns, and most people, unlike most companies, feel like they have some sort of duty first to buy things

america? >> of course. i'm proud to be american. >> america is founded on these beliefs. >> and separation of church and government. >> it's on our occurrency. >> only 10s and 50s because of the cold war. >> officials are sworn in on what? a bible. >> not necessarily. they can affirm. >> on a bible or koran. any of those form of religious symbol. right? >> if they want. it's not required. >> where are you on thanksgiving? where is an american atheist on thanksgiving? >> it's a secular holiday. enjoy it however you want. celebrate however you want. >> this is mean spirit add tack on christians. what is the point? we're not attacking christians we're saying that -- >> do you realize some people get inspiration from this? i go to church every day there. i light candles every day. do you know why? it i.like it. >> then go head we're saying to people who don't care about jesus, you don't have to pretend to care. it's okay not to force your family to do it, too. >> i'm for free speech. i'm a big, big defender of the first amendment. why

and it really is like kafka it's it's absolutely chilling i mean is that the public mood in america are americans somehow easier with the fact they're being spied on or not well i think americans are very irritated the n.s.a. is really become a four letter word in the u.s. people that had never thought about it before and as a matter of fact someone like peter king who's the chairman of homeland security committee said he was yesterday he's glad about this ruling because americans maybe will now stop being so mean and so angry with the n.s.a. how much i got me wrong looking back how much damage do you think snowden's revelations is cause to america's image over the last say two years and. well i don't think a lot of the revelations about foreign spying should have been a surprise to anyone i mean and i'm and obviously those are of some concern but i think americans are are more concerned with the n.s.a. getting out of control in its in this morning turning up american citizens i think that's where the outrages here in the u.s. and you find out that this bulk collection of everything is fine and d

powell but then after the iraqi situation even he lost that kind of bipartisan is no figure in america that americans can say yes there is one but she's not political and that's oprah winfrey she's the most trusted most respected individual in the country and in some cases across the globe hillary would come in hard politically though and she's very divisive social come in very high among women very high among democrats very well among republicans as well she could win though she's clearly more than just viable i think that she's the front runner and going back to obama can so that's a good thing that the challenge with him is that if the polarization this country is so deep that republicans democrats can't talk to each other they can't dine with each other right now i like to joke that democrats laugh louder are much more fun to hang out with but they always stick you with a check at the end of the evening right now we're not talking to each other and so this divide has become a chasm but in every poll in the past obama always came out well in likability yes we liked him because because they thought

the mood in america or americans that did some uneasy and the father being spied on on all. i think americans are very irritated the nsa is really become a four letter word in the us not. well it had never thought about before. as a matter of fact select your king whose chairman of homeland security committee said that it was yesterday. he's glad about this ruling because americans meeting will now stop being so mean and so angry with the nsa. how much damage wrong. looking back how much damage she thinks know these revelations is cool if america's image of the last of the two uses. well i don't think a lot of the revelations about foreign spine should've been a surprise to anyone on and on and on the cdos are of some concern but i think americans are more concerned with the nsa getting out of control in its side in its monitoring of american citizens. i think that's where the outrage is here in the us when you find out that this whole collection of everything is fine and dandy because as the judge called pointed out this was the government's counter punch against al qaeda a

films of the year later on. >> every morning from 5 to 9am al jazeera america brings you more us and global news than any other americanews channel. find out what happened and what to expect. >> start every morning, every day, 5am to 9 eastern with al jazeera america. >>> while many millions of people enjoy the holidays, many others don't. more than 10 million americans have at lease mild symptoms of depression during the holiday season. so what causes it, while so many other people are so happy. and how can you beat the holiday blues? let's ask dr. wendy walsh. what is the biggest cause of holiday depression? >> i think holiday depression has twofold causes. the first is purely environmental. these are the darkest days of the year. and seasonal effective disorder can effect all kinds of people. in our ancient past when people worried if the sun was coming back, they huddled around fires sharing food. thus many festivals have revolved back to life. the second thing is a trip back to our childhood that may involve bad family dynamics. >> all right. how can you fight just simply being in the darkest part of the year. >>

america. it's not that the to become americanized said america has become jewish him anyways so the trail and the impact of what's jewish in america. it is very rich and varied profile nor the reasons i wanted to write that book is to say look this is jewish peace the saying on the base of the statue of liberty give me your tired your poor your tempest tossed. that was written by a jewish girl emma lazarus that he is the core of the american dream and that's a jewish germans after all we are fifty percent of the jewish population in the world. so where the united states goes it's not the incidental to the tuition store. the jewish tradition hasbeen cooperative and call him elements and bands to turn shows that it was the us closed the middle eights but became its new tropes in twentieth century america this is called because of a chain one in spain american air let's hear it feel more corporation and us airways group have announced the completion of their seventeen point eight billion dollar merger formally created the world's largest airline american airlines group incorporated the announcem

. >> every morning from 5 to 9am al jazeera america brings you more us and global news than any other americans channel. find out what happened and what to expect. >> start every morning, every day, 5am to 9 eastern with al jazeera america. tÑ >> now a snapshot of stories making headlines on america tonight of the. >> the investigation of the fatal new york train derailment is centering on the engineer. the officials say william rockefeller caught himself nodding off before the derailment. the train was moving 50 miles-per-hour over the speeding limit. four people died. >> startling investigation over the death of yasser air arafat. french scientists contradict that arafat was poisoned by polonium. >> four students are sick with men gat meningitis. and one student is disabled as a result. >> salt ar resultresults of a ie education survey shows that the united states is falling behind other countries when it comes to math around science. they released data from the international students assessment every three years teens take the test. tonight we have how the united states faired. more than ha