but because he's an american citizen, he speaks english, very charismatic figure, he has a foot in both cultures, he's been recruiting american citizens to become terrorists, and he exchanged e-mails with the fort hood terrorist shooter. he helped coach the underwear bomber and then new york times bomber. he's a terrorist. so -- and i think what is surprising is some people is how far obama has gone in the use of these drones, much further than president bush. and i think the technology, along with the willingness of this president to pursue these people, has produced a winning record of terrorist kills, if you will. there will be some pushbacks from civil libertarians, and i'm glad they're speaking out. but i think this is a justifiable -- >> let's see if we can bring this to life. president reagan in 1981 issued an executive order 123333, otherwise known as the assassination ban. here's the language of the law of the land. no person employed by or acting on behalf of the united states government shall engage in or conspire to engage in assassination. no agency of the intelligence comm

personally i find it incredibly scary incredibly dangerous to now this president has been set that an american citizen could be assassinated without a new process if the administration claims that they have the legal justification to do this then why are they still keeping it under wraps. well that's an excellent question and let's go back to the two thousand and eight election remember barack obama and many other politicians who were close to him sharply criticized the bush administration for its continual process of having secret legal opinions issued in the justice department to justify the way it was conducting war and handling national intelligence gathering matters in fact they took a categorical position that while you know individual facts that the authors of these memos learned that might legitimately be something that would have to be classified but the law the legal rationale the legal policies that were settled upon could not be secret this had to be they had to be published it had to be known and i think frankly most people who look at the assassination. it's not that they have sympathy f

as an american citizen i'd like to know why he ordered an assassination on a fellow u.s. citizen.>> so okay. let's go to josh marshall. do you have a view on this, josh? >> yeah. you know, i don't think it's a problem. i think that when you -- even if you are an american citizen if you are levying war against the united states a lot of the protections of american citizenship go by the wayside. i think that's both logical and i think there is a lot of judicial precedence for that as well. this is not a case where, you know, this is not someone you can easily go and arrest. i don't see the argument that you -- the united states can't do anything besides actually go in with some sort of s.w.a.t. team and arrest him. just because he's an american citizen. i think both on the merits, legally speaking, again, i think this is someone who is a key leader in an organization that is levying war against the united states. i think legally by that measure it's permissible. and again, i think logically and practically, i think you have to have -- you have to explain what the other course of act

or in the war on terror i think it was a victory in the war and care but we you know he was an american citizen and it was an unjust victory he should have been tried by a jury of his peers he's an american and if that's a principle that we stand up for for people here at home. even you know child molesters murderers that's a principle that we have to stand up for you know that the reason that it is a principle i don't understand what even the situation didn't hold a trial in absentia i mean it's not that complex something to do if they're going to kill that in new york city right now but tom i don't understand you were beside yourself upset that dick cheney justified the waterboarding of foreign terrorists you should be foaming at the mouth if your believe in your liberal beliefs and believe that what the president did was wrong that this president should be subject to impeachment brad if you're going to stand up for the constitutional rights of this guy i hope you'll come out for gay marriage and i hope you come out for all the other constitutional rights that are denied for millions of ameri

he was an american citizen. he was never tried or charged for any crime. nobody knows he ever killed anybody. >> reporter: a texas congressman has been very vocal about the killing. he was expected of master mining attack as the terrorist behind the attack on a plane. >> if the american people accept this blindly, we now have an accepted practice with the president assassinating people who he think are bad guys. >> reporter: steven bradick specializes in american law. >> the government makes the case there are no other alternatives. his was the case where they didn't have the ability to capture him. >> reporter: but that may cause a dangerous ideology in regard to the treatment of terror suspects in the future. >> how do we draw the line. how do we know if the government has the someone like aw-awlaki that it doesn't have the same thing here in the united states. >> reporter: killing terrorist suspects is a good thing. >> we need to go out there and be aggressive and seek these people out. >> reporter: he's a terrorist. what can you say. >> i mean, you wan

did president obama do the right thing in ordering the killing of an american citizen, anwar al-alwaklonger discussion, longer than we have. >> give me 30 seconds. >> the answer, is i think when you have an american citizen killed by the united states government it raises some real questions. on the other hand, when you have somebody that is a terrorist and at war with the united states, that's the other side of the equation. >> senator sanders, thanks very much for coming in as usual. >> thank you. >>> steve jobs was the public face and brilliant mind behind apple for decades. now after his death, we're taking a closer look at how the company he founded will carry on. ngay cold therapy, it's pro-cool technology releases armies of snowmen masseuse who cuddle up with your soreness and give out polar bear hugs. technology. [ male announcer ] new bengay cold therapy. the same technology used by physical therapists. go to bengay.com for a $3 coupon. the same technology used by physical therapists. montgomery and abigail higgins had... ...a tree that bore the most rare and magical fruit. w

this is an american citizen, two american citizens who have been killed. and if the president can avoid owning up to the thorny legal and moral implications of what happened today, probably the better for him. >> assassination is illegal by executive order in the united states. we are not suppose to carry that out as a matter of domestic policy or as a matter of foreign policy. i understand that people who believe this was legally, or that this was legal, believe that it was legal under the authorization of use of military force. that this was part of the war on al qaeda. does citizenship afford any meaningful distinction for that as a legal justification for killing? >> under the authority to use military force passed right after 9/11, no, there's no carveout. there's no mention of american citizenship. it's an exceptionally broad mandate from congress giving the president pretty much any power he wants to wage war anywhere around the globe. it's battlefield earth. and there's no really been any pressure from congress to restrict those powers in any way.

what is troubling to many of the people you cited was that he was an american citizen. the justification is twofold. he has joined the enemy. just like in world war ii, is an american citizen donned the uniform of not his, american troops would not have to take that person into custody. the second issue that the aclu and others often cite is that actions like this violate international law. this case today is not that. from the present to the secretary of defense to yemeni officials themselves, they said the cooperation between the yemeni government and the united states was high in this operation. juxtapose that between the united states and pakistan. in the osama bin laden operation. that was nonexistent. >> the jury in the manslaughter trial of michael jackson's doctor has been hearing from paramedics to try to revive the singer. dr. conrad murray denies the charges. >> the evidence focused on the 42 crucial minutes paramedics battle to save michael jackson's life. he was the first to arrive to the singer's bedroom. he said he saw a patient that the chronically ill. h

sew is an american citizen. however, as the add menstruation looks at it, he is an american citizen who is also part of al qaeda. he is a leader, in fact, they started to use this word, leader of external operations for al qaeda. that means, according to the administration, that they have the right to go after him. so that's part one. >> what's part two? >> part two, hot battlefield. this is a phrase you will hear a lot. in international, let's say the war, how you conduct war, it is sometimes said that a if somebody isn't in a hot battlefield, in other words, if they're not shooting at you right now, then it's not fair game to go after him. but the administration would make the case that a hot battlefield essentially could be a butte kpoouter that a terrorist son, that is telling someone to carry out a terrorist act. let's listen to john brennan, president's national security advisor. >> al qaeda does not follow a traditional command structure, wear uniforms, carry arms openly or mass troops at borders of the na

now to start with let me find out who the second person was that was killed samir khan an american citizen of pakistani origin who is the editor of inspire english language magazine so here we have every mainstream media outlet reporting on the death of one of the worst terrorists in the world and their banners say american born on the bottom and yet not a single one of them bothered to mention that this raises a very very serious legal issues i guess it's not all that surprising considering that they've never shown any concern over the fact that this president place an american citizen out of this us nation list but now that this u.s. citizen where a lockie and one other of actually being assassinated by their own governments do you think they just might you understand the magnitude of what was just done here you have one man the president of the united states that just decided that he can singlehandedly order the death of a u.s. citizen without asking any courts about any form of due process whatsoever that is exactly the type of thing that our constitution is supposed to protect against

killing al qaeda leader al awlaki an american citizen blown up in yemen. 1 p.m. each weekday on fnc. today, reuters writes an article that says secret secret panel to put americans on the kill list. now i assume on on that list. doesn't name hot panel people are. doesn't name how they know it totally blind source. >> kelly: says there was one american on that list antdz we just killed him al awlaki. >> but they imply in the article, reuters, that there is this little panel that sits in the white house basement and then kill him congressman ron paul right up the wall. does the president have the power to -- constitutionally, to launch these missiles and kill people like al awlaki? >> it depends. i think murky. you have to prove basically that the imminent threat. if it isn't imminent threat you have to have statutory he wasn't imminent a terrorist attack we think. but he was planning other attacks or we have reason to believe he was going to do other things. imminent doesn't necessarily have the same meaning legally as you and i know it colloquially. if it's not in

>> our top story, the war criminal george bush orders an american citizen killed without due process. we will have complete coverage of liberal outrage straight ahead. what's that? oh, sorry. nobel peace prize winner barack obama orders an american citizen killed without due process. nothing to see here. plus, can taking shrooms change a person's personality for the better? the shocking story you and the giant rabbit next to you want to see. and we sent bill schulz on the street to see how people celebrated gwenyth paltrow's birthday. sadly he did not get hit by a truck. >> thank you, andy jie. happy national mud pack day. >> i love them. dean martin, sammy davis, junior. >> no, greg, that was the rat pack. >> the mud pack was emilio es tau varies and demi moore and molly ring -- ringwald. >> that was the brat pack. >> no, that you can find at a beer festival. it is a dietary issue. >> not sure what you are talking about. oktoberfest is around the corner and i know you are a fan. >> i apologize for jumping to conclusions. i guess i am a little edgy. >> it is national mud pack day. >>

it's not our province to tell a president when he can go after an american citizen. >> bill: constitutionalealm. >> he was raising arguments like that. when it comes to certain issues, we bow out. it's not up to the court to tell an american president when it is okay to go after a citizen. even if they overstepped the law, i don't think there is going to be a remedy in the court. >> bill: you think for the foreseeable future they can drop the drones on anybody they want to. >> yeah. i think ron paul is going to be disappointed. >> bill: in a moment the great american news quiz the military edition. you will like those questions. we'll be right back with them. for business. let's reroute greg to fresno. growing businesses use machine-to-machine technology from verizon wireless. susie ! the nding machine... already filled. cool bike. because the busine with the best technologyules. but they also go beyond banki. we installed a ge fleet monitoring system. it tracks every vehicle in their fleet. it cuts fuel use. koch: it enhances customer service. it's pretty amazing when people who loan you m

is a victory for president obama, but there is also an underlying question about targeting an american citizen with missiles, however lethal he may be. jake? >> reporter: that's right. groups like the aclu are pointing out, here is an american president ordering the targeted killing of an american citizen without any due process. no evidence, no courts and they say that is a gross violation of both the u.s. constitution and international law. when you ask the white house, what's the legal basis for such an action, they basically said, it's a state secret and they will not get onto their justification. now, president obama was given the news of awlaki's death at roughly 3:45 this morning. this is a president who has exponentially increased the number of predator drones in afghanistan, pakistan, east africa and yemen. all told, the administration can point to more than 20 senior terrorist leaders that have been taken out during the obama administration, diane. >> that's quite a gallery there, jake. thanks. >>> and the president did say today that the white house is going to be watching, on alert

. >> are you comfortable he's an american citizen. >> oh, yeah, and, look, it's fun to -- you know, lighten up a little bit. >> so you have no doubt he's an american citizen. >> i have no doubt about it. here's the more interesting thing, let's lay out our income taxes, let's lay out our college transcripts, mine has been on the front page of the paper. >> still going with that grade thing. not sure about that. >>> ruth madoff, wife of bernie madoff is speaking for the first time since that scandal broke in late 2008. in an interview with "60 minutes" set to air sunday she said on christmas eve, 2008, she and her husband bernie tried to take their own lives. >> i don't know whose idea it was, but we decided to kill ourselves because it was -- it was so horrendous, what was happening. we had terrible phone calls, hate mail, just beyond anything and i said i can't -- i just can't go on anymore. we took pills and woke up the next day. it was very impulsive and i'm glad we woke up. >> a failed suicide attempt on christmas eve, 2008. ruth madoff goes on to describe the details of her husband's c

. >> awlaki was born here, he's an american citizen. he was never tried or charged with any crimes. nobody knows if he ever killed anybody. >> the american civil liberties union agrees, saying awlaki's killing violates both u.s. and international law. others say awlaki placed himself outside american justice, but not beyond american air power. we'll talk about the legality of all this a little bit. first, more details of the attacks. we mentioned at the top, national security contributor fran towsend is learning new details about him, and what other countries were involved in this takedown. she joins us along with national security adviser peter bergen. fran, i know you've been working your sources, you have new information tonight. what have you learned? >> well, anderson, it's interesting. we heard a lot. we remember the cargo plot. the saudi government handed us the tracking numbers. we found these computer cartridges. well, as it turns out, a senior counter terrorism official confirmed to me today, that as part of that plot, anwar al awlaki had advocated the use of wmd, namely ri

. >> are you comfortable that he's an american citizen? >> oh, yeah. - lighten up a little bit. >> you have no doubt he's an american citizen? >> i have no doubt about it. here's more interesting thing. let's lay out our income taxes. let's lay out our college transcripts. mine has been on the front page of the paper. if we're going to lay out all those things, let's lay them all out. >> rick perry convinced president obama is an american citizen. let's hope that's the end of the whole birther thing. somehow, we think it won't be. >>> we're following several other stories tonight. fredricka whitfield joins us now. >> hey, anderson. new bloodshed in syria. 17 people, including two children, killed in clashes between government and opposition forces as opposition leaders call for a nationwide general strike. >>> and better news in eastern turkey. two more people pulled from the rubble there. three days after the 7.2 magnitude earthquake hit. rescuers have been working around the clock looking for survivors. at least 471 people have lost their lives so far

. >> awlaki was born here, he's an american citizen. he was never tried or charged with any crimes. nobody knows if he ever killed anybody. >> the american civil liberties union agrees, saying awlaki's killing violates both u.s. and international law. others say awlaki placed himself outside american justice, but not beyond american air power. we'll talk about the legality of all this a little bit. first, more details of the attacks. we mentioned at the top, national security contributor fran towsend is learning new details about him, and what other countries were involved in this takedown. she joins us along with national security adviser peter bergen. fran, i know you've been working your sources, you have new information tonight. what have you learned? >> well, anderson, it's interesting. we heard a lot. we remember the cargo plot. the saudi government handed us the tracking numbers. we found these computer cartridges. well, as it turns out, a senior counter terrorism official confirmed to me today, that as part of that plot, anwar al awlaki had advocated the use of wmd, namely ri

what does an american citizen have to do to fall into that category.econd concern i have, and why i think that a judicial process of some kind would have been useful here is it would have been an opportunity for the u.s. government to lay out all the things that anwar awlaki has done. he may be dead, but his vision and his message is not. and what i think would have been useful is to have a judicial process where you get to talk about the fact that he solicited prostitutes. you get to talk about the fact that he was sort of a hypocrite in among himself. and because of that, the fact that we weren't able to do those things-- we didn't do those things, i think we've missed an opportunity to do more than just kill him but to discredit the ideas that he pushed for years. >> suarez: brian fishman, juan-carlos zarate, thank you both. >> thank you. >> thank you. >> brown: still to come on the newshour: new fees for debit card use; admiral mullen steps down; shields and brooks; and rita moreno, still going strong at almost 80. but first, the other news of the

during world war ii, an american citizen had become an advisor to the nazi high command, remaining an american citizen, he would still be a legitimate target in war. we wouldn't have to serve him with a subpoena first and that was true here as well. >> 30 years ago in the hearings, remember the church committee hearings on the c.i.a. foreign assassinations. that was outlawed, president reagan, 1981 signed the following executive order. prohibition on assassination, no person employed by or engaged with the united states government should conspire to engage in assassination. finally, ambassador, you've been at the highest levels of the administrations. how does this policy change what president reagan wrote and how does the president have the jurisdiction and ability to order what he's ordering? >> well, it doesn't really change it. that effective order goes back to president ford. it's consistently been interpreted as prohibiting the assassination of political leaders, not legitimate military targets in a time of war, number one. and number two, like any executive order, it can be sub

it's believed to be the first time an american citizen has been tracked and executed abroad.áet have ont( other u.s. jihaddists? >> i don't know if it it's goiì+ effect onÑi ófi u.s. jihaddistix somalia, which is a dangerous place. u. in that area, but generallyfá n highñr impact for americans specifically. the other is the al qaeda leaders in pakistan, both americans and high valueñr targets. there would be noq hesitation t th. i don't think they are inqfá an more dangerq today than yesterday. kill mission rather than a kill orÑi capture approach. >> do you3wÑijfÑi think his de have any effect on the day-to-dayÑi running ofok al qa >> no. al awe lackyq was a lead --çó al-awlaki wasxd a leader andw3t notfá crucial to what al qaeda the arabiansá peninsula does. as far as al qaeda central, the two organizations are linked an( al qaeda in the a rabeyabiane1 arabian pens lawñhr keeps in contact. internet. do you think he was killed for ofw3t( evidence thatfá al-awlak in operation in al qaeda. the threat that heçó represente had more to do with his words than it did with his ope

. >> one of the things you want to see as an american citizen. >> the statue was a gift of friendship from the people of france, dedicated in front of the then-president grover cleveland on october 28, 1886. it centers around the unique american experience of immigrants, whose first view of the u.s. is lady liberty. >> did not really realize what i made the tickets that it was going to be this special day. quite exciting. >> this that you will get a rest after her big day. the interior will be closed don't starting saturday to complete a $27 million renovation project. she is offering something new -- five web cams on her torch. the celebration will continue into the night, with the 12- minute fireworks display set to patriotic music. the fireworks will be ignited to two barges. >> in this afternoon's "medical alert," studies show that women who take birth control pills cut the risk for ovarian cancer in half. this is according to a study of 300,000 women a healthy pregnancy the with the cancer risk by 1/3. more with each additional child. researchers believe that the reduced risk may

president ought to have that kind of authority to order that kind of strike even when it involves an american citizenhen there is clear evidence he's part of al-qaeda. >> the president has faced criticism for ordering an attack on an american citizen without due process. a justice department memo was reportedly issued before the strike maintaining awlaki was planning to attack the u.s. and that his arrest was not possible. former democratic congresswoman jane harmon wants the memo made public. she said today i do applaud the fact that they continued an aggressive counterterrorism strategy. i'm for that, but i think the debate about the legal grounds for that strategy should be more in the open. meantime national security experts say the world is a safer place without awlaki. >> it's a big deal. he was clearly one of the key leaders in al-qaeda and there's only a certain number of leaders. it's not an in fin knit pool. it hurts them and hurts -- an infinite pool. it hurts them and hurts their operational security. it makes our country more secure and safer. it is major accomplishment. >> reporter: the

president ought to have that kind of authority to order that kind of a strike even when it involves an american citizenhen there is clear evidence that he is part of al-qaeda. the president has faced criticism for ordering an attack on an american citizen without due process. the justice department memo was report lid issued before the strike -- the justice department memo was reportedly issued before the strike. rike. national security experts say the world is a safer place without al-awlaki. >> it is a big deal. he was clearly one of the key leaders in al-qaeda and there is only a certain number. leaders. it is not an infinite pool. it hurts them and hurts their operational ability. it sends a signal. it makes our country more secure and safer. it is a major accomplishment. >> reporter: the state department has issued a new travel alert warning u.s. citizens there could be anti- american violence aimed aavenging the death of al- awlaki. >>> a why would scene in new york city, hundreds of people arrested. >> all protesting the impact that corporations have on america. now, the demonstrations are sprea

president ought to have that authority to order that kind of strike, even when it envelopes an american citizenrt of al- qaida. >> reporter: at newark libly international airport, "wjz," "eyewitness news." >> >> top yes, ma'am meni official said that it strike killed al- qaida's top bomb maker are not true. >> >> war protesters are taking over new york city. now in its 15th day, the occupy wall street movement has attracted hundreds of people to process corporate greed and inequality. yesterday, dozens tried to cross other the brooklyn bridge only to be met by a contingency of police. >> >> will he run or won't he? new jersey governor chris christy -- he already ruled out running for president, but in the last couple of weeks, he has been reconsidering joining race for the republican nomination. martin o'malley, maryland's governor, sharing his thoughts on this possible candidate. i think at the end of the day, what this race will come down to is effectiveness. whateverrent continuement value governor christie might bring to the race. his record in new jersey has not been effective >>> republic

that way it's not an american citizen and i don't have to treat it with human decency.ughter] but, and this is important, this is important, attending physicians please be careful when delivering the infant. don't cut the umbilical cord. now that it's officially mexican, we're going to reel that baby back into america. you see, we're going... we're going to need it. [audience reacts] we're going the need that baby for cheap, unregulated labor. those small soft hands are perfect for harvesting clementines. [laughter] we do not want to end up with bruised fruit. that would be heartless. and that's "the word." we'll be right back. [cheering and applause] [horn sounding] >> stephen: thank you, ladies and gentlemen. thank you so much. folks, please. it's not the first time i've said it. but nothing beats the sound of a ram horn. oh, and that new ram smell. of course, i am playing the shofar tonight to mark the beginning of the jewish new year, known as rosh hashanah, which kicks off the week of repentance. for my jewish friends it is a time of solemn reflection, atoning for

after his death, the white house took heat for killing an american citizen. republican presidential candidate ron paul says the killing sets a bad precedent. >> if the american people accept this blindly and casually, we now have an accepted practice of the president assassinating people he thinks are bad guys. i think it's sad. >> according to the report, the memo was prepared specifically for al-awlacki and not for americans suspected of terrorist activities. >>> i want to turn to the occupy wall street rallies, protests going on for it four weeks now. they seem to be growing every day. look at the map here at least. demonstrations happening across the country. people expressing frustration with the lack of jobs, corporate greed, they say, and their anger over government leadership. the protests going on in more than a dozen states and several cities. and among the demonstrations this weekend, the nation's capital. [ chanting ] >> end the war, tax the rich! >> the demonstrators in sacramento yesterday were chanting a theme we keep hearing over the a number o

for example, we learned this weekend that after we killed an american citizen, anwar al awlaki, we alsod his son, reportedly an american citizen. the government said he was 21 years old. the family says he was 16. from your reporting on this, does it seem to you like there are high-level struggles in the administration with criticism over things like this? >> i don't think the awlaki issue, there's too much infighting in the administration. i guarantee if it was a republican president doing that, the democrats would be up in arms. i think the drone strike in particular has a number of very troubling questions to it, but i think politically as a political issue the drone strike issue is a winner, i mean, as -- forget the moral questions for a second. my personal feeling, too, if the president's foreign policy was going to be focused on humanitarian intervention and these sort of multilateral efforts around the world, say going in and trying to track down the lord's resistance army, how rush limbaugh did not realize the lord's resistance army is the most evil militias in the world, it's l