here is what they advise in the whistle-blowers' survival guide. it says, "you will surely suffer retribution for blowing the whistle, because bureaucracies instinctively eliminate anything perceived as a threat. academic studies confirm that more than 90% of whistle- blowers report subsequent retaliation, and they give references." now, if experts say that retaliation occurs in 90% of the cases, why do you report in retaliation rate of zero? please consider two possibilities. number one, your investigations are biased against complainants. and number two, your decisions are based on opinions from the city attorney, who has a duty to defend the very same city officials that we report for wrongdoing. thank you very much. >> good evening, commissioners. maria. i was pushed out and forced out of the kahane after over 20 years of service to the city. two years ago, we made three whistle-blower complaints to the ethics commission. the first one regarded health director michel --mitchell katz, with a group that had an affiliation. this complaint was dism

my question deals with whistle blowers. first question does. and of course, i made the point that i wouldn't be able to perform my constitutional oversight of the executive branch without federal whies he'll blowers, they shed light on matters that affect public safety and the public and risk losing their jobs, they expose incompetence and promote reform take leads better government, has done a lot of good. the fda faces accusations that it monitored nine fda scientists personal e-mail accounts. however, the health and human services office of inspector general concluded the employees did not leak genuinely classified information. instead it looks like fda monitored the accounts because the whistle blowers were talking to the office of the special counsel and in the case of congress, some of the e-mails of people on my staff came up, showed up. i'm very concerned about this. fda's retaliation is shocking, may be unlawful, should not be tolerated and i'm committed to getting to the bottom of it. today, chairman isa and i are signeding a letter t

well, dodd/frank has some protections that strengthen whistle-blower protection.rs who turn in tips that lead to successful convictions. well, how has that gone over? republican michael grimm has proposed an legislation, which has been adopted by a house subcommittee, that would gut those protections. no more financial reward, workers have to go first internally to the company. if they go to the s.e.c. and the s.e.c. then does an enforcement action, they have to tip off the company about this enforcement action. so how does that square with individual rights, individual accountable and all these things that we thought we support? >> can i zoom out for one second? because there's a story you tell in the beginning of the book that's really haunted me and stuck with me. it's something that maybe people know about and i didn't know about. there's a famous massacre you talk about during the nazi era, i believe it happened in poland, right? >> mm-hmm. >> tell that story, because it's really shaken me, actually, to hear this story. >> it's an extraordinary story of one o

. >> there have been more prosecutions under this president of whistle blowers using the espionage act or other laws than all the other presidents combined. >> reporter: and it's not just the feds of the that local charlie sheen police escort, a police commander says he was demoted for talking about it. three other cops say they're suing the city because they were retaliated against for blowing the westing on faulty dui testing equipment defined orders -- defying orders to shut up on the witness stand. >> i'm paid to tell the truth whether it helps or hurts the government. >> reporter: the government threw out the espionage charge against drake but he lost his high level career and now works in retail. >> bad for the public. the public has a right to know when their government is breaking the law. >> reporter: gary nurenberg, 9news now. >> the d.c. city government says it has a policy of not commenting on cases that are still in litigation. but if the police officers prevail, taxpayers will pay for the misconduct of those in government who went after the whistle blowers. >>> last night

a specially whistle-blowers on public agencies.obviously, whistle-blowers with company is likeenron -- companies like enron has gotten the attention. they can get support through a program like this. everyone knows that in the legal program, it is buddy and buddy. if you're going against certain entities and certain persons, you will never -- the word is never -- get representation in the bay area. you have to get it outside the body that work -- buddy network. i think a lot of people don't want to admit that the problem exists among lawyers like any fraternity of professionals. they will always scratch each other's back and you're going to help each other as much as you can. we are going to be honest and help the poor, etc. you might as well include the whistle-blowers' because that is the fastest way to clean up government. thank you. president chiu: are there any other members of the public that wish to speak on this item? i think public comment is over. >> [inaudible] supervisor farrell: thanks, supervisor kim. thanks to presid

. >>> up next, retaliation against whistle blowers. this is "andrea mitchell reports."irl lashblast fusion. a mascara for lashes that want it all... all at once. our biggest brush meets our fiberstretch formula to bring you a blast of volume and length. lashes that want it all want lashblast fusion. from easy, breezy, beautiful covergirl. make a splash with water resistant lashblast fusion. diarrhea, gas or bloating? get ahead of it! one phillips' colon health probiotic cap a day helps defend against digestive issues with three strains of good bacteria. hit me! [ female announcer ] live the regular life. phillips'. [ female announcer ] live the regular life. you wouldn't want your doctor doing your job. so why are you doing hers? only your doctor can determine if your persistent heartburn is actually something more serious... like acid reflux disease. over time, stomach acid can damage the lining of your esophagus. for many, prescription nexium not only provides 24-hour heartburn relief, but can also help heal acid related erosions in the lining of your esophagus. talk

was surveillance editor of the boiling frog post and director of the national security will slow blowers coalition moving on to greece where fresh protests broke out across the country today the result of harsh spending cuts that were condition for the second bailout that country has received the one hundred and thirty billion euro rescue package reverse a chaotic default next month but there's very little to calm fears about greece's long term future and greece is the birthplace of democracy but the assyrian rules have some critics asking whether it's become a colony of the eurozone the u.s. does have little direct exposure to greek debt so the bailout ok for now economically speaking but the financial crisis still looms large and we may not be as isolated as we think from our great counterparts independent journalist james marsden has more. so it's not only a more extreme example of what's been going on here but it's a more first world example of what's been going on all over the world you know the i.m.f. and the sort of major international engines of near liberal capitalism have been

i was -- i guess you could say "a whistle-blower." i put together a case in which three officers i have worked with had been nearly to deaf a game and what they were off duty. -- nearly two -- to death a gain man -- a gay man when they were off duty. i dealt with the consequences for many years. it was very lonely in that position. very lonely getting death threats. very lonely worrying more about the people behind you than the crooks in front of you. not a nice situation. very lonely when you do not get the backing of your fellow officers, at least some of them. or some of them kept quiet. or particularly the administration when there is no investigation. times have changed the lot. -- a lot. there is a saying we have. we do not expect what you do not inspect. and if you don't put into place policies that encourage -- i am not saying being a whistle- blower, but encourage proper at 6, and i think -- proper ethics, and i think greg suhr stated very properly its starts in the police academy. u.s. no other position probably in the unite

improvement act so there's this and speaking of whistle blowers the accused wiki leaks whistleblower bradley manning begins his trial next week also as it turns out president obama has used the espionage act to charge six people for alleged mishandling of classified information before obama there were only three cases ever charts on the espionage act so i want to talk about the changing face of whistle blowing in this country and i've got someone who knows a whole lot about it peter van buren peter is the author of we meant well how i helped lose the battle for the hearts of minds of the iraqi people and peter i know you have been reporting on this topic for quite some time and you write that there is now an unprecedented assault on government whistleblowers and leakers of every sort and i know that you charge that you know that the number of cases and what's going on here it suggests that there's actually an organized strategy against whistleblowers in america talk about what you mean by this without a doubt the obama administration as you pointed out has doubled the number of prose

there would be new whistle blowers would have transparency.has charged more whistle blowers, and manning said he had done this without even having a trial. rudies pointed with how president obama has conducted himself in this regard. >> like millions of americans i was wildly excited about the possibility of president obama being president and i certainly along with my friend david crosby supported him. it is evidence that the finances, the politics are raising the ugly head all over the time again. i think that politicians are bought and paid for in many cases, and i think unless we get finances out of politics, we're doomed. >> i couldn't agree more. are you saying in this case president obama-- >> he's talking a good game. he's talking a good game about protecting whistle blowers except this one. the manning pulled back the curtain, it's almost like "the wizard of oz." he pulled back the curtain to show the mad demon behind the curtain. that's his crime. >> you think president obama is corrupted on this count i'm not saying on all counts bu

two whistle blowers have stepped forward. as david louie explains, pg&e is deny hag they have to say. >> reporter: the two whistle blowers worked for contractors helping pg&e with the pressure testing last year. one of them, marshall with 48 years experience as a welder told the state puc the quality of the wells inside was truly terrible. he cited defective route passes, burn you throughs and internal cuts. we went to the welding training center operated by the plummenners and pipe fitters union to explain why route passes sore important. it is the critical first step to weld two pieces of pipe together. >> if that is no there, that is how you determine there is no route pass in it. the edges wouldn't have any penetration to them. >> so does that make the pipe weld questionable? >> yes. >> reporter: another welder with 25 years experience provided the cpuc with photos he took of a section of line 132, the line that runs through san bruno. mike mixish testified "the majority of the wells we saw on line 132 were defective and

improvement act if passed will actually harm with blowers requiring them to report misconduct to their employer first before going to any regulatory agency it would also remove any incentives to do so our government. businesses are so intricately it's hard to tell them apart both now working harder than ever to keep their secrets out of the public eye in washington christine for is now our. aren't we kitty lifted the lid on yet another piece of classified information as we reported our time dot com a spy scandal unfolding whistleblower just a review of documents came in to expose the swedish foreign minister was not all that's. going to last lunch the first class passengers menu from the titanic is up for sale by that much and to fall for it. at least nine people have been killed and dozens more injured in protests over the burning of the koran by u.s. led troops in afghanistan senior commanders apologized for controversy saying the religious materials were destroyed by mistake deadly rallies prompted the u.s. to knock down its embassy in four but it's far from traveling the parents ar

so there is no whistle blower protection. if you see your boss on capitol hill doing something in the report it, great for your reporting it. he may very well, and i bet you probably will lose your job. these are the sorts of exemptions they are allowed. i am a firm believer in transparency. i don't think you have to do things in terms of making things complex. i don't think that having the police themselves makes sense because it does not been very effective. i think the greater the transparency the better, so one of the things i talk about in the book, i would have to be done in sores some -- some sort of modified pera, congress is exempt from the freedom of reformation act. so literally your chance of getting access to the cia documents is much higher than it is to any sort of congressional private correspondence or phone records are meeting records because you can apply to the cia, and in my tonight for 20 years, but you will eventually get access to top-secret documents. congress is exempt. i think congress should not be

the focus for the rent envent was providing strategy and support for whistle-blowers nationwide. >> it seems like there's an attack on whistle blowing that is more focused in recent years. that's why we think it is something to alert people to that people's lives are being ruined for doing the right thing. >> reporter: the event was hosted by a local radio station and on-line group. >>> today marks the 70th anniversary of what many consider to be one of the biggest stains on american history, the japanese prison camps imprisoning japanese and japanese-americans. people gathered this afternoon for a day of remembrance at the kabuki sundance cinema. it is remarking the exec tive order that led to the mass incarceration of japanese-americans on the west coast in 1942. the event is dedicated to a man who defied the order to evacuate and was a life-long advocate for civil rights. community members say today's event is to make sure the american people don't forget what happened to the japanese-americans during world war ii. >> i'm embarrassed for the country. i may have been angry at some po

whistle blowers, federal air marshals coming forward to tell us about reckless behavior in their ranks. even sleeping on the planes they're supposed to guard. >>> the whole truth about those labels, about whole grain. what's really inside? >>> and little geniuses. science stars with great ideas, like revolutionizing your morning coffee. even one getting a wow from the cheerleader in chief. >> oh! >>> good evening. we begin tonight with another sign of hope for jobs in america. the labor department announcing today, there were nearly 3.4 million jobs available in december. and that's a quarter of a million more than the month before. here's another way to think about today's news. at the height of the recession, there were seven applicants for every job. tonight, that's down to four. so, which jobs are they and where? we asked about bc's david muir to find out. and he's here now. >> reporter: great to see you, diane. these postings range from everything from nursing positions to trucking, software engineers to sales reps. and we wanted to know, is the salary enough to support the family

your really tribute to the courageous agents that work in the atf and you spoke about the whistle blowers and how courageous they are. and i wanted to point out the testimony of special agent peter faselli who called the current laws against gun trafficking absolutely toothless. and he went on to testify that there was no enforcement. and he went on and said all kinds of things. do you agree that there is no enforcement that law enforcement doesn't have the tools to track down on gun trafficking? >> i agree with the agent. there is a need for a federal firearms trafficking statute. we need increased penalties for straw purchases who engage in that kind of inappropriate activity. i think that we would like to work with congress so that we can put in place these measures that ultimately help atf and the federal government be more effective in the fight that we all want to have which is to stop the flow of guns into mexico. >> okay. after that hearing with special agent faselli, i worked with ranking member cummings and congressman townsend and we drafted a bill which is to crack down on ill

in the program silenced the truth or go on trial you were killed a tough choice a sing us whistle blowers as a new set of standards aims to classify alleged crimes under the guise of national security. plus protests turned deadly in afghanistan as a controversial so-called error by u.s. led troops continues to fan the flames of conflict. but first the heavens may have opened up over the greek capital but the wet weather failed to dampen the spirits of thousands who gathered for the latest protests this greek lawmakers are set to vote on a leash on legal changes that would clear the way for a debt restructuring part of the latest belo deal the agreement means more sacrifices for the country with almost a decade of painful cuts ahead and how sturdy anger also mounting in other parts of the debt ridden euro zone tens of thousands of students protesting against education cuts in spain for more on this i'm joined by coast us a doozy in the us press and professor of law at birkbeck university of london so the latest belo deal under the latest bailout deal greece will have to agree to make debt

we begin with wikileaks, a website that publishes classified and suppressed material from whistle-blowers around the world. in the late summer of 2011, wikileaks made news when someone--it's not clear who-- dumped 250,000 unredacted and classified state department and pentagon documents, which had been in wikileaks' possession, onto the internet. when we interviewed assange, he was already under investigation by the justice department for publishing classified material and possible violations of the espionage act. he was also under house arrest in britain, fighting extradition to sweden in connection with two sexual assault cases, which he has called part of a smear campaign against him. in what is still his most extensive television interview, assange talked to us about the idea behind wikileaks and the prospect of facing criminal charges in the united states. i mean, you've been called a lot of names. you've been characterized as a hero and as a villain, a martyr, terrorist. >> i'm not yet a martyr. >> right. >> let's keep it that way. >> for now, julian assange is holed up on this buco

it is a common belief in the importance of the whistle-blowers ability to report deficiencies without reprisal. the individuals who reported the allegations in this manner performed an important service to the air force and to the nation. they continue in their positions and the air force is working cooperatively to make appropriate corrections to their record. throughout this review process, the air force remains committed to this mission as a solemn obligation and to its flawless execution. moreover, the professionals who work at afmao take this responsibly and consider it a privilege to care for america's fallen. the air force will continue to aggressively ensure the highest standards are meant to provide references, dignity and honor and respect to the fallen and the care, service and support owed to the families. at this time i will take your questions. >> mr. secretary, regarding the revelation in the report about the 9/11 remains of several portions were cremated and incinerated in a landfill can you say whether those were done at dover, and when did the air force become aware

where is that taken against whistle-blowers?ze seriousness of how whistleblowers are treated by their supervisors? >> no. the answer to that is no. the office of special counsel investigation on reprisals was conducted separately from the air force investigation so we have no inside knowledge of how that investigation would proceed or when it would conclude. but onic had a separate investigation going and when it delivered its results it may have additional action. >> could i get a clarification, mr secretary? understanding that perhaps you haven't had a chance to look at the abizaid report but in regard to the portion where it talks about remains from 9/11 from the pentagon and shanks ville were disposed of in a landfill, were both of you totally unaware of that previously? did it take you by surprise? is this the first you are hearing of it or were you aware? >> this is new information. >> in your opening statement you called the handling of the nation's war dead a sacred mission and the abizaid report found there was inadequa

grand jury hears are classified secrets or the assertion here is the so-called war against was a blowers are supposed to dissuade sort of other people from from speaking out as well but i sort of want to broaden the discussion because it's almost as a dissent as the target here earlier this month with a top u.s. official telling the new york times or anyone to criticize as the u.s. drone program is helping al qaeda succeed are we sort of seeing our blurred line between activism and terrorism these days. absolutely not i mean yes you're right is learning lying and it's getting worse and what you know the most people here in the united states they still think that these laws and these these actions on your towards some suspect terrorists are all you know since nine eleven and now unfortunately because we go on have a real media good investigative reporting and because he says are not what it what you're supposed to be recorded and that is still don't know that you know these are american citizens these are government insiders who are being prosecuted persecuted and just because they have t

there is always a war against whistle blower it's true that the obama administration has has stepped it up considerably with twice as many espionage prosecutions as previous administrations combined but from the outset i just want to make it clear that the real threat to our national security is not leaks or whistleblowers it's the extreme level of secrecy that we have in washington washington currently classified some seventy seven million documents a year which just on its face is very troubling and this just isn't a matter of ideals we have paid a very heavy cost for this level of extreme overclassification in the past ten years the rush to war in iraq was due in large part to government secrecy distortion and some downright lies and that is a war that has cost us dearly in blood and treasure as well as the people of iraq those are the costs of secrecy and we always have to keep that in mind when looking at whatever supposedly risks whistleblowers and leaks incur are and that's a good point but at the same time the reality is that we are in the midst of these wars and not just the