prisoners welcome to obama's closure pledged but urged him to take immediate action the center for constitutional rights said obama should immediately released 86 people already cleared for transfer and lift his self-imposed moratorium on returning yemeni nationals to their home country. we will speak with the center for constitutional rights after headlines. the obama administration is reportedly close to providing syrian rebels with lethal weaponry in their fight against president bashar al-assad. the washington post reports obama will make a final decision in the coming weeks on what one official described as "assistance that has a direct military purpose." syrian rebels have already asked western backers for antitank weapons and surface-to-air missiles. president obama suggested that confirmation of syrian chemical weapons could trigger u.s. intervention in some form, but still awaiting more evidence. >> we now have evidence chemical weapons had been used inside of syria, but we don't know how they were used, when they were used, who used them. we don't have a chain of custody that establishes what

right there, i lost it. you want me to stop everybody, the good people and the bad people. >> reporter: the nine-year veteran is a witness for the center for constitutionalcacy group suing the nypd, not for money, but to change its stop and risk poll spips -- poll spips. the nypd said the inspector was talking about specific suspects and that sorano was fishing to collect damming evidence for the lawsuit. for context, the inspector said this. >> the 99% of these people in the community are hardworking people. and to stop two people, you know, to see only two things going on, that's almost like you're purposefully not doing your job. >> this is a business. we have a $5 billion budget a year. we run it like a business. it's fair to ask the employees to do their fair share. >> how does a number of 250s a month, a week, a year, affect an officer's career. >> if an officer continually doesn't do what the commander wants him to do, and i don't think it's going to positively affect his career for sure. but i don't think it negatively affects him. >> if you don't meet the numbers, you're a bad cop. that's how they see it. >> reporter: but pedro has no doubt he's

these individuals in so they can have their day in court and present their story the center for constitutional rights and other organizations another handful of attorneys have put a lot of effort into these cases nearly a decade's worth of work and we want to see that commence we want to see the story we want to give these individuals their day in court and we need to the part of homeland security to tell us as to why we haven't. when permitted and why the holdup so there's a lot of. ambiguity surrounding this case and what is the precedent that would back a while ago that said that foreigners can charge either u.s. government or corporations on u.s. soil we're we're looking at a precedent that our founding fathers have established in the late seventeen hundreds of early eighty eight hundred so this is nothing new to this country i mean there was a point in time where this country stood against torture and against these type of acts in the founding fathers foresaw you know they wanted to run this type of activity and it's a shame that we're going back on these foundations the magna carta alone i mean

could receive from center for constitutional rights and hosted by a moderate about christine huskey for physicians for human rights all gave compelling reasons for why this makes sense and it needs to and i mean you mentioned the eight hundred thousand dollars a year we've got eighty six people there we don't want to keep seventy million dollars a year of the taxpayer's money down the drain to keep this facility open in men in prison amazing yeah exactly just that alone and they've already been cleared for release let's go to let him go as you explain last time to i mean the yemeni government we're trusting them to carry out drone strikes abroad. not trying to take back all of these prisoners who've already been cleared for release and here i want to play a clip really quick from david ervine explain how former detainees describe their time and get let's hear him. say he killed a prison regimen that was characterized by inadequate in poor quality food lack of medical care the violence and in regular sexual humiliation intended to particularly degrade and humiliate muslims i mean when yo

s corpus cases filed on behalf of get no prisoners by groups like the center for constitutional rights so he the president can instruct his justice department to not fight these court cases essentially giving him a good no plaintiff's a win that would lead to either their release or an actual trial and finally the president can actually make closing gitmo a top priority all these blocks by congress expire on september thirtieth when the national defense authorization act which contains these provisions expires to congress will likely try to keep these provisions in place but the president can tell congress that he'll veto any bill that prevents him from closing gitmo is three and a veto before but never actually went through with it of course this would require the president to use a lot of political capital but if he really considers getting only moral stain that would cost him and the nation a lot more to keep it open in washington same sex are two. well from the detention facilities abroad to those right back here at home let's turn now to the state of prisons within the u.s. rememb

columnist glenn greenwald democracy now host amy goodman the nation magazine and the center for constitutional rights the group filed a similar lawsuit last year that was shot down by the u.s. court of appeals of the armed forces bradley manning's trial is slated to begin on june third he faces a possible life sentence for allegedly leaking seven hundred thousand sensitive military documents to wiki leaks and that's going to do it for now for more on the story as we cover go to youtube dot com slash r t america check out our website r t dot com slash usa and follow me on twitter underscore lopez see that. you know how sometimes you see a story and it seems so you think you understand it and then you glimpse something else you hear or see some other part of it and realized everything you thought you knew you don't know i'm tom harmon welcome to the big picture. with. out of sight but still on our minds. the norm let's try to live smarter with smartphones you know or know what some people are hiding and can't be sure to you prove down to the molecular level learned that what the doctor ordered is often

the president emeritus of the center for constitutional rights spoke outside the courthouse on tuesdayafter hammond pled guilty. jeremy hammond pleaded guilty to one count of hacking into a protected computer. that finishes the case in terms of any other charges. it carries up to a maximum 10 years in prison. the demand is that he gets time served. >> this is part of a sledgehammer of what the government is doing to people who expose corporate secrets, government secrets, and secrets of an empire. the people that should have been on trial were the very people that jeremy admitted to hacking into, which is the stratfor people who have engaged in corporate spying, along with government corporation, public safety people in arizona, fbi, etc.. >> one of his attorneys also spoke outside the courthouse. >> the united states government has discretion over its case is over who it prosecutes and why, and choosing to prosecute jeremy hammond for exposing corporate secrets and government spying is nothing if not a political position. >> to talk more about the case we are joined by julian assange,

pardiss kebriaei is a senior staff attorney at the center for constitutional rights. and her group have led legal challenges to the administration over both drone strikes and guantanamo. and danielle pletka is former staffer on the senate committee on foreign relations and now the vice president of foreign and defense policy studies at the american enterprise institute. welcome all. harold koh, a reframing, a rebalancing of how we see and fight terrorism. is that what we heard today, and did you think the president got it right? >> i think there were two important things. the first was that he made the speech at all. this is a time when lot of other things are going on. he could have avoided it. he not only owned it but he framed it and explained the strategy. he narrowed the war on terror to what we're really trying to do which is to defeat al qaeda, the taliban, and associated forces. and he defined the role of guantanamo and drones within that as a tool. and he said both of them need to be disciplined, that drones need to be subject to clearer standard rules and mo

dollars for more on this i'm joined now by parties brit senior staff attorney at the center for constitutional rights produce welcome thank you for having me and i'm sorry i think i've mangled your last name as a pretty good. cabrio ok great let's talk about these numbers this is some pretty shocking data the most glaring stat here for me was that ninety two percent of these prisoners never fought with al qaeda at least according to our government why are they and why are they there. you know just listening to the numbers i think what they add up to is just a broken system kuantan amount has always been a broken system it's always been a legal system and it needs to shut down and president obama said that just recently he said it when it's when he was candidate he said i want to took office it needs to be shut down and it needs to happen now because there's a crisis going on and people will die and more people will die but in terms of who's there now there are there are one hundred sixty six people more than half of them as you said a six have been approved to leave by the obama administration that m

joining us now is vince warren, the center for constitutional rights which represents guantanamo prisonersand also democratic strategist chris, and the deputy national editor. thank you all for joining us. i would like to start out with you first, the daily beast is reporting that according to three administration sources, the president's sudden rhetorical plunge to guantanamo bay reflects a highly personal decision, one born by both frustration and had his team and a measure of personal regret about his failure to solve the problem. so in a sense they're saying that sources tell them it's personal for the president and he wants back at it, as he said for personal reasons based on a promise and pledge that he made while campaigning. >> well, i think the president made a major clear commitment that he would close guantanamo. it becomes so political so fast and the republicans will pounce on this and any suggestion that you will close guantanamo putting aside that it doesn't seem to be working as it is, let alone the cost. you can't move them -- these suspects. you can't move them back to th

joining me now here in studio, vince warren, executive director, center for constitutional rights which led the legal battle over guantanamo for the last 11 years, representing gitmo detainees and making sure all detainees had an option of legal representation. thank you so much for joining me. >> thank you. >> first, let me play what the president said regarding what guantanamo bay does to the united states image. we've heard this before but this is what he said yesterday at the news conference. >> i think it is critical for us to understand that guantanamo is not necessary to keep america safe. it is expensive. it is inefficient. it hurts us in terms of our international standing. it lessons cooperation with our allies on counterterrorism efforts. it is a recruitment tool for extremist. it needs to be closed. >> the president said he is willing to go at it again but he also defended the actions right now of those to force feed the, what is it, 100 of the 166 detainees who are right now on that hunger strike. were you encouraged at all by what you heard yesterday? >> it was good to hea

it's happening all over the globe and we had the fortune of meeting people at the center for constitutional rightsheir right around the corner from here. they're making a huge impact across the globe and they heard about her situation and they agree to take a case to the international criminal court to bring the pressure under the vatican had our lead attorneys with us today. that case content is and pam and her staff have presented a submission to the international criminal court and will contain over 20,000 pages and pieces of evidence that these crimes. and last survey compiled another submission so in 2012, another 10,000 or 15,000 documents were submitted. all of the people who contribute are making a big difference with one goal in mind and that is to protect children and vulnerable adults. i want to invite all of you here in the campaigns and to note there is a place for you regardless of which are time constraints are and what she might be able to do. if you want to help, please know you are welcome. thank you. [applause] >> thank you, everyone. i don't think it is often that an author get

what needs to happen now urgently is action to back up those words attorney from the center for constitutional rights thank you very much indeed also representing clients our gentlemen thank you very much indeed for your thoughts here on our team. well there hasn't really been any major official reaction from washington over this crisis in quantum of course we're getting plenty of reaction from you on our website we're ask you on our front page in our online poll dot com way you think this hunger strike could be heading what is it going to achieve what we can see here on screen at moment the fifty five percent just just over half of you believe this could lead to the conditions worsening for the prisoners there just over a third believe that there is every chance now of prisoners dying of hunger and just a minority slightly more optimistic over the situation saying that perhaps this could lead to the eventual closure of guantanamo prison or perhaps at least lead to some concessions four percent believe this could be some concessions available for the prisoners or at least those who are detained witho

a senior staff attorney at the center for constitutional rights.he focuses on government post 9/11 including drone strikes and guan guantanamo bay. they are seeking accountability in the drone strike that killed three americans in yemen. ramsi is associate professor of law at the university of new york school of law where he directs the immigrants and noncitizen rights clinic. and david k. johnston, attorney and author of "the fine print." i suspect we have many disagreements. i saw the president as having made a politically courageous speech. am i wrong? >> i think we agree it was a good thing to reject the idea of perpetual warfare. it was good to articulate a vision about the time when the united states responds the way most countries respond to terrorism. which is using their own ordinary law, the constitution and where the use of military force really becomes the the exception and not the rule. what i was troubled by or confused by is what he reasserted for the president. how far away are we from the future that he articulated? i heard a reass

a senior attorney for the -- at the center for constitutional rights, thanks so much for coming in one continued this conversation. i understand you represent current and former detainees being held at gitmo. do you represent any of the folks who are participating in the hunger strike? >> we do we represent men who are currently on hunger strike who have been on strike now for nearly three months. most of the men actually at get mow now have been on strike since early february. >> any of the folks that you represent are they being force fed as well? >> a couple of them r some of them are longer term hunger strikers, to be clear what force feeding means at guantanamo it is strapping people into chairs, forcing a tube up their noses, down into their stomachs and pumping fluid, liquid formula into their stomachs for an hour while they sit there, been the military's response so far to how we are going to save life at guantanamo. >> a number of organizations, including the ama and world health organization, have come out against the idea of force feeding. you visited your client and visite

to his imprisonment and represented a kind of a human rights legal group called the center for constitutional rights which i follow. he had beeneted arrested. they thought it was because of this blog post. i read about prisons a lot. quickly, this narrative, very quickly this narrative on float --unfolded. some link on the huffington wroteicked this up and about it. it got into a larger sphere of media. the next today, he was released, because it turned out the blog -- there actually was a law up until a couple years ago where you were not allowed as a federal prisoner to write bylines. which means you cannot write for public consumption, basically. hadthat will -- that law been declared unconstitutional in 2010. distinction, he got out. which is, in some ways, i think a typical use of twitter. -- i follow people that are sometimes activist. sometimes political orientation, what ever. they are kind of doing their work warts. latter.s up the kind of it becomes a story. i think i will leave it at that. >> we will pause there. [applause] >> thank you. thank you, shane. andrt can round us off then we wi

. >> on the program yesterday, an attorney for the center for constitutional rights, she represents severaluantanamo detainees, she painted a bleak picture of the detainees' life there. take a listen. >> the hunger strike continues. it is well into its third month. the military itself is saying over 30 people, nearly 40, are being force-fed, forcibly fed with tubes and restraints. it continues to be a crisis situation. >> what did you observe about the conditions there? >> i have no idea what that woman is talking about. the experience i had -- and i had full exposure to exactly what was going on in every one of the facilities down there. i don't know what she's talking about. it is not a crisis mode. it's a clean facility, the prisoners were well taken care of -- >> congressman, are you denying there was any force feeding, or are you just saying you didn't see it? >> we have prisoners down there that have chosen not to consume calori calories, chosen not to take protein. we have an obligation to try and take care of them, and our folks down there are doing an amazing job of doing that. the

columnist glenn greenwald democracy now host amy goodman and the nation magazine and the center for constitutional rights the group filed a similar lawsuit last year that was shot down by the u.s. court of appeals of armed forces bradley manning's trial is slated to begin on june third he faces a possible life sentencing for allegedly leaking seven hundred thousand sensitive military documents to wiki leaks. well in the earlier days of occupy wall street tent camps popped up in numerous cities across the country it was a constant physical reminder of the government restructuring that these people demanded but one by one city governments began evicting the occupants and clearing the camps claiming that these places were becoming a health hazard the residents laurie harvest gives us her thoughts on why that might not have been the case. this story might come as no surprise to you but it still might give you that special satisfaction that comes when your suspicions are proven right new documents obtained by the partnership for civil justice fund or p.c. j asked prove that the is vision of the occupy portlan

imprisonment and represented by a kind of human rights kind of legal group called the center for constitutional rights, which i follow. they picked this up and wrote about it and it kind of got into the larger sphere of media and it was released because it turned out that although all that was used was until a couple years ago that you could -- you were not allowed as a federal prisoner to write on a byline which means you can't write for public consumption basically. and that had been declared unconstitutional. as a, you know, in part because of this kind of attention. which i think is kind of in some ways a typical use of twitter at least in the kind of media realm how they deal with it like saying people -- i follow people that are, you know, sometimes activist, sometimes part of organizations, what ever come about our kind of doing this work and then it's just quickly shoots out this kind of ladder and becomes a story. so yeah. >> we will pause there and hear from robert. thank you. [applause] >> thank you, shane. i was hoping i didn't call you by the wrong name. we will have robert round this off

woman, lerner, the woman a the center of the ira scandal did the unthinkable for a supposedly public servants. >> i have be advised by my counsel to assert my constitutional rightot to testify or answ questions related to the subject matter o this hearing. lou: lerner took the fth and refuse to answer questions afte plding her case for a series of denials and deflections abou the lawfulness of her actions. do you believe her when she say she is innocent? >> i have not done anything wrong. i haveot broken any laws. i hav not violated any irs rules or regulations, and they have not provided false information to this or any othe congressional committee. some people will listen that i have done something wrong. i have not. lou: congressmen goudy made it clear that he does not believe her until she is subject hersel to cross-examination by the committee. and the congressman introduced and electric moment into those proceedings when he said that b telling her side of the stories she had given a perfect the man writes. here he is. >> mr. cummings is shot to $5 run this by the court room. he just testified and waved her fifth amendment right to privilege. you will get

woman, lerner, the woman a the center of the ira scandal did the unthinkable for a supposedly public servants. >> i have be advised by my counsel to assert my constitutional righttestify or answ questions related to the subject matter o this hearing. lou: lerner took the fth and refuse to answer questions afte plding her case for a series of denials and deflections abou the lawfulness of her actions.

woman, lerner, the woman a the center of the ira scandal did the unthinkable for a supposedly public servants. >> i have been advised my counsel to assert my constitutional rightwer questions related to the subject matter o this hearing. lou: lerner took the fifth and refuse to answer questions afte pleading her case for a series of denials and deflections abou the lawfulness of her actions.

constitutional rights . to cross-talk america's imperial presidency i'm joined by my guest michael kugel man in washington he is a south asia associate at the woodrow wilson international center for scholars and in new york we cross to george simulations he is a fellow of the global policy institute of london metropolitan university and author of the upcoming book bombs for peace nato is humanitarian war on yugoslavia or a gentleman crosstalk rules in effect that means you can jump in anytime you want and i very much encourage it you know michael things go to you first we're calling this program the imperial presidency and i'm thinking back to richard nixon and that's what he was accused of but do you think when we compare like nixon to bush obama there's really not much of a comparison we do have something like an imperial presidency now well i don't know if i'd go that far i would say obama you know he was swept into power in two thousand and eight as a you know on change on hope he was very idealistic so originally he had foreign policies that were very different from what what what had happened in the past and he was saying we shouldn't gauge with so-called rogue states he wa