comey says the f.b.i. is investigating dozens of people deemed high risks for carrying out a copycat paris attack. he vowed to cover them luke a blanket. u.s. attorney general loretta lynch: >> we take all threats seriously. we're acting aggressively to defuse threats as they emerge, and we are vigorously investigating and prosecuting those who seek to harm the american people. >> reporter: u.s. officials remain concerned about lone wolf videos. comey says the propaganda influences what he calls troubled souls. when two isis-inspired extremists tried to attack a mohammed cartoon contest in garland, texas back in may, it arrests. just weeks later, police confronted a terrorism suspect in boston. he charged the officers with a knife and was shot and killed. according to the department of justice, since 2013, more than 70 people have been charged with attempting to join isis or other terrorism-related offenses. but comey says, to stay on top of the threat, he needs the public's health. >> counter-terrorism is

know james comey says the u.s.edible paris-type attack planned for the united states what can the u.s. do to stop plot like those attempted in europe over the last several months? joining me someone who has been engaged on this for a long time, studied middle east quite a bit, former senate majority leader george mitchell who of course was president obama's first special envoy to the middle east. senator mitchell, welcome, sir. >> thanks for having me, chuck. >> let me start with something you said a year ago, almost a year ago to this month, you were talking about how to deal with isis. the -- one of the first recommendations you made was there needs to be more human intelligence on the ground. it seems that that didn't happen a year ago, and we're paying a price. >> it's a very difficult proposition, of course, but i think that the advent of technology, while greatly enhancing our data gathering capacity, has had an inevitable tendency to skew intelligence away from the more old-fashioned human intelligence mecha

comey says the propaganda influences what he calls "troubled souls." when two isis-inspired extremists tried to attack a mohammed cartoon contest in garland, texas back in may, it led to a flurry of terrorism arrests. just weeks later, police confronted a terrorism suspect in boston. he charged the officers with a knife and was shot and killed. according to the department of justice, since 2013, more than 70 people have been charged with attempting to join isis or other terrorism-related offenses. but comey says, to stay on top of the threat, he needs the public's help. >> counterterrorism is what you pay us to do. tell us what you saw and then go on living your lives, living your life while we do our work. that is channeling fear into something healthy which is awareness of your surroundings and not something disabling. that's what we hope you will do. >> reporter: law enforcement is more concerned about those troubles souls comey mentioned than americans who have gone to fight with isis in syria. scott, around 250 people have tried to travel to join

comey's remarks. there is no question that there are many communities in which there has been an uptick in violent crime. he did say that. the controversial part of the statement was that he opined that this might be a ferguson effect. he never claimed that he had any data to support that there was a correlation between the uptick in violent crime and the increased scrutiny of police departments. i think it's critically important that we be very careful that we not make these leaps because it can really move into the realm of irresponsibility. i and many others in this country have a higher ambition and believe that it is possible for us to have safer communities, sound policing, respect for police officers and policing that is constitutional and that adheres to the rules of law and that also upholds the dignity of those who live in the communities. it's important for this committee to recognize that we're sitting here at a snapshot moment in which the nation's consciousness has been heightened to an

comey says the f.b.i. is investigating dozens of people deemed high risks for carrying out a copycat paris attack. he vowed to cover them luke a blanket. u.s. attorney general loretta lynch: >> we take all threats seririsly. we're acting aggressively to defuse threats as they emee, and we are vigorously investigating and prosecuting those who seek to harm the american people. >> reporter: u.s. officials remain concerned about lone wolf attacks inspired by those isis videos. comey says the propaganda influences what he calls troubled souls. when two isis-inspired extremists tried to attack a mohammed cartoon contest in

comey has been tough on comes. i would listen to the fbi over the white house press secretary or any politician. he's also saying, watch out. there are more people of color being killed and not by comes. you have to say all lives matter. there have been bad apples. it's not good that comes have been, you know, basically killing people wrongfully. when you go after comes as they have in a wide scale like this, the good guys, too are protecting people in gated communities like quentin teraneterane tarantino. >> when he said what he said talking about comes as murderers, the week a come was killed by a suspect with a string of arrests being let out time and time again, respeople committing crimes over and over again, we are going in the wrong direction. >> starting around the 1970s things got worse. it wasn't until the broken windows policies. >> confiscated weapons. they had stop and frisk. somebody looked like they were doing something wrong and the come could stop and frix them before they committed murders, john.

comey. >> good morning. >> do you remember mr. cohen's questions about renaming the fbi headquarters building earlier? >> yes. >> i appreciate your response that we have to look at things through the lens of history. i wanted to ask you about a few other historical figures and see if there were any other fbi buildings naeld after some of these folks. former democrat senator rob berd bid of west virginia was a member of the kkk, he was a recruiter for the kkk and he held leadership positions with the kkk. the state capitol in charleston, west virginia is named after senator bid. the united states courthouse in beckley, west virginia is named after mr. bid. and the federal correction institution is named after mr. byrd. my question is do you know of any fbi buildings named after senator byrd? >> i don't know. i don't know if we have folks sitting in the courthouse. i don't know sitting here. >> former democratic president woodrow wilson resegregated the entire government including the armed fo

up to james comey whether this moves forward but ultimately up to loretta lynch. >> she doesn't have> she doesn't. >> if she doesn't the public will know. >> loretta lynch is not eric holder. i think you will agree with me she is not in a bureau bro she put away dems and republicans. >> she didn't do eá7 deal. >> she didn't. here is the thing as a prosecutor she is ethically obligated to only move forward with a trial that she feel she's can prosecute successfully. that's based on what evidence? so going back to the gross negligence issue for one second. you are right, monica the emails to me look like a violation. she has to reach the standard of what we call gross negligence. okay? that's different than ordinary negligence. >> isn't that for are a jury to decide? >> but ultimately that is an issue of fact, bill and you are right. if loretta lynch looks at these facts she has got to feel as a prosecutor she has got at least enough evidence to get past, if she doesn't she has to explain it. she can't take it to trial tore headlines and can't take it to trialhuh%= for sport bill. she

but comey says, to stay on top of the threat, he needs the public's health. >> counter-terrorism is what you pay us to do.o. tell u uwhat you saw and then go on living your lives, living your life while we do our work. that is channeling fear into something healthy which is awareness of your surroundings and not something disabling. that's what we hope you will do. >> reportete law enforcement is more concerned a aut those troubles souls comey mentioned than americans who have gone to fight with isis in syria. scott, around 250 people have tried to travel to join isis or other groups, and comey says the number of new cases is going down. >> pelley: jeff pegues in the washington newsroom. jeff, thank you. in paris todayay the mememials to the 129 who died continue to grow. and officials confirm that the man they believe planned the attacks was killed yesterday. abdelhamid abaaoud. elizabeth palmer is in paris. >> reporter: abaaoud, a convicted isisecruiter and presesed terrorist mastermind was killed here in a suburban apartment. ( gunfire ) as he and his accomplices made their last stand

. >> reporter: but the fbi's comey says he's seen no sign of isis members coming to the u.s. in the past days or weeks. while the paris attacks have western europe on high alert, american officials say there are reasons why the u.s. is generally safer. among them, the u.s. does not have the porous borders of europe where it's so easy to get from one country to another undetected. far fewer americans have gone to syria to join isis and return. police in europe are overwhelmed trying to track the estimated 5,000 people there who have been to syria and back compared to what comey said today is a number in the teens of people from the u.s. who have gone overseas associated with isis and come back. comey said the pace of attempts by people here to get to syria slowed in the past four months. and officials say muslims in the u.s. generally feel more welcome here, better assimilated than this europe. their cooperation has been important in alerting u.s. police to potentially suspicious behavior. tonight, several members of congress are pushing to tighten scrutiny on people traveling

i don't think comey ruled that out or anyone ruled that out.rime goes up for many different reasons. we don't always know why. clearly this seems to be playing some role in how cops feel comfortable doing their job, getting out of their cars, being aggressive and the shame here is that these are the communities that need the aggressive policing because these are where criminals apply their trade. >> let's listen to chris christie as he addresses the same issue. >> we have liberal policies that tie the hands behind the backs of police officers and then when incidents happen, accuse them of misconduct first and then do the investigation later. you have a president of the united states who does not support law enforcement. simply doesn't. >> kim, what do you think of christie's broad side here? does he have an issue that might work for him or for some other republican in the election year? >> it's resonating. not a surprise. we spent a lot of time in these campaigns talking about taxes, health care, all this stuff. first and foremost, voters want

the fbi director james comey now weighing in over the huge debate involving syrian refugees coming tod states. he says he has concerns about pending legislation in the house of representatives. the bill would require national security officials to certify whether an approved refugee is a threat to the united states. our justice reporter evan perez is joining us now with more. so what are the major concerns that the fbi director has? >> he has really some grave concerns here that this legislation would allow anyone into this country, any refugee. and even perhaps affect travel by people coming from visa waiver countries. these are three dozen countirie where citizens are allowed to travel to the united states with easier process because they have a waiver on visa requirements. we're told comey has expressed this view to the administration officials and some members of congress who have asked for his views and he simply is saying this requirement where he would have to personally sign off on every individual refugee coming from syria and iraq is just frankly impossible. the issue here i

comey's remarks. there is no question that there are many communities in which there has been an uptick in violent crime. he did say that. the controversial part of the statement was that he opined that this might be a ferguson affect. he never claimed that he had any data to support that there was a correlation between the uptick in violent crime and the increased scrutiny of police departments. i think it's critically important that we be very careful that we not make these leaps because it can really move into the realm of irresponsibility. i and many others in this country have a higher ambition and believe that it is possible for us to have safer communities, sound policing, respect for police officers and policing that is constitutional and that adheres to the rules of law and that also upholds the dignity of those who live in the communities. it's important for this committee to recognize that we're sitting here at a snapshot moment in which the nation's consciousness has been heightened to an

. >> yeah, look, fbi director james comey has been talking about this for over a year now.calls it the going dark problem, the problem that law enforcement has when they're going after a particular device and they suddenly can't get access to the communications inside that device and the company involved can't get access to it either. he says that the problem for law enforcement and to the point daniel just made, what the fbi director would say to that, is they are confident there's a technological fix to that. silicon valley might say hey, we know a lot more about technology than even the fbi does. but law enforcement feels this is an absolute must have piece of access in order to get into these communications in a modern day and age where terrorists can strike very quickly. they want to be able to respond as fast as the terrorists are able to communicate. law enforcement wants to be able to get those communications. and this is just a fundamental debate in this country when you talk about the business concerns silicon valley has the fbi and others will say ultimately ther

compared to what comey said is a number in the teens of people from the u.s. who've gone overseas, associated with isis, and come back. comey said the pace of attempts by people here to get to syria slowed in the past four months. and officials say muslims in the u.s. generally feel more welcome here, better assimilated that in europe. their cooperation has been important in alerting u.s. police to potentially suspicious behavior. >> that was pete williams reporting. >>> now to some more breaking news. former spy jonathan pollard is scheduled to be released from federal prison today. the former u.s. navy analyst was arrested in 1985 for spying for israel. he was sentenced to life in prison two years later. pollard, now 61, is expected to settle in new york, where he'll spend at least the next five years on parole. he said that he hopes to eventually emigrate to israel where his second wife lives. >>> for the fourth day, black lives matter protesters demonstrated in front of the minneapolis police precinct. protests began after a police officer fatally shot jam

i trust james comey, competent guy ahead of the fbi. president obama says there is no credible threat, james comey said just the other day that they're getting threats all the time. who do we believe? i say you believe james comey over president obama. >> here's one of the things i said, and rod you appreciate. this the fbi has 10,000 guys, they have a shortage. why don't they deputize. we have task force, you make them fbi, federal task force and every police department give a few hundred guys, the big police departments and utilize them for surveillance and all that across the country. we could have 100,000 supporters of the fbi. use the police departments to support the fbi. it's not fbi/cops. it's america. we've got to join together. >> hate to reduce it to markets. if you notice the stock market reaction is muted. i think if something really bad happens and the markets start cratering and looks like economic impact, that's when president obama will get off his rear end but won't do it until then. charles: that will be a damn shame

director comey's reputation is sterling. deirdre: that was a strong statement, he said cops are afraid to get out of their car to do their job. >> i work with police departments all over the country, and i hear from the grassroots, common sense, ferguson effect, absolutely. what cop wants to lose their life or their job for doing their job? . deirdre: if you could -- somebody in the trenches, somebody giving advice, just give one piece of advice that you know would make it to president obama's desk and you say here's the most important thing, what is it? >> good cops, they're there to protect and serve have their back, they will have america'. deirdre: all right. that is a very strong statement. we're so grateful for the time. bill with me there, former nypd. when we come back donald trump taking a cheap shot at his opponent dr. ben carson in this new saturday night live ad. >> donald trump is hosting saturday night live this week with mutual guest sia and because of equal time rules for television, mr. trump can only speak

director comey admits there's no data to support the idea. many viral videos showed the police misbehaviour that black americans complained about. that lacked the evidence to challenge or confront. why are police changing their before. we are not taking the initiative as top cop put it. what do the video have to do with police doing their job. cops are public servants. if they are not doing anything wrong, they shouldn't mind being filmed and the need for progressive policing is no excuse. police in the communities they serve have to reach an accomodation where nonviolent citizens shouldn't have to fear anyone with a uniform, badge and a gun. let's hope it's not too third for some first and leaders first and leaders >> one solid assumption that you could makeover time was that americans werelistic longer and longer. improvements in healthcare, in infant mortality, in science, and the viper. it was thought, pushing the numbers, and why people were the primary beneficiaries. new research from a nobel prize-winning economist turned up numbe

andrea: attorney general loretta lynch is pushing back against claims by fbi director james comey atlice are pushing back their work because of fears of harrassment on video because of ferguson effect. >> there may be anecdotal evidence as we all noted. there is no data to support it. what i have seen in the my travels across the country, dedication, commitment and resolve of our brave men and women in law enforcement to improve in policing, to embracing the 21st century task force recommendations an continuing to have a dialogue that makes our country safer for all. andrea: so who is right? jesse, what police said they have taken steps to protect themselves because of black lives movement. but it is a real concern. fbi director comey said they weren't wrong. >> ifal when you get fear of cops, you will get a crime wave explode. rule of law in this country has not been respected over the last few years. you know, sharpton's in the white house. black panthers are off the hook. illegal aliens running wild in sanctuary cities. letting these people riot in the cities and letting people sa

fbi director james comey going to be speaking. thirst 32 governors are saying no way to syrian refugees coming to the u.s. house republicans are pushing to cut off funding entire. newly-elected house speaker paul ryan weighing in today. >> this sis a moment where it is better safe than to be sorry. we think the prudent, the responsible thing is to take a pause in it particular aspect of this refugee program in order to verify that terrorists are not trying to infiltrate the refugee population. deirdr texas congressman louie gohmert pushing to block syrian refugees funding. with me, congressman, thank you so much for the time. what is it, assuming it is security. i have to ask what you are most worried about? >> well, it is definitely security. that is the number one issue and the president said it is a debraille of our values to say hold on bringing in refugees? i know he says that we're going to totally vet them. this is the same president who said we're going to help the vetted moderate syrian rebels right before they kept givin

director comey admits there's no data to support the idea. many viral videos showed the police misbehaviour that black americans complained about. that lacked the evidence to challenge or confront. why are police changing their before. we are not taking the initiative as top cop put it. what do the video have to do with police doing their job. cops are public servants. if they are not doing anything wrong, they shouldn't mind being filmed and the need for progressive policing is no excuse. police in the communities they serve have to reach an accomodation where nonviolent citizens shouldn't have to fear anyone with a uniform, badge and a gun. let's hope it's not too third for some first and leaders some first and leaders ♪ >> announcer: this is al jazeera. top stories on al jazeera, the focus of the investigation into the crash of a russian airliner has security at the airport as holiday makers begin to return home. myanmar reaches a milestone in military rule to democracy and campaigning ahead in the historical election. a dam bursts and the

comey's suggestion.y monday, the "times" reported that the doj and the white house were just plain angry at whoo they saw as comey undermining the administration's policies on criminal justice. for his part, comey, who president obama hand-picked partly because of his reputation for standing up to presidents, stayed true to form. he doubled down on his comments in another speech on monday before a gathering of law enforcement leaders at the international association of chiefs of police annual convention. president obama was scheduled to speak before that same audience of police chiefs just a day later. comey's unwavering conviction had set the stage for a moment of delicious anticipation. with the president channel the frustrations of his administration and come straight at comey's comments? yup. >> what we can't do is cherry-pick data or use anecdotal evidence to drive policy. or to feed political agendas. if we stick with the facts and we maintain effective coordination across federal, state and local

good morning, director comey. we welcome you for this second appearance before the house judiciary committee since taking office on september the 4th, 2013. the fbi's mission is a complex undertaking to protect the united states from terrorism, to enforce our criminal laws, and to lead the nation's law enforcement community. and yet, as vast as this mission seems, i think nearly all of the discussion we will have here today can be distilled into one word: "trust." trust in the executive branch to respect and secure our privacy and civil liberties. trust in the fbi as an institution. trust in state and local agencies that police our communities. in many respects, director comey, i think we agree on this point. for example, you have spoken powerfully about the hard truths we must keep in mind when we discuss race and policing, and particularly when we discuss the use of force by police officers. i'm told that you require all new agencies to study the fbi's interaction with dr. martin luther king jr. and to visit his

. >> so then we had fbi director james comey and both comey and attorney general loretta lynch said no relationship exists between the paris attackers and anyone in the united states. and law enforcement officialses from comey on down have said, so far, there are no credible threats to the u.s. but national security officials say at least one of the paris attackers, in theory, could have been able to travel to the u.s. and as many as three of them could have slipped the u.s. watch list and screening programs. it's important to note here, that at least four of the attackers were on a terrorist watch list, and there's no indication that any of the attackers ever rytried to trave to the u.s. the paris attacker who would have been able to travel to america could have used a visa program to get into the country. that program allows people from 38 countries, mostly people from europe, to travel to the u.s. without visas. and it was used by about 20 million people last year. and there's interest in this program on capitol hill. there's a bipartisan bill in the senate, that would end the waive

what comey is saying is preparing the idea it may happen here in the united states.ris: i think we get it. it has happened here on 9/11. we saw it happen in paris. people get it. >>> the house is expected to consider a plan this week that would postpone the president's refugee program. comes as 30 governors, that number was 29 before we went to air, 30 governors in america are opposing or refusing to allow ref few geese into their states. the pushback after one of the suspects involved in paris terror attacks entered europe possibly among the current wave of refugees. they have paperwork to suggest that. the obama administration announced in september it would take in thousands of displaced syrians. legal experts say there is little legally the governors can do to stop this. >> this is common sense and it is important we take this pause and protect our people. >> if there is even the slightest risk that the people people coming in from syria are not the types of people that we want them to be we can't take the chance. >> this is prudent to make sure terrorist element

director comey admits there's no data to support the idea. many viral videos showed the police misbehaviour that black americans complained about. that lacked the evidence to challenge or confront. why are police changing their before. we are not taking the initiative as top cop put it. what do the video have to do with police doing their job. cops are public servants. if they are not doing anything wrong, they shouldn't mind being filmed and the need for progressive policing is no excuse. police in the communities they serve have to reach an accomodation where nonviolent citizens shouldn't have to fear anyone with a uniform, badge and a gun. let's hope it's not too third for some first and leaders to accept. >>> announcer: this is al jazeera. >>> welcome to the newshour, here is what is coming up in the next 60 minutes. turkey's ruling party remains its footing with a majority win in parliamentary elections. russia says an airliner that crashed broke apart in mid air. the armed group al-shabab attacks a hotel in somali, killing at least 15,

director comey of the fbi reported to us just this past summer that there's an investigation, i think it's widely known, in virtually every fbi office. there's a video now saying that they are authorizing attacks in our country. so i think they are on a march. i think we have to recognize this. i think we have to work to see that we have a broken passport system. we've got 45 million stolen passports floating around. we've got international travel documents floating around. we have a visa waiver program that allows somebody if they come back from syria to france to come into this country. all of these things have to be explored and changed. it has to be done quickly. >> the cia director john brennan acknowledged today that in the aftermath of paris, both france and the united states has to see whether there are significant gaps. are these the kind of gaps you're concerned about? >> well, i can't -- i don't know what he was referring to. i do know that everybody is working very hard. both the american intelligence agencies as well as the french and the british and others. so you know,

comey told reporters there's no credible threat to the u.s. he says the agency has seen no connection between the paris attackers and the united states. >> isil and its supporters put out all kinds of propaganda like videos and magazines. but that is not credible intelligence. of course, we investigate all of instead, the threat here focuses primarily on troubled souls in america who are being inspired or enabled online to do something violent for isil. >> isis released its third video in as many days yesterday. this one warning that italy will be attacked. meanwhile, italian police are searching for five men who may have been plotting an attack on the vatican. >>> despite adssurances that there is ne credible threat, changing their plans. upcoming field trips canceled to manhan,an and washington, d.c. in a letter to parents, the superintendent writes, at this time we feel the reward of the school field trip is outweighed by the risk associated with visita yotion to either of these places. >>> kohl's, the store, postponing a planned holiday po

i disagree with director comey, i have a lot of respect for him.re are threats to the homeland, i saw a video this afternoon where threats were made to the white house and other areas, new york, washington, d.c. you have to take those things seriously. i'm getting tired of the agencies saying there are no credible threats. there were no credible threats in paris, france before the horrible terrorist attack that happened there either. we need to do a better job with our intelligence because that's where we're going to make it difficult for the terrorists to penetrate our defenses here at home. not make it impossible, because we are a target rich society, more free society but have to make it better than it is now. charles: today, late in the afternoon, the house of representatives passed a bill to slow down president obama's refugee program, and now some of the onus will be on homeland security, it is going to be personal check-offs. i worry, and you talked about the sort of intelligence community about sharing that information with local law enforc

here was director comey. >> we are not aware of any credible thread here of a paris-type attack. we've seen no connection with the paris attackers and the united states. isil and the supporters put out all kind of propaganda like video and magazine, but that was not credible intelligence. of course we investigate all those propaganda threats, but instead the threat here focuses primarily on troubled souls in america who are being inspired or enabled online to do something violent for isil. >>> well, nbc's justice correspondent pete williams was at that briefing today. mete, thank you for joining us. why are they so confidence that there won't be a lone wolf attack in the next few days, even? >> they can only say what they know, chris. what they have been focused on all along in terms of the eye says threat is not the kind of thing we saw in paris, in essence a plan that's been produced interest and exported to another country, but rather the continued influence of isis propaganda here, finding people in the u.s. willing to carry out attacks. they believe that they have identified