who was edward snowden? >> he never graduated from high school. >> high school dropout. >> a 29-year-old kid just throwing open the safe. >> oftentimes when the media are attacked by politicians or their officials, journalists say, don't shoot the messengers. >> this was a gift to them by edward snowden and the guardian. and you could see before the snowden leaks, how much did they spend looking into what nsa was doing? they did almost nothing. so it's an age old mainstream media anger that somebody else is getting a story they should have gotten earlier. >> why shouldn't you mr. greenwald be charged with a crime? >> he adopted the language of a politician that was unhelpful. >> i think it's extraordinary that anybody who would call themselves a journalist, would milkily muse whether someone else. >> he was given materials he reported the materials he investigated the materials he put them out there. he is not aiding and abetting any kind of violation of the espionage act. >> what do you think of edward snow

edward snowden was not an employee. federal whistle blower -- in an online question and answer session last week, he said if i revealed what i knew about the unconstitutional but -- i could have been charged with a felony. could snow dun return to the u.s. in any way other than in handcuffs? >> a civil no harm no foul i think that would be going too far. >> attorney general errick holder said the u.s. would be willing to engage there a conversation with snowden, but president obama has said repeatedly the nsa whistle blower must stand trial. >> i won't dwell on the debate about snowden's motives or legal standing. or on the supreme court ironies associated with his choice of freedom loving nations. which currently ends in august, but in that web chat. it is the best resolution for the government the public and myself, but it esunfortunately not possible. whistle blower or traitor, the question if edward snowden can or will return, seems to center on a legal process that hasn't yet taken shape. james clapper and other na

what the exact elements of perjury are. >> that's a total double standard. >> let's talk about edward snowdenpeople names and making accusations. the fact is look at the tells burg example. he wrote a very interesting column in my newspaper, "the washington post," saying he agreed that snowden that snowden should have fled, but else burg came fraud saying he thought it was his responsibility, after he tried to get the information to the senate and have the senate reveal the information. when that whistle-blowing didn't work, he took it to reporters. that's one big difference. the second big difference is he stuck around, came forward, said, fine, go ahead and prosecute me. the prosecution failed because his rights had been violated. the system worked for him. edward snowden didn't give the system a chance to work for him. >> first of all, why won't ruth answer the -- why shouldn't they, after they got caught with -- when i met him in hong kong, the first thing he said i have documents proving that the top national security officials in have been misleading the officials, which is a crime, and

i want to talk about edward snowden, who is now in russia. he's granted temporary asylum for his role in releasing and exposing those classified nsa surveillance programs. there have been some pretty high-powered folks who don't want to see snowden harshly punished here. for instance, senators like rand paul, who we just heard from within the last hour, as well as the "new york times." rand paul saying i don't think edward snowden deserves the death penalty or life in prison. i think that's inappropriate. and i think that's why he fled. "new york times" editorial. it is time for the united states to offer mr. snowden a plea bargain or some form of clemency that would allow him to return home. here's what the president said about snowden today. >> i will say that our nation's defense depends in part on the fidelity of those entrusted with our nation's secrets. if any individual who objects to government policy can take it into their own hands to publicly disclose classified information, then we will not be able to keep our people safe or conduc

president obama announced a new review of the nsa but insisted that edward snowden was no patriot. >> mr. snowden had been charged with three felonies. if in fact he believes that what he did was right, then like every american citizen, we can come here, appear before the court with a lawyer, and make his case. >> reporter: the embare are asments for the obama administration continued. in october a german newspaper reported that snowden documents appeared to kate that u.s. intelligence agencies had been listening to cell phone calls of the german channel lor. and then the "washington post" reported that the nsa tapped into the main communication centers for yahoo and google. the story underscored the ability to spy on tech powerhouses without their knowledge. snowden told the "washington post" he had already won at the end of the year. >>> one of the things that administration officials delve in hoping is that perhaps they could strike some sort of deal that if he would stop leaking documents he could get some sort of break. the president has denied that. but it gets to the fear that

edward snowden could have the chance to stay in russia indefinitely a russian lawmaker says the n.s.a. whistleblower will be offered extended asylum more on this story just ahead. former virginia governor bob mcdonnell and his wife appeared in court today they stand accused of perceiving gifts from a wealthy c.e.o. for political favors the party was at the hearing and brings you a special report coming up and in switzerland the syrian peace talks could end before they even start today representatives of the government and the opposition failed to meet face to face we'll bring you all the details straight from geneva later in the show. it's friday january twenty fourth five pm in washington d.c. i live here and david and you're watching r.t. america. we begin today with breaking news that russia plans to extend its offer of asylum to former government contractor edward snowden beyond august which is where when his one year temporary asylum was such the end this is all according to remarks by russian lawmaker alexy push cobb who spoke today at the world economic forum during a panel dis

edward snowden defended his actions during a live internet chat. spoke to our own john terrett about the story. >> edward snowden spoke to the world via the internet site of his defense team. there was a dozen questions asked. some questions and answers were better than others. we selected three for you, the question asks was: edward snowden replies: >> second question: the reply: finally the third question: >> edward snowden gave a longer answer but i've whittled it down to: >> i should say, it's edward snowden's lawyers that say threats have been made against him by intelligence agencies, al jazeera america has no independent information on that subject. how interesting that edward snowden should be elevated to the level of a national debate on the day he gives the internet chat from the privacy and oversight board and the attorney-general. >> edward snowden talked a few hours after a report was issued from an independent review board saying the n.s.a. data collection is illegal. the independent oversight board says the program needs to be shut d

so things came out from edward snowden and i learned. but in the fields i am a specialist i can find out anything. i am not afraid of the government. and that is part of being an american. so i have to put the responsibility back on may own shoale shoulders and say i will change things. because i cannot expect them to wake up and say we want to change especially not now that a large number of people in the private fields are creating profits and they will never say don't give us another contract we have safe enough. >> i think you are dancing around. the problem isn't the government power. the problem is we have lost the presumption of innocence and now we are suspects. >> i am not dancing around it. i wrote a book about that. in the intelligence world they call it a predicate. i think that is a legal term as well. you have to have a predicate to investigate someone. that is the rule within the fbi. after 9-11 they did away with that. first with the patriot act and then with rules we as a country accepted. there was a point in the histor

could edward snowden go from exile to nobel honorary? >> every sunday night aljazeera america presents eye opening documentaries. they are impartial... >> if you wanted to be a good journalist in iraq, you have to risk your life... >> they observe. and report... >> kidnapping is a very real problem... >> journalists on the front line >> sometimes that means risking death >> getting the story, no matter what it takes >> that's what the forth estate is all about... that's why i'm risking my life... >> killing the messenger on al jazeera america real reporting that brings you the world. giving you a real global perspective like no other can. real reporting from around the world. this is what we do. al jazeera america. see that is that (a), it's a great outlet for the guys and >> now a snapshot of stories making headlines - a bully on capitol hill. the cameras are rolling after new york reporter asked new york congressman michael grimm's justice department into his campaign's finances. things got ugly, michael grimm threatened to throw the r

so you ought to direct your criticism to them to publish it, and not to edward snowden for bringing the material to them. >> glen, the overwhelming majority of our community, when it comes to the question of whether snowden should be prosecuted or given clemency: >> all right, so you like online gaming, raj? so does the nsa. >> welcome back, we're talking to journalist, glen greenwald about the scope of the nsa program. and recently it was exposed as a government online agent with world war games, and their mission to try to community with the guys. and it's unclear if any useable information came from this. so glen, what was the information from the surveillance that you were parley disturbed by that came out in the nsa documents that got lost in the snowden story? >> i think that the underlying point is the most important win, which is the the goal of the nsa is to eliminate privacy globally by trying to collect all forms of communications. so the story that you just referenced, when someone said, why would they want to try to infiltrate video games in and the reason is simple. they w

could edward snowden go from exile to nobel honorary? >> now a snapshot of stories making headlines - a bully on capitol hill. the cameras are rolling after new york reporter asked new york congressman michael grimm's justice department into his campaign's finances. things got ugly, michael grimm threatened to throw the reporter off the balcony, he did later apoll zis. >> the justice department is investigating a security breach at target. attorney-general eric holder is dedicated to locating the hackers that stole the information. >> a first maimer speech to parliament, angela merkel warned spying on allies could damage a relationship. she accepted an invitation recently from president obama to visit washington. >> edward snowden has been nominated for the nobel peace prize. he could share the honour as the president who revoked his passport president obama. wednesday on the hill the senate intelligence committee warned that he is a threat to this nation's security. sheila mc-vickar with that story. >> on capitol hill, they were in sess

edward snowden said he is no longer in possession of nsa documents. what he had he has already given out to a few, select journalists. his legal adviser said it is unlikely edward snowden will return to the u.s. to face felony charges, but attorney general eric holder says while the u.s. is open to negotiations, he said granting edward snowden amnesty would be going too far. charlie d'agata, cbs news, london. >> edward snowden has said he is convinced u.s. officials want him dead. he added he has no plans of returning to the united states because he believes he has no chance of a fair trial. >>> the devastating canadian gas line explosion is affecting not only customers in winnipeg, but here in the u.s. as well. xcel energy is asking its wisconsin and minnesota customers to doubt back on their gas usage as they try to repair the lines. this all comes as temperatures in the areas drop in blizzard like conditions set in. >>> despite holiday sales, a major retailer announced it is laying off nows of employees. >>> plus get ready for fresh, >>> 4:38. mild

so you ought to direct your criticism to them to publish it, and not to edward snowden for bringing the material to them. >> glen, the overwhelming majority of our community, when it comes to the question of whether snowden should be prosecuted or given clemency: >> all right, so you like online gaming, raj? so does the nsa. >> every sunday night, al jazeera america brings you conversations you won't find anywhere else... >> your'e listening because you wanna see what happen... >> get your damn education... >> talk to al jazeera only on al jazeera america >> oh my... al jazeera america. we understand that every news story begins and ends with people. >> the efforts are focused on rescuing stranded residents. >> we pursue that story beyond the headline, pass the spokesperson, to the streets. >> thousands of riot police deployed across the capital. >> we put all of our global resources behind every story. >> it is a scene of utter devastation. >> and follow it no matter where it leads - all the way to you. al jazeera america, take a new look at news. >> all this week, >> the strength of o

and while edward snowden remains. deeply unpopular with u.s. officials members of the public consider him a hero and they're seeking ways to express their gratitude for exposing american mass surveillance there was a blower nominated for an honorary position of rector at the glasgow university. with one of the students who spearheaded the project. the reason which shows edward snowden is because we know that he is a hero here's a brave man who risked a lot of things to let us the people know the extent of us media surveillance and intrusion into our private lives and we just want to show him that we appreciate what he's done and it is a clear message sent out to those who are monitoring us that we will not stand for this and that we do not this we do not accept this kind of criminality it would be more symbolic than anything because he will be able to actually physically come to class go it will choose a representative. for him in situations where he cannot personally attend but his duties will be to hold the title of the rector of the universi

about intelligence gathering for "the guardian " was one of the first journalists edward snowden reached out to. >> he has brought to light lies. >> investigators clouded. program. >> a u.s. judge ruled the collection of domestic telephone unconstitutional. >> only a check on those in power is if we the public know what we are doing. >> edward snowden remains in exile without a u.s. passport, facing espian acknowledge charges. for some, he's a traitor, for

and do you think that edward snowden is hero or goat? >> i think that the conversation about edward snowden confuses the issue. what we do know, we have had a total lack of transparency into the government's programs, and for the first time, starting in june of last year, we were able to see exactly what was happening behind the iron curtain of the nsa, and we have been able to see some of the abuses and a lot of the overcollection, and just mass surveillance taking place. >> that being said, after september 11th, you were one of those who said that it can't happen again, but keep this country safe. >> you know, the problem is that these programs haven't been proved to prevent another attack. specifically, in regard to the telephone metadata collection program that everybody has heard so much about, that progra progs not proven to have prevented one attack. they initially said there were many attacks that it prevented and they narrowed it down to a few, and with the last one, senator leahy blew that last example out of the water during a

. >>> edward snowden did help the "new york times" keep the public informed on what i consider to be very important matters. >> i would say it is the most secretive white house that i have ever been involved in covering. >> during the run-up to the iraq war, abramson was the d.c. bureau chief for the paper, which she says ransom seriously flawed stories. >> we were, i think, not diligent enough. >> i talk to her about the future of the paper and about accusations that the paper is too far left. welcome to "talk to al jazeera," jill. >> thanks so much, john. >> tell us what it's like to be the editor of "the new york times" for the last couple of years. did you dream about this? >> it's something i have dreamed about since i've been a professional journalist. i never expected that i would actually have this job, but some part of me always, yes, certainly dreamed of working for "the new york times." i grew up here in manhattan. my family actually had two home delivery subscriptions to ""the times"," because my mother was a passionate puzzler, but she couldn't stand to have the puzzle r

>> well, edward snowden, i believe, is a trader. with help from communist china and now russia is evidence of the purpose that he is engaged in. this is not whistle blowing, this is deliberate destruction of very sensitive national security capabilities. i think the american people may indulge in this kind of belief this is all fine, this is no problem, the president can rip these up by the roots without cost until we are attacked again. i regret to say this. it is a certy tud that efforts will be made to do that to us. they may be much more destructive in the future than anything we have seen to date. god help us if we have not used the capabilities that we have to protect against that. i'm afraid that is going to be the verdict of history if we go down this road. >> we'll listen to what the president has to say in just about an hour. frank gaffney, former assistant secretary of defense. thanks so much for joining me. >>> three men in police custody accused of starting that raging wild fire near los angeles. police say the group of

the editorial board of the new york times has decisively weighed in on the case of edward snowden, ther nsa, that's national security agency, contractor who seven monthsing a leaked reames of information about nsa's surveillance programs to the press, and by proxy to the world. mr. snowden fled the u.s., first to hong kong, then to moscow where he has temporary asylum. the u.s. government has charged mr. snowden with espionage and theft. this past thursday the new york times described mr. snowden as a whistleblower, not a criminal. "considering the enormous value of information he has revealed mr. snowden deserves better than a life of permanent exile fear and flight. he may have committed a crime to do so but he has done his country a great service. it is time for the united states to offer mr. snowden a plea bargain or some form of clemency that would allow limb to return home. they would at least substantially reduce punishment in light of his role as a whistleblower and a life advocating for greater privacy and far stronger oversight of the intelligence community. the new york time

joining us now is legal advisor to edward snowden., just to get us started here, when is the last time you spoke with edward snowden and how is he doing these days in russia? >> we speak regularly by encryption and he's doing great. he's doing very well. >> i guess you have probably seen in the "new york times" and "the guardian" the last couple days that those newspapers have called for some sort of plea bargain or clemency for edward snowden. what is your sense as to whether or not he would be agreeable to something like that? would he be agreeable to coming back to the united states, admitting some guilt in exchange for some leniency? >> i can't get into plea bargain negotiations, really, on the air but he certainly would love to come back to the united states if the conditions were right, and i think some sort of pardon or amnesty would be appropriate, and again, if there were conditions attached to that amnesty, that's not something i can speculate about really, but he would definitely be amenable under conditions such as a pardo

. >> on the record, nsa leaker edward snowden speaks out in an online chat. we'll talk to his lawyer. an exclusive interview with nbc's ari melber, holder says clemency is not an option. >> clemency, a simple no harm, no foul, i think that would be going too far. >> and in the midnight hour, "today" show anchors let loose. and the speaker of the house gets real on his presidential aspirations. >> listen, i like to play golf. i like to cut my own grass. you know, i do drink red wine and smoke cigarettes and i'm not giving that up to be president of the united states. >> good day, i'm andrea mitchell in washington. we begin with the sting of deadly blasts across cairo. six people now dead in the bombing hitting the central core of egypt's government, coinciding with the third anniversary of the so-called arab spring. ayman, you were there in cairo and experienced all of it. there's a difference to these bombings though today. tell me what is the importance of the targets. >> what we're seeing in egypt unfold is a low level insurgency targeting the government an

president obama announced a re view but insisted edward snowden was no patriot. >> edward snowden can come here, appear before the court with a lawyer, and make his case. >> the yafth for the barack obama administration continues. in october a german newspaper reported that u.s. intelligence agencies lisped to cell phone calls. then "the washington post" reported the n.s.a. tapped into the main communication link. the scory underscored the n.s.a.'s ability to spy. at the end of the year edward snowden told "the washington post" he had won, because as mean leaks fuelled a vigorous debate. >> meanwhile, edward snowden remains in russia on a grant of temporary asylum. he was charged with violating the act so can't face clemency if he returns. >> president obama approved a $1.1 trillion bill funding government departments. now, congress faces the challenge of whether to raise the federal debt ceiling. >> at least 21 are dead after a taliban strike in afghanistan. a suicide bomber and gunman targeted a restaurant in kabul. it's one of the deadliest attacks in that area since 2001. four uni

today, three top lawmakers suggested nsa leaker edward snowden may have had help. on "meet the press," house intelligence chairman, mike rogers, pointed the finger at russia. >> some of the things that he did were beyond his technical capabilities. >> you think the russians helped snowden? >> i believe there's questions to be answered there. i don't think it was a gee whiz luck event that he ended up in moscow under the handling of the fsb. >> and do you agree with chairman rogers, that he may have had help from the russians? >> he may well have. we don't know at this stage. >> reporter: house homeland security chairman, mike mccal shall, wouldn't say who he thinks helped snowden but also says he doesn't think snowden acted alone. >> i don't think mr. snowden woke up one day and had the wherewithal to do this all by himself. i think he was helped by others. >> reporter: the white house wouldn't comment, but nbc news has reached out to government investigators who say so far, there is no indication that snowden had any outside assistance. today, "washington post" re

host: in reaction to the lawmakers on the sunday shows saying that edward snowden, suggesting that edward snowden got help from the russian spy services. by the way, you heard rogers referred to the spy services as the federal security service, fss, russian state security organization that succeeded the kgb. then glenn greenwald also tweeted this out. of panic and desperation from official washington is suffocating. and he quotes the piece saying they lawmakers offered no pacific evidence. they and feinstein, the chairwoman of the senate intelligence committee was on "meet the press" with mike rogers and she was also asked about the connection. [video clip] >> he may well have. we don't know at this stage. what i think to glorify this act is really to set sort of a new level of dishonor. to where this metadata goes. because the nsa are professionals. they are limited in number, to 2 2, who have access to the data. two of them are supervisors. are are vetted, they carefully supervise. the data goes anywhere else -- how do you provide that level? >> is a critical than to get to the bottom a

that's just ahead. >>> as far as i'm concerned edward snowden is a traitor or defector or both. >> snowden is not in control of them. snowden has given the information to a bunch of other folks. >> he stole american classified documents that because of their release jeopardizes our troops in the field in places like afghanistan. >> mr. snowden's disclosures have been profoundly valuable to the country and the world. they have changed the whole debate here. >> snowden says i have won, my work is done. does that mean we won't see any more leaks, we won't see more stories? >> i don't think he could get a fair trial here. in fact, i don't think he should have a trial. he's been granted asylum. >> the fact that he's done this, he should get a pardon or preferential treatment, absolutely wrong. >> giving him amnesty would be idiotic. he ought the to be prosecuted for treason and, if convicted by a jury of his peers, hanged by the neck until he's dead. >> snowden is a traitor. he deserves to come home. i believe he deserves to end his life at the end of a hangman's noose. >> he doesn't believe he

and glasgow university students have launched a campaign to get edward snowden elected as rector is one of four official candidates for the three year post while snowden is highly unlikely to take up the post in person glasgow's rectors are elected to represent students chairing the university's ruling court glasgow university student love the no uk talks about why some students are voting for snowden. the reason we chose edward snowden is because we know that he is a hero he's a brave man who risked a lot of things to let the people know the extent of us media surveillance and intrusion into our private lives and we just want to show him that we appreciate what he's done and it is a clear message sent out to those who are monitoring us that we will not stand for this and that we do not this we do not accept this kind of criminality would be more symbolic than anything because he will not be able to actually physically come to class go it will choose a representative. for him in situations where he cannot personally attend but his duties will be to hold the title of the rector of the un

and a chat conducted by former government contractor edward snowden today snowden gave a number of curious people out there the chance to have a conversation with him by offering them to ask some timely questions our very own sam sachs has been charting those questions and answers from our newsroom to say i have it seems like most people are dying to know what snowden's response is to president barack obama's speech on an essay reforms that he gave last friday do we have that response yet very well there were some questions about the timing of president obama's speech there were some voices who hadn't weighed in on the n.s.a. debate namely the privacy and civil liberties oversight board which released a report today showing that the n.s.a.'s bulk phone records collection program is both illegal and useless to preventing terrorism stored and was asked particularly about that saying do you think it's a shame that obama gave his n.s.a. speech before his privacy and civil liberties oversight board reported that report so snowden responded to that by saying it's time to end bulk collection whic

> fred kaplan who writes about national security for slate, he wrote on friday, basically why edward snowdenany kind of clemency. one thing he said was he looked at -- said among other things, snowden leaked information about the nsa's interception, about nsa e-mail intercepts for intelligence and what is going on inside iran, and he concluded, he said these operations have nothing to do with domestic surveillance or spying on allies, not illegal, improper or immoral. exposing such operations has nothing to do with whistle blowing. sensor w i imagine you have a different take on that. >> the thing is, you can't look at this in a vacuum. the argument he should receive clemency because he revealed information about domestic spying ignores all the other material that he released. the fact is the nsa, the vast majority of what they do is foreign intelligence signal gathering. that's what they do. small part of that is anti-terrorism. if you look at the leaks, most have to do with legitimate intelligence gathering by the u.s. government. to sound parochial, i hate to be overly parochial, i think

whistleblower edward snowden reportedly asking russia. protection amid mounting death threats. from moscow its aussie international with me rule research we've got your top headlines for this hour. leaders of the ukrainian opposition have called on protesters in kiev to refrain from violence over the city's embattled remains a blaze overnight these are live pictures we're showing for you right now in fact it's proximately eleven am there in the ukrainian capital the latest report from there with correspondent peter on. looking independent square where the speakers are continuing to deliver their rhetoric from the stage just as you might be able to hear that over the top of of me talking now we have seen a a distinct decrease in the amount of people on the streets on thursday compared to wednesday now that's because wednesday was a public holiday it allowed more people to come out but what those people have left that were here yesterday that were here on wednesday well they've left more barricades better built barricades and certainly far more secure barricades and i'm about two

when the american people did learn, not from him but edward snowden and "the washington post," they werechannel than the one mr. snowden chose, which was to go to the public. >> thank you very much, gentlemen. we'll leave it there. and we'll be right back. cer ] this is the story of the little room over the pizza place at 315 chestnut street. the modest first floor bedroom in tallinn, estonia and the dusty basement at 1406 35th street. it is the story of the old dining room table at 25th and hoffman avenue. the southbound bus barreling down i-95. ...and the second floor above the strip mall at roble and el camino. ♪ this magic moment it is the story of where every great idea begins. ♪ so different and so new where those with endless vision and an equal amount of audaciousness believed they had the power to do more. time and time again. ♪ and then, it happened at dell, we're honored to be part of some of the world's great stories. stories that began much the same way ours did. in a little dorm room -- # 2713. ♪ this magic moment ♪ unisom sleeptabs help you fall asleep 33% faster and wake

any moment, edward snowden will start a live web chat. he has done this before. last summer with the guardian. but this time, the q&a is hosted by the free snowden website. the former nsa worker strongly denies new allegations that he is a russian spy. he's also expected to give his first public response to president obama's surveillance speech from friday. plus, some questions have been coming in using #asksnowden, so we will listen live once that gets good. in an exclusive interview, u.s. attorney general eric holder said he is open to some sort of resolution with snowden. ari will be back tomorrow with that entire interview exclusively here on "the cycle." but for now, the doj is accusing a private contractor that vetted snowden of massive fraud. claiming the front conducted phony background checks. another news story, this one has to do with the nsa wiretapping program that revealed to the world an independent board created by congress has determined the program is illegal and should be stopped immediately. and that whatever information has been collected be

>> my name is edward snowden, i'm 29 years old. in hawaii. >> what my country is going through as a result of this climate events is madness. the climate crisis is madness. >> in the next week, turn it over, all of it. without delay and allow a full and total accounting for that. but he isn't about to do it and it can be done, obviously. >> if a person is gay and seeks god and has goodwill, who am i to judge them? >> children born today grow up in a world without doma, and the same children who happen to be gay will be free to love and get thated as thea and i did with the same federal benefits and protections as anyone else. at 2013. a look back all of that and more coming up. this is democracy now!, democracynow.org, the war and peace report. i'm amy goodman. at 2013.look back it was an historic year. edward snowden exposed how the national security agency amid the nsa, built a worldwide surveillance apparatus while chelsea manning wasn't it said 35 years in jail for leakin your secret documents -- was sentenced to 35 years in ja

leaker edward snowden ben what's his current state of mind later we'll have a debate about all of this too what's the current state of mind of mr snowden well you know his morale is pretty good. he is so grateful for the support that he's received recently from some of the world's leading newspapers including the new york times that called for him to be treated leniently to be given clemency but even more than that he's grateful for the global debate at his disclosures have set off and that open courts are reviewing the programs that he revealed and now congress is considering historic legislation even the president's own advisers are telling him that the n.s.a. has gotten out of control and needs to be reined in that was what hope to accomplish and that's what he has accomplished so that's what he meant when he said his mission has been accomplished. yeah i don't think that he meant the mission accomplished this wasn't the president on the aircraft carrier saying the war is over what it was just starting what he meant by that is that his job is done his job was to bring the public int

stephanie gosk has been looking into the documents, and joins us from moscow. >> reporter: brian, edward snowden remains in exile here in russia while the trove of information he leaked from the nsa continues to rock western intelligence agencies. working with freelance journalist glenn greenwald, nbc news obtained documents that snowden leaked before he came here to russia. the documents show how the u.s. and british intelligence agencies analyzed youtube videos, facebook likes and tweets. it is a broad and secret intrusion that privacy advocates are condemning. egypt didn't see it coming. western spies missed it too. the arab spring, one of the most dramatic revolutions in modern day was basically a surprise. fast forward to the one-year anniversary, a much smaller demonstration in the gulf nation of bahrain. this time, british intelligence officials had developed the ability to predict the rally before anyone took to the streets. how? documents obtained by nbc news, reveal that on any given day, british spies are able to secretly tap into specific social media to see what is being looked at a

also one clear this morning, referring to edward snowden, if it had not been for snowden, obama would not made a speech on security and not had a discussion. on our facebook page, robin cooper writes in about the president's speech. snowden to wake the masses is a statement from robin cooper. is making thea case for violating the fourth amendment. he pretends to be a constitutional scholar and pretends to care about liberty. they care primarily about control of the people. they have a desire for more power. comments offading facebook and twitter. steve's in trenton new jersey on our democrat line this morning. take your calling. caller: thank you for taking my call. i am shocked at the gop hypocrisy on this. i understand it is a fine line between safety and privacy. this is the question i have, what if an attack happened on obamas watch that could've been prevented by some of this surveillance? supporter but i gave them a pass on some of the things he did to keep the country safe. if you have nothing to hide, you have no reason to worry about giving up privacy. there are things have t

whistleblower edward snowden is reportedly asking russian authorities for more protection and mounting death threats. he want unity to national coming to you live from moscow with me marina welcome now ukraine opposition from member tally could go has negotiated a temporary truce with authorities until eight pm local time it's reported the break will be used for further talks with the country's leadership meanwhile riot police have now put out the burning barricades in the center of kiev that remain a blaze over night well let's now take a look here at exactly where the ongoing turmoil has been taking place this as you can see on the map is european square a forefront of the unrest and this is where the tires were satellite and that's where our correspondent peter oliver was earlier and some of the fiercest clashes have taken place round nearby government buildings and specifically at the. street here and where that's where a security operation pushed out some of the more radical protesters the deaths of two of them have been confirmed both reportedly out of bullet wounds forty however

and the still blows worries edward snowden is reportedly planning to ask russia for personal protection after receiving death threats our top story this hour. is out international live from a studio in moscow where it's just a nine pm and seven pm in kiev where protesters and police have declared a truce which is expected to expire in just an hour from now the e.u. is getting more closely involved with the head of the european parliament saying the country's president should call an early election. is there gauging the mood on the streets and following international reaction. in terms of what we're seeing from pressure and people taking speaking about what's going on here in ukraine from the outside well we have seen some movement with regards to the european union martin scholtz the head of the e.u. parliament has said that ukraine must call snap elections now that came on the back of the of a phone call between the president of ukraine the article which on the president of the european union but also which was to put also expressed his deep concern about the situation there was unfold

a big day for edward snowden and the nsa, public pressure to change policies has mounted when edward snowden released top secret u.s. documents. snowden is holding a live chat and q and a on his site to offer his perspective on reforms. here is the website, noon pacific, the website www.freesnowden.is. snowden is still viewed with mixed perspectives, some calling him a national hero, exposing the programs that had every american in the cross hairs. others say he put american troops in danger and given aid to terrorists. >> firm position that he wouth to return to the united states and face the charges against him. >> one of his allegations was that the nsa's mass surveillance program had no public or governmental oversight. the president while maintaining the they, did acknowledge the important of those to question our government. >> during the course of review i often reminded myself i would not be where i am were it not for those like dr. king who were spied upon by their own government. >> also today just an hour prior to snowden's web cast will be an announcement about sweeping ch

has unveiled his long-awaited review of the nsa's surveillance programs over six months since edward snowdenxposed them to global scrutiny. in a move denounced by privacy advocates, obama refused to end the bulk collection of telephone metadata, saying only he will modify it from "how it currently exists." >> i am therefore ordering a transition that will end the section 215 bulk metadata program as it currently exists and establishes a mechanism that preserves the capabilities we need without the government holding this bulk metadata. this will not be simple. >> undernder -- obama's proposal, nsa officials would require court orders to access calling records, except in cases of emergency. but it will be up to the justice department and congress to work out the details. in his remarks, obama also pledged to stop the spying on foreign leaders, and to increase privacy protections for foreign citizens overseas. x let me be clear. our intelligence agencies will continue to gather information about the intention of governments, as opposed to ordinary citizens, around the world, in the same way th

and that's a whistleblower edward snowden reportedly. thank you for joining us. protesters in kiev to refrain from violence over the city's. overnight. in the ukrainian capital. looking independence square where the speakers are continuing to deliver their rhetoric from the stage just as you might be able to hear that over the top of. me talking now we have seen a a distinct decrease in the amount of people on the streets on thursday compared to wednesday now that's because wednesday was a public holiday it allowed more people to come out but what those people have left that were here yesterday were here on wednesday well they've left more barricades better built barricades and certainly far more secure barricades about two hundred meters away just over to my left is where that that main flashpoint is going on in front of the dynamics' stadium between rioters and riot police where they're separated by what is literally a wall of fire and i was out in that last night and having a look around about what was what was going on there and it's made it look like somethi

edward snowden broke the law. that remains the fact. going back to what doug was saying in terms of the lines being drawn, i don't care if you're two people removed, three people removed, ten people removed, if the court says there's probable cause, enough evidence to justify a conviction, that warrant should be issued. president obama shouldn't be drawing these false lines when it comes to investigating those that may give us leads to acts of terrorism. >> i think edward snowden, didn't quite sign up as far as breaking the rule, black and white. congress wouldn't know it was being spied on if it wasn't for edward snowden. foreign leaders wouldn't know they were spied on if it wasn't edward snowden. if you agree with the fact edward snowden should be penalized, then you can't lay claim to the nsa doing all these additional -- >> what else has he not told us. >> i agree he broke the law. i agree also it may have caused something good. that's a classic elementary school hypothetical. somebody breaks the law and good comes out of it. guess

we have been having this argument for nearly a year sings edward snowden made these revelations. the president -- >> they are not going to continue and continue and continue. >> but president obama has never stepped forward to make an argument on behalf of the surveillance tech -- techniques, why we do it. he has allowed the problem to fester. then he uh points a commission to make recommendations to him at which poimt both sides are totally dug in on this issue. and he has made a botch of it and come up with this set of solutions that aren't going to satisfy anyone. >> if the white house were here they would say, look, what are we going to do? the politics are such that we have to make these concessions to install a worse route on capitol hill. we have got to do this. we are making tactile concessions and they are not that great. the left will dislike them and will criticize them and even libertarians. we are trying to thread the political needle here. >> she leading from behind. he was on defense and he should have been on offense much earlier and we could have had a more produ

that attract edward snowden, a contractor to this one. >> edward snowden, if you do not come here. it's the number of foreigners attending classes that sets the it school apart. >> because we are a global it training company, we get students from all over the world. >> what edward snowden learnt here probably helped him get his job at the n.s.a. and the lawyer pushed the it education industry to grow. >> new delhi attracts thousands of foreign students taking crash courses. most students return to their countries with an upgrade to current positions or better job prospects. some worry the training can bemisused. >> it's like a wild, wild west. >> the cyber law specialist says a lack of regulation made it a free for all. and that there are guidelines for the dangerous courses. >> there has to be a structured approach. >> they arg tu that any education can be misused. india has no plans to regulate its it schools. students continue to enhance their skills before deciding how to use those skills. >> the class that edward snowden took was called ethical hacking. it included how to prot