the foreign intelligence surveillance court in 2011 ruled the collection methods unconstitutional. today's documents show changes the n.s.a made so the program-- designed to target foreign intelligence-- could continue.

if they want to collect content, they must get a probable cause warrant from the foreign intelligence surveillance court.

>> i misspoke myself, should have said the foreign intelligence surveillance court. nancy pelosi says it is extremely disturbing. this is what she said in a statement. congress must conduct rigorous oversight to ensure all incidents of noncompliance are reported to oversight committees and fisa court and that appropriate steps are taken to ensure violations are not repeated. what should happen here?

with congress to improve the public's confidence in the oversight conducted by the foreign intelligence surveillance court, known as the fisk. it was created by congress to provide judicial review of certain intelligence activities so that a federal judge must find that our actions are consistent with the constitution. however, to build greater confidence, i think we should consider some additional changes to the fisc. one of the concerns people raised is that a judge reviewing a request from the government to

. >> so he's the chief judge of the secret spy court, the foreign intelligence surveillance court, that is supposed to be the lynchpin for the checks and balances on our government spying programs. it takes it really seriously. it does everything in a classified, secret skiff, but

the other day that a lot of these violations were not appropriately reported to the foreign intelligence surveillance court and other entities that are supposed to oversee. >> congress largely kept in the dark. the foreign intelligence surveillance court kept in the dark. apparently the president isn't aware. and so when you have are the fourth amendment at stake here. and by reference the first amendment, we have an obligation here. it appears that the nsa has gone rogue and we have to insist that they be reigned in in order to protect the privacy of americans, stop this massive intrusion and emails and fell phone calls and go back to having a country that works on fourth amendment, right to be protected against unreasonable search and seizure, go and get a warrant. no massive we're going to get the whole hay stack to find a needle. >> going rogue. >> i don't think this is nsa gone rogue. bureaucratic agency making mistakes which is troubling. this is a great conversation to have. we should be having more oversight in this agency. dianne feinstein is saying we need more information and we need more oversi

district judge reggie walton this is what he said the fisc the foreign intelligence surveillance court is forced to rely upon the accuracy of the information that is provided to the court the fisc disney. and have the capacity to investigate issues of noncompliance and in that respect that this is in the same position as any other court when it comes to enforcing government compliance with its orders what is it about the foreign intelligence surveillance court that prevents it from being that necessary oversight well it's interesting that they say they're in the same position as a normal court because they very likely are in the same position but things don't play out the way that they would in a normal court in a court you would issue a surveillance order be it a warrant or some other undocument that allows police law enforcement to go out and conduct surveillance of an individual and eventually that individual will be supposedly brought into court and presented with the evidence against him or her and allowed to challenge the gathering of that evidence under the fourth amendment unde

common in our system to have essentially ex parte proceedings but here, when the foreign intelligence surveillance court is authorizing a program, it is, according to judge robertson, under this expanded jurisdiction, it is turning the court into an administrative agency. and of course, talking again about public confidence in the oversight of the court, which i think is an important part of maintaining that confidence, what would you think there would be some advantage, having more of an adversarial process? i would like to get your reaction. >> thank you. i can tell you that we have had far more than another administrative agency. they push back hard. they make sure that they are the guardians of the law and the constitution. having an adversary and there is worth having a discussion about. it is being discussed in the senate and house. it is one of those areas that i think is part of the debate that i think we should be having about how to do this. there are issues that we will have to work through. ference is in classifications. who will be there and their role be. things of that nature. these the t

when the foreign intelligence surveillance court is authorizing a program, it is according to judge robertson under this expenditure is diction, it is turned the court into something of an administrative agency -- it hass jurisdiction, turned the court into something of an administrative agency. having more of an adversarial process -- i trust your experience with the adversarial , usuallyn our courts produces more information that allows the judge to make a better decision. i would like to get your reaction. >> thank you, senator. i can tell you that we have had far more than another administrative agency. they push back hard. they make sure that they are the guardians of the law and the constitution. having an adversary -- and that is an area worth having a discussion about. it is being discussed in the senate and house. it is one of those areas that i think is part of the debate that i think we should be having about how to do this. there are issues that we will it's notwork through. the usual course. in the criminal law context, we ,ave many search warrants title iii surveillance warrants

say the administration itself is so totally involved there is something called the foreign intelligence surveillance court now this is a very old gus body that was set up with the whole road that it would have proved individual cases of surveillance because under american law. the f.b.i. and certainly the cia and n.s.a. are not allowed to surveil american citizens and yet what have you seen with this latest revelation courtesy of it was snowden the massive thousands of surveillance instances a year this is incredible is it as i say. the worst thing that happens any government is political embarrassment and they have this sense that judging by what you just said and collateral fallout you're not surprised them that intelligence chief james clapper has still got his job after apparently lying to congress. well . yes one of the things i say how do you know that a politician a lawyer or an intelligence officer is lying is when his lips are moving you know goes with the territory. rock people surprised the thing is that in this instance unlike things like we've just heard with manning the other day. no one has

say the administration itself is so totally involved there is something called the foreign intelligence surveillance court now this is a very old gus body that was set up with the whole role that it would approve individual cases of surveillance because under american law the f.b.i. and certainly the cia and n.s.a. are not allowed to surveil american citizens and yet what every seen with this latest revelation courtesy of it was snowden but the massive thousands of surveillance instances a year this is incredible is it as i say. the worst thing that happens for any government is political embarrassment and they have this in scads. still add for you this hour a storm over bottled water we'll bring you a report on the industry that's struggling to keep its profits high and immense pure. what defines a country's success. faceless figures of economic growth. or a factual standard of living. wealthy british study done. on time to. go to. market why not. find out what's really happening to the global economy with mike's conjure a no holds barred look at the global financial headlines tune in to conjure reports

say the administration self is so totally involved there is something called the foreign intelligence surveillance courtnow this is a very old gus body that was set up with the whole row that it would approve individual cases of surveillance because under american law the f.b.i. and certainly the cia and n.s.a. on not allowed to surveil american citizens and yet more to every sane with this latest revelation courtesy of it was. a massive thousands of surveillance instances a year this is incredible is it as i say. the worst thing that happens when a government is political embarrassment and they have this in scads. well there were a thousand bottles of water drunk every minute in the u.s. we tap into some industry facts might seem hard to swallow this abnormal is just have for you here in our. zachary what happened that day i don't know but a woman got killed. piers later is when i got arrested for. her crime i did not do. we have numerous cases where police officers lie about polygraph results. innocent people to confess the police officers don't beat people anymore i mean it just doesn't happen really

i say the administration so is so totally involved there is something called the foreign intelligence surveillance court now this is a very old gus body that was set up with the whole role that it would approve individual cases of surveillance because under american law the f.b.i. and certainly the cia and n.s.a. are not allowed to surveil american citizens and yet more to receive with this latest revelation courtesy of it was snowden but the massive thousands of surveillance instances. a year this is incredible is it as i say. the worst thing that happens when a government is political embarrassment and they have this in scads. so had for you this hour a storm over bottled water we bring you a report on the industry that's struggling to keep its profits high and in its pure . most of these voices the couple of the law for violence or thirst. but we serve the window climbed in and try to start it. down we pushed it a little way from here we were drunk. and soon when you're an alcoholic nearly all of them are homeless orphans no money or relatives. are you going to do without me . for a moment but there

say the administration itself is so totally involved there is something called the foreign intelligence surveillance court now this is a very old gus body that was set up with the whole role that it would approve individual cases of surveillance because under american law the f.b.i. and secondly the cia and n.s.a. on not allowed to surveil american citizens and yet more to receive with this latest revelation courtesy of it was snowden the massive thousands of surveillance incidences a year this is incredible is it as i say. the worst thing that happens to any government is political embarrassment and they have this in scads also i have for you this hour here in r.t.s. storm over bottled water we bring you a report on the industry that's struggling to keep its profits high an image pure. on your comment like these policies so you. pleasure to have you with us here on t.v. today i roll researcher. please rightly simply search for. and i would think the church. on our reporters. instantly i. immediately. welcome back this is r.t. now three regions in russia's far east are preparing for the worst flooding in

because as i say the administration so totally involved there is something called the foreign intelligence surveillance court now this is a very old body that was set up with the whole row that it would approve individual cases of surveillance because under american law the f.b.i. and certainly the cia and n.s.a. or not allowed to surveil american citizens and yet more to receive with this latest revelation courtesy of it was snowden but the massive thousands of surveillance instances a year this is incredible as i say. the worst thing that happens for any government is political embarrassment and they have this in scads. so i had for you this hour of celebrations in berlin with germany's general elections just over five weeks away we take a closer look at how much choice voters actually have and if there's any alternative. also a storm over bottled water we bring you a report on the industry that's trying to keep its profits high and emits pure. wealthy british style. time. markets why not. find out what's really happening to the global economy with mags cause or for a no holds barred look at the global fin

say the administration itself is so totally involved there is something called the foreign intelligence surveillance court now this is a very old gus body that was set up with the whole row that it would approve individual cases of surveillance because under american law the. cia and n.s.a. are not allowed to surveil american citizens and yet what every sane with this latest revelation courtesy of it was snowden the massive thousands of surveillance instances a year this is incredible is it as i say. the worst thing that happens in any government is political embarrassment and they have this in scads. it with are now still have for you this hour a storm over bottled water will bring you every florida on the industry that's struggling to keep its profits high and image pure. well over my language of what i will only react to situations i have read the reports i'm like put in the know i will leave them to the state department to comment on your latter point the money saved. to carryout a car is on the dock you know why. they do no more weasel words. when you made a direct question are you prepared for a cha

because as i say the administration so closely involved there is something called the foreign intelligence surveillance court now this is a very old body that was set up with the whole road that it would approve individual cases of surveillance because under american law the f.b.i. and certainly the cia and n.s.a. on not allowed to surveil american citizens and yet more to receive with this latest revelation courtesy of it was snowden the message thousands of surveillance instances. a year this is incredible as i say. the worst thing that happens for any government is political embarrassment and they have this and scads. still ahead for you this hour a storm over bottled water we'll bring you a report on the industry that's struggling to keep its profits high and image pure . choose your language. call it make it with zero if you're going to kill some of. the consents to. choose to use the great. choose the stories but in. truth you access to. the sick look now at some other news making headlines around the world a prison riot has left forty injured and by crane guards use stun guns tear gas and riots takes

say the administration itself is so totally involved there is something called the foreign intelligence surveillance courtnow this is a very old gus body that was set up with the whole row that it would approve individual cases of surveillance because under american law the f.b.i. and certainly the cia and n.s.a. on not allowed to surveil american citizens and yet more to receive with this latest revelation courtesy of it was snowden the massive thousands of surveillance instances a year this is incredible is it as i say. the worst thing that happens when a government is political embarrassment and they have this in scads. well still ahead here in our teeth the pussy riot protests that still got the fur flying a year on since the scandalous punk band was jailed we'll talk to the one member who was freed. plus what over a thousand bottles of water drawn carry minutes in the u.s. we tap into some industry facts which might seem hard to swallow. wealthy british. market. come to. find out what's really happening to the global economy with mike stronger for a no holds barred look at the global financial headli

say the administration so through so totally involved there is something called the foreign intelligence surveillance court now this is a very old gus body that was set up with the whole role that it would approve individual cases of surveillance because under american law the f.b.i. and certainly the cia and n.s.a. are not allowed to surveil american citizens and yet more to every sane with this latest revelation courtesy of it was snowden the massive thousands of surveillance instances a year this is incredible is it as i say. the worst thing that happens when a government is political embarrassment and they have this in scads also add for you here in our post the riots protest that still got the first why a year on since the scallops punk band was jailed we talked to the one member who was free. plus. but over a thousand bottles of water drunk every minutes in the us would tap into something industry facts which might seem hard to swallow. most of these voices the couple of the law for violence or thought. we broke the window climbed in and tried to start it. we pushed it a little way and here we were d

foreign intelligence surveillance court analysts are specifically warned that the n.s.a. analysts say those documents show that they are war and that the mosques not provide the evidence on which they base their quote unquote reasonable articulable suspicion that a target will produce valid foreign intelligence so basically they are instructed to give only very broad rationale for snooping on someone the n.s.a. defend itself by saying the information avail is available it's requested. members of congress may read the unredacted documents but only in a special secure room and they are not allowed to take notes and fewer than ten percent of lawmakers employ a staff member who has the security clearance to read the reports and provide advice about their meaning and significance so generally it seems not only has the probably been in the dark about these programs but also those who are supposed to provide oversight according to a top secret document in october twenty seventh months before the program got underway the foreign intelligence surveillance court ruled that the coll

congress amend the foreign intelligence surveillance act simply to give and sort of officially give the discretion to the individual judges in the foreign intelligence surveillance court or if they -- [inaudible] the ability to appoint a security to representative the interest of the public in and interject to some extect the -- at the level of the foreign surveillance court. i listened with interest to senator blumenthal about suggestion about the advocate that become engaged at the level of the court of review. speaking againstsomely on my own behalf, the origin of those -- of the thought comes from my experience as a member of the court for that period. there were a couple of occasions, i can't count them. fewer fingers than one hand, i'm sure, in which i felt as a district judge it would have been useful when the government profoesed some new program. some new mained or mean of acquisition it would have been useful to have somebody speak in opposition to the request and hear the other side. that would seems to be accomplishing two things. if decision were available to members of the court, particularly when issues arose under rule 11 of the current rule of procedu

should be upset rick, we have been told that this is all supervised by the fisa court, foreign intelligence surveillance act court. but the chief judge at the time said hey, they were pulling the wool over our eyes here. >> yeah. there has been problems all the way around. you will notice the u.s. media really is beginning to say that this is about the u.s. government or our government. really they are not fingering obama on this. however, there is a piece in the atlantic this week by philip and points out that president obama's independent review board is not independent at all. and i think what we are see thing week is a real unraveling where the media are only beginning to say this is obama's fault, not just the u.s. government or the government. >> then there was sort of a side media store dwli week. glen greenwald, the reporter along with edward snowden, broke the story of the nsa surveillance. his partner, david miranda, was detained by british officials for nine hours on a -- terrorism charge of some sort. some of his personal property was seized. any reaction from the media? >> well, i mean, i t

are supposed to provide oversight one of the documents for instance shows that the foreign intelligence. surveillance court which has the authority over some n.s.a. operations did not learn about a new collection method and till it had been in operation for many months the court ruled it unconstitutional so in twenty eleven the court ordered the n.s.a. to comply with standard privacy protections or stop the program but the obama administration has fought a freedom of information lawsuit so the administration's main shield for these programs is secrecy it can brush off any opinions on state secrets grounds basically to intelligence on the. uses the u.s. government or the unit to add to the president about these two full of these latest embarrassing revelations. there is something called the foreign intelligence surveillance court now this is a very old gus body that was set up with the whole road that it would have proved individual cases of surveillance because under american law. the f.b.i. and certainly the cia and n.s.a. are not allowed to surveil american citizens and yet what every seen with this late

same thing on the same schedule. >> there is a letter that the chief judge of the foreign intelligence surveillance court has written to the chairman. it is available on the internet and outlines, in some detail, the procedures that the court has followed. it indicates the care that the fisa court has followed. about the process that we have in the selection of these judges. and may lead to more republican judges being appointed then democrats. do you sense or see any difference with -- with -- is that an issue that people should be concerned about? >> from my experience, i have not seen any decisions that are being guided by politics. thatis certainly a topic we would be to the sound discretion of congress. >> other thoughts? >> any problem with the process of selection of judges? >> it is hard to tell how another judge would have rendered the decision. you only have the one judge rendering the decision. >> thank you. >> thank you. i'm a liberal arts lawyer. i took some courses but it has been a long time ago. i'll ask the panelists to help me do some math. in 2012, there were 300 questions that resulte

the government to collect phone metadata; adding a privacy representative to the foreign intelligence surveillance court; releasing the legal rationale for collection of data and appointing an n.s.a. representative committed to privacy, and inviting outside experts to review how the government does its surveillance. the measures come as the administration has faced mounting scrutiny over its surveillance programs following the leaks from former spy agency contractor edward snowden. mr. obama was asked if today's move changed his mindset about snowden. >> is he now more a whistle- blower than he is a hacker, as you called him at one point, or somebody that shouldn't be filed charges? and should he be provided more protection? is he a patriot? >> i don't think mr. snowden was a patriot. as i said in my opening remarks, i called for a thorough review of our surveillance operations before mr. snowden made these leaks. my preference-- and i think the american people's preference-- would have been for a lawful, orderly examination of these laws; a thoughtful, fact-based debate that would then lead us to a bet

and i think that kind of change in the foreign intelligence surveillance court is very important one, as well as adding to its diversity and geo graphical balance and has different views across the country. >> but, sir, in reference to maybe not edward snowden winning, isn't it the fact he revealed this to the american people that are making us have this broader and higher level of conversation about what the authority the nsa has and does? >> no question it has accelerated and deepened the conversation but he should be tried for the alleged violations of law and, at the same time, the process of reform should go forward, including greater transparency so we do not have a black box in this foreign intelligence surveillance court making law that is secret, through a secret process by judges who are appointed by a single person would you in the accountable or transparency in the opinions. this kind of star chamber caused our rebellion. >> thank you, sir. >> thank you. >> sign the girl's face on television. i told my wife, i said that is the girl we seen on the mountain. >> it's being ca

. >> eric: worse than that, star, they go through the fisa court, the foreign intelligence surveillance courtre is nothing foreign about a lot of americans data mined. >> governments are becoming suspicious about the overreach. the i.r.s. looking at us in a different way. depending on your political persuasion. what incompetence to say we are listening to egypt at country code and you listen to 202, which is washington, d.c. the bureaucrats are out of control. i'm glad we are looking more closely to what is happening in the security arena. >> connect dots here. the i.r.s. admitted to being scandalous. f.b.i. told to us turn on the cell phone if they want to remotely. any question what is going on th the data they are holding? >> who knows what they are doing with it? they are evading a real war. the snooping and the spying on americans is an invasion of the actual enemy, jihad and state sponsored islam. the egyptians are denouncing it. we can't make up our mind on the muslim brotherhood? so we have to worry about our own government spying and actively working against the enemy but against ame

to bring in an outside represented to weigh in on decisions made by the secretive foreign intelligence surveillance court. reputationvernment has been damaged from allegations from edward snowden. the scandal has strained relations with russia, but obama reasonthis was the sole for calling up a meeting with vladimir putin. >> our decision to not participate in the summit was not simply around edward sought -- edward snowden. it was on issues where we thought we could make progress, and russia has not moved. >> it marks a new low point. ties between the former cold war have the sores are once again on thin ice. >> the statement came after a high level meeting between the u.s. secretary of state john kerry and his russian counterpart. to convene a peace conference to find a solution to the syrian crisis. they acknowledge deep differences over edward snowden and other issues but said they would work together on nuclear disputes on iran and north korea and the war in afghanistan. the u.s. says it plans to reopen 18 of its embassies sunday after a terror threat prompted a weeklong closure, but that yemeni con

him to put specific reforms to congress, among them, putting an adversary in the foreign intelligence surveillance court which almost always approves government requests for surveillance. for the first time a president with vast powers over the surveillance is saying,un what? there ought to be someone representing the point of views of privacy. that would be a significant change. for the first time eye president is saying he wants to move in that direction. >> axelrod: the criticism of the president that led him to act is really coming from an unfamiliar quarter, right? >> it's coming from the liberal wing of the democratic party. the republicans, generally speaking, are in favor of surveillance and given the president a lot of latitude. democrats have not. they believe he is more aggressive in computer surveillance than george bush. that's not what they voted for, and the president is responding to that pressure with this call for reform. >> axelrod: major garrett with the president in martha's vineyard, thank you. the state department says 18 diplomatic posts in the middle east closed all this week be

the report also included the opinions from the then chief judge of the foreign intelligence surveillance court judge john baits writing for the first time that for the first time, the government has now advised the court that the information they were seeking is different from the what they were led to believe. questioning what the president and his administration are telling us. jeff jarvis at the guardian writes, the punch line of the snowden affair when we can't trust what government tells us, we come to trust those who government doesn't trust. thus, we no longer necessarily care what the official line is and who delivers it. and when that happens, access, the currency of the beltway becomes worthless. ah, the irony. so, jim, this report was out, it was prepared, i should say, before the president made those comments and before the president made some changes to the way the nsa operates. >> right. >> so should we trust everything they're saying now? >> the government is there to help you and protect you. peggy noonan wrote a perfect column on friday that said the net result of this is to t

he'll also reform oversight of the foreign intelligence surveillance court and make the rationale for the collections public. but is he setting himself up for anotheriation where not much gets done and no one's happy? let's ask the smartest guy in the room, michael tomasky in d.c., a special columnist for "newsweek" and the "daily beast" and has been a treasured guest on our show. welcome back to "viewpoint." >> second smartest guy in the room. >> john: thank you and god bless your low standards. the steps the president talked about aren't revolutionary. you wrote what the president's done is quite remarkable. why is that? >> well, because he is relinquishing some degree of executive power. and you know, i agree these aren't huge moves. and many civil libertarians aren't going to be thrilled or weren't thrilled by the four specific steps he announced. i would still say, john, when have we ever seen a president of the united states say that he's logical to relinquish some executive power. executive power has grown and grown and grown in this country over the decades, especially since 1

even given that they basically cut off the legs of the fisa court, the foreign intelligence surveillance court in 2008 when they created the foreign intelligence amendment act which neutered a lot of oversight that the court gave. in addition to that they say we have congress overseeing us, but congress did nothing for the two and a half years that nsa was going around the foreign surveillancforeignintelligence . it certainly wasn't congress discovering it. you really don't have oversight of nsa, and that's why nsa has been able to get away with so much for so long. >> michael: so in june you came out with a cover story in "wired" magazine about general keith alexander's prize to powerise to power.why did you de about general alexander. >> i wrote about the expansion of the nsa including this enormous data center in utah. the next logical thing is a look at the man behind this enormous organization. at the same time look at the side of nsa which really has never been examined before. that's general alexander's new role, not only as director of the nsa, but his new role in addition commander of

down the line, to get your reaction to the criticism made of the operations of the foreign intelligence surveillance court made by former judge -- foreign intelligence surveillance court judge james robertson, and this really has to do with the nature of essentially ex parte proceedings before the court. i know that when it comes to individualized particular warrants, it's common in our system to have, essentially, ex parte proceedings, but here when the foreign intelligence court is authorizing a program, it is, according to judge reportson, under this jurisdiction, it's turned the court into an administrative agency, and, of course, talking again about public confidence in the oversight of the court which i think is an important part of maintaining that confidence, whether you think there might be some advantage as senator bloomenthal and i discussed informally. i trust your experience with the adversary yal process in the courts is it produces more information that allows the judge to make a better decision. i want your reaction and go down the line. >> thank you, senator. first of all, i can tell you

say the administration itself is so totally involved there is something called the foreign intelligence surveillance court now this is a very old gus body that was set up with the whole role that it would approve individual cases of surveillance because under american law the f.b.i. and certainly the cia and n.s.a. are not allowed to surveil american citizens and yet porter every scene with this latest revelation courtesy of it was snowden the massive thousands of surveillance incidences a year this is incredible is it as i say. the worst thing that happens for any government is political embarrassment and they have this and scads. well stand by for a shock over their resilience of america's nuclear elektra's city plans reports it's over one hundred reactor this could not withstand a plane crash such as a nine eleven style attack we've got the details online. plus as russia's pole vault star gets crucified by western media for apparently the fanning moscow's ban on gay propaganda to underage teens find out what's been overlooked from atlanta survivors comics and r t v dot com. germany's social democrats a