technically wrong which is the order that was issued with something that just like a subpoena said mike assadcome you're ordered to turn over abc and the. as you mentioned, it gets that order, the government had to give predication but for normal subpoena you don't need any predication. it's not being protected. but here there was additional predication that was needed. so i warrant was issued by the research were. in other words, this is not a case where the government was authorized the internet to show that the documents are in a particular location to it wasn't asking to get access, unilateral access to go do a search. it simple like a subpoena as understand it is just saying you microsoft to turn over these documents. and a subpoena context, is that the fourth amendment? my understanding is that there's a big differencdifferenc e in american laws to have searches are treated and how subpoena star trek. this issue, that may be wrong in terms of what we think the law should be but from a search versus a subpoena perspective, is there even a fourth in an event for a subpoena? >> i think --

mike lyons is a retired army major and a senior fellow at the truman center. and it's good to have you here. another gruesome turn of the wheel here in syria, and where does assad's regime tand going into syria? >> they're on the ropes, financially, they're in trouble, and they have run out of money, and they have probably less than 100,000 soldiers fighting at this point, and that's all they know, while he desperately hangs on to power. >> the allies in syria that are trying to get some kind of a solution here. we have three major players inside of syria, isis, and you have the rebel forces, and you have the government. and right now, you have to solve one problem between the be rebel forces and the government first, and then that entity has to go out and fight isis to gain its country back. so it's highly complicated, but i think right now, russia and the you'reanians are doing what they can to get a solution for 2015. >> and as you mentioned, the war has only gotten more complicated with the rise of isis, and is there anything for the sources? >> right now, we're focused on the iraqi situation there. and they want the assad government out as well. and if we su

assad is somewhat a counter balance against isis. >> remarkably i'm in agreement with you, senator. scary a bit. >> miker, five months ago is the world more stable today with saddam hussein gone? >> no. >> is the world more stable today with assad who is a butcher but with assad severely weakened? the answer is no. gadhafi dead. another enemy of the united states for many, many years. libya is an absolute train wreck. egypt was an absolute train wreck. we always thought it was a choice between tyrants and jeffersonian democracy. what we're finding in the middle east is it's a choice between secular tyrants for the most part and islamic radicals. >> throughout the world and it's our history for many, many years, not just recently we have backed in terms of character the wrong people because they are for stability of the countries that they rule and it's only recently that we decided that character was so offensive and the idea they couldn't make their country safe for coca-cola or league of women voters things we can export that we had to change horse. it's turned out disastrously. >> somebody said in th

mike dod colleagues can give your briefing on that. have been an and i tto those countries. we hope to get badly by march. >> is it demonstrations view that assadust go -- does that removed needs to be from power -- or that he does not have a future in syria? >> we're focused on a political transition progress. two political tracks right now. up approach -- freezing the situation in aleppo. support the initiative. also, secretary kerry has been in talks with key stakeholders in the region. one believes that aside can govern that state. the rebels will remove him from power? who is going to remove assad from power? my dod collies -- colleagues can discuss that. regarding the syria training equipment program, it is that the beauty was unable to provide a witness today. a request today. >> thank you mr. chairman for the support hearing. as i'm sitting, listening to your testimony, listing to i estions being asked, understand that this is a complicated situation. it has been since we have been here. it is not easy, people have those areas -- n some for decades, some for centuries against one another. this is not a simple scenario. this recall being