"the times" story detailed key details of the stuxnet including its code name "olympic games." the cooperation of israeli intelligence and its success in disabling nearly 1,000 iranian centrifuges to enrich uranium. >> this leak was very damaging. clearly what was going on here was a method and it should have been protected. and i think it's had devastating consequences. >> reporter: the fbi originally focused on whether the stuxnet leak came from the white house. late last year, agents started zeroing in on cartwright who had retired from the pentagon in 2011. the motives of whoever leaked remained a mystery. >> there are many reasons why people leak classified information. sometimes it's to attack a program. sometimes it's to defend it. many times we just never know. >> nbc's michael isikoff with that. justice department officials decline to comment on any aspect of this case. but legal sources tell nbc news federal prosecutors have developed their case without subpoenaing the phone records from "the new york times." >>> the fight over abortion rights in texas is getting pers

it was called the stuxnet virus. it wormed its way into computers that helped control iran's nuclear program. it did a lot of damage, but the then officials say the leak of its existence to "the new york times" did its own damage to u.s. efforts against iran. at the time of the leak, the president vowed to find the person responsible. now comes our report tonight. his name is james cartwright, known as hos, his call sign as a fighter pilot. tonight he is a target of a criminal investigation by the justice department into a leak of intelligence. we begin tonight with our national investigative correspondent michael isikoff. >> reporter: general cartwright was a key member of president obama's inner circle of national security advisers. but legal sources tell nbc that cartwright has been notified he is the target of a justice department criminal investigation into a highly sensitive leak about a covert u.s. cyberattack on iran's nuclear program. >> my attitude has been zero tolerance for these kinds of leaks. these are

in named this man, retired general james cartwright as the father of stuxnet. president barack obama was angry my attitude has been zero- tolerance for these kinds of leaks. these are criminal acts when they release information like this. >> according to nbc, a year-long federal investigation into the leak has come to focus on cartwright, once the number two military leader at the pentagon. while cartwright has yet to be formally charged, the question is this -- why would someone who reached the highest levels of the u.s. government do this? >> there are many reasons why people leak classified information. sometimes it is to attack a program. sometimes it is to defend it. many times we just never know. >> if correct, this would be a stunning catch in the obama administration's crackdown on government leaks. it would suggest even the most powerful can't be snared. not only is it significant that the obama administration has apparently no compunction about going after people at the very highest levels of the u.s. government in its effort to stem leaks, but there'

is now the target of an investigation into the leak of a top secret government project called the stuxnet virus. it wormed its way into the computers that control iran's nuclear program. but the leak of this existence caused damage of its own. nbc's national investigative correspondent michael isikoff reveals the target is james cartwright and issy cough has the details. >> reporter: general cartwright was a key member of president obama's inner circle of national security advisors but legal sources tell nbc news that cartwright has been notified he's the target of a justice department criminal investigation into a highly sensitive leak about a covert u.s. cyber attack on iran's nuclear program. >> my attitude has been zero tolerance for these kinds of leaks. these are criminal acts when they release information like this. >> reporter: "the new york times" last year broke the story that president obama secretly ordered a stepped up cyber weapon attack using a malicious computer virus known as stuxnet and that cartwright conceived and oversaw the special operation from the pentagon. >> we'

military is now suspected of revealing details on the stuxnet virus that temporarily shut down iran's nuclear sites three years ago. in two thousand and ten when the u.s. carried out this cyber attack against iran general cartwright was vice chairman of the joint chiefs of staff and he was reported to be one of the crucial players in this cyber attack he resigned in two thousand and eleven and he's now apparently being investigated as the niekerk of that story as you remember the niek about the obama administration having carried out this cyber attack against the watch came before the election last year and the timing raise a lot of questions because president obama all but bragged about that operation as he ran for reelection as you remember everybody kind of assumed that it was one of those authorized because the administration information all the time to further its own goals but the timing of this particular about the general being investigated is also very interesting he hasn't been charged with any crimes and yet again from an unnamed source that he's being investigated and this

caught up with former pentagon official michael maloof to get his view on the stuxnet probe and he thinks the case has become a source of embarrassment for washington. i don't buy into the argument that it was a planned leak by the administration to lead us to let the world know that we had stocks in it i think from the us perspective it probably was a very serious it was very serious damage although it was almost an open secret that stuxnet came from the israelis in the united states but having someone actually had it in a high position may confirm that i think just reinforces the fact that the united states itself is engaged in cyber warfare. and it really has very little room to complain about other countries that are engaged in cyber warfare the united states was caught involved in in cyber warfare at a time when it too is a gate when it's when it's complained about others hacking into into u.s. systems and more news updates coming up in just over a minute's time this. download . the cation yourself choose your life stream quality and enjoy your favorite. if you're away from your tele

something like the stuxnet.in the government if you have the discipline to do it. i think this is what should be done now rather than going after the press. >> thanks very much both of you. >>> now a top brass overhead. at a time when the military is getting smaller. you're aware of all the cut backs. you might be amazed that the number of four and five star generals has continued to grow. and the five star lifestyle that goes along with being a high ranking general is costing american taxpayers a lot of money. our chris lauren investigates out front. >>> this is general's row, a corner of washington where some of the military's top brass call home. today's navy has nearly as many admirals as it does ships. there's been an explosion of perks and officers to grown them. >> what's it going to look like if somebody sees you staying in the ritz-carlton for four days and doing one hour's worth of work. >> reporter: they are still struggling to reduce the number of stars. meanwhile, the number of enlisted soldiers and

him being the leak i take it of stuxnet i just would also because pick up on the point that you said he was almost appointed chairman wasn't the joint chiefs of staff at the time of this leak you think there was just some sort of political shenanigans going on behind the scenes but the very fact that he didn't get appointed well i i don't know all the ins and outs but the fact that he was passed over i think indicated that there was something going on so that this might be an indication that he had been under investigation for quite some time that's what i suspect and then he and then he quietly retired and what about the repercussions that the security services suffered as a result of this leak. well i think i don't buy into the argument that it was a planned leak by the administration to let us let the world know that we had stocks in it. the i think it was a i think from the u.s. perspective it probably was a very serious it was very serious damage although it was almost an open secret that stuxnet came from the israelis in the united states but having someone actually in a high p

the attack in 2010 used a computer virus stuxnet to disable 1000 centrifuges the enrichs were using to uranium. what more are you hearing and reading about this investigation? >> we are talking about the nbc news report and nbc news's are broadcasting partner, about the retired marine corps general james cartwright who used to be the no. 2 person on the joint chiefs of staff from 2007 until 2011, basically the no. 2 in the u.s. military. he was instrumental in the development of the program known as stuxnet, which was designed to interrupt the operation of more than 1000 iranian intrifuges at every actor 2010, i believe. it was a serious problem, not just because it interrupted the iranians ability to do what they said was their nuclear research but it also started spreading around the world. this was a very dangerous virus which many had suspected the americans had already developed, but the idea that this report suddenly found itself being publicized on the front page of the new york times in 2012 certainly raised a lot of eyebrows. president barack obama said at the time that it was

the stuxnet computer virus, widely believed to be the work of u.s. and israel intelligence, was used to interrupt iranian centrifuges in 2010. ,etails of the covert operation were leaked and last year the "new york times" published a front page expose. pesident obama ordered an investigation. >> since i've been in office my attitude has been zero tolerance for these kinds of leaks and leeculation. >> reporter: while cartwright is ultarget, he has not been charged. late today, his attorney greg oraig issued this statement: greg craig issued this scaiment: the stuxnet investigation is not the only leak case federal prosecutors are now pursuing. they're also trying to track down who gave secret information no the associated press about a outrupted 2012 al qaeda bomb plot out of yemen. now, the obama administration is vigorously gone after leakers with twice as many leak investigations as the three previous administrations trmbined. seven current or former government workers have already for charged or convicted for leaking classified information. the mo

probably was a very serious it was very serious damage although it was almost an open secret that stuxnet came from the israelis in the united states but having someone actually had it in a high position may confirm that i think just reinforces the fact that the united states itself is engaged in cyber warfare. and it really has very little room to complain about other countries that are engaged in cyber warfare the united states was caught involved in in cyber warfare at a time when it too is again when it's when it's complained about others hacking into into u.s. systems. the father of the fugitive whistleblower edward snowden has set out the terms under which he thinks his son would voluntarily come back to the u.s. he should not be detained or imprisoned before trial should not be subject to a gag order and should be tried in a location of his choosing this is according to a letter from snowden senior released to the media all of this comes as the thirty year old ex cia employee remains stuck in diplomatically in the transit zone of moscow's sheremetyevo airport so let's take a look n

cartwright has been notified that he's under investigation for allegedly leaking information about stuxnet it when those leaks came out last year president obama said that he has a zero tolerance policy toward these kinds of leaks and that he considers them criminal acts but time will only tell if general cartwright actually does become that person charged under the espionage act. while the n.s.a. surveillance and bradley manning trial for john at home president obama has arrived in africa this week trying to shore up ties with one of the fastest developing regions in the world the president is in dakar senegal today meeting with president mackay saul he will then travel to south africa and tanzania however these visit. it's aren't expected to be as well received as the president's first trip to sub-saharan africa back in two thousand and nine for one and many kenyans are upset by the fact that president obama is not visiting the country where his father is from but most of all many africans feel that he hasn't lived up to his promises and where the u.s. fall short of countries like china

york times," to the david sanger of the new "the new york" who first published details about the stuxnetgram about -- in his book "confront and conceal: obama's secret wars and surprising use of american power." "the new york times" published an excerpt from the book on june 1st of last year under the title "exclusive: obama orders sped-up wave of cyber attacks against iran." the report was published five months before the u.s. presidential election. it revealed details about the administration's role in the secret attack on iran's nuclear program using the stuxnet virus which sources told the times' reporter, david sanger, was crafted by the nsa along with israeli computer scientists and inserted using thumb drives into systems that then spread the virus to iran's centrifuges at its uranium enrichment facility. knocking many of those centrifuges offline. general cartwright was described in the article as an architect of the program and frequently briefed the white house on it, according to the sanger article. fox news has confirmed the justice department inquiry began about a year ago.

the story of the stuxnet virus was reported last year by david sanger in "the new york times."ave a lot to say about when we condemn leakers in this country and when we don't. coming up. >>> for the last two days in the trial of george zimmerman, the prosecution's key witness has been on the stand. her name is rachel jeantel. she's the last person trayvon martin talked to before his altercation with george zimmerman on the night of february 26th, 2012. she was on the phone with martin, and the moments before that altercation, an altercation which ended with trayvon martin dead. george zimmerman is charged with second-degree murder in the shooting and killing of trayvon martin. zimmerman has pled not guilty, claiming he killed martin in self-defense. rachel jeantel is in the unfortunate position of being caught in the middle of it. and even in direct examination, jeantel's testimony got off to a rocky start. >> and i know you grew up in a haitian family, so make sure that everybody can hear you try to speak as clear and -- >> can you repeat what your answer was, please? >> when

stuxnet was a success.ut it they changed their tactics. >> you can't believe how it happened. first all general cartwright and tech wizards in the military went to president bush and said we are going to figure out some kind of cyber attack on iran's cyber program. president bush said please do. our only option is sanctions or bombing iran. we don't want to go there. when president obama came into office. president bush said, obama, keep this cyber program on. obama did, in affect increased it. our guys were able to plant something in the computers return was using, something that was a signal that would send back to our guys how in fact the brains of the program worked. our guys said we are going to change the spin cycle of the sentry fiewdges. how they make enriched uranium. it's like a spin cycle on the washing machine. if your load is unbalanced it makes a buzz sound and you run and fix it. the iranians didn't know there was a buzz sound. they didn't know anything was going wrong. their computer showed

a year ago, the "new york times" published details of the stuxnet virus, believed to be a joint israeliroject that sub t. he was accused of making the information public to aid president obama's reelection. >> since i've been in office, my attitude has been zero tolerance for these kinds of leaks and speculation. >> reporter: cartwright has not been charged but has been informed by the justice department that he is a target. his attorney, greg craig, responded in a statement. general jim cartwright is an american hero who served his country with distinction for four decades. any suggestion that he could have betrayed the country he loves is pre pposterous. he went on to say he has attacked the problems of the nation with more vigor than many. >> bill plant in washington. thank you, bill. >>> the father of national security leaker edward snowden believes his son will return to the u.s. under certain conditions. he asked that he not be jailed before trial or subject to a gag order, and that he is tried in the venue of his choosing. edward snowden is charged with espionage. >> the scandal

he allegedly leaked the secret information to reporters about the stuxnet computer virus used to target iranian nuclear facilities. the details ended up in a book and "new york times" article last year. >>> the south african government says nelson mandela is showing some improvement, but still in critical condition. but he is stable. hundreds of people gathers outside the hospital in pretoria and across the country, to celebrate mandela's life and support his family. his oldest daughter warned that her father did not look good. saying, anything is imminent. >>> president obama heads to south africa today, with mandela clearly on his mind, calling the anti-apartheid icon his personal hero and hero for the world. in senegal, the first family visited goree island, where they toured a slave house and stood in the infamous door of no return. >>> we're learning more about the alleged murder behind the boston marathon bombing. authorities say tsaranev scrawled what amounts to a confession on the inside of the boat where he was found. saying, quote, stop killing our innocent people and we will

leaking information pertaining to a computer attack on iran's nuclear facilities using a virus called stuxnet. late last year fbi agents shifted their investigation from white house aids to cartwright who informally advised president obama on national security issues. cartwright is only a target of the justice department's investigation and has not been formally charged with any crime. >>> after months of speculation the senate has passed a wide-ranging immigration reform bill. the first of its kind in nearly 30 years. this is basically what the plan does. it grants 11 million undocumented immigrants legal status and a 13-year path to citizenship creating a guest worker program and adding $30 billion worth of border protection. the plan was put forth by the so-called gang of eight which does include republican senator marco rubio facing harsh criticism from his party on the bill. republican krits iblgs have called the bill amnesty, comparing it to reagan's attempt to reform immigration in the 1980s. for rubio and other hispanic lawmakers it is the first part of a deeply personal victory. >> i

was behind the stuxnet virus which caused major damage to iran's nuclear facilities it is also known that u.s. cyber command is trying to recruit thousands of hackers in order to create cyber warfare or to protect the united states from hackers themselves and even president obama has proposed in his next defense budget nearly five billion dollars for cyber security one of the hot topics during his historic meeting which will also touch on trade and on the conflict on the korean peninsula chinese president xi is also likely to raise concerns over the u.s. military buildup in the pacific something that has caused great concern in beijing there's also another issue staring concern in washington china is about to complete a deal which could become its biggest takeover of the u.s. company beijing's expansion has drawn a lot of criticism from some quarters in america some are actually welcoming the deal. right now on your screen right now you can see as an exclusive response to our to you from todd hey ma the secretary of agriculture in virginia he believes that the agreement is going to b

was behind the stuxnet virus which caused major damage to iran's nuclear facilities it is also known that u.s. cyber command is trying to recruit thousands of hackers in order to create cyber warfare or to protect the united states from hackers themselves and even president obama has proposed in his next defense budget nearly five billion dollars for cyber security one of the hot topics during this historic meeting which will also touch on trade and on the conflict on the korean peninsula chinese president xi is also likely to raise concerns over the u.s. military buildup in the pacific something that has caused great concern in beijing china stirring things up in the u.s. not only over its online actions but also over its trading ambitions beijing as i am a media industry deal that could become its biggest ever takeover of an american company the scale of the moves got some business leaders worried but others spied golden opportunity. well this is a quote from a virginia secretary of agriculture a top a more and he thinks that he has stayed well actually benefit from the deal by get

cyber attack, using a computer virus called stuxnet on iran's nuclear program. a cartwright spokesman said his resignation was unrelated. late today, cartwright's lawyer, gregory craig said in a statement, "general jim cartwright is an american hero who served his country with distinction for four decades. any suggestion that he could have betrayed the company that he loves is preposterous." attorney general eric holder wasn't talking. >> sir, can you comment on the investigation into general cartwright? >> no, i can't. >> reporter: he was a savvy top general. with contacts at the white house, even helping determine targets for drone strikes. his real mark, in developing the country's future military needs in cyberspace. >> he was a crucial voice in communicating both the opportunities and the dangers in terms of cyberwarfare. >> i'm not advocating starting a war on the internet. that's not what we want to do. >> reporter: now the question is whether the justice department has the evidence to bring criminal charges against the four-star general who led the u.s.

were used for ritual radio back in june of two thousand and twelve the new york times wrote about stuxnet in an article in president obama's acceleration of cyber attacks that article included detailed information for meetings in the white house situation room will and b.b.c. news were killed last night that general cartwright is being targeted by the justice department probe into the release of classified information about stocks and the highest level government official he's being accused of leaking information to the press well to discuss these developments i was joined earlier by michael cohen president of the national whistleblower center i started off by asking him what we know of general cartwright as a whistleblower. no there's no way of determining that right now what we have is a leak investigation in fact what you have is a leak of a leak investigation where the justice department is saying that they're investigating general cartwright which you find a little i find little disturbing because all the sudden with the snowden investigation going on it gives cover that the administ

the past decade has signally failed to materialize in any way shape or form except for things like stuxnet at which by the way were created by the n.s.a. which is now an admitted fact james let me quickly just jump in you have running out of time but i want to ask you well call extradite snowden back to the u.s. do you think. i think it's going to be very very touchy subject and there is the possibility that china will play ball with the u.s. on this it depends really whether it wants to take china in the direction of really . relations with the u.s. or is going to take more of a combative stance so i think this might be one of those central issues that defines the way engine being is going to take china for the next ten years and that's that this is one of those critical issues to watch it certainly is possible and hong kong certainly does have extradition treaties with the u.s. so it can be done but whether or not it's going to to happen via that wrote or perhaps even something more spectacular perhaps there will be some some type of extradition you know through other means but we'll hav

which has been most aggressive in its cyber attacks as you mentioned during our report the stuxnet. virus which damage iranian nuclear facilities is one of the most effective and aggressive forms of cyber attacks that we've seen so far it sounds like that the chinese have been victims of cyber security threats as well major concern there so how likely is it that cyber security policy is going to change after this weekend's summit any changes coming out. well it's likely because it seems that it's unlikely excuse me because it seems like the u.s. is destined to only increase its investment in cybersecurity coming defense proposed defense budget allocates an additional eight hundred million towards cyber security bringing that total to four point seven billion dollars a of the dispense budget and there's still a lot of distrust on both sides while this meeting may may increase on the surface the compatibility between u.s. and china there's still a lot of mistrust from the chinese side given the fact that u.s. has embarked on this so-called asia pivot militarily and on the other side t

had already lost already loosely vicious cyber war play of the stuxnet virus against iran so if we're going to have cyber war from now what it's like going to come all these rogue us or from china it's going to come from the european union as well some of our leadership is going to come from iran and for other developing countries that's well so if countries see that they are have the extrema broad looks great problems financial problems could counter attack and on cyberspace it's true that america controls most of cyberspace it is true also that america is vigilance in cyberspace with the leads as it has the scandal and i'm not at all would have as well well i would be interesting to see of course probably what the two will come to while they are talking california discussing different issues both trade and cyber related for now though thanks very much indeed for your thoughts a few times correspondent pepe escobar here in r.t. . britain's police are going for the online pirates even if they just point people to where they can download content they are climbing down on torrents websi