Page 44 - Surveillance Programs News Today

>> reporter: and we are live in the "happening now" control room. a busy news day and a brand new hour over the next 60 minutes including mr. edward snowden, there he is. but where is he really? are u.s. officials any closer to bringing him back to face charges in america? the latest on the nsa leaker as lawmakers get set for a classified briefing on those secret surveillance programs that he uncovered. also money perhaps swollen off this swiss air jet, a lot of it, but wait until you hear the...

Public appeal like that and it doesnt work, you really do look bad. you lose credibility. so i think the white house is probably calculating exactly how much pressure they can put. that statement you just read is interesting in that it is a dial back, as was john kerrey, the secretary of states most recent remarks where they had started out very tough with the russians, thinking that they might even kind of push them into doing something and it became very clear the russians werent willing to do...

Thats about it but still no sightings of snowden. >> atika, thank you very much. kate? as the mystery of snowdens whereabouts deepens, the state department says diplomats are in talks with the russians and officials have warned of consequences for both china and russia if snowden escapes. cnns dan lothian is at the white house with more. what are they saying this morning, dan? >> reporter: there is a sense to get snowden on u.s. soil especially since he said he plans to release additional docu...

With a u.s. government contractor for one reason alone -- to obtain evidence of washingtons cyber spying networks. the south china morning post can reveal for the first time snowden has admitted he sought a position at booz allen hamilton so he could collect proof about the u.s. national security agencys secret surveillance programs ahead of planned leaks to the media." my position with booz allen hamilton granted me access to lists of machines all over the world the nsa hacked, he told the post...

Allegations, not proven fact -- but by affiliating himself with assange, is edward snowden risking changing the narrative out there about himself for himself, standing up for something, standing up against the surveillance programs that the national security agency is standing for? >> well, i mean, im not certain what the extent of mr. assanges personal involvement was in any of this as opposed to the wikileaks organization, which has never been charged with a crime, let alone convicted of one. ...

Power structure, you will be attacked in many ways. if by contrast your leaks are in line like all the leaks we heard about targeted killing and why its a just and good and strong program, those leaks are ratherly. your sued. theres a larger context of selectivive prosecution. >> knowia, your response to that. >> no, i think ari and i are basically agreeing. its true that official leaks dont get prosecuted and that these unofficial leaks do. its true that edward snowden has done a great service ...

Of course now we know that he has landed in moscow. and finally, dan, could this actually help the administration in this sense, some were feeling that the white house justice department were coming down pretty hard on a whistleblower who acted out of conscience. if public opinion turns against ed snowden for now going to moscow and wherever else, could that help the administration make the case that this guy is a law breaker who needs to be brought to justice? >> well, i think, you know, from a...

Law. >> what about the argument that we need surveillance programs to protect us against terror, tom, and that, you know, if we didnt have these surveillance programs, there are at least 50 terrorist acts that could have been success pli completed, killing, maiming, disrupting the lives of americans. >> im not saying theres a need but i challenge the statement of the 50 terrorist events as they define them. how more be stopped or prevented on just the basis of the surveillance program. >> thats ...

Kong would comply with the treaty. now this raises all kinds of questions about the relationship that the u.s. thought it had with hong kong. candy? >> it does indeed. also, it raises a lot of questions about what an tradition treaty is worth. >> reporter: this is the person, keith alexander, whos been on the hot seat now for quite some is time, having to answer a lot of these tough questions about the u.s. surveillance programs, has defended it saying that more than 50 plots have been thwarted ...

Sleep number. comfort individualized. [ female announcer ] some people like to pretend a flood could never happen to them. and that their homeowners insurance protects them. [ thunder crashes ] it doesnt. stop pretending. only flood insurance covers floods. ♪ visit floodsmart.gov/pretend to learn your risk. are divided, really, about the need for the secret surveillance programs and about whether this fellow snowden is a hero or a traitor. thomas drake knows more than most. hes a former whistl...