Punish the Key National SecurityAgency Whistleblower. By now, everyone knows how Edward Snowden reveals how the government was spying on hundreds of millions of people around the world, but if you want to know why snowden did it and how he did it, you need to know the story of john crane, who worked for 25 years for the Inspector Generals Office which helps federal employees expose abuse and corruption. He now says whistleblowers have little choice but to go outside the system. Crane is coming forward to speak about what happened to nsa whistleblower thomas drake who revealed the existence of a widespread Illegal Program of domestic surveillance. Drakes house was raided by the fbi in 2007 and he was charged in 2010 under the espionage act. Espionage is a last thing my whistleblowing in First Amendment activities and actions are all about. This has become the specter of a truly are well young orwellian world where whistleblowing has become espionage. Amy we will speak with john crane and journalist Mark Hertsgaard, who tells his story for the first time in his new book, bravehearts whistleblowing in the age of snowden. All of that and more coming up. Welcome to democracy now , democracynow. Org, the war and peace report. Im amy goodman. President obama has confirmed a u. S. Drone strike in pakistan killed the leader of the afghan taliban. In a statement, obama called the death of mullah aktar hummad mansour an important milestone. Speaking earlier today in hanoi as part of his visit to vietnam, obama denied the killing marked a shift in the u. S. Role in afghanistan. This does not represent a shift in our approach. We are not reentering the daytoday combat operations that are currently being conducted by Afghan Security forces. Our job is to help afghanistan secure its own country, not to have our men and women in uniform engage in that fight for them. Amy prior to war in afghanistan, the vietnam war was the longest war in u. S. History. As part of his visit to vietnam, obama announced the end of one of the last vestiges of the vietnam war, a decadesold ban on the sale of lethal military equipment to vietnam. I can also announce the United States is fully lifting the ban on the sale of the military quitman to vietnam that has been a place for some 50 years. As with all of our defense partners, sales will need to still meet strict requirements, including those related to human rights, but this change will ensure that vietnam has access to the equipment it needs to defend itself and removes a lingering vestige of the cold war. Amy this friday, obama will also visit the japanese city of hiroshima, becoming the first sitting u. S. President to visit the city where the u. S. Dropped an atomic bomb at the end of world war ii. Obama will not apologize for the atomic bombing which killed , 140,000 people and seriously wounded another 100,000. Al jazeera reports heavy shelling in solutia has killed six civilians. Fallujah became the first iraqi city conquered by isis in january 2014. A decade earlier after the u. S. Invasion of iraq, the u. S. Pushed to recapture solutia involved extensive use of depleted uranium and White Phosphorus leaving a legacy of birth the sex birth defect second tennis today. In syria, a series of explosions have killed scores of people in areas controlled by the Syrian Regime which are so host russian forces. Isis has claimed responsibility for mondays attacks in the coastal cities of jableh and tartous. State media said at least 78 people were killed while monitoring groups put the toll at more than 100. In the United States tensions , between democratic president ial candidate Bernie Sanders and the Democratic Party establishment. Sanders has announced his support for tim canova, who is challenging Wasserman Schultzs congressional seat in florida. In a cnn interview with jake tapper, sanders also criticized the superdelegate system that he said anointed Hillary Clinton as the nominee. The point that i was making is there something absurd when i get 46 of the delegates that come from real contests, real elections, and 7 of the superdelegates. The point i made a few minutes after that is that some 400 of Hillary Clintons superdelegates came on board her campaign before anybody else announced. An anointment. That is bad for the process. Amy in austria, a farright candidate has deadlocked with a Green Party Candidate in the president ial elections. The close race will be decided by mailin ballots. Nobert hofer of the farright Freedom Party has campaigned on an antimigrant campaign focusing on the arrival of refugees. Far right wing parties have seen a surge across the area but , hofer would be the first farright head of state elected in europe since 1945. People took to the streets more than 400 cities on Six Continents saturday for a Global Action against the agribusiness giant monsanto. Here in new york city, about 100 people marched against monsantos use of the herbicide glyphosate, which some studies have shown may cause cancer. My name is christina and im here to protest because i think monsanto is a Terrible Company of so many ways. It hurts the planet, animals, people, our bodies. They really just only care about profit and having Global Control over our food supply, and theyre not openminded about having their food labeled or tested properly, and they certainly dont care about the were care about the people eating it or the farmers were and death traps and committing suicide on a daily basis. Amy in mexico, demonstrators said they did not want monsantos geneticallymodified because of native crops. So every time someone once to sew corn, they have to ask permission and pay month center to do it. Each time someone sells corn, that the Pay Commission to them. We believe in mexico, is the origin point of corn, the most important grain for humanity today, the selling of monsantos seeds in not be allowed at any point. We are the genetic reservoir of this grain. After oil, so most widely used product. Amy the World Meteorological organization has called for all states to ratify and implement the paris climate accords as high temperatures continue to smash global records. Spokesperson Claire Nullis said urgent action is needed to after april broke yet another record. Another month, another temperature record has been set. Surprise, surprise, april said new records for record high temperatures both on land and the ocean. This is the 12th straight month that we have seen temperatures records broken. What is particularly concerning is the margin at which these records are being broken. They are not being broken, there being smashed and on a fairly consistent basis. Last thursday marked indias hottest day ever, as temperatures soared to 124 degrees fahrenheit. Meanwhile in bangladesh, a cyclone has slammed coastal areas, forcing half a Million People to flee and killing at least 24. Scientists have warned climate such storms may be amplified by climate change. Meanwhile, activists in peekskill, new york, have staged the latest act of civil disobedience against the fossil fuel industry, which is the leading cause of climate change. 21 people were arrested attempting to Block Construction of a pipeline that would carry highpressure methane gas pipeline that through residential communities near the Indian Point Nuclear plant. Protesters formed a human chain Benjamin Shephard spoke shortly before he was arrested. We are here to ask about representatives are on record as begins the pipeline. The people are against it, who is calling the shots . The people or the corporations. If the corporations wont get out of the way, people are going to have to get in their way and that is why were here, to stop the machinery. Amy a guantanamo prisoner held for 14 years without criminal trial has been cleared for release. U. S. Forces captured the prisoner, known as obaidullah, during a raid in afghanistan in 2002 when he was 19. He was accused of planting bombs in a field near his home, although his attorneys said the bombs were relics of the war against the soviet invasion of afghanistan which his family had buried in order to dispose of them. The Obama Administration dismissed the charges against him in but he remained in 2011, prison. He has alleged torture during interrogation and was one of the prisoners who launched a Hunger Strike in 2013. News reports at the time said he had lost 36 pounds. Despite obamas longstanding pledge to close guantanamo there are now 80 prisoners there, 28 of them cleared to leave. Oklahoma governor mary fallin has vetoed an unprecedented bill to make performing an abortion a felony punishable by up to three years in prison. Fallin, who has a long history of supporting antichoice measures, vetoed the measure on a technicality, saying the language surrounding an exception to save the life of the pregnant person was too vague. The bills sponsor, republican state senator nathan dahm, has said he may try to override the governors veto. And here in new york, farm workers have passed through new york city as part of a 200milelong march to demand equal protection under labor laws. They say farm workers face long hours and harsh working conditions, but are exempt from many state and federal labor protections. The farm workers are marching from smithtown, long island to the new york capital albany in upstate to demand overtime pay, an optional day of rest each week and the right to , collectively bargain. Heriberto gonzalez spoke outside city hall in new york city. I would like to say each time you are eating or each time you have something in your hands, that youre going to you, remember us. We do not have the rights that other workers have. If you cant support us, were going to be marching for weeks and a few days. If you see as, it would be good for you to support us by walking with us. Maybe a couple of hours, one hour or a day if you can. That would be good. Amy and those are some of the headlines. This is democracy now , democracynow. Org, the war and peace report. Im amy goodman. Today democracy now broadcast , a exclusive a former senior , pentagon official speaks out for the first time about how his superiors broke the law to punish a Key National SecurityAgency Whistleblower. I now everyone knows how Edward Snowden revealed the government spying on hundreds of millions of people around the world. But if you want to know why snowden did it in the way he did it, needed to know the story of john crane, who worked 25 years for the department of defense Inspector Generals Office, which helps federal employees expose abuse and corruption. He now says whistleblowers have little choice but to go outside the system. Crane is coming for to speak about what happened to thomas drake who revealed the existence of a widespread Illegal Program of domestic surveillance. Drakes house was raided by the fbi in 2007. He was charged in 2010 under the espionage act. In he pled guilty to a minor 2011, misdemeanor of unauthorized use of a government computer. He did not serve jail time. John crane and Edward Snowdens stories are told in the new book bravehearts whistleblowing in , the age of snowden. In dozens of hours of interviews with reporter Mark Hertsgaard, crane described how in december 2010, drakes lawyers filed a complaint with the Inspector General, alleging he had been punished in retaliation for his whistleblowing, and that the crimes drake had been charged with were based in part, or entirely on information that drake provided to the pentagon Inspector General during its investigation of the nsa whistleblowers. In other words, the indictment had unmistakable similarities to the confidential testimony drake had given to cranes staff at the pentagons Inspector Generals Office. This suggests investigators had not simply given drakes name to the fbi, but shared his entire testimony. Hertsgaard recounts this and much more of cranes story look,ly in his bravehearts. In it, hertsgaard tells how drakes arrest, indictment and persecution sent an unmistakable message to snowden raising , concerns within the system meant he would be targeted next. Edward snowden has responded to cranes revelations by calling for a complete overhaul of us whistleblower protections. Snowden told the guardian we need ironclad, enforceable protections for whistleblowers, and we need a Public Record of success stories. Protect the people who go to members of congress with oversight roles, and if their efforts lead to a positive change in policy recognize them for their efforts. There are no incentives for people to stand up against an agency on the wrong side of the law today, and thats got to change. Snowden continued the sad reality of todays policies is that going to the Inspector General with evidence of truly serious wrongdoing is often a mistake. Going to the press involves serious risks, but at least youve got a chance. Well, for more, were joined for the first time i john crane formerly with the department of , defense Inspector Generals Office, which helps federal employees expose abuse and corruption. And we are joined by Mark Hertsgaard, a correspondent at the nation magazine, an the author of several books including, most recently, bravehearts whistleblowing in the age of snowden, which we welcome you both to democracy now john crane, talk about why youre coming out publicly for the first time. And coming out publicly for the first time because what Edward Snowden did is it was the largest, most massive classified leak in this countrys history. And so we have two separate issues here. One is, we, i think, need to make sure that there wont be anymore massive disclosures like that, but we can only assure that should we have a whistleblower Protection System in place that will make sure, one, whistleblowers have the confidence to step forward without having their own individual identities compromised, and when they step forward that they are not subject to multiyear retaliation. Amy talk about where you work. People may not even realize the pentagon has an Inspector Generals Office and what you are in charge of. Yes. I was with the Inspector Generals Office. I worked there for 25 years. I was a Senior Executive there. I was one of the founding generations there. I had an office that was largely responsible for transparency and for accountability. Transparency meant i dealt with the media, congress. Accountability meant i was responsible for the overall whistleblowing process. Dod is a huge agency. Million military. We have almost 700,000 civilians. We have half of the federal workforce. I was charged to make sure that within the pentagon that there could be principled dissent that would help to inform Senior Management regarding the way Senior Management make their own decisions, and and that that system guaranteed that those people stepping forward would not be destroyed. Amy and that included you oversaw the nsa as well. Yes. Amy when did you start to get nervous . When did you start to get alarmed . I got alarmed fairly early on because since i was working witn we received the first whistleblowing complaints, the socalled four plus one, drake was called plus one because he wanted to have confidentiality maintained. House andt up to the Senate Intel Committees and they were making complaints about a large multibilliondollar program that was responsible to gather huge amounts of information from u. S. Citizens also. And it was simply behind schedule, over cost. It was not meeting acquisition milestones. So we of course met with the congress, and then we started in 18 month audit effort to see whether or not the various allegations brought to us were actually valid. We found that most of their concerns were valid and then we had the audit report issued in december 2004. Pointsthe very important of that audit report was that this is our audit report. Ig dod audit report talked about a climate within the nsa regarding management reprisal. Dod, bynspector general statute, it is our responsibility making sure management reprisal does not take place. When i saw that, i said, look, we now have a civilian reprisal investigator on staff, daniel meyer, and he is now the whistleblower for the larger intelligence community. And i wanted him to have the matter investigated because we had made a finding. That was subsequently told we could not have the matter investigated and that was the first warning flag to me that there was a problem. Amy i want to go to National SecurityAgency Whistleblower thomas drake in his own words. He was initially charged under the espionage act for leaking