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WE'RE GOING TO GET TO THAT
INFORMATION AS SOON AS WE GET IT
HERE IN TO US AT CNN.
>>> THE EVIDENCE IS PUBLIC THAT
U.S. GOVERNMENT SNOOPING WORKS
TO STOP TERRORISTS.
THIS HAS GONE NOW WAY BEYOND
META DATA, NUMBERS CRUNCHING,
OFFICIALS TALKING IN GENERAL
TERMS.
FOLKS, WE HAVE NAMES, FACES AND
TARGETS.
DETAILS WERE DECLASSIFIED AND
PUT ON THE CAPITOL HILL HEARING.
LEADERS OF THE FBI NAMED FOUR
SEPARATE PLOTS THAT THEY SAY
WERE THWARTED BECAUSE OF THE
SURVEILLANCE PROGRAMS THAT A LOT
OF CRITICS ARE CALLING A MASS
INVASION OF PRIVACY.
IT IS JUST FOUR THEY SAY OF MANY
MORE.
>> IN RECENT YEARS THE
INFORMATION GATHERED FROM THESE
PROGRAMS PROVIDED THE U.S.
GOVERNMENT WITH CRITICAL LEADS
TO HELP PREVENT OVER 50
POTENTIAL TERRORIST EVENTS AND
MORE THAN 20 COUNTRIES AROUND
THE WORLD.
>> OKAY.
SO HERE ARE THE PLOTS THAT WERE
STOPPED.
FIRST UP, NEW YORK SUBWAY AN
INTERCEPTED E-MAIL FROM ZAZI WHO
CONFESSED TO A PLOT.
THIS ONE THEY WERE LED TO
KHALID OUAZZANI.
NEXT DANISH NEWSPAPER, NSA FOUND
THAT THEY WERE GOING TO BOMB A
NEWSPAPER THAT PUBLISHED
CARTOONS.
THIS ONE THE FBI CLOSED AND NSA
REOPENED IT.
OFFICIALS SAID THE U.S. WAS ABLE
TO, QUOTE, UNQUOTE, DISRUPT
TERRORIST ACTIVITY.
THIS IS FOUR WITH SOME 50 PLUS
PLOTS.
I WANT TO GO TO TWO STRONG
VOICES ON WHAT THE NSA HAS BEEN
DOING.
JULIE MYERS WOOD IS A FORMER
ASSISTANT SECURITY --
HOMELAND -- I DON'T THINK IT'S
SECURITY.
I THINK IT SHOULD BE SECRETARY
OF HOMELAND SECURITY, FORGIVE
ME.
>> THAT'S ALL RIGHT, BROOKE.
>> HELLO.
TYPO.
AND BEN FERGUSON, RADIO HOST OF
THE SHOW THE BEN FERGUSON SHOW.
WELCOME BACK TO BOTH 6 YOU.
I KNOW WE DID THIS ONE DAY LAST
WEEK.
WE WANTED TO FOLLOW UP AND COME
KIND OF FULL CIRCLE.
BEN FERGUSON, YOU'RE UP AT BAT
FIRST.
>> YEAH.
>> DID THE GOVERNMENT TODAY
REVEAL TOO LITTLE OR TOO MUCH?
>> I DON'T THINK THAT THEY DID
REALLY EITHER OF THOSE THINGS.
I THINK THE AMERICAN PEOPLE ARE
LOOKING TO THESE LEADERS AND
SAYING, OKAY, CAN YOU SHOW US
LEGITIMATE CAUSE AND MAKE OUR
FEARS BE CALMED DOWN BY SHOWING
US THAT IN FACT YOU ARE USING
THIS INFORMATION FOR GOOD
INSTEAD OF JUST TARGETING
AMERICANS AND MY PHONE RECORDS?
I'M NOT SURE THEY DID ENOUGH
TODAY TO SOMEHOW MAKE PEOPLE
FEEL MORE SAFE OR FEEL MORE
COMFORTABLE WITH THESE PROGRAMS.
SOME OF THE INFORMATION THEY
TALKED ABOUT TODAY I THINK A LOT
OF AMERICANS ARE GOING TO SAY
THIS IS CAPTAIN OBVIOUS
INFORMATION.
OF COURSE WE KNOW THE GOVERNMENT
IS ATTACKING AND TRYING TO
PROTECT AMERICANS AND INTERESTS
IN BOMBINGS AND EVERYTHING ELSE
BUT YOU STILL DIDN'T SPEAK TO
WHAT ARE YOU DOING WITH ALL OF
OUR INFORMATION AND ARE YOU
KEEPING IT?
MORE IMPORTANTLY, ARE THERE
PEOPLE IN THE GOVERNMENT THAT
CAN ABUSE THIS INFORMATION?
>> SO YOU'RE STILG FRUSTRATED
WITH THE -- WITH JUST THE SIMPLE
ACT OF WHAT THEY'VE BEEN DOING
FOR THE LAST SEVEN YEARS VERSUS
THE FACT THAT, YOU KNOW, PERHAPS
A LOT OF FEARS ARE ALLAYED TODAY
BECAUSE THESE PLOTS HAVE BEEN
FOILED BECAUSE OF THIS PROGRAM?
YOU'RE STILL STUCK ON THAT?
I JUST WANT TO MAKE SURE I'M
HEARING YOU CLEARLY.
>> I'M STUCK ON THE FACT THAT IT
STILL SEEMS LIKE THERE'S NOT
ENOUGH INFORMATION ON WHAT
THEY'RE DOING WITH INFORMATION.
>> YOU WANT MORE INFORMATION?
>> YEAH.
MOST AMERICANS FEEL THE SAME
WAY.
WE EXPECT YOU TO GO AFTER
INFORMATION CONNECTED TO
TERRORISTS, BUT I DON'T THINK
THE MAJORITY OF AMERICANS FEEL
AS IF THIS IS A TARGETED
PROGRAM.
IT'S TOO BROAD REACHING AND IT'S
TAKING EVERYONE'S INFORMATION,
SPECIFICALLY THOSE THAT HAVE NO
CONNECTION TO TERRORISM.
>> OKAY.
JULIE, YOU'VE DEFENDED THE
PROGRAM.
WHAT DO YOU MAKE OF THE NEWS
THAT CAME OUT TODAY?
>> I THINK THE NEWS WAS VERY
SIGNIFICANT.
THEY'RE TALKING ABOUT 50 PLOTS,
SOME VERY SIGNIFICANT PLOTS THAT
HAVE BEEN DISRUPTED.
I THINK ONE OF THE MOST
IMPORTANT THINGS IS THAT THERE
WAS AN INVESTIGATION THAT WAS
SHUT DOWN AND THEN REOPENED
BECAUSE OF THIS PROGRAM.
I AGREE WITH BEN, THAT THE
STORY'S NOT OVER.
WE SHOULD CONTINUE TO HAVE MORE
EXPLANATIONS.
WE SHOULD CONTINUE TO EXPLORE
WHETHER OR NOT OUR LAWS ARE
STRONG ENOUGH BUT I THINK THE
NEWS THIS MORNING WAS VERY
ENCOURAGING, FRANKLY, TO SEE ALL
THE THINGS AND ALL THE WAYS
THEY'VE USED THIS INFORMATION TO
PROTECT AMERICA.
>> NOW I KNOW THERE ARE PEOPLE
OUT THERE AND I TALKED TO A
FORMER CIA OPERATIVE LAST HOUR.
MY QUESTION WAS THIS WAS FOUR
PLOTS OUT OF 50 PLUS PLOTS, DO
YOU THINK THE AMERICAN PEOPLE
SHOULD TRUST THE GOVERNMENT?
SHOULD WE, JULIE?
>> I MEAN, I THINK THERE'S A LOT
OF MISTRUST IN THE GOVERNMENT
OVERALL BASED ON SOME OF THE
ACTIVITIES THAT HAVE HAPPENED
THE LAST COUPLE OF YEARS.
YOU CAN'T BLAME FOLKS LIKE BEN
FOR BEING FRUSTRATED.
AT THE SAME TIME I THINK GENERAL
ALEXANDER HAD A GREAT POINT THIS
MORNING WHEN HE SAID WE CAN'T
DIVULGE ALL OF THE DETAILS.
IF WE DO THAT, WE'RE GIVING THEM
TOO MUCH INFORMATION.
>> BROOKE, I THINK ONE OF THE
INTERESTING THINGS IS IF YOU
ASKED THE AMERICAN PEOPLE IF
THEY TRUSTED THE FOUR
INDIVIDUALS THAT ARE SITTING
THERE IN FRONT OF CONGRESS
TODAY, I THINK THE MAJORITY OF
AMERICANS WOULD SAY YES.
THE PROBLEM IS THEY'RE NOT THE
ONES THAT ARE ACTUALLY DAY IN
AND DAY OUTGOING THROUGH MINING
THIS INFORMATION.
AND THAT'S WHERE THAT CORE ISSUE
OF TRUST COMES UP IS CAN I TRUST
THE PEOPLE THAT WORK UNDER YOU
TO NOT ABUSE THIS POWER AND USE
IT FOR POSSIBLE POLITICAL
REASONS WHICH WE SAW WITH THE
I.R.S.?
THIS ADMINISTRATION RIGHT NOW
HAS A MAJOR TRUST ISSUE WITH THE
AMERICAN PEOPLE AND THAT'S
SOMETHING THEY HAVE NOT
EXPERIENCED BEFORE.
>> HANG ON.
LET ME JUST JUMP IN BECAUSE I
THINK A LAYER TO THIS STORY IS
ALSO THE TIMING.
LAST NIGHT THERE WAS THE BIG
INTERVIEW, PRESIDENT OF THE
UNITED STATES SITTING DOWN WITH
CHARLIE ROSE ON PBS, FULL
TRANSPARENCY, THAT WAS TAPED
BEFORE THE PRESIDENT LEFT FOR
IRELAND.
LET'S FIRST LISTEN TO A QUICK
SOUND BITE.
HERE THEY WERE.
>> I STOOD UP A PRIVACY AND
CIVIL LIBERTIES OVERSIGHT BOARD,
INCLUDING SOME FIERCE LIB
LIBERT
LIBERTARIANS.
I'LL BE MEETING WITH THEM.
WHAT I WANT TO DO IS SET UP AND
STRUCTURE A NATIONAL
CONVERSATION.
>> SO -- HANG ON.
HANG ON.
HERE HE IS.
HE'S DEFENDING THE NSA PROGRAM.
LET ME GET TO MY POINT.
YOU HAD THIS HEARING LAST NIGHT
AND LESS THAN 24 HOURS LATER YOU
HAVE AN INTRICATELY ORCHESTRATED
HEARING WITH ALL OF THIS DETAIL.
OBVIOUSLY NO COINCIDENCE, JULIE.
WHAT DO YOU MAKE OF THIS?
>> WHAT CAN WE CONNECT?
WHAT CAN WE SHOW THAT HAS BEEN
DISRUPTED BASED ON THESE
PROGRAMS?
REALLY TRIED TO BUILD THAT CASE.
BUT I THOUGHT THE PRESIDENT'S
POINT ABOUT THE PRIVACY WAS VERY
SIGNIFICANT.
THAT'S A BOARD THAT'S BEEN
FRANKLY QUITE INACTIVE.
I THINK IT'S INTERESTING THAT
NOW HE'S GOING TO BRING THIS
BOARD TOGETHER AND NOW USE THIS
BOARD IN A DIFFERENT WAY.
LET'S SEE WHAT THAT BOARD IS
GOING TO DO IN THIS INSTANCE.
>> I HEAR YOU, BEN.
WHAT'S YOUR BUT?
>> BOARDS MEAN NOTHING.
THE PROOF IS THE PRESIDENT
APPOINTED A JOB CREATION BOARD
THAT MET A TOTAL OF ZERO TIMES
SO I DON'T THINK THAT'S GOING TO
MAKE THE AMERICAN PEOPLE GO, OH,
WELL YOU PICKED SOME OF YOUR
BUDDIES AND THEY'RE NOW ON THIS
BOARD AND THAT'S GOING TO FIX
OUR PROBLEM.
HE HAD A JOB CREATION BOARD AND
THEY NEVER EVEN MET BEFORE HE
DISSOLVED IT.
SO I DON'T THINK PEOPLE THINK A
CITIZEN BOARD IS GOING TO BE
ABLE TO FIGURE OUT WHAT'S GOING
TOO FAR, MAYBE WHAT'S NOT GOING
TOO FAR WHEN YOU'RE DEALING WITH
THE NSA FOR GOODNESS SAKES.
>> JULIE, I WANT YOU TO RESPOND
TO THAT.
>> THANK YOU.
THIS IS A BIPARTISAN BOARD.
THESE INDIVIDUALS HAVE TERMS
THAT LAST OVER SEVERAL YEARS.
WE CAN'T JUST RELY ON THE BOARD.
THAT'S ONE PIECE.
WE NEED CONGRESS TO LOOK AT THE