Internationas the Obama Administration to halt arm transfers to israel amid growing evidence of what the group calls war crimes in gaza. Then the cia admits sed on Senate Staffers investigating tn programs. All that and more, com. Welcome to democcy now, democracynow. Org, the war and peace report. I apos;m amy goodman. More t palestinians have been killed in the gaza city of following the collapse of a u. S and unbkeceefire. Reuters reports israeli tanks opened fire in the southern 72hour ceasefire began. The israel is claiming ham fst broke the ceasefire by firing rockets at Israeli Forces. The Israeli Military has launched a major effort to captured near rafah. Y fear was the Palestinian Death toll from is now reached at least 1,460, overwhelmingly civilian. The toll surpasses the number of palestinians killed during israel apos;opn cast lead nearly sears ago. Iaeli soldiers have been killed, in addition to t cis. On thursday, white house spokespeson josh earnest cg of a United Nations school in gaza, acknowledging there was was little doubt the shells had come from israel. The shelling of a human facility housing innocent civilians who are fleeing violence is totally unacceptable and totally indefensible, and it is clear that we need our allies in israel to do more to live up high standards they have the attack killed at least people, many of them children just hours later, the pentagon confir was resupplying israel with amnion. The United States has come und increasing pressure from the International Community to curb its milita support for israel. Amnesty international has called on the Obama Administration to halt its arms deliveries. U. N. Human rights High Commission navi pillay criticized the us role. They have not only provided the heavy weaponry that is being used in israel and gaza, but also over 1 million to provide the iron dome to protect israelis from the rocket attacks, but no such protectio has been provided to the gazans against the shelling. I am reminding the united at it is a party to National Human rights law. In latin am five five cntries brazil, chile, ecuador, peru and el salvador have all recalled their ambassads israel in protest of the offenven za. The president s of uruguay, brilargentina and venezuela have issued a joint statement calling for israel to end its ote disproportionate use of force. Livia has changed its policieso require israelis entering the country to obin visa, and bolivian president evo morales called israel a quote terrorist state. Protests against israel apos;s assault verued across latin america and around t world. We will we will go to gaza city after headlines. In west africa, the official death toll from the worst Ebola Outbreak in history has risen to 729 with more than 1,300 people flicted. The World Health Organization haunced a 100 million plan to combat the virus. Er lne has been hit hardest with about 500 cases so far. The Health Ministry spokesperson said the country is facing a shortage in medical staff. We have a workforce and we do not have enough specialists, as well as medical doctors, and even as nurses outbreak, that requires so much specialty, it is even more challenging for us. It has been very difficult on our workers because they have lost a lot of their colleagues in the process and morell is down, morale is down, but it is our job. In eastern ukraine, at least 14 people have been killed at least 10 of them ukrainian soldiers in clashes with prorussian rebels. The violence took place near the the violence took place near the crash site of Malaysia Airlines flight 17, where International Investigators are recovering bodies and belongings of the victims. An initial team managed to reach the site for the first time on thursday after violence repeatedly delayed their arrival. The u. S. Congress is poised to head into summer recess without a bill to address the surge of Central American migrants at the border. President obama requested 3. 7 billion for the crisis. A senate bill would have offered 2. 7 billion, but it failed on a procedural vote. House republicans have delayed the start of summer recess to hold more talks today on their version of the bill, which would provide less than 700 million after rightwing opposition derailed a vote on thursday. Congress has managed to approve two bills to improve health care for veterans and temporarily replenish the trust fund for highway and transit projects just before it was set to dry up. As Congress Deadlocked on the migrant crisis, 112 people were arrested outside the white house calling for president obama to halt his record deportations. The demonstrators called for president obama to take action to stop separating families and to provide relief for the tens of thousands of children fleeing violence and poverty in central america. More protests are planned for this weekend. The cia has admitted to spying on a Computer Network used by a Senate Committee investigating the agencys post9 11 torture and rendition program. An internal cia probe found cia found staff improperly accessed a protected database and read the emails of investigators working on the torture report. The probe validated claims of cia spying made by Senate Intelligence Committee Chair Dianne Feinstein and forced cia director john brennan to issue an apology after he adamantly denied those claims. A number of senators have called for brennan to resign. Well have more on the story after headlines. The Senate Report on cia torture and rendition remains classified but new revelations emerged from it this week when the white house accidentally emailed talking points to the associated press. The leaked document reveals the reports conclusion that cia officials instructed u. S. Ambassadors in countries hosting secret prisons not to tell their superiors at the state department. A summary of the report is expected for release in the coming weeks. In related news, the European Court of human rights has issued ruling on the torture and rendition program, confirming the existence of a secret us prison in poland. Last week, the court found poland violated the European Convention on human rights by failing to intervene in the secret detention, torture and transfer of two terrorism suspects currently held at guantanamo, abu zubaydah and abd alnashiri. Argentina is criticizing the United States for siding with vulture funds in the legal battle that caused it to default on its sovereign debt. Argentinas stocks have tumbled after it failed to repay us hedge funds led by nml capital. A us judge blocked argentina from repaying its other creditors without also paying the vulture funds, barring the release of a 539 million Interest Payment which argentina tried to make to avoid default. On thursday, argentine president Christina Fernandez de kirchener said the term default was illegitimate because argentina had been blocked from paying. The causes of default are listed for the 92. 4 of bondholders in the bond, in the contract itself. There is no clause where default is impossibility to get paid because evicting someone from paying is not default. They will have to invent a new word. Argentina has signaled it could take the case to the International Court of justice. The Obama Administration has announced a travel ban on top officials in venezuela. The sanctions reportedly impact zen people, do including judges, cabinet ministers and members of the military and police. The United States has accused the officials of involvement in human rights abuses during months of rightwing opposition protests which left dozens of people dead on both sides of venezuelas political divide. Hundreds of people have been rallying in dallas, texas this week to protest the annual convention of the rightwing American Legislative Exchange council known as alec. The Secretive Group joins corporate lobbyists with state lawmakers to craft model legislation that is then introduced in legislatures nationwide. Activists have been organizing protests under the banner of dont mess with texas, alec. And those are some of the headlines. Headlines. This is democracy now, democracynow. Org, the war and peace report. Im amy goodman. Mate. I am aaron over 40 palestinians have been killed in the gaza city of rafah following the collapse of a u. S and unbacked ceasefire. Reuters reports israeli tanks opened fire in the southern rafah area just hours after the 72hour ceasefire began. Israel is claiming hamas first broke the ceasefire by firing rockets at Israeli Forces in southern gaza. A senior hamas leader says a soldier was scheduled was captured before. Even before the outbreak of violence, the u. S. And israel said they would refuse to negotiate directly with hamas. The Palestinian Death toll has now reached at least 1,460, mostly civilians, surpassing the number of palestinians killed during operation cast lead nearly six years ago. 64 Israeli Soldiers have been killed, in addition to three civilians. We go now to gaza city where we are joined by raji sourani, the director of the Palestinian Center for human rights in gaza. He serves on the executive board of the International Federation for human rights. A past winner of the right livelihood award and the robert f. Kennedy human rights award. Welcome back to democracy now. Can you talk about this latest news, the ceasefire is over it was supposed to be 72 hours, beenn israeli soldier has captured, 40, we understand, at least have been killed. Amy. Ank you, situation is all over the borders. By rockets,ing airplanes, artillery tanks, and business as usual as for the last 24 days. The israelis launching their offensive all over the place. The get deeper. Over theeel that all gaza strip, especially in the eastern and northern parts. Hour, halfhour, people were able to move with some journalists. Otherwise, nobody was able to go anywhere. Many the ceasefire began, have been found and discovered many streets. Suspected by the israeli army four people, including handicapped people, girls and boys the distraction, massive. It is a crazy feature. Somethingealized could happen in such a dense, populated area filled with civilians. Ceasefire. Lly, no the offensive continues. The brutality, the war crimes, have been against happening again civilians. Israel says this was a retaliation, but actually, this has happened, according to the this happened at 6 30, before the ceasefire, and that is why israel tried to lie, and they feel like they lost a soldier, apping this highranking soldier, and that is why they began a bargain to bombard all over the place. Raji, we have Mohammed Omer with us, the awardwinning journalist. He is from there. Mohammed omer, what is your understanding of what took place in rafah . Right now, the situation is still deteriorating. There are at least 90 people who were killed. The ambulance crew are unable to get into the area. What we know about these areas they are about three or four kilometers inside rafah, and people are trying to evacuate their homes, but they are not allowed because of the constant bombing and shelling. The tank shells have reached many areas. Denselyvery close and populated area in rafah. You cant sit in you can see 170,000 inhabitants in front of you and you can bomb them at any moment you want, and that is what is happening. Most have evacuated the hospital because the hospital has received a warning that it will be bond. Bombed there is another hospital that is supposed to be for giving birth, and it is the only one receiving people and victims, and it is illequipped with necessary equipment. Theretion in rafah is a lack of communication. Even the colleagues and , theylists in rafah cannot make phone calls with one another because the network is down and electricity has been threethe last two to hours. Explain the significance with theof rafah border to egypt. This area is closed, the border to egypt, and im getting new appeals by 71 internationals that are stuck right now. The egyptians are not allowing them into the egyptian side, and on the palestinian side, they have evacuated rafah, which is under constant bombing. Americans,ermans, and palestinians who are trying to escape, but they cannot. The Egyptian Authority says they will not allow them to get out of gaza strip the gaza strip until there is an approval from cairo. A number of embassies are trying to call the Egyptian Government to allow their nationals to escape the constant bombing. Rafah is one of the main areas, known as the only exit for travelers. It has been mostly closed for the last 50 years particularly under the administration of cc and mubarak. There is the only commercial crossing that is supposed to get commercial activities into the gaza strip. The timing of this is important as this happened just before the ceasefire kicks in. Ofis important to keep note that because it happened at 6 30, and the capturing of the soldier i would say that sabotage trying to International Efforts for a ceasefire in the next 72 hours, and that is the attempt here. I would expect the situation to deteriorate more because artilly shelling getting closer and closer, and there are a number of soldiers taking positions trying to use snipers to shoot at people. Mohammed omer, there were reports of bodies lying in the streets of rafah. Have ambulances been able to reach the wounded . Ambulances have not been able to reach the wounded because ambulances have been targeted, and areas under constant attack are actually behind the bulldozers and israeli tanks, which means these areas are offlimits. You cannot get into these areas at all, and there is no possibility for you as an ambulance crew to get inside of this area. There are people bleeding in the dead,s, others who are and remember, mostly with that are injured, they were families going back to their homes in the Early Morning hours when they heard the ceasefire was going to start. They wanted to go and check on their homes and they were caught in fire by the Israeli Military on the border. The rede appeals to cross, and the 71 internationals inside of the rafah are appealing to get them to the egyptian side, but even the red cross is unable to do this. There is growing anger from the population because they believe the red cross is unable to supply people with much help and bring people in and out. Whenever we contact the red cross, the message we get is the israelis have refused our requests for coordination, even with ambulance crews. Found in ones were of the most horrifying scenes. Human bodies eaten by animals. This is one of the worst humiliations that can happen for the dead body, human bodies eaten by animals, and they are taken outside to the gazaeuropean hospital in the southern part of the gaza strip. All of these hospitals are suffering. The situation is quite overwhelming. Mohammed omer, we want to thank you for being with us speaking from gaza city, where your family is from. I want to go back to raji sourani, and the significance of the ceasefire being over, and you heard mohammed talking about the hospital being attacked. You are a human rights lawyer. Israel, all of the time, in the last 24 days, they have targeted hospitals where refugees are there. As a result of this bombing, killing, and even [indiscernible] there is no safe haven. No holy thing and gaza. Everything is obscene. Israel is practicing, and very simple words, in very simple words, the rule of the jungle against civilians, the hospital, schools, electricity stations. What is in the eye of the storm in gaza, civilians and civilian targets. Obviously, it is very clear, hurtser the resistance by army, they are revenged killing civilians. It is a fundamental conclusion. Anyone living in gaza can feel it, see it, watch it, every hour, every day. And in rafah, all of this bombing for people of rafah happened immediately after the resistance engaged and they kidnapped one of the israeli officers that. They can target and they have the right to target the resistance group. We are not in defense of the resistance group. They can defend themselves. Why we are here as a Human Rights Organization is to defend civilians at a time of war, not peace, and civilians once again one of theget of strongest armies on earth. This is a shame for the army and the state to do such a policy and such a practice. For states who license and give them the license to kill by giving them political improvement, endorsement for doing what they are doing in this part of the world. Protectionasking, for civilians at the time of war and that is why International Law is there, to protect civilians at the time of war. There is no holy blood and unholy blood. No holy suffering and unholy suffering. Every human suffering is suffering. These war crimes are happening. It is a great shame. It is broadcasted in real time to the whole world. This should stop. , how does this assault compared to previous israeli attacks on gaza . I am 60. I lived my entire life in this part of the world. I am working in this field for the last 40 years. Inttended the last wars 2008, 2009, and 2012 i can assure you one thing yes, war crimes happen. Entire families have been erased. Houses were destroyed. Civilian targets were targeted, and we documented that, but the ever, was on this level. It is obvious from day one that they are deliberately targeting civilians and civilian targets. It is different. Areaser, ever have entire [indiscernible] they do not exist anymore. Hundreds of bombs dropped on the heads of people. 40,000 tank shells. Boats, airplanes, apache 16s, bombing all over the place. No safe place in gaza, no safe place where ever you go, and that is why this is very special and very unique. What we are doing as human rights activists and organizations, we are counting injuries, ands, not all of them because we cannot reach entire areas where there are hundreds of bodies under rubble or closed areas for the israeli army. We cannot access it. There is no access. They are almost paralyzed. They cannot protect civilians due to the rich actions of the israeli army. Worried and i am warning israel began with tens of people being killed, now we are talking about hundreds of in twobeing killed, and hours 90 people have been killed. We did not count everybody there, and many others are still in the rafah area. We did not manage to bring through to the hospital ambulances. We have hundreds of injuries. The bombing, many think it is in the rafah area. Rafah is one of the areas where the bombing is happening right now, but eastern gaza, just in front of me, the bombing right now, this minute, has been happening for the last 4, 5 hours. In the east, the same thing has happened. Very severe firing. Now, this is getting much more and more deeper to the populated area. That is the dilemma. That is the problem. Ji, what should americans understand about the conflict . You traveled the world. Recently the u. S. Senate supported israel in its conflict with, and the u. S. Is resupplying ammunition to israel as it runs low in this attack. Simply, we are human beings. All we are seeking simple freedom, the end of occupation, rule of law as simple as that. We think we deserve to be protected. We deserve to be treated as a human being. We deserve to have an end for this israeli criminal siege imposed on us for the last eight years. This israelind for criminal illegal occupation should have an end. We have the right to engage with created. Tively, to be to much blood, too much suffering, if people feel there is only the rule of jungle. Israel is doing this, it and supporting and supporting waye crimes in a deliberate as the High Commissioner stated yesterday in a clearcut way. Think if people hate the west, the u. S. , u. K. , france, germany, who support this inhuman, barbaric offensive against the civilians, then, i think, it is a shame for any state supports that. This should have an end. For israel see, witness what is going on. For israel saying it is a must firing rocket hamas firing rockets and threatening their civilians . We are not occupying israel. We are not killing israelis. We want to be free. After 20 years of accords, what do we have a defect of apartheid system in the west bank. Jerusalem. Nsing in everyimes taking place day for the last 25 years. End forshould have an its criminal, belligerent, illegal occupation, and practice against Palestinian Civilians. We are entitled to protection as thousand and civilians in the time of war. Raji, i want to say thank you for being with us. An Award Winning human rights lawyer. The director of the Palestinian Center for human rights in gaza. This is democracy now, democracynow. Org, the war and peace report. Im amy goodman. Issue inontinue on the a moment. [music break] democracynow, democracynow. Org, the war and peace report. We were showing leaders holding up the names of the dead. I am amy gottman im amy mate. N with aaron israel has launched a major occupation operation to capture a soldier. He was just identified. Hamas says the soldier was captured before the ceasefire began. For more on gaza we are joined by yousef munayyer. He is the executive director of the Jerusalem Fund and its educational program, the palestine center. Yousef, your response to what has taken place in gaza, and at this point, the number of total dead is more than 1450, it might be more than 1500. Tragicomedy course, amy, and horrifying tragic, amy, and horrifying, what is going on right now. But we have seen this morning is a microcosm of what we have seen through the entire occupation. Let us for the sake of argument except the notion that is have legitimate strategic and military aims here. Just for the sake of argument. I do not think that is the case. But if they do, they still have an obligation to protect the civilian population. When theyre trying to do militarily is essentially take out a small group of militants, perhaps, at the greatest number, 10,000 or so, among the population of 1. 8 million palestinians, and are mostly civilian targets throughout all of the gaza strip. What is required here, if we are to think about this in medical terms is surgery with its capital, but instead theyre going about this with a , but insteadcapal theyre going about this with a jackhammer and any surgeon going about surgery with a jackhammer would lose their license and be thrown in prison as well. Unfortunately, what we saw with the response from washington was to continue to open up arms cache is to supply the israelis with some of the same artillery that was responsible for targeting a u. N. School and killing 17 civilians as they slept. O, this israeli criminal what we are seeing here, it is absolutely criminal. Even if we were to accept the notion that their military aims are justified, the way this is being carried out is a violation of the laws of war, and we have seen it time and time again on the ground. This mornings example is a perfect one. There was clearly an operation at some point this morning in rafah, where israelis lost some soldiers and in response they have undertaken this horrific bombardment in the rafah area that has left scores of palestinians dead. These kinds of measures are simply unjustifiable, and it is long past time for the International Community not just to step in with a discussion about temporary ceasefires, but to reign the israelis and by demanding an end to the attacks on the population. If the ceasefire talks go ahead, what do you expect to happen . Benjamin netanyahu is going in with Something Like 87 personal 87 support from israeli jews. From his own people, he is not facing much pressure to back down. I think there are reasons to that. In the lead up to this, the israeli public was ginned up by leaders that were told first and foremost that hamas as an organization was responsible for the disappearance of three israeli [music break] three israeli teens, who we subsequently found out were murdered, and that turned out to be not true, and they have punished hamas and all of palestinian society. The israeli public has been primed to believe that not only is, guilty, but that all palestinians are guilty, and therefore deserving of what is to befall them at the face of this brutal military campaign. I think once you get to a ceasefire talk, there have to be serious conversations about how to address legitimate grievances of palestinians on the ground. We cannot go back to a status quo where a ceasefire ends rocket fire from the gaza strip but it does not end the system of violence that is this ease siege. It isnt in force in the regular use of israeli fire on palestinian civilian this the cds ced enforced with regular use of israeli fire on Palestinian Civilians, fishermen. If were going to have a ceasefire, there needs to be a conversation about that in about holdingd the israelis accountable for ceasefire violations. It is important any resolution takes into account the imbalance between the israelis and a nonstate actor and the palestinians. If the palestinians commit a ceasefire violation, the israelis are able to hold them accountable on their own, but if the israelis commit a ceasefire violation, which they have done repeatedly, how are the palestinians able to hold them accountable . They are not. Palestinians are provoked to using the only methods they have available to them to respond. That is a formula for a breakdown of a ceasefire time and time again. Have particularly for the israeli side, you will not have a ceasefire. What willie elements of a lasting ceasefire, a truce look like what will elements of a lasting ceasefire, truce look like, what are the palestinians asking for, and who has the power . Well, amy, this is an important question. Im glad you have brought it up. In the discussion about this there has been a lot of misleading information characterized by this dichotomy between israel and hamas. The reality is the situation on the ground, it is not just thomas involved in the militant anas hamas involves and the militancy on the ground. Every organization that spans from islamists, to nationalists, two leftists, all of them are taking part. His is not a response by hamas it is a response by the Palestinian People to an attack and Israeli Occupation and sees siege on the society. The bombs did not disseminate between young or old or members of this group or that. Palestinians today, i think, in the gaza strip, are more united than ever before behind the idea that this siege has to come to an end. They have suffered for far too long under a system of violence that punishes 1. 8 million civilians sent before the lyrical aim, and that is political aim, and that is not justifiable. What they are asking for and demanding is that that siege come to an end, that they have the same basic rights that anybody else would expect. The problem in the past is palestinians have been confronted by a false choice. Either they are told live on your knees, or, if youre going to fight, you will die standing. If that is the choice they are presented with, time and again they will choose to fight and die with dignity that live with humiliation and under subjugation of this occupational siege. That has to change. We have to give them a different alternative here, one that recognizes their basic rights, as should have been the case along a long time ago. You,usef munayyer, thank executive director of the Jerusalem Fund and its educational program, the palestine center. Amnesty international has released a statement about the usb supplying ammunition to israel and that we will look at the cia admitting that they spied. Stay with us. [music break] this is democracynow, democracynow. Org, the war and peace report. We have been showing the photos of celebrities, writers, ists, in a project called including tony kushner, chuck d, others, holding the names of the dead in the palestine conflict. As we turn to the next segment, on the same day that Israeli Forces killed 20 palestinians, the u. S. Confirmed they provided fresh supplies of ammunition. Now, one of the ladies nations leading Human Rights Organizations as the u. S. To stop transfers. On thursday, Amnesty International said the u. S. Government Must Immediately end its quantities, saying they are providing the tools to commit further and serious violations. The United States is the largest exporter of military government to israel by far, and according to data made public, arms transfers from january to may of million ford 9. 3 guided missiles, 700 62,000 for bombs, grenades, and munitions. Washington,stay in d c. Sunjeev bery, welcome to democracy now can you talk about the statement amnesty has just issued. Absolutely. Thank you for having me. Amnesty international is deeply concerned about the continuing shipments of weapons and arms by the u. S. Government to the Israeli Military. On the one hand, you have secretary of state john kerry talking about ceasefire proposal, and on the other hand the United States is allowing the israeli army to restock on the arms and weapons they have used and what are likely to be war crimes. On thursday, the u. N. High commissioner for human rights criticized the u. S. For its role. They have not only provided the heavy weaponry, which is now gaza,used by israel in but they have also provided 1 billion to provide the iron dome to protect the attacks,from the gaza but note rocket attacks, but no such protection has been provided to the gazans against the shelling. Im reminding the United States that it is a party to international in military law and human rights law. The significance of the u. N. Topright official right official saying the u. S. Could be implicated. It is an important statement. It is high time that an arms embargo is imposed. In the meantime, no individual country should be providing weapons to anyone involved in the fighting because each of the parties have demonstrated contempt and utter disregard for human rights, whether youre talking about the Israeli Military and what are likely to be significant war crimes across the gaza strip, whether were talking about, us rockets fired into hamas rockets being it isinto israel, unconscionable for the u. S. To be supplying more weapons to israel while some of hideously giving lip service to ceasefire talks. You are issuing a statement on the International Criminal court. What is it today . We are calling for the International Criminal court to make it a termination and begin investing determination begin investigation into these human rights abuses. It is time for the International Court to weigh in on this matter and bring to bear its prosecutorial and investigative abilities to bring about international jurisdiction. We also want the Un Security Council to make a formal dissemination to pass a binding resolution that is a number of is to referof which this matter to the International Criminal court so that it can begin investigating and eventually prosecuting. Have finally, your spouse israel same it is fighting terrorists and needs to be . Earmed israel has demonstrated they will not hold soldiers accountable when they are involved in Human Rights Violations. It has also demonstrated over and over again that it will use weapons it receives in Human Rights Violations both with regards to gaza and the occupied territories including the west bank. For example, in the last three years, leading up to the time prior to the current conflict in gaza, Amnesty International documented some 8000 instances according to u. N. Data in which Israeli Soldiers had injured Palestinian Civilians and others in the west bank, everything from bullets and other things like tear gas and other kinds of ammunition. We are talking about a human rights crisis here that did not start a few weeks ago, but has been going on for years. Sunjeev bery, thank you for being with us. We moved to our last segment. John brennan is facing calls ciaesign after admitting officials spied on a senate panel probing the agencys torture and rendition program. The allegation surfaced in march when members of the Senate Intelligence committee openly accused cia officials of illegally monitoring their staffers computers. At the time, cia director john brennan denied the spying allegations. Quixotic and be further than the truth. On this,facts come out a lot of people that are claiming that has been this tremendous spying, monitoring, and hacking, would be proved wrong. Well, cia director john brennan reversed his stance this week after an internal cia inquiry found the spying indeed took place with the involvement of ten agency employees. Brennan apologized to lawmakers in a briefing earlier this week. The cia has also retracted counterallegations that Senate Staffers illegally removed classified information from a topsecret facility. The white house is standing by brennan, citing president obamas quote great confidence in his leadership. But at least two members of the Senate Intelligence committee, democrats mark udall of colorao and Martin Heinrich of new mexico, are calling for brennans resignation. We are joined now by the reporter who first broke the news of the cias admission to spying on senate computers. Jonathan landay is Senior National security and intelligence correspondent for mcclatchy newspapers. Also in washington, d. C. Thank you for being with us. Talk about this revelation that you just exposed. , what after all of this had been a behindthescenes battle, unprecedented battle between the cia and senate overseers, apparently john brennan asked his inspector general, David Buckley, to look into senator feinsteins allegations that the cia had, in fact, without authorization, and in breach of an agreement with the senate staff, had intruded into a database that was for use by the senate staff only. Apparently, David Buckley came back with his findings that a number of cia i. T. Specialists, three i. T. Specialists, five cia officers, and, i believe it was two attorneys, had, in fact, without permission, breached the Senate Committees database or caused it to be breached. We also found out that the complaint that the complaint at the cia referred to the Justice Department containing hergations had without mission or authorization removed topsecret classified documents from the cia facility removed without permission or authorization removed topsecret classified documents from the cia facility. It was not factually based. That has gone away, although the Justice Department had dropped the case at the beginning of last month. Although, very interestingly, the Justice Department said that it had found no reason to proceed with a criminal investigation, or insufficient evidence to proceed with a criminal investigation at this time, so it is possible the Justice Department could take a new look at this. We will have to wait and see. There have been calls by some members of congress and civil rights organizations that the Justice Department ought to take a new look at what went on, and the thing about all of this is having president obama, the white house, staff, the cia, a lot of people on capitol hill, had hoped to put this issue behind them once the Senate Intelligence committees report is issued, and i do not think this is going to go away anytime soon. In march, senator Dianne Feinstein cave a speech on the floor, but on thursday she did not repeat the charges. Does that mean she is backing down, and what does that portend for what is happening next . She got on the senate floor in an extraordinary speech where she said the cia might have broken the law, violated the constitutional separation of power. In her statement yesterday, she of thed to the breach constitutional separation of powers, but there was no reference at all in her statement to the potential breach of law by the cia, and nor did she repeat her charge that she made in august, im sorry, in march, that the cia had sought to thwart her usestigation of the cias of waterboarding and other harsh techniques of terrorist detained overseas under the bush administration. It appeared that at that point there was perhaps an air of smooth thetry and waters with the cia, as the relationship between the committee and the cia have been very bad. Following a briefing yesterday, 23 members of the committee by David Buckley, the senators came out of there and they were pretty angry. A lot of them were pretty angry. It was unusual angry and bipartisan fury because there were a number of republican senators who in the past have been defenders of the cia and joined the democrats expressing outrage at what happened. Again, one of the main questions that all of them were asking was who authorized this, and when did cia senior cia managers when did the leadership of the cia find out what happened . Those points are not discussed report, and i think today we will see more of those questions. Bickley, we were talking about quickly, we were talking about cia spying on Senate Staffers, but ap, amazingly enough, the white house made a mistake in leaking the talking points of the report to ap. Very quickly, what we will see in this report why the cia is so concerned, why they are spying on Senate Staffers . Spying on Senate Staffers appears to be a separate issue from the report itself. We obtained the classified the 20 classified conclusions of the report a couple of months ago, and in them, what basically they say is a, the use of waterboarding and many interrogation obtain did not intelligence that could not have been obtained through normal procedures, that the cia misled the bush administration, including the Justice Department , the white house, the congress, and the American People about the efficacy of the use of these methods. There were a variety of other findings that planted misleading information in the press, and that indeed questioned the Legal Foundation that was produced by the Justice Department that allow them to proceed with these procedures. Indeed, the Justice Departments legal findings might have been based on misleading information as well. Jonathan landay, thank you being with us. Senior National Security and intelligence correspondent for mcclatchy newspapers. We will link to the latest piece. Cia admits it broke into senate computers; senators call for spy chiefs ouster we are hiring. Democracy now is looking for today on George Hirsch lifestyle, ill stop by a quaint europeanstyle bake shop, then ill visit with an inspiring smallbatch brewer of handcrafted soda. Back in my home kitchen, ill prepare a variety of countrystyle dishes you can serve for any occasion light and steamy dill and cheddar waffles, crisp ovenfried garlic chicken, finishing off with a warm, comforting rice pudding. Hi. Im George Hirsch. Welcome to George Hirsch lifestyle. Mercer cutlery
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