FBI

New Reports Underscore FBI’s Concern About Trump’s Links to Russia

The President was also reportedly highly secretive about his meetings with Russian President, Vladimir Putin.

Does Rep. Steve King’s Racism and Xenophobia Have a Place in the Republican Party?

Last week, Representative Steve King of Iowa, who has a long history of xenophobia and racism, gave an interview questioning why the term “white nationalist” became offensive.

Cybersecurity Threatened by Extended Government Shutdown 

Nearly half of the employees at the Department of Homeland Security’s Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency within the Department of Homeland Security have been furloughed. 

Incarcerated Parents: Why Many Nonviolent Offenders Lose Their Parental Rights

Many parents in prison are completely stripped of their parental rights, even if they are incarcerated for non-violent, low-level crimes. 

Is President Trump Taking Liberties with the Laws Governing Shutdowns?

According to the federal statute in question, during a shutdown government offices should only address “emergencies involving the safety of human life or the protection of property.”

Guests:

Nicholas Fandos

Christopher Mathias

Michael Daniel

Lori Lynn Adams

Eli Hager

Timothy Westmoreland

You can connect with The Takeaway on Twitter, Facebook,Instagramor on our show page at TheTakeaway.org.

What Will the Kavanaugh FBI Investigation Look Like?

With all the limitations the White House has placed on the FBI, we look at how this investigation will shape out throughout the week.

National Sexual Assault Hotlines Track Spike in Calls During Emotional Hearings

Calls to the National Sexual Assault Hotline spiked last week during an emotional testimony from Dr. Christine Blasey Ford. 

Soccer Star Cristiano Ronaldo Faces Rape Accusations

Allegations about the international celebrity had been an open secret for years.

Hundreds Dead in Devastating Tsunami in Indonesia 

The 18-foot waves hit the city of Palu on Friday. More than 800 people are confirmed dead and the number is expected to climb.

‘Raise the Age’ Goes Into Effect in New York as Minors Must Be Moved Off Rikers Island

All minors have to be out of Rikers Island by Oct. 1 according to Raise the Age legislation passed in 2017. 

Guests: 

Jerri Williams

Brad Moss 

Patricia Teffenhart

Shireen Ahmed

Timothy McLaughlin

Cindy Rodriguez 

You can connect with The Takeaway on Twitter, Facebook, or on our show page at TheTakeaway.org.

A new survey from Navigator Research says a majority of Americans — 59 percent — think Robert Mueller’s investigation into Russia and the 2016 campaign has not yet uncovered evidence of any crimes. In reality, Mueller has obtained five guilty pleas, 17 criminal indictments, and several cooperating witnesses. Meanwhile, President Trump has repeatedly, some have argued as part of a deliberate strategy to undermine investigators’ credibility, called the probe a “witch hunt.” The Takeaway reviews the sweeping investigation that has ensnared Trump advisor and attorney alike. Plus, we review what’s at stake in Ireland’s referendum on their constitutional amendment banning most abortions; and the stealthy North Korean cyberspies raking in millions for the reclusive regime.

You can connect with The Takeaway on Twitter, Facebook, or on our show page at TheTakeaway.org.

May 11, 2017

1. Gillibrand on Comey Firing: ‘No President Is Above the Law’ (6 min)

2. Special Prosecutor or Independent Commission? How the Russia Investigations Can Continue (7 min)

3. Measles Outbreak Hits Minnesota (4 min)

4. The Healing Power of Dance (7 min)

5. How J. Edgar Hoover Shaped the FBI (8 min)

May 10, 2017: On Tuesday, President Donald Trump fired FBI Director James Comey. The White House says it dismissed Comey over the handling of his investigation into Hillary Clinton’s emails, but the firing comes in the midst of the FBI’s investigation into President Trump’s campaign and possible collusion with the Russians. Is the United States careening towards a constitutional crisis? The Takeaway hosts that conversation in this special episode.

Coming up on today’s show:

In an executive order announced Friday, President Trump has begun the process of dismantling the Dodd Frank Act which regulates bank lending. It’s one of many rollbacks on the Obama administration’s financial regulations that is expected to be announced today.  Barney Frank, former member of the U.S. House of Representatives for Massachusetts from 1981 to 2013, was one of the law’s main sponsors.

President Trump promised to take steps to remove himself from his business, but there continues to be no record of him doing so. Susanne Craig, reporter for The New York Times, discusses Trump’s potential conflicts of interest.

An increase in shelling in Russian-occupied Eastern Ukraine puts pressure on Donald Trump to rethink his amiable approach to Russia. Christopher Miller, Kyiv-based correspondent for Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, reports from the scene. 
In one of the most exciting games in Superbowl history, the New England Patriots overcame a 25 point deficit to beat the Atlanta Falcons 34-28. Dave Zirin, Sports Editor for The Nation magazine and host of “The Edge of Sports” podcast, has the recap.
In a new era marked by vehement resistance and protest, an investigation by The Intercept reveals the FBI’s unprecedented spying powers and provides a vital glimpse into how the agency holds itself accountable to its byzantine rules and regulations.

Acclaimed Haitian documentary filmmaker Raoul Peck discusses his latest work, “I am Not Your Negro,” a documentary about James Baldwin, with WNYC’s Rebecca Carroll.

Click on the audio player above to hear this interview.

In 2006, then-Attorney General Alberto Gonzales laid out guidelines for the FBI’s use of “confidential human sources,” also known as informants. 

His directives, which are still in force today, prohibit the FBI from recruiting informants through the promise of help on residency or immigration status.

But a new investigation by Talal Ansari, a reporter for BuzzFeed, finds that the FBI breaks its own rules in its recruitment of Muslim-American informants. 

As he tells The Takeaway, “They approach these immigrants at a time where they have not heard back from the immigration department.

“They’re completely in the dark; they’re never informed on why they’re facing an immigration problem,” Ansari continues. “And that’s when the FBI shows up and says, ‘If you want help with your immigration problem, we’re happy to do so—if you spy on your friends, community, family.”

Click on the audio player above to hear this interview.

Apple CEO Tim Cook issued a strongly worded letter this week explaining why he is appealing a court order to unlock and access data from an iPhone that belonged to Syed Farook who, along with his wife, killed 14 people and injured nearly two dozen at a social service agency in San Bernardino, California last year. 

Apple was issued an order by a California magistrate judge to help FBI investigators unlock the iPhone, which would mean Apple would have to create a new software tool to override specific security protections built to protect customer data; essentially creating a backdoor to obtain the information.  It’s the latest chapter in a long battle between the Justice Department and Silicon Valley.

Here to weigh in on Apple’s privacy dilemma is Susan Hennessey, a former attorney for the National Security Agency and a fellow at the Brookings Institution.

Click on the audio player above to hear this interview.

Today is the deadline for Apple to respond to a judicial order to unlock the iPhone that belonged to San Bernardino shooter Syed Rizwan Farook. The federal government has also asked for the company’s help in unlocking nine additional phones.

But Apple has refused to comply—on Thursday, it filed a formal opposition to the federal court order. As the standoff between the tech giant and the FBI continues, and the presidential candidates are weighing in.

“Apple should be forced to comply with this court order Why? Because of the Fourth Amendment,” Texas Senator Ted Cruz said at Thursday’s GOP debate. “A search and seizure is reasonable if it has judicial authorization and probable cause. In this instance, the order is not ‘put a back door in everyone’s cell phone.’ If that was the order, that order would be problematic because it would compromise security and safety for everyone.”

When it comes to unlocking Farook’s phone, Apple’s cooperation is essential, FBI Director James Comey told the House of Representatives yesterday.

“Law enforcement, which I’m part of, really does save people’s lives—rescue kids, rescue neighborhoods from terrorists—and we do that a whole lot through court orders that are search warrants, and we do that a whole lot through search warrants of mobile devices,” Comey testified.

Apple is now said to be working on a new software to ensure the security of their phones.

“This case is not about one phone,” Apple CEO Tim Cook said Wednesday. “This case is about the future. What is at stake here is can the government compel Apple to write software that we believe would make millions of customers vulnerable around the world, including the U.S.?”

From 2003 to 2005, Nuala O’Connor was the chief privacy officer for the Department of Homeland of Security. She’s currently the president and CEO of the Office of the Center for Democracy and Technology, a nonprofit focused on advancing a free and open internet.

O’Connor tells The Takeaway where the Apple-FBI fight goes from here, and discusses the broader issues of privacy and security in the United States.