THE TRUTH

Obama to Tour Asia

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Pres. Barack Obama just announced he’ll be heading to Asia for a week in October
“as part of his ongoing commitment to increase U.S. political, economic and security engagement with the Asia Pacific.”

The president will be visiting Indonesia, Brunei, Malaysia and the Philippines from Oct. 6 to12.

Obama’s first stop in Bali may include a private meeting with Russian Pres. Vladimir Putin, who’s scheduled to attend the same conference in Bali. Obama will also meet with Indonesian Pres. Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono.

Other stops on the president’s Asia tour includes the U.S.-ASEAN Summit in Brunei and the Global Entrepreneurship Summit in Malaysia.

Throughout his tour, Obama plans to “reaffirm the strong economic, people-to-people, and security links” between the U.S. and Asian nations.

RELATED: Obama Daughters’ Vacation Costs Taxpayers $115,000

While the White House has not yet disclosed how much this trip will cost American taxpayers, Obama recently toured Africa, which cost over $100 million. This trip will certainly cost more.

What do you think of Obama’s upcoming trip?

Call it the Edward Snowden effect: Citing the former NSA contractor, a federal judge has ordered the government to declassify more reports from the secret Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court. In an opinion from the FISC itself, Judge F. Dennis Saylor on Friday told the White House to declassify all the legal opinions relating to Section 215 of the Patriot Act written after May 2011 that aren’t already the subject of FOIA litigation. The court ruled that the White House must identify the opinions in question by Oct. 4. “The unauthorized disclosure of in June 2013 of a Section 215 order, and government statements in response to that disclosure, have engendered considerable public interest and debate about Section 215,” wrote Saylor. “Publication of FISC opinions relating to this opinion would contribute to an informed debate.” The ruling comes in response to a petition by the American Civil Liberties Union seeking greater government transparency. But because the ACLU already has a similar FOIA case pending in another court, Saylor wrote that the new FISC order can only cover documents that don’t relate to that case. Depending on how the other case turns out, the ACLU could come back to the FISA court later and ask again. Senior intelligence officials have voluntarily published some of its surveillance-related documents in recent weeks and vow to release more, but this marks the first time the FISA court has given a direct order to the administration on declassification. The ruling comes a day after President Obama’s top spy acknowledged that Snowden, who leaked U.S. data that revealed how the federal government was monitoring citizens’ Internet and phone accounts, may have done a public service. “I think it’s clear that some of the conversations this has generated, some of the debate, actually needed to happen,” said national intelligence chief James Clapper Thursday. “If there’s a good side to this, maybe that’s it.” The Justice Department appears to feel otherwise on Snowden. In June it charged the Maryland native with espionage.
Read more at http://clashdaily.com/2013/09/holders-happy-judge-order-obama-admin-declassify-reports-fisc/#5yEv7O0cXSHFDe0b.99