Firedoglake’s Kevin Gosztola appeared on the Left Forum panel discussion concerning the National Security State. In this clip, Kevin talks about the historical importance of the Bradley Manning trial he is covering, the military’s attempts to muzzle the press in the case, and takes contention with the Army’s claim that Manning acted as an ‘agent’ of wikileaks. The panel was titled “A National Security State In and Out: History Will Not Be Kind” and was chaired by Debra Sweet.

In addition to his daily reporting on the trial, Kevin also made time to talk with various media outlets.

U.S. Senator Tom Coburn (R-OK) says federal aid to his home state after the tornado should be offset by spending cuts elsewhere. We’ll see how well the ideological integrity holds up if offsets aren’t quickly found, but nevertheless, the question of how to fund disaster relief is increasingly urgent. It arose late last year when Superstorm Sandy ravaged the East Coast.

Though we cannot know whether man-made climate change was specifically responsible for either of those acts of nature, we do know federal spending to cope with extreme weather events has been rising. Indeed, from 2011 to 2013, the federal government has spent $136 billion on disaster relief.

Don’t you think it’s time to do something about the schools to prison pipeline?

F*ck You, Science!

Arun Chaudhary was the man behind the camera when Barack Obama officially made Joe Biden his vice presidential running mate, capturing something that ultimately would be shared with thousands of supporters and the online world.

That was just one moment of Chaudhary’s experience documenting on film the historic Obama campaign as a member of the new media team, and later, as the first-ever White House videographer. He outlines those experiences in First Cameraman, Documenting the Obama Presidency in Real Time, an inside look at what happens behind the scenes in the White House.

Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO), the operator of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant when the Tohoku earthquake and tsunami struck last year, bowed to public and government pressure this week, releasing 150 hours of video recorded during the first days of the Fukushima crisis. Even with some faces obscured and two-thirds of the audio missing, the tapes clearly show a nuclear infrastructure wholly unprepared for the disaster, and an industry and government wholly determined to downplay that disaster’s severity.

A local CBS News affiliate broadcast footage last night of a violent scene after a police shooting in Anaheim, California. As described by the anchors, “officers fired what appeared to be bean bags and unleashed a canine into a crowd of women and children.” They described video as being “disturbing.”

Off the release of his new publication, OCCUPY (Occupied Media Pamphlet Series), Laura Flanders (GRITtv) sat down with MIT professor Noam Chomsky to reflect on the grim state of America, and the role activists have to play in turning it around.

It’s going to be a big day on FDL. Pam’s House Blend officially joins us starting today, I’ll be in court with Lt. Dan Choi who is being put on trial by the Justice Department for protesting in front of the White House last November, and Bill McKibben will be coming to court to support Dan after day 10 of the Tar Sands sit-ins conclude. I can’t have electronic devices in the court room but I’ll be posting updates on Twitter and here at FDL as I can throughout the day.