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June 11th, 2013
10:35 PM ET
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Rep. King: NSA leaker put lives at risk

New York Congressman Peter King, who chairs the House Subcommittee on Counterintelligence and Terrorism, spoke with Anderson Cooper about the 29-year-old former contractor for the National Security Agency who revealed top secret information about government surveillance programs.

King believes Edward Snowden put American lives at risk by releasing security details that can be accessed by the country's enemies. "I think he's violated the Espionage Act, so in my mind...that would make him a traitor," he says.

When asked if reporters should face consequences, the Republican lawmaker says news outlets have legal and moral obligations. "If they willingly knew that this was classified information, I think actions should be taken, especially something of this magnitude," says King.

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Filed under: National Security • NSA
June 11th, 2013
10:28 PM ET
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Watson: Erdogan is known as vindictive

Chaos continued in Taksim Square today as demonstrators and government forces clashed in the streets of Istanbul.

CNN's Ivan Watson says demonstrators in Turkey fear Prime Minister Erdogan will punish them for protesting against the government. "A number of tweeters in the port city of Izmir, more than 30, were detained and now starting to face charges for inciting violence over social media, which Erdogan has called a menace to society," Watson tells Anderson Cooper.

Christiane Amanpour speaks to the prime minister's authoritative streak and opposition to criticism. "They put a huge number of journalists in jail. There's very little space for political dissent, and after three terms ... people are becoming sort of angry," she says.

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Filed under: Christiane Amanpour • Ivan Watson • Turkey
June 11th, 2013
10:19 PM ET
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Protests in Turkey rock Mideast

Chief International Correspondent Christiane Amanpour says, in an ironic reversal, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad is calling for Turkey's Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan to step down.

"You can imagine the glee with which this is being used in Syria. Bashar al-Assad and the Syrian government are playing it on television every night," she tells Anderson Cooper.

It may seem to be an amusing twist to the increasingly chaotic situation in Istanbul, but Amanpour looks at the bigger picture. Turkey is a key ally to the U.S. and "vital cog" in the stability of the region.

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Filed under: Turkey

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