Justin Elliott

Following Edward Snowden's leaks about the NSA's surveillance program, the NSA, members of Congress and the Obama administration all attempted to justify the program by declaring that it had thwarted more than 50 terrorist plots. But, at a Senate hearing last month, NSA Chief General Keith Alexander admitted that the numbers being cited weren't all plots and weren't all thwarted. Brooke talks to ProPublica's Justin Elliott about how the claim spread despite a lack of evidence to support it.

Cake - Fashion Nugget

Coming up, an update on a story we brought you earlier in the month about the size of Iran's intelligence agency. Justin Elliot, a reporter for Pro Publica, analyzes the number and its original source.

In January, we covered a proposal to put the 'public files' of television stations online and the broadcaster's objections to the move. A public file, which stations are legally required to keep, contains information about what organizations are buying political ads and how much they've paid for each ad. Brooke speaks with Justin Elliott, reporter at ProPublica about a recent FCC ruling that will require some stations to put the files online.

Billy Bragg and Wilco - Union Prayer

The Drug Enforcement Agency has ruled that marijuana has no acceptable medical use. The decision comes almost nine years after supporters of medical marijuana first asked the government to reclassify cannabis. It is the third time that a petition to reclassify marijuana has failed. Justin Elliott of Salon has the latest on the story.