RT America -- September 9, 2014

Lawmakers grilled federal officials on Tuesday over why they’ve been giving small towns across America military-grade weaponry designed for use in combat zones. The hearing comes as a result of the Ferguson, MO unrest in August, when the entire world saw local law enforcement turned the St. Louis suburb into what looked like a war zone after protesters took to the streets. RT’s Ameera David attended the Congressional hearing and caught up with Sen. Claire McCaskill (D-Mo.) afterwards to ask questions.

CIA officers held al-Qaeda detainees “under water until the point of death,” far exceeding the controversial water-boarding technique, according to a report in The Telegraph. A source told the British newspaper that interrogation techniques went beyond what the spy agency publically revealed, and also said the practices amount to nothing less than torture. Many believe details such as these are contained in the still unreleased Senate report looking at the agency’s actions, but the battle over what should be redacted continues to rage. RT’s Gayane Chichakyan has more on the startling claims.