United States of Secrets, Part One (full documentary) | FRONTLINE

The Frontline podcast, "United States of Secrets, Part 1: The Program," investigates the origins and evolution of the NSA's secret surveillance program in the wake of the 9/11 attacks. It details the Bush administration's push for expanded surveillance powers, the internal debates within the NSA and Justice Department regarding the program's legality, and the concerns raised by whistleblowers like Thomas Drake. The narrative follows the program's implementation, the legal challenges it faced, and the efforts to keep it hidden from the public, culminating in the New York Times' decision to publish a story exposing the program and the Obama administration's subsequent continuation of it. The podcast also introduces Edward Snowden, setting the stage for his later revelations about the program's scope and impact.