Topic: Worldwide Threat Hearing

Intelligence officials including James Clapper and Leon Panetta convened for the annual Worldwide Threat Hearing, where they declared Anwar al-Awlaki a greater threat to the U.S. homeland than Osama bin Laden. Al-Awlaki's status as an American citizen and native English speaker is cited as a key factor in his ability to radicalize individuals via social media. The hosts characterize this shift as a "marketing" rebrand to keep the public engaged with the war on terror.