WASHINGTON -- In the first online town hall held in the White House, President Barack Obama on Thursday mixed wonky policy talk, personal anecdotes and flashes of humor as he explored a new way to reach people and advance his agenda. About 67,000 viewers watched the live webcast on www.whitehouse.gov, which was also carried by several cable news outlets. Over two days, 92,933 people submitted 104,081 questions, and used the Web tool Google Moderator to cast 3.6 million votes on which questions the president should answer. [continues 640 words]
WASHINGTON - Attorney General John Ashcroft announced Thursday the indictment of nine people believed to be the top leaders of Colombia's largest drug cartel allegedly responsible for smuggling half of all the cocaine that enters the United States in recent years. The racketeering and smuggling charges against the alleged leaders of the so-called Norte de Valle cartel, coupled with a U.S.-Colombian manhunt for them, will cripple the cartel's drug-smuggling activities, Ashcroft and drug enforcement officials said. [continues 577 words]
U.S. Officials Said They Struck a Crippling Blow Against Colombia's Largest Drug Cartel, Indicting and Searching for Nine Leaders As Colombia Seized More of the Group's Property WASHINGTON - Attorney General John Ashcroft Thursday announced the indictment of nine top leaders of Colombia's largest drug cartel, responsible for up to half of all the cocaine smuggled into the United States, according to top officials. The racketeering and smuggling indictments and the continuing manhunt for top drug traffickers will cripple the Norte del Valle cartel, Ashcroft and drug enforcement officials said. [continues 497 words]
The U.S Secretary Of State Says The Colombian President Is Dedicated To Respecting Freedoms WASHINGTON - Secretary of State Colin Powell said Tuesday that visiting Colombian President Alvaro Uribe reassured him about Colombia's efforts to protect human rights while prosecuting a war against guerrillas and drug-traffickers. After a 30-minute meeting at the State Department, Powell said Uribe's speech to the United Nations earlier in the day had been ``a clear commitment to human rights.'' Emerging from the session, Uribe told reporters: 'We want one day in which we can look in the eyes of the citizens of the world and say, `We have overcome terrorists transparently, with the observance of human rights.' '' [continues 360 words]
WASHINGTON - New evidence shows that rebel and paramilitary groups in Colombia are ''deeply involved in the cocaine trade from start to finish,'' Drug Enforcement Administration Director Asa Hutchinson said Tuesday. He added that the United States ''needs to do more'' to help vanquish such groups as part of the global war on terrorism. Hutchinson, who just returned from a trip to Colombia, also said that Carlos Castano, head of Colombia's largest paramilitary organization, is under U.S. investigation for drug trafficking. [continues 369 words]
WASHINGTON - "Timmy," a fresh-faced teenager, stares from the TV screen and says matter-of-factly: "I killed grandmas. I killed daughters. I killed firemen. I killed policemen." Then he adds, casually: "Technically, I didn't kill these people. I just kind of helped." A message at the bottom of the screen carries an ominous warning: "Where do terrorists get their money? If you buy drugs, some of it may come from you." Timmy and several other teens are the stars of a powerful, provocative advertising campaign from the White House drug control office that uses more than $10 million in taxpayer funds to link the war on drugs to the war on terrorism. [continues 547 words]
WASHINGTON - "Timmy," a fresh-faced teen-ager, stares from the TV screen and says matter-of-factly: "I killed grandmas. I killed daughters. I killed firemen. I killed policemen." Then he adds, casually: "Technically, I didn't kill these people. I just kind of helped." A message at the bottom of the screen carries an ominous warning: "Where do terrorists get their money? If you buy drugs, some of it may come from you." Timmy and several other teens are the stars of a powerful, provocative advertising campaign from the White House drug control office that uses more than $10 million in taxpayer funds to link the war on drugs to the war on terrorism. [continues 568 words]
WASHINGTON - "Timmy," a fresh-faced teen-ager, stares from the TV screen and says matter-of-factly: "I killed grandmas. I killed daughters. I killed firemen. I killed policemen." Then he adds, casually: "Technically, I didn't kill these people. I just kind of helped." A message at the bottom of the screen carries an ominous warning: "Where do terrorists get their money? If you buy drugs, some of it may come from you." Timmy and several other teens are the stars of a powerful, provocative advertising campaign from the White House drug control office that uses more than $10 million in taxpayer funds to link the war on drugs to the war on terrorism. [continues 425 words]
WASHINGTON -- "Timmy," a fresh-faced teen-ager, stares from the TV screen and says matter-of-factly: "I killed grandmas. I killed daughters. I killed firemen. I killed policemen." Then he adds, casually: "Technically, I didn't kill these people. I just kind of helped." A message at the bottom of the screen carries an ominous warning: "Where do terrorists get their money? If you buy drugs, some of it may come from you." Timmy and several other teens are the stars of a powerful, provocative advertising campaign from the White House drug control office that uses more than $10 million in taxpayer funds to link the war on drugs to the war on terrorism. [continues 402 words]
WASHINGTON -- With more young people using the drug dubbed "ecstacy" in South Florida and nationwide, Sen. Bob Graham, Florida Democrat, is pushing for more federal funds for medical research and educational campaigns. Graham introduced a bill today that would allocate more than $30 million to address a drug problem that has caught some scientists, police and anti-narcotics activists by surprise -- the rise of so-called "club" drugs. Emergency-room visits by users of the drug, which is often consumed at "raves" and other parties in pill form, rose from 253 to 2,850 in the last five years, according to a recent hospital survey. A University of Michigan survey of drug use found that 10 percent of high school seniors had tried the drug. [continues 67 words]
With skepticism arising in Congress over a program to intercept aerial drug shipments in Colombia and Peru, the State Department has named Morris Busby, a former ambassador to Colombia, to oversee a ``broad review'' of the policy and delayed a final report on the April shoot-down of a missionaries' plane mistaken for a drug flight. On Capitol Hill, where support for the aerial interdiction program has eroded since the accident, Busby can help defend the seven-year program to track and intercept drug flights, a big part of the drug war in Peru and Colombia, said two GOP staffers involved in drug issues. [continues 542 words]
Hoekstra Reviews Tapes Of Peru's Deadly Attack WASHINGTON -- A congressman who reviewed video and audiotapes of the Peruvian downing of a missionary's plane with one of the survivors said Friday he was "very disturbed" by the chaos and lack of professionalism that marked the incident. "This wasn't even a close call. There was no reason to shoot down that plane," said Rep. Peter Hoekstra, R-Mich., who listened to the tapes this week with Jim Bowers, a Baptist missionary whose wife, Veronica (Roni) Bowers and infant daughter, Charity, were killed in the April 20 attack over Peru. Bowers is from Hoekstra's Michigan district. [continues 268 words]
Reducing Demand Cuts The Supply, He Said In Naming John Walters To The Cabinet-Level Post WASHINGTON - President Bush promised yesterday to reinvigorate efforts to reduce demand for drugs and provide treatment to users, naming as drug czar a man known for his get-tough policies: veteran antidrug crusader John Walters. In his first extended comments on the issue, Bush spoke out strongly against any move to legalize drugs or accept drug use. But he said little about interdiction efforts, emphasized community programs and parent involvement, and never used the term drug war. [continues 482 words]
WASHINGTON -- Conservative Republicans, all staunch supporters of the war on drugs, warned top U.S. officials Tuesday that anti-drug efforts in Latin America are in jeopardy unless answers come quickly about why two Americans were killed in the Peruvian shoot-down of a missionaries' plane. The CIA, the lead agency involved in the April 20 shooting, declined to participate in a hearing before the criminal justice and drug policy subcommittee of the House Government Reform panel. But the tragic death of Veronica Bowers and her infant daughter 10 days ago led four Republicans, including Committee Chairman Dan Burton, to accuse U.S. officials of foot-dragging, buck-passing between agencies and hiding behind classified data. [continues 618 words]
Film Has Jolted Policy Talk In Way Leaders Haven't Washington - "Traffic," a gritty, Oscar-nominated movie that was shot partially with a hand-held camera, is having more impact on the debate over drug policy than any public official, including President Bush. One reason for that is the president says little about the issue. The other reason is the movie's popularity. It has earned $102.5 million in 12 weeks of release, could win best picture at the Academy Awards on Sunday and has jolted the discussion in the nation's capital over what to do about illegal drugs. [continues 494 words]
WASHINGTON "Traffic," a gritty, R-rated movie that was shot partially with a hand-held camera, is having more impact on the debate over drug policy than any public official, including President Bush. One reason for that is the president says little about the issue, hasn't made drug control a priority and hasn't named a drug czar. The other reason is the movie's popularity. It's earned $97 million in 11 weeks, could win best picture at the Academy Awards next Sunday and has jolted the often-hackneyed discussion in the nation's capital over what to do about illegal drugs. [continues 1029 words]
'Traffic' Drives Drug Discussion In Washington Movie Has Policy-Makers Questioning Priorities WASHINGTON -- Sen. John McCain saw the film "Traffic" with his 16-year-old daughter and said it forced him to think about priorities in the war on drugs. The president of Colombia arranged a screening of the film in Washington attended by senators and diplomats. "It was quite a scene. I think the movie has captured the mood of Washington and the nation," said Bernard Aronson, a former assistant secretary of state. [continues 992 words]
WASHINGTON -- Traffic, a gritty, R-rated Hollywood movie that suggests the Washington-led war on drugs is a lost cause, is having more impact on the debate about drug policy these days than any public official, including the president. One reason is that Bush says little about the issue and has not named a drug czar. But a more important reason may be the movie's popularity. It has earned $99 million in 11 weeks and jolted the often predictable discussion in the nation's capital over what to do about drugs. [continues 1004 words]
Boost To War On Drugs Eyed WASHINGTON - A bipartisan coalition of senators including Bob Graham, Florida Democrat, wants to extend and expand trade benefits for Colombia and three other Andean nations, pitching their bill as a boost to the war on drugs. Backers of the Andean trade bill said Tuesday that Caribbean Basin benefits, approved last year, are luring some apparel companies from Colombia to the Caribbean, with the possible loss of 100,000 jobs in a country plagued by civil strife. [continues 383 words]
Conservatives Worry That Bush May Lack Zeal In Narcotics Battle After a month in office, President Bush has not named anyone to be the nation's drug czar, and the vacancy is exposing divisions among GOP leaders over how the drug war should be fought and who should lead it. Since taking office, the president has said little on drug issues. In a January interview, he questioned long minimum sentences for first-time drug users. When a top administration official was asked recently about the delay in appointing a drug czar, the response was curt: "On the drug czar, we'll get back to you. The president is paying full attention to it. I am sure that he will have an answer for you soon." [continues 891 words]
