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Washington Post
National environmental reporter for the Washington Post
PROFILE
Darryl Fears
Guest
FROM Darryl Fears
To the Point
The National Park Service celebrates 100 years The National Parks have been called "America's best idea" but, on their hundredth anniversary, they're faced with troubling questions. Will Congress make up a $12 billion deficit for maintenance and repair? Are the parks serving just a fraction of a young and diverse population? Mt. Rainier Photo by Samuel Kerr The National Parks' official 100tth anniversary was yesterday, and the Park Service will be celebrating all through this coming weekend. Admission will be free to 400 sites on 85 million acres in the 50 states and territories. That includes 58 full-scale National Parks as well as monuments and other protected areas. But who are the visitors likely to be — now and in the future? And what will they find?
To the Point
Nearly All Sales of Elephant Ivory Are a Crime Ivory is a beloved item, used since the start of the nation in pianos, knife handles and furniture. Now it's become a big enough business to threaten species extinction. So, the Obama Administration has declared a near-total ban on the sale of products containing African elephant ivory. As Darryl Fears reports in the Washington Post , the ban may put an end to more than one kind of business.
To the Point
Mandatory Sentencing in the War on Drugs Federal laws passed in the 1980's provided the same prison sentence for dealing in five grams of crack cocaine as for 500 grams of powder, a ratio of 100-to-1. But it turned out that the so-called "crack epidemic" never happened, and the Journal of the American Medical Association now says that crack is not more addictive than powder or more likely to lead to violence after all. But crack is used more often by African Americans, which means that federal prisons are crowded with black prisoners doing more time than whites for essentially the same crimes. Two weeks ago, the House and the Senate allowed new guidelines that make sentences for crack commensurate with those for powder cocaine. Should the change be made retroactive? Would 20,000 criminals be released all at once? We'll hear about the ongoing debate at the US Sentencing Commission.
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To the Point
Is the threat from Russia missing from the Russia meddling probe? There's much being made about the Trump administration's possible ties with Russia. But the bottom line is Russia's effort to influence American democracy. Do the President and his aides care enough to take action before voters go back to the polls?
To the Point
Trump's 'America First' goes missing abroad In the Middle East, President Trump is changing some policies of the Obama Administration—and reversing his own campaign attacks on Islam as a religion that "hates us." We hear about his visit to Saudi Arabia and what's at stake for the rest of his foreign excursion.
To the Point
Venezuela spirals into economic and political chaos Venezuela, a country whose potential for prosperity is unmatched, finds itself on the verge of civil war. What sustains the repressive government? With time running out, guest host León Krauze looks at what the international community can do to pull the country from the edge of collapse.
To the Point
The Trump agenda: where's the beef? President Trump says big things are happening. After celebrating a House bill on health care, he doesn’t yet have Senate agreement. With James Comey’s public testimony scheduled tomorrow, the President today tweeted his selection of a new FBI Director. Is the Chief Executive all style and no substance? Later, terror attacks in Iran and conflicting claims about who’s behind them.