Correspondent, Christian Science Monitor
Correspondent for the Christian Science Monitor
PROFILE
Issam Ahmed
Guest
FROM Issam Ahmed
Which Way, L.A.?
Pakistan Floods Spread Misery, Threaten Regional Security "It is as if a neutron bomb exploded overhead, but instead of killing the people and leaving their houses intact, it piled trees upon the houses and swept away the villages and crops and animals, leaving the people alive.” That's from an account by Daniyal Mueenuddin, a prize-winning writer who practiced law in New York City but now lives on a farm in Pakistan's southern Punjab. We hear from him and others about the breadth of the disaster.
To the Point
A Disaster that's 'Changing Everything…' The early death toll is small compared to the instant impact of earthquakes and tidal waves, but the UN calls flooding in Pakistan the worst natural disaster in modern memory. In a region the size of Italy, the basis of civilization is being washed away: homes, roads, bridges, livestock and crops. Twenty million people face absolute ruin. Refugees are fighting over aid that's been slow in coming, and militant groups are trying to fill gaps left by government ineffectiveness. We look at the humanitarian crisis and the response from inside and outside. Can the US leverage its aid to improve a dismal image?
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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
Ex-FBI Director Comey tells his side of the story Today, former FBI Director James Comey came close to calling the President who fired him a liar. The White House denied the claim and called it insulting, but Republican Senators did not challenge Comey’s truthfulness. Many questions remain: did the President try to obstruct a federal investigation? Later, we’ll go behind the “velvet rope” for a look at 5-Star health care for the richest Americans.
To the Point
The longest US war: Will Trump send more troops to Afghanistan? The Trump White House is divided over the Pentagon's request for more troops in Afghanistan—where the US has been fighting for the past 16 years. Is there a formula -- either for "victory" or a political settlement? Is there an end in sight for America's longest war?
To the Point
Trump plays scolder-in-chief with NATO allies At the opening of NATO’s dramatic new headquarters in Brussels today, President Trump acknowledged that Article 5 — promising that “an attack on one nation is an attack on all” -- has only been invoked one time: in the aftermath of September 11. But the President failed to provide what 27 other Alliance members have been waiting for: a re-commitment by America’s new leader to Article 5. Instead, they got a scolding.