journalist and author
John Otis is a Colombia-based journalist and the author of Law of the Jungle: The Hunt for Colombian Guerrillas, American Hostages, and Buried Treasure. He is a former South America Bureau Chief for the Houston Chronicle.
Now disarmed, what will Colombia's FARC rebels do next? During 52 years of armed conflict in Colombia, some 222,000 people were killed and five million civilians were forced from their homes. Last week, last year’s peace treaty was completed and FARC leader Rodrigo Londoño, also known as Timochenko, addressed a crowd, proclaiming, "Farewell to arms, farewell to war, welcome to peace." FARC rebels wave flags of peace during the final act of abandonment of arms in Mesetas, Colombia, June 27,2017 Photo by Jaime Saldarriaga/Reuters Now, 7000 former rebels have to figure out what to do next. They include people recruited as teenagers, "with few skills beyond firing Kalashnikovs and patching up the wounded." That’s according to John Otis, who's reported for Bloomberg and NPR . He's author of Law of the Jungle: The Hunt for Colombian Guerrillas, American Hostages and Buried Treasure .
Subterranean Cocaine Trafficking Today's Los Angeles Times reports that a routine patrol by the Colombian coast guard revealed a mini-shipyard in a forest of mangroves. Two 55-foot fiberglass submarines were under construction, one ready for launch and the other 70% complete. Each was powered with 350-horsepower diesel engines and capable of transporting three to five tons of cocaine to the US. In August, the Houston Chronicle reported a submarine-like vessel with 5.5 tons of cocaine worth $352 million. John Otis wrote the story.
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.
What is Trump's plan for Middle East peace? On his first foreign tour, President Trump has promised "peace" between Israel and the Palestinians. Are there any details for re-starting talks that have been stalled for the past three years?
Who's to blame for the opioid crisis? Some of the lawyers who took on Big Tobacco are now going after Big Pharma. It’s all about the deadly epidemic of opioid use. Are the drug companies to blame? What about the users? Later, on today’s Talking Point: making sense of Britain’s upset election.
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.