Washington Correspondent for the Sydney Morning Herald
Washington Correspondent for the Sydney Morning Herald
PROFILE
Michael Gawenda
Guest
FROM Michael Gawenda
To the Point
David Hicks Enters Surprise Guilty Plea at Guantanamo Bay In December, 2001, David Hicks was captured while attempting to flee Afghanistan in a taxi. A month later, the Australian citizen became one of the first prisoners held at Guantánamo Bay. He was accused of using a gun to guard a Taliban tank, conducting surveillance on the empty US embassy in Kabul, attending al Qaeda training camps and fighting against American forces. Yesterday, he became the first Guantánamo prisoner to face a military commission , newly authorized by Congress last year. After a contentious hearing was adjourned, Hicks pleaded not guilty to involvement in any terrorist act, but stunned everyone by pleading guilty to one count of supporting a terrorist organization. Has Hicks been treated fairly or subjected to a kangaroo court? With the Bush Administration divided, what are the prospects for closing Guantánamo Bay?
Which Way, L.A.?
School Shootings Prompt Call for Gun Control From September 27 through October 2, from Bailey, Colorado and Cazenovia, Wisconsin to an Amish schoolhouse in rural Nickel Mines, Pennsylvania, separate school shooting incidents left several students and one principal dead. The tragedies have barely raised a response from beltway politicians, while the outrage over former Congressman Mark Foley's obscene text messaging to junior pages has grown to a roar. With the November elections looming ahead, why have Democrats not seized the moment to call for tighter gun control? Have we ceased to believe that gun control is not the answer to stopping violence, especially in our schools? Should we be looking to other countries, such as Australia and Canada, where there are both tight gun laws and low gun crime? (An expanded version of this discussion originally aired earlier today on To the Point.)
To the Point
School Shootings Prompt Call for Gun Control From September 27 through October 2, from Bailey, Colorado and Cazenovia, Wisconsin to an Amish schoolhouse in rural Nickel Mines, Pennsylvania, separate school shooting incidents left several students and one principal dead. The tragedies have barely raised a response from beltway politicians, while the outrage over former Congressman Mark Foley’s obscene text messaging to junior pages has grown to a roar. With the November elections looming ahead, why have Democrats not seized the moment to call for tighter gun control? Have we ceased to believe that gun control is not the answer to stopping violence, especially in our schools? Should we be looking to other countries, such as Australia and Canada, where there are both tight gun laws and low gun crime?
Recommended
To the Point
What happens when America retreats from the world? Is President Trump taking his "America First" agenda to extremes, withdrawing the country from the international stage on trade and climate change, distancing America from its traditional allies across the Atlantic and even threatening to physically isolate the country through the building of a wall along its southern border? León Krauze guest hosts.
Left, Right & Center
President Trump: US to withdraw from the Paris Climate Accord Trump says he was elected to serve Pittsburgh, not Paris.
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.
To the Point
Will the Senate write a healthcare bill in secret? While Democrats and Republicans argue White House relations with Russia, another question is being decided behind closed doors: who gets help buying health insurance and who doesn't? We hear how the pros and cons are being shrouded in secrecy.