US Travel Editor, Lonely Planet
US travel editor for Lonely Planet guidebooks
PROFILE
Robert Reid
Guest
FROM Robert Reid
Which Way, L.A.?
Risky Travel and Government to the Rescue Is still not clear what Laura Ling and Euna Lee did at the Chinese border with North Korea. We don’t know what three other Americans were up to in remote Kurdistan, but they’re now in custody, accused of illegally crossing into Iran. Such incidents are increasingly common , which means multiple headaches for US diplomats.
To the Point
Dangerous Assignments, Risky Travel and Government to the Rescue Laura Ling and Euna Lee have been freed from North Korea , but three other Americans are still being detained for crossing from remote Kurdistan into Iran. These are only the latest in a series of international incidents created by American citizens accused of entering forbidden zones, creating multiple headaches for US diplomats. Are foreign governments justified in suspecting they might be spies? Do both tourists and journalists have an obligation to stay out of trouble? Should the US government always come to the rescue, whatever the diplomatic trade-offs might be?
Recommended
To the Point
Trump's new look at civil rights and global warming President Trump is reportedly ready to pull the US out of the Paris Agreement on Climate Change. We look at the possible consequences. On the second half of the program, we hear about cuts in Obama-Era civil rights programs called for by the Trump Administration's first budget plan.
To the Point
White House budget proposal slashes and burns President Trump's first budget request is considered dead on arrival in Congress — a familiar development in Capitol Hill. We hear what it reveals about the priorities of the new administration. What's likely to die… and what might survive?