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
KCRW Features
Construction continues at new Inglewood stadium The most expensive sports stadium in US history is rising from a huge hole in the ground in the South Bay city of Inglewood. In just two years Inglewood will play host to both L.A. football teams, the Rams and the Chargers, and add a million square feet of retail, office space, a hotel, parks and even a lake! As the 70,000-seat stadium site takes shape, the city around it is anticipating big changes -- some welcome and some worrisome.
The 805
Following three tragedies: two fires and a mass shooting in Ventura On the heels of a deadly mass shooting at the Borderline Bar and Grill in Thousand Oaks, two blazes in the area are forcing more than 100,000 residents in Ventura and L.A. Counties to evacuate their homes.
News Special Programming
California Wildfire Special A live, one-hour special brought to you by KQED and KCRW.
The Mixer
California catastrophe The fires rage on in our own backyard, and in Northern California, encompassing tens of thousands of acres each. In L-A and Ventura Counties, the Woolsey Fire has scorched everything in its path. To the north, in Butte County, the Camp Fire has charred and destroyed even more acreage, of trees, brush and everything else, north of Sacramento, and the town of Paradise is a scene of utter devastation and heartbreak.