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Vice News
United Nations correspondent for Vice News
PROFILE
Samuel Oakford
Guest
FROM Samuel Oakford
To the Point
The Global War on Drugs Is Dead This week the United Nations General Assembly took on global drug policy . The widespread consensus is that the hardline policies of the 1990’s war on drugs have failed. In the past decade 25 countries have passed some kind of decriminalization for drug possession. Here in the US the original architect of the global war on drugs four states have legal marijuana markets, and 20 others are considering some form of legalization this year. Now the global conversation about drugs focuses on reducing harm to individuals and communities, and decreasing the ranks of users, but nations remain divided on whether to pursue decriminalization or outright legalization.
To the Point
Alleged Silk Road Mastermind on Trial as an Online Drug "Kingpin" The admitted founder of Silk Road, which became an Internet marketplace for illegal drugs, went on trial today in New York for drug trafficking, hacking and money laundering. Federal prosecutors claim Ross Ulbricht, who was arrested using a computer in the San Francisco Public Library, is the person who calls himself "the Dread Pirate Roberts." Silk Road was part of the so-called "dark web"-- accessible only via the Tor network, which hides users' real IP addresses. It was once called the most sophisticated and extensive haven for online crime. Samuel Oakford is covering the story for Vice News .
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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'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
Venezuela spirals into economic and political chaos Venezuela, a country whose potential for prosperity is unmatched, finds itself on the verge of civil war. What sustains the repressive government? With time running out, guest host León Krauze looks at what the international community can do to pull the country from the edge of collapse.
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.