Mexican Drug Cartel

Audio & Video

1. 

   Fingerprinting is a Publicity Stunt?

   Audio

   09/27/2011

   A program that requires local police to run fingerprints of anybody arrested through a federal immigration database is “a publicity stunt,” Gov. Deval Patrick said today. “My point about Secure Communities is it really at the end of the day doesn’t change any of our practices and is more than anything a publicity stunt,” Patrick said, dismissing the issue as a federal dispute about two agencies sharing information. Howie asked the question isn't the Governor charged with enforcing the law.
2. 

   Gibson Running

   Audio

   09/01/2011

   Gibson Guitar Corp., a big user of ebony and other scarce woods, for years has allied itself with Greenpeace and other environmental groups to show it was serious about preserving forests. That didn't stop the Nashville-based company from running afoul of U.S. authorities over allegedly illegal imports of wood. Gibson factories have been raided twice by federal agents who say ebony exported from India to Gibson was "fraudulently" labeled to conceal a contravention of Indian export law...Howie pondered is this what the feds are doing...
3. 

   Debt Deal Seems to be reached

   Audio

   08/01/2011

   The tentative deal to avoid a crushing debt default is at best a mild relief for the U.S. economy that nearly stalled in the first half of the year and has yet to show signs of any realistic pickup. The plan for $2.4 trillion in spending cuts over a decade, if backed by lawmakers, would help lift some of the uncertainty that has weighed on investors, businesses and consumers unsettled by talk about a possible new and deep U.S. financial meltdown. Still, it does not decisively remove the threat that the nation's AAA credit rating could be downgraded, an action that would raise borrowing costs across the board, and the prospect of further cuts ahead will cut short any celebrating. Will this solve the debt crisis or will it just delay the inevitable?
4. 

   Should Eric Holder be held Accountable in Fast and Furious Issue?

   Audio

   07/12/2011

   Are high-profile suspects in Mexican drug cartels also paid informants for U.S. federal investigators? If so, could a brewing scandal in Washington implicate more U.S. agencies in the ongoing drug -related violence in Mexico ? Kenneth Melson, the embattled chief of the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), made the earth-shaking revelation in testimony early last week. Melson reportedly told congressional leaders that Mexican cartel suspects tracked by his agents in a controversial gun-tracing program were also operating as paid informants for the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) and the FBI. The revelation is further complicating an already tangled scandal unfolding in Washington that ties U.S. weapons to the violent drug war in Mexico . The conflict has left about 40,000 dead in 4 1/2 years. In effect, the scandal also points to a deeper involvement of the U.S. government in Mexico's drug war than the public has previously known or suspected. Should Eric Holder be fired?
5. 

   Who will emerge as Republican Candidate in 2012 and can they beat Obama?

   Audio

   06/29/2011

   Judging from her sudden surge in the polls, Michele Bachmann's campaign lead-up and roll-out are going extremely well. While the media focused on a couple of miscues, as it does with female candidates, especially conservative ones, the crowds, set-ups and pushing for interviews with the freshest Republican face around have been strong. Yes, she should have displayed her website on the announcement podium and John Wayne was born in Iowa, just not in Bachmann's hometown of Waterloo. But on her first full day of campaigning Tuesday Bachmann ran the media gauntlet by appearing on five major national morning news shows without leaving a room in New Hampshire. Does Michele Bachmann stand a chance for President in 2012?