• News Wrap: Islamic State leader raped hostage Kayla Mueller

    News Wrap: Islamic State leader raped hostage Kayla Mueller

    Aug 14, 2015 11:03 PM EDT

    ... death in the past, none have been confirmed. We apologize for the error. JUDY WOODRUFF: There's word of a new atrocity against an American hostage by the Islamic State group. The parents of Kayla Mueller said today that U.S. intelligence confirms she was repeatedly raped before her death ...

  • Refusing to pay ransom won’t stop kidnapping, says former hostage

    Refusing to pay ransom won’t stop kidnapping, says former hostage

    Jun 24, 2015 11:27 PM EDT

    ... kind of thing. But I think, if hostage-takers and the guards in particular were losing their lives on a consistent basis whenever they catch hostages, that would get the word out a lot more quickly. But that's different from saying that I think that every hostage case should ...

  • Shifting policy, Obama pledges U.S. will ‘stand by’ families of hostages

    Shifting policy, Obama pledges U.S. will ‘stand by’ families of hostages

    Jun 24, 2015 11:25 PM EDT

    ... JUDY WOODRUFF: After coming under fire over the handling of American hostage cases abroad, President Obama today announced a change in policy. PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA: We're not going to abandon you. We will stand by you. JUDY WOODRUFF: The president's pledge to hostage families follows a surge ...

  • With policy shift, hostage family hopes to be last 'that fails to receive’ government support

    With policy shift, hostage family hopes to be last 'that fails to receive’ government support

    Jun 24, 2015 07:29 PM EDT

    ... American citizens working abroad as hostages do not discriminate based on their job or employer, and neither should our government.” While calling the newly created Hostage Recovery Fusion Cell a “good idea” she said the person with sole responsibility for safe hostage recovery policies would be better positioned at the ...

  • Obama clears the way for hostages' families to pay ransom

    Obama clears the way for hostages' families to pay ransom

    Jun 24, 2015 12:37 PM EDT

    WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama said Wednesday that the U.S. government had let down the families of Americans held hostage by terrorists, and he outlined new policies that could make it easier for those families to pay ransom to help free their loved ones. "These families have already suffered enough ...

  • White House to release hostage policy review Wednesday

    White House to release hostage policy review Wednesday

    Jun 23, 2015 04:24 PM EDT

    ... by terror groups that they can communicate with captors and even pay ransom without fear of prosecution — part of a broad review of U.S. hostage guidelines that will be released Wednesday. President Barack Obama ordered the review last fall after the deaths of Americans held hostage by Islamic State ...

  • Accidental hostage killing puts new spotlight on reliance on drones

    Accidental hostage killing puts new spotlight on reliance on drones

    Apr 25, 2015 08:17 PM EDT

    ... to take its responsibilities seriously and establish a coordinated and consistent approach to supporting hostages and their families." The administration review has involved consultations with hostage experts from the U.S. and other countries as well as interviews with about two dozen former hostages and family members who have received ...

  • Obama: Review of hostage deaths may offer drone changes

    Obama: Review of hostage deaths may offer drone changes

    Apr 24, 2015 11:10 PM EDT

    ... JUDY WOODRUFF: Now: fallout from the killing of two hostages, one American, one Italian, in a U.S. drone strike. It touched off new questions today about just how effective, and precise, drone warfare can be in fighting terrorists. It also led to calls for more information on how ...

  • Obama apologizes for drone-strike deaths of two hostages in Pakistan

    Obama apologizes for drone-strike deaths of two hostages in Pakistan

    Apr 23, 2015 10:23 PM EDT

    ... the fog of war generally and our fight against terrorists specifically, mistakes, sometimes deadly mistakes, can occur. GWEN IFILL: U.S. officials say the two hostages died in mid-January, when a drone fired missiles at a terrorist site inside Pakistan. PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA: We believed that this was an ...

  • American, Italian hostages killed in U.S. drone strike

    American, Italian hostages killed in U.S. drone strike

    Apr 23, 2015 02:12 PM EDT

    ... being held there. President Obama said he took full responsibility for the counterterror missions and offered his "grief and condolences" to the families of the hostages, Warren Weinstein of Rockville, Maryland, and Giovanni Lo Porto. Obama defended the legality of the January drone strike that killed the hostages and said ...