• White House to release hostage policy review Wednesday

    White House to release hostage policy review Wednesday

    Jun 23, 2015 04:24 PM EST

    ... 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 EST

    ... 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 EST

    ... 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 EST

    ... 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 EST

    ... 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 ...

  • The hack attack that takes your computer hostage till you pay

    The hack attack that takes your computer hostage till you pay

    Apr 18, 2015 10:10 PM EST

    Ransomware, a type of software that computer hackers use to hold individuals' data hostage by blocking access to files unless they agree to pay a ransom, is on the rise. And because anyone with an internet connection is vulnerable, the problem highlights a growing threat that consumers face on both their personal computers and mobile...

  • Al-Shabab gunmen attack college in Kenya, take hostages

    Al-Shabab gunmen attack college in Kenya, take hostages

    Apr 02, 2015 06:08 PM EST

    Gunmen with the al-Qaida-linked al-Shabab group stormed Garissa University College in eastern Kenya on Thursday, taking an unknown number of hostages from the dormitories and reportedly killing dozens. As many as 147 people were killed in the attack, the New York Times reported. According to earlier reports ...

  • Photos: Eerie remnants of the former U.S. embassy, 35 years after Iran hostage crisis

    Photos: Eerie remnants of the former U.S. embassy, 35 years after Iran hostage crisis

    Mar 02, 2015 11:24 PM EST

    ... S. embassy in downtown Tehran, captured virtually every American working there, and began one of the worst diplomatic crises in American history. Though the 66 hostages were eventually released, the 14 month-long ordeal poisoned the already strained relations between the United States and Iran. The hostage crisis was a ...

  • What's the price of paying for hostages? The economics behind funding and fighting terrorism

    What's the price of paying for hostages? The economics behind funding and fighting terrorism

    Feb 20, 2015 12:45 AM EST

    ... GWEN IFILL: One major element in the battle against terror is the threat to hostages and the demand for ransom. The U.S. government says paying for their release only feeds the money machine. Economics correspondent Paul Solman has been looking into how terrorism is financed, part of our ...

  • A mother demands better advocacy for U.S. hostages

    A mother demands better advocacy for U.S. hostages

    Feb 06, 2015 11:58 PM EST

    ... would make a big difference? DEBRA TICE: Yes. They're talking about having a single point person who is a -- is focused entirely on the hostage and that unique situation, and that that person will look at American resources and assign them appropriately for the benefit of the hostage. And ...