Washington, DC, Nov 16, 2010 — President Obama is expected to present a four-year plan to wind down the war in Afghanistan at a NATO summit later this week. According to the New York Times, the plan calls for beginning to transfer security duties to Afghan forces over the next two years, with an eye toward ending the U.S. mission in Afghanistan by 2014.

New York Senator Kirsten Gillibrand spoke to reporters yesterday about her trip to the region last week. She says there's been progress, but she has concerns about U.S. partners there. Martha Foley has more.  Go to full article

Long Lake, NY, Nov 15, 2010 — Anne Harrington is the new Deputy Administrator for Defense Nuclear Non-Proliferation at the National Nuclear Security Administration. She and her staff at the National Nuclear Security Administration keep an eye on materials, outside the U.S., that could be used to make a nuclear weapon.

Harrington is a native of Long Lake. She spoke with Jonathan Brown recently about her work, her background and the path that brought her from one to the other. Here's more of their conversation.  Go to full article

Long Lake, NY, Nov 15, 2010 — Long Lake native Anne Harrington was recently named Deputy Administrator for Defense Nuclear Non-Proliferation.

It's a wordy title. It means she and her staff at the National Nuclear Security Administration keep an eye on materials, outside the U.S., that could be used to make a nuclear weapon.

For our occasional series, Moving the World, Harrington spoke with Jonathan Brown about starting out in the Adirondacks and working on global security in Washington D.C.  Go to full article

Canton, NY, Oct 21, 2010 — Ruben Garcia is a human rights advocate who lives on the U.S.-Mexico border. For more than 30 years, he has run Annunciation House, an emergency shelter for migrants and the homeless in El Paso, Texas. Garcia will speak to students and the public at St. Lawrence University in Canton today. The issue of border security, illegal drugs and immigration is complex along the southern border. He'll give a presentation, titled "The Border as a Prophet: Voices Calling us to Justice", in St. Lawrence's Carnegie 10 at 7 pm. Garcia joined Todd Moe in the studio this morning for a first person account on the effects of beefed-up military patrols, the drugs wars, human rights and life along the southern border.  Go to full article

Canton, NY, Sep 17, 2010 — Across the North Country, border patrol road checkpoints where agents stop cars and ask passengers their citizenship have become a part of daily life. Today we have a story about another step in the creeping influence of homeland security inside the border.

It's now become commonplace for federal agents to board buses and trains across Upstate New York and ask passengers for proof of citizenship. The checks are sweeping up some drugs and illegal immigrants, but also people who are here legally. David Sommerstein reports.  Go to full article

Plattsburgh, NY, Sep 14, 2010 — Last week, the American Civil Liberties Union and two other groups filed a lawsuit against the Department of Homeland Security over its searches of electronic devices on the US-Canada border.

The government argues that it has the authority to search the contents of laptops, PDAs, and other electronic devices in the same way that they would search a briefcase or backpack. That means they don't need a warrant and they don't need probable cause. The ACLU says the government searches thousands of computers every year.

Part of the case is based on the experience of Pascal Abidor, an American from New York City who studies at McGill University in Montreal. He was detained at the border crossing north of Plattsburgh in May while traveling home to visit his mother. He says border agents then confiscated his computer.

"They asked everything about my life and about my interests," Abidor says. "Why I'm interested in Islam, why I traveled to the Middle East."

According to Abidor, DHS scrutinized his laptop, looking through files that he considers to be personal. "I was able to determine that they looked extensively at my personal photos and at my saved personal chats with my girlfriend," he said.

ACLU attorney Catherine Crump spoke in-depth about the case with Bob Garfield, host of WNYC's program "On the Media."  Go to full article

Cornwall, ON, Sep 28, 2009 — Controversy continues as Canadian border officials and Mohawk tribal leaders struggle with an ongoing dispute over the international crossing on Cornwall Island. Martha Foley has more.  Go to full article

Summerstown, ON, Jun 02, 2009 — The international bridge at Cornwall Island remains closed this morning as Mohawks protest the arming of Canadian customs officers. CBC TV reporter Amanda Pfeffer was on Cornwall Island yesterday where Mohawks are protesting the arming of Canadian customs officers. She spoke with David Sommerstein. We'll be following this story throughout the day - listen for an update during All Before Five.  Go to full article

Feb 13, 2009 — Representatives of northern New York's border regions have new hope for sharing border crossing facitlies and procedures with Canada. Martha Foley reports.  Go to full article

Dec 12, 2008 — Last week we reported on an Adirondack artist who was detained at the Canadian border in Maine for having sketches of SUVs in her car. The incident was parodied on The Colbert Report. Now another unusual incident at the border, this time in Massena. The vice-chairman of the revived paper mill in Newton Falls was refused entry into the United States on Tuesday. Customs officers said he was working without a visa, even though he's paid by a Canadian company. David Sommerstein reports.  Go to full article