GITMO Critics Confusing Detention With Punishment, Says Ashcroft

Former Attorney General John Ashcroft took exception Wednesday with the current administration’s desire to close the Guantanamo Bay detention facility.

“The problem exists when people confuse detention for purposes of removing people from the stream of the battle, they confuse that with punishment which is also incarceration," Ashcroft said. (0:11)
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Ashcroft: GITMO Isn't Evil

Former Attorney General John Ashcroft took exception Wednesday with the current administration’s desire to close the Guantanamo Bay detention facility.

“The idea that somehow there’s something evil about Guantanamo I think is a bankrupt idea and it only succeeds in the arena of slander,” said Ashcroft. (0:09) 

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Ashcroft Opposed To Closing GITMO

Former Attorney General John Ashcroft voiced his opposition to the current administration's plan to close down the Guantanamo Bay detention facility during an appearance Wednesday at the Heritage Foundation. (0:14)
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No Resources Will Be Spared In Oil Spill Response, Says BP America President

Lamar McKay, the President and Chairman of BP America, told a Congressional panel Thursday that the oil industry will be judged on the outcome of the Deepwater Horizon incident and that no resources will be spared in their response. (0:17)
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BP Is Taking Oil Spill Responsibility Seriously, McKay Says

Lamar McKay, the President and Chairman of BP America, emphasizes that BP is taking full responsibility for the oil spill in the Gulf and will not ask the government for reimbursement during an appearance before a House panel Thursday. (0:19)
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BP Not Sure If 'Top Kill' Operation Was Successful, Has Alternatives In Mind

Lamar McKay, the President and Chairman of BP America, says the oil giant is unsure if the recently implemented "top kill" method to stop the massive oil leak off the Gulf Coast was successful. However, McKay notes that there are alternative plans in mind. (0:18)
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Police Chief Wary Over Local Law Enforcement's Role In Immigration

San Jose, California Chief of Police Rob Davis questions the decision to use local government officers as a means of enforcing immigration law during a press briefing on Arizona's controversial immigration law Wednesday. (0:20)
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Police Chief Concerned Arizona's Immigration Law Will Break Down Trust

Los Angeles Chief of Police Charlie Beck warned Wednesday that laws like the Arizona immigration law will increase crime rather than decrease it since it destroys trust between the population and the police. (0:17)
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Police Chief Questions Federal Government's Ability To Handle Demands Of Arizona's Immigration Law

Following a meeting with Attorney General Eric Holder, police chiefs from several Western states held a press conference Wednesday to discuss concerns regarding Arizona’s controversial immigration law.

“We doubt the federal government can even handle the numbers of people that we will bring to them now for verification on immigration status,” Tuscon Chief of Police Roberto Villasenor said. (0:19)
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Interior Department Official Promises Thorough Investigation On Oil Spill

U.S. Department of the Interior Deputy Secretary David Hayes reassures members of the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources that his agency is doing all it can to make sure the regulatory system on the oil spill is “state of the art.” (0:14)
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BP Has Spent Almost $1 Billion So Far Due To Spill, Says Coast Guard Official

Craig Bennett, Director of the National Pollution Funds Center of the U.S Coast Guard, tells members of the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources that BP has spent almost one billion dollarss so far on dealing with the fallout from a massive oil spill that occurred in the Gulf over one month ago. (0:10)
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DOJ Official Advocates Raising Liability Cap On Oil Companies

U.S. Associate Attorney General Thomas Perrelli makes clear on Tuesday that there should not be an arbitrary cap for oil spill accidents, like the one that occurred over a month ago in the Gulf Of Mexico. (0:10)
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President Obama Needs To Direct Intelligence Team, Says 9/11 Commission Vice Chair

Former Rep. Lee Hamilton (D-Ind.), member of 9/11 Commission, stated Wednesday that President Obama needs to "clarify who’s in charge of the intelligence community." (0:21)
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Bombing Attempts Show Need To Enhance Threat Detection, Says 9/11 Commission Chair

Former New Jersey Governor Thomas Kean (R) and former Rep. Lee Hamilton (D-Ind.), the chairmen of the 9/11 Commission, testified before the House Homeland Security Committee to discuss the challenge of evolving terrorist threats and the need to re-frame the nation’s watchlist.

“I think the Christmas Day bomber, and perhaps the Times Square bomber, did us a huge favor. It got us to look again at the watchlist and the problems with it,” Kean said. (0:20)
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Terrorist Watchlist Needs To Be Updated, Says 9/11 Commission Vice Chair

Former New Jersey Governor Thomas Kean (R) and former Rep. Lee Hamilton (D-Ind.), the chairmen of the 9/11 Commission, testified before the House Homeland Security Committee to discuss the challenge of evolving terrorist threats and the need to re-frame the nation’s watchlist.

Hamilton argued that the U.S. should have a single terrorist watchlist available to the entire intelligent and law enforcement community. (0:14)
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Interior Secretary Blasts Congressional Blame Game Over BP Spill

Interior Secretary Ken Salazar decried the blame game being played in Congress following the massive oil spill off the Gulf Coast. (0:20)
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Salazar Confirms BP Will Pay 'Every Cent' Back To Those Affected By Deepwater Horizon Spill

Interior Secretary Ken Salazar stressed that BP will pay back the costs incurred by those affected by the disaster during his appearance before the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources. (0:23)
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Mitigation Effort Following BP Spill Collecting 1,500-2,000 Barrels Of Oil Daily

Interior Secretary Ken Salazar gives the latest report on the Deepwater Horizon oil spill progress Tuesday morning before the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources. According to Salazar, one mitigation effort, the riser insertion tube, is currently collecting 1,500-2,000 gallons of oil daily. (0:18)
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Lieberman: U.S Government Failed To Protect Public Safety Prior To BP Spill

Sen. Joseph Lieberman (I-Conn.), the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee’s chairman said during a hearing Monday that the government failed to protect the public's safety prior to the BP spill.

“The U.S government has a responsibility for protecting the public safety … and that responsibility, I fear was not fulfilled in this case prior to the accident occurring. The result is the human, environmental and economic catastrophe we are now witnessing in the gulf.” (0:22)
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Secretary Napolitano Defends Response To Oil Spill

Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano defended the Obama administration’s response to the massive oil spill off the Gulf Coast during her testimony Monday before the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee.

“We are doing everything we can to ensure that vital response assets and personnel and equipment are efficiently and effectively deployed and utilized,” Napolitano said. (0:10)
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