From PRI, Public Radio International and KCRW Santa Monica, this is To the Point.

DNA, illegal immigration and violence against women.

Hello again, I'm Arminolni, and this is To the Point from Public Radio International, a daily look at the issues.

Americans care about most. A new law will allow federal agents to collect DNA samples from anyone they arrest

for any reason. The original targets were undocumented workers suspected of crimes, but Civil

Liberty's watchdogs say the language is much broader than that. They claim hikers stopped by

park rangers or airline

passengers subjected to screening might have to surrender their genetic codes. On to the point,

why is the new law part of the Violence Against Women Act? How did it pass without debate by voice

vote virtually unnoticed? Is it a good move for law enforcement or an over-extension of federal

powers? First, here's the news. Support for To the Point comes from subscribers of KCRW Santa Monica

and from the Public Radio International Program Fund, whose contributors include the Ford Foundation

and the John D. and Catherine T. McArthur Foundation.

Hello again, Mormon-A. Back with To the Point. An act of Congress is going to make DNA sampling as common as fingerprinting for anybody arrested by federal agents. On To the Point, illegal immigrants were the original targets, but even U.S. citizens not charged with crimes might have to give up their genetic codes.

We'll hear about an almost unnoticed amendment to the Violence Against Women Act.

First, this news update, another U.S. helicopter crashed today in Iraq, killing all seven aboard.

It's the fifth such crash in the past two weeks.

Meantime, a new security operation in Baghdad officially began today, but

Defense Secretary Robert Gates told Congress it's not his only option. It would be irresponsible

of me not to be looking at alternatives should these expectations and hopes not prove to be fulfilled.

And so without getting into any details,

I will simply say to you that I have asked that we begin to look at other contingencies and other alternatives. Defense Secretary Gates hedging his bets on the security operation in Baghdad in Iraq, President Almaliki acknowledged on television.

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