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

Drugs, corruption, and violence south of the border.

Hello again, I'm Arminolny, and this is To the Point from Public Radio International.

A daily look at the issues, Americans care about most.

Mexican President Calderon's crackdown on drug cartels has been met with brutal violence,

including the beheadings of local police. His third ranking public official was assassinated

in Mexico City, and the federal policemen is one of those accused in the killing. Calderon calls

these acts of desperation that prove the success of his efforts. Others say Mexico's beginning to look like Colombia.

On To the Point, should the U.S. help Calderon fight his drug war, bolster the rule of law,

or use the money to protect its own border?

What about curbing demand and supplies of illegal weapons?

Also today, Senator Edward Kennedy diagnosed with a malignant brain tumor. 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. Warren Alney, back with To the Point.

1,100 people have died in Mexican President Calderon's crackdown on drug cartels just in the past year.

The violence has spread to Mexico City. On To the Point, is Mexico becoming like Colombia on a grander scale?

Should the U.S. provide military assistance or help build institutions

that strengthen the rule of law? What is this country doing about the demand for drugs that

makes illegal traffic a major international industry? First is news update. One of America's

most important public figures has been diagnosed with a malignant brain tumor. 76-year-old

Senator Edward Kennedy,

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