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

In New Orleans, first Katrina, now violent crime.

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. New Orleans has lost about half its pre-hurricane population, but the police chief

says 80% of its criminals have come back home. Violence is out of control. In the aftermath of

high-profile murders, citizens are ready to march on City Hall. On To the Point, we'll visit a devastated city

that's under siege. Will New Orleans be safe for Mardi Gras, less than six weeks from today?

Also on our program, President Bush tonight will acknowledge mistakes and blame Iraq for

handcuffing U.S. forces with political interference. We'll hear about that and get likely

reaction from Congress.

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. I'm on only back with To the Poet, still devastated in the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation. Hello again. I'm

only back with To the Point. Still devastated in the aftermath of Katrina, New Orleans, is now in the

throes of a violent crime wave. On To the Point, we'll hear about a spate of murders and a lack of police

with Mardi Gras, less than six weeks away. We'll also hear that President Bush in tonight's speech

will commit 21,000 new

troops to Iraq and say that U.S. operations have been handcuffed by political interference

from the Iraqi government. First, this news update. Eight years after al-Qaeda's bombing attacks

on U.S. embassies in Kenya and Tanzania, Somali officials say the ringleader may have been

...