Terror & Lies in Libya: Join the Live Chat
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The U.S. military has now joined efforts to evacuate refugees from the overcrowded border with Tunisia.
But Moammar Gadhafi is hanging on, using the same weapons he has for the last four decades: Terror and lies. We're Keeping Them Honest.
Want more details on what covering? Read EVENING BUZZ
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Evening Buzz: Drug Claims & the Call for Dignity in Libya
[cnn-photo-caption image=http://i.cdn.turner.com/cnn/2011/WORLD/africa/03/03/libya.tribes/story.libya.tribes.gi.jpg caption="A tribal rebel fires a rocket-propelled grenade from a militia post on February 27 in Ajdabiya, Libya." width=300 height=169]
Maureen Miller
AC360° Writer
President Obama says it's time for Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi to go.
"The violence must stop," he said today at a White House news conference. "The aspirations of the Libyan people for freedom, democracy and dignity must be met."
But Gadhafi isn't give up; and there is no dignity or freedom for the protesters. The Libyan military bombed two towns in the east again today, as they try to regain ground lost to opposition forces. The Libyan Air Force targeted Ajdabiya and al-Berga, for a second day in a row.
President Obama says the United States is examining a "full range of options" in Libya. He talked about a "danger of a stalemate that over time could be bloody."
While the U.S. reviews options it is already committing military planes to airlift foreign workers who fled the fighting in Libya to neighboring Tunisia.
Meanwhile, today Libyan authorities showed off what they say was a massive shipment of pills they intercepted. They say the drugs originated in Dubai and were bought by a Libyan dealer with ties to al Qaeda.
You may recall, for weeks, Gadhafi and his son have claimed al-Qaeda militants are "exploiting" teenagers, giving them "hallucinogenic pills in their coffee with milk, like Nescafe." Yet it was pain pills that were found today, not hallucinatory drugs. We're Keeping Them Honest.
Anderson asked a government spokesman about the claim last night and it was an interesting exchange. We'll replay it for you tonight and dig deeper into this latest twist from the regime.
Last week on Twitter, U.S. State Department spokesman P.J. Crowley took issue with what he called Gadhafi's "hardly sober claim that protesters are on drugs." Crowley said "the people of Libya are clear-eyed in their demand for change."
We're also digging into the opposition. Just who are they? What future do they want for Libya? All questions we'll answer tonight on AC360°.
Join us for these stories and much more starting at 10 p.m. ET. See you then.
Beat 360° 3/3/11
Ready for today's Beat 360°? Everyday we post a picture you provide the caption and our staff will join in too. Tune in tonight at 10pm to see if you are our favorite! Here is the 'Beat 360°' pic:
President Barack Obama answers reporters' questions during a joint news conference with Mexican President Felipe Calderon at the White House March 3, 2011 in Washington, DC. (Photo credit: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
Have fun with it. We're looking forward to your captions! Make sure to include your name, city, state (or country) so we can post your comment.
Update: Beat 360° Winners:
Staff
Maureen Miller
“Tom Foreman’s Letters to the President?
Please. Enough. I have 773 of them on my desk. The pile is this high."
Viewer
Jabal, Canada
"President Obama telling reporters how high he will let Gadhafi's air force and helicopters fly if the UN/US implement a no-fly zone in Libya."
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Libya's tribes rise up against Gadhafi
[cnn-photo-caption image=http://i.cdn.turner.com/cnn/2011/WORLD/africa/03/03/libya.tribes/story.libya.tribes.gi.jpg caption="A tribal rebel fires a rocket-propelled grenade from a militia post on February 27 in Ajdabiya, Libya." width=300 height=169]
Moni Basu
CNN
(CNN) - Soon after the Libyan rebellion escalated, a senior member of the nation's powerful Warfallah tribe announced it would no longer support Moammar Gadhafi, saying that "he is no longer a brother."
The Zawiya tribe, based in a petroleum-rich region in the east, threatened to cut off oil flow. The Bani Walid tribe decided to withdraw its men from the regime's security brigades. And the influential Zintan tribe, allied in the past to Gadhafi's own tribe, broadcast a statement of support for the opposition.
One after another, Libya's myriad tribes are falling in line against Gadhafi, and the implications are enormous, said longtime observers of Libya, because for centuries, tribes have formed the backbone of the North African nation.
Many Americans pride themselves on God and country. In Libya, it's God, tribe, then country.
Libya's 140 or so tribes and the clan and family structure that fall under them, remain the most important aspect of a society that lags behind many others in the region in development, said Ronald Bruce St. John, a scholar who has visited Libya numerous times and published several books about the country.
With the exception of the Red Crescent Society and the Boys Scouts, few civil society institutions exist anymore in Libya, crushed by four decades of Gadhafi's authoritarian rule. There are no trade unions, PTAs or Lions Clubs.
The tribes have filled those gaps and because of that, they have perhaps taken on a stronger role in Libya than in other Arab nations.
Letters to the President: #773 'Being neighborly'
Tom Foreman | BIO
AC360° Correspondent
Reporter's Note: President Obama is talking with Mexican officials about the mutual interests of our two countries.
Dear Mr. President,
While you were busy talking trade and illegal drugs with our Mexican guests I went for a most excellent ten-mile run by the river this morning. I’m a little tired of the cold temperatures, but that aside, it is beginning to seem more like spring everywhere.
I saw a kingfisher swoop down over the canal and that was exciting because, as you probably know, I just love seeing kingfishers. Well, maybe you didn’t know that, but now you do.
Back to Mexico. I think it is always a good idea to get along with the neighbors if at all possible. And yet, and here is the caveat, I usually don’t want my neighbors to be my friends. I know that probably sounds a little anti-social and I don’t mean it that way. It’s just that my wife and I tried in our earliest married days to be pals with the folks who lived nearby and we quickly discovered that it didn’t work out as we had anticipated.
See, if you happen to get along really well with them, then it’s great. But if, somewhere along the way, a disagreement pops up over, oh, say, how loud you play the music, or whether you barbeque on the patio, you can’t get away from each other. With regular friends, you just back off a bit. But you can’t do that if they live next door.
FULL POST
What can be done to end the crisis in Libya?
Bryony Jones for CNN
(CNN) - More than two weeks after protests against Moammar Gadhafi's regime began, the Libyan leader is still clinging to power, insisting "we will fight until the last man and woman to defend Libya."
Continuing unrest and violence has left experts warning of a major humanitarian disaster, as thousands of people flee across the borders into neighboring Tunisia and Egypt.
So what can the international community do to stop further bloodshed? And will anything they do convince Gadhafi to step down after more than 40 years in power?
What about a no-fly zone to keep Libyan military aircraft out of the skies?
