At the beginning of today's show, we checked in with the AP's northern New England correspondent, Rik Stevens. He has been coveringthe video released yesterday showing James Foley's beheading. (digital post by Faith Meixell)
HIGHLIGHTS:
- Foley's parents, still living in Rochester, NH, confirmed their son's death yesterday. In a Facebook post, his mother stated: "We have never been prouder of our son Jim. He gave his life trying to expose the world to the suffering of the Syrian people."
- Remaining questions about Foley's whereabouts for the past two years: He was kidnapped in Syria in November, 2012, when his car was stopped by four Sunni militants. He was not heard from until yesterday's video, which showed him to be in the hands of the group Islamic State.
- Limits on social media spread of images: Foley's family has encouraged people not to share or view the video. Twitter is also trying to block the spread of images of James Foley's beheading in an effort to deny his killers publicity.
- Insight into James Foley's mindset, from an AP interview following his capture in Syria in 2011: Foley didn't regret his own hardship from the experience as much as not being able to save his friend and colleague, South African photographer Anton Hamerrl.
- A second New Hampshire connection: The second American journalist depicted in the video has been identified as Steven Sotloff, who attended Kimball Union Academy in Meriden, New Hampshire. In the video, the militant threatened that Sotloff would be killed next, if U.S. policies in northern Iraq don't change.
Related: NHPR's 2011 interview with James Foley after his Libya
