Title: Obama Announces Changes to Hostage Policy

Content: <div id='article-page'><div id='article-content' data-media-url='//news-app-staging.s3.amazonaws.com' data-base-url='//news-app-staging.herokuapp.com' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/249/hostage_audio.m4a' data-capture-url='//staging.analytics.lingraphica.com/events/capture_news' data-article-title='Obama Announces Changes to Hostage Policy' data-article-id='510'><script src='//news-app-staging.herokuapp.com/javascripts/getscripts.js'></script><link rel='stylesheet' href='//news-app-staging.herokuapp.com/stylesheets/article.css' type='text/css' /><div class='article'><p><span data-start-time='0' data-end-time='8813'>President Barack Obama on Wednesday announced a reform of U.S. policies for dealing with kidnappers. </span> <span data-start-time='8813' data-end-time='19854'>Mr. Obama said the U.S. will use “all instruments of national power” to recover Americans held by terrorists in other countries.</span> </p><p><span data-start-time='19854' data-end-time='29458'>The president also said the government could and would “assist private efforts to communicate with hostage-takers.” </span> </p><p><span data-start-time='29458' data-end-time='34042'>The United States’ policy bars paying ransoms. </span> <span data-start-time='34042' data-end-time='46542'>However, Mr. Obama said the government will no longer threaten legal action against families who choose to pay ransom to win their relatives' release. </span> </p></div><div class='control-buttons-sticky' style='display:none;'><div class='control-buttons'><button title='Back' class='back' disabled='disabled'></button><button title='Play' class='play' disabled='disabled'></button><button title='Pause' class='pause' style='display:none;'></button><button title='Forward' class='forward' disabled='disabled'></button><button class='finished-reading' style='display:none;'>Done</button></div></div></div><div id='article-media'><div id='media-image'><img src='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/249/obama_image.jpg'/></div></div><div id='question-content' style='display:none;'><div class='vocabulary_question question-container' data-question-id=2924 data-hint-location='29458' style='display:none;'><div class='question' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/249/what_does_ransom_mean.m4a'>What does <strong>ransom</strong> mean?</div><div class='choices' data-correct-choice='money that is paid in order to free someone who has been captured'><div class='choice' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/249/too_bad_to_be_fixed.m4a'><span>too bad to be fixed</span></div><div class='choice' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/249/a_plan.m4a'><span>a plan</span></div><div class='choice' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/249/money_that_is_paid_in_order_to_free_someone_who_has_been_captured.m4a'><span>money that is paid in order to free someone who has been captured</span></div><div class='choice' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/249/the_main_idea.m4a'><span>the main idea</span></div></div></div><div class='multiple_choice_question question-container' data-question-id=2925 data-hint-location='29458' style='display:none;'><div class='question' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/249/what_does_the_policy_not_allow.m4a'>What does the policy NOT allow?</div><div class='choices' data-correct-choice='paying ransoms'><div class='choice' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/249/retreiving_hostages.m4a'><span>retreiving hostages</span></div><div class='choice' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/249/paying_ransoms.m4a'><span>paying ransoms</span></div><div class='choice' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/249/aiding_kidnappers.m4a'><span>aiding kidnappers</span></div><div class='choice' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/249/negotiations.m4a'><span>negotiations</span></div></div></div><div class='sentence_completion_question question-container' data-question-id=2926 data-hint-location='0' style='display:none;'><div class='question' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/249/president_obama_announced_a_reform_of_us_policies_for_dealing_with__blank_.m4a'>President Obama announced a reform of U.S. policies for dealing with <span class='blank'>kidnappers</span>.</div><div class='choices' data-correct-choice='kidnappers'><div class='choice' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/249/terrorists.m4a'><span>terrorists</span></div><div class='choice' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/249/organized_crime.m4a'><span>organized crime</span></div><div class='choice' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/249/drug_dealers.m4a'><span>drug dealers</span></div><div class='choice' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/249/kidnappers.m4a'><span>kidnappers</span></div></div></div><div class='question-buttons'><button class='skip-button'></button><button class='hint-button'></button><button class='speak-button'></button></div></div></div>

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President Barack Obama on Wednesday announced a reform of U.S. policies for dealing with kidnappers. Mr. Obama said the U.S. will use “all instruments of national power” to recover Americans held by terrorists in other countries.

The president also said the government could and would “assist private efforts to communicate with hostage-takers.”

The United States’ policy bars paying ransoms. However, Mr. Obama said the government will no longer threaten legal action against families who choose to pay ransom to win their relatives' release.

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