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President Obama is in Costa Rica to discuss regional cooperation and security with regional leaders. This follows talks he had in Mexico with President Enrique Pena Nieto. During his two-day visit, Obama tried to steer the focus away from contentious issues like immigration and drug violence.

Host Scott Simon speaks with David Shirk about U.S.-Mexico cooperation in the drug war. Shirk is an associate professor of political science at the University of San Diego and recently finished his tenure as director of the Trans-Border Institute at USD. He is also the author of The Drug War in Mexico: Confronting a Shared Threat.

Stephen Johnstone started celebrating with the winning families and jockeys — uninvited — in 1963. In the 18 times he's sneaked into the festivities, he's never been caught. Once you're past the gate, he says, your job is to share the joy of the moment.

This week, Slate magazine published excerpts of the 466-page memoir of Guantanamo detainee Mohamedou Ould Slahi. It's a remarkable account of the interrogation methods that were used by the U.S. and their effects. Weekends on All Things Considered guest host Kelly McEvers talks to Larry Siems, who posted the memoirs.

The U.S. says it will consider arming the rebels if it can confirm Bashar Assad's regime used the nerve gas sarin in recent attacks. But there's a danger that any weapons the U.S. provides could fall into the wrong hands.

Israeli warplanes attacked a military research center near Damascus early Sunday, according to intelligence reports and Syrian state media. Israel has offered no comment on the raid, which came days after a similar strike that reportedly targeted missiles intended for Hezbollah militants in Lebanon.

President Obama traveled to Central America this weekend, to Mexico and then to Costa Rica, where he met with other leaders from the region. Host Rachel Martin speaks with Eric Olson of the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, who attended the meeting.

Who has the most to lose if the fighting in Syria continues and the country becomes a failed state? Host Rachel Martin poses the question to Rami Khouri, a columnist and director of the Issam Fares Institute for Public Policy and International Affairs at the American University in Beirut.

After years of being treated as second-class citizens in Europe's economic powerhouse, large numbers of Turks — descendants of the first wave of immigrants — are returning to Turkey. Prospects in their homeland are looking up, while times are harder in Germany.

While Mexican immigration to the U.S. has slowed in recent years, the number of Central Americans heading north has been on the rise. Last year, the number of illegal border-crossers caught from countries other than Mexico hit nearly 100,000 — more than double the year before.