To the Point

President Obama says he's keeping his campaign promise to end the war in Iraq and that all combat operations will be over at the end of this month. We look at America's ongoing role and the state of the country seven years after the downfall of Saddam Hussein. Also, monsoon flooding in Pakistan, and the proposed mosque two blocks from New York's Ground Zero. 

BP may finally "kill" the oil well this week, but there’s dispute about its strategy for long-term cleanup. Has the Gulf been a dumping ground for American industry? How are Gulf residents coping with two major disasters in five years? Also, President Obama on his promise to end the war in Iraq, and BlackBerry smart phones and the clash of cultures.

"Race to the Top" gets less than 1% of education spending, but President Obama calls it "the most ambitious program in decades."  We talk to the head of the Race to the Top Fund and others about teacher accountability, charter schools and equity for minority children. Also, BP to scale back Gulf clean-up efforts, and speculation amidst the secrecy surrounding Chelsea Clinton's wedding.

A federal court ruling means the toughest provisions of Arizona’s new immigration law won’t go into effect today. We hear about the law and the impact on Arizona’s economy as demonstrators are being arrested in Phoenix. Also, has damage from the Gulf oil spill been exaggerated? On Reporter's Notebook, WikiLeaks, transparency and anonymity.

The Bush tax cuts are about to expire, paving the way for another election-year show down. What are the possible options for individual taxpayers, the deficit and the economy? Also, a federal judge blocks part of Arizona's immigration law, and the Chevy Volt: sticker shock and "range anxiety."

WikiLeaks has created a firestorm by giving 92,000 secret documents to three influential newspapers before releasing them on the Internet.  Do they contain anything new?  Will they alter public perceptions of the war in Afghanistan or change public policy.  Also, massive losses for BP in the oily wake of the Gulf spill. On Reporter's Notebook, is the filibuster being mis-used in the US Senate?

This year's Shanghai Expo celebrates China's extraordinary pace of economic development. The US barely showed up. Does that half-hearted effort reveal more than an image problem?  Should Americans and their leaders sit up and take notice? Also, BP resumes work to kill its leaking well, and WikiLeaks and the war in Afghanistan.

White House priorities have been overshadowed this week by a false charge of reverse racism. What was the role of the media, from the right to the mainstream?  Should the President address the issue directly? Also, Bell's highly paid public servants call it quits, and the death of the energy bill.

Even White House insiders concede that the President’s strategy in Afghanistan may be in trouble, on the ground and in Washington. What are the objectives? What are the alternatives and the prospects for women's rights and civil war? Also, oil spill work stops as storm approaches, and from Newark to Atlantic City, it's hard times in New Jersey.  

China has overcome the US as the world's largest consumer of energy. We look at the massive changes in store for the global marketplace, foreign policy, greenhouse gases and climate change. Also, the White House reconsiders an official's firing over remarks on race. On Reporter's Notebook, does the US have more "Intelligence" than it could ever need?