To the Point

Barack Obama's hand-picked commander of troops in Afghanistan has apologized for trashing the President in Rolling Stone magazine. Should the Commander in Chief fire General Stanley McChrystal for disrespect and insubordination or keep him on board as too important to let go? Also, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac are now fully owned and operated by the federal government, at a possible cost of $389 billion. Can US taxpayers afford to continue subsidizing home ownership, a federal policy since 1938?

BP is the latest corporation under attack by the White House, but polls show the public thinks BP is handling the oil spill about as well as the government is. What's the message about the President's brand of populism?  Also, the Supreme Court upholds anti-terror law, and the Tea Party movement, the religious right and conservatism in America.

Wikipedia calls itself "the online encyclopedia that anyone can edit," but 15 million articles create the potential for a multitude of mistakes, dirty tricks and editorial bias. Can one of the Internet's most popular sites be open to all and maintain high standards of accuracy at the same time?  Also, ethnic violence ebbs in Kyrgyzstan, and the NBA season is finally over and the US is still alive in the World Cup.

The CEO of BP, who once  minimized the Gulf oil spill, apologized today at a congressional hearing. But Tony Hayward gave so few answers to a host of tough questions that one Democrat called him "irresponsible." Also, Israel agrees to ease restrictions on food and building material into Gaza, and California prepares the way for the electric car.

In his first speech from the Oval Office last night, President Obama explained what he called his "battle plan" for the Gulf oil spill. Did he succeed in a broader goal: reassuring Americans that he has the disaster under control? Also, cell-phone radiation. scientists are still debating the health impacts of radiation from cell phones.  San Francisco is demanding that customers get a chance to compare.  Could that be misleading? 

President Obama is publicly upbeat, but his strategy in Afghanistan is not working as planned. Has President Karzai lost faith in the US and NATO?  Is Pakistan even closer to the Afghan Taliban than previously reported? Also, oil executives get grilled on Capitol Hill, and Wikipedia is losing its army of volunteer editors. Will easing restrictions make them want to stay on the job?

The federal budget for cancer research is $31 billion, but cancer victims and taxpayers are asking, where are those promised breakthroughs? We look at the expectations and the realities of a disease that's more complicated the more we know. Also, Obama makes his fourth trip to the Gulf since the spill, and an update on US chances in the World Cup.

The development of electronic media is the biggest thing since the printing press, and it's altering the way the human brain functions. While neuroscientists try to figure out how that's happening, we hear a debate about whether the outcome is good or bad. Also, oil slick estimates keep climbing, and the year of the woman in politics -- Carly Fiorina and Barbara Boxer’s hair.

The Gulf oil slick reached Alabama's inland waterways today as President Obama said it's time to update laws and regulations. Does his moratorium on deep-water exploration threaten the local economy as much as the spill? What are the trade-offs? Also, another long, hard slog, this time in Afghanistan, and  the winning candidate who didn't campaign.

Starting on Friday, almost a billion soccer fans will be watching the World Cup for the next month.  We look at South Africa's preparations for a sporting event with worldwide cultural impact. Also, the UN passes its fourth resolution against Iran's nuclear program, and the results of yesterday's primary elections in 11 states.