To the Point

Banks that were "too big to fail" were rescued from the consequences of bad decisions with taxpayer money.  They're beginning to pay it back but, at the same time, they've grown bigger than ever. What does that mean for consumers? Can government get the banks under control before they get reckless again? Also, an update on the fires that are ravaging southern California, and big change in Japan.

The US is faced with a possible flu epidemic this fall, and plans are being made for extreme emergencies. If medical facilities are overwhelmed, who gets access first?  Who makes that decision? What can be learned from what happened in New Orleans after Katrina? Also, an update on deadly Los Angeles-area wildfires, and President Obama's commanding general assesses Afghanistan.

Offshore wind is an alternative energy source touted by the Obama Administration. But plans may be delayed by controversy over a project planned for waters off Cape Cod and Martha's Vineyard, where the President's on vacation. We hear about green power and global warming, natural beauty and the tourist economy, and what's at stake for America's energy future.  Also, Iranian President Ahmadinejad wants opposition leaders prosecuted, and a kidnapping victim is found -- 18 years later.

The concierge doctor is a relatively small but growing practice aimed at cutting out the middle man and delivering medicine directly to the patient…for a price. Meanwhile, the number of doctors going into family practice has dropped dramatically, even though healthcare analysts say general practitioners are essential as the backbone of an efficient and accessible national healthcare system. Guest host Judy Muller examines  the disparity and wonders what Ted Kennedy would have thought. Also, the Dalai Lama’s upcoming visit to Taiwan provokes China, and the 150th anniversary of striking oil and the new age of oil.

Massive truck bombs in Baghdad last week dramatized sectarian differences, even as Prime Minister al-Maliki claimed to have security well in hand. Will political instability lead to civil war?  Will Iran extend its influence in Iraqi affairs? Should the US continue its troop withdrawal? Also, Senator Edward Kennedy, who died of brain cancer last night.

The Inspector General's report describes CIA interrogators menacing suspects with guns and power drills and threatening to rape their wives and kill their children.  Did Bush White House officials authorize torture? What's next for the CIA, the FBI and efforts to protect America's national security? Also, President Obama nominates Fed Chair Bernanke to a second term, and Scotland, Libya and the Lockerbie bomber.

President Obama has set up a new team to question terrorist suspects, with less authority for the CIA and more for the White House and the Justice Department. Meantime, more details are being revealed about past abuses, including the use of a gun and a power drill. Will a special prosecutor reopen investigations? Also, industrial agriculture produces huge quantities of meat and grain, but are they as cheap as they seem? Is there damage to land, water and even human health, including human obesity? Is there a better way?

Hard as it is to get away from his job, President Obama is spending a week on Martha's Vineyard. But most American workers are cutting back on vacations this year. We hear what that could mean for both mental and physical health — and the economy. Also, polls show rising opposition to healthcare reform, and athletic performance and gender determination.

The polls are closed and the vote count is under way in Afghanistan, where a national election has been held in the midst of bloody fighting. We look at the turnout, the possible outcomes and the potential consequences for US diplomacy and military commitments.  Also, the Lockerbie bomber is released, and Whole Foods and healthcare reform.

A record pace of home foreclosures is taking its biggest toll on blacks and Hispanics. Did big lenders conduct a new kind of housing discrimination by pushing sub-prime loans to minorities hoping for a piece of the American dream? Also, violence surrounds Afghanistan's presidential election, and combat soldiers and training in mental health.