To the Point

Cash for Clunkers has run through almost a billion federal dollars in just ten days. With the Senate poised to come up with another two billion, are taxpayers funding a consumer frenzy that would have happened anyway? Also, Bill Clinton Meets Kim Jong Il in North Korea, and there's more trouble for the Large Hadron Collider, the world’s most expensive and most ambitious machine for studying Physics

Forget about being labeled as "soft on crime," states all over the country are cutting back on prisons. A 20-year crackdown has led to a $100 billion financial shortfall.  Are there cheaper alternatives that still protect public safety? Will the crisis lead to reform? Also, Iran’s Supreme Leader endorses Ahmadinejad, and the remains of a American combat casualty have been identified--18 years later.

President Obama brought the policeman and the professor together for some "conflict resolution" last night. What did the "beer summit" accomplish?  Is a similar strategy working with Congress?  Will it help to achieve the goals of foreign policy? Also, the recession is worse that originally reported, and Congress finds more cash for clunkers.

The President says the arrests of a black Harvard professor by a white Cambridge policeman provided a "teachable moment" on race relations. We hear contrasting views of the "beer summit" at the Obama White House. Also, a military colonel says it's time to leave Iraq, and the latest on efforts to close Guantanamo Bay.

The Obama Administration's inviting the states to "Race to the Top" by competing for $4.3 billion in stimulus money. Is that enough to get teachers unions to change their minds on charter schools, merit pay or standardized tests to evaluate teacher performance? Also, a House deal on healthcare, and Microsoft and Yahoo join forces to challenge Google.

Mexican gray wolves are almost extinct, and efforts to reintroduce them have run into trouble. They're acting like wolves. Can the Obama Administration find common ground between cattle ranchers and environmentalists as it tackles the management of federal lands? Also, the Senate Judiciary Committee votes for Sonia Sotomayor, and the promising future of bar codes.  

The Obama Administration has revved up efforts at Middle East Peace, but relations are strained with Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. We get a progress report.

Hillary Clinton covered a lot of diplomatic ground this week on her trip to India and Thailand. The Secretary of State also generated sparks with her comments on Iran and North Korea. Guest host Sara Terry discusses  Clinton's accomplishments, her agenda  for developing relations in Asia, and whether the high-profile trip means that Clinton's taking a more active role in Washington? Also, President Obama announces a competition for federal education dollars, and Nobel Peace Prize-winner Aung San Suu Kyi goes on trial in Myanmar.

President Obama is going all out for healthcare reform. Some say it's crucial to the rest of his agenda. How did he do at last night's news conference? Have new media changed the nature of a familiar debate.  Also, massive corruption in New Jersey, and America's first black president talks about race relations and the police. 

President Obama is pulling out all the stops to get healthcare reform, including a news conference tonight in prime time. What challenges will he still face when he continues his campaign tomorrow? Also, gun-control advocates win a close Senate vote, and DNA testing and Major League Baseball.