To the Point

This weekend the Bush Administration announced a dramatic rescue for the banking giant Citigroup. It's a time of almost unprecedented political circumstances surrounding government responses to the crisis, as one president prepares to leave office, and another gets ready to take over. Guest host Sara Terry explores what's at stake during this transition, and what lessons can be learned from history? Jimmy Carter is denied a visa, along with other world elders. What is Zimbabwe’s Robert Mugabe doing behind closed doors?

Barack Obama may have a harder time re-directing the ship of state than other incoming presidents have.  George Bush is perfecting the art of "midnight regulations." We hear what that could mean for the Endangered Species Act, development on federal lands and other environmental issues.  Also, unemployment benefits expanded, and senior moments on Capitol Hill.

With the election of a pro-choice president and the failure of anti-abortion measures in several states, the pro-life movement is down but not out. We hear about evolving tactics and a new focus on same-sex marriage. Also, big changes on Capitol Hill, and the latest leaks about the Obama cabinet.

The Pentagon spends 85% more than it did eight years ago, but US

The Big Three are launching a big push for a Washington bailout. If Democrats and Republicans can't resolve their differences, will the auto industry still be in business when the White House changes hands? Also the Treasury Secretary tells Congress the bailout is making progress, and a giant oil tanker has been captured by pirates under the noses of the world's most powerful navies. 

This weekend's G-20 meeting dramatized the interdependence of seven or eight industrialized powers and the so-called "emerging economies." Can they get together to resolve the global financial crisis? Were they marking time until America's next President takes office? Also, Obama and McCain meet in Chicago, and if Barack Obama wants Hillary Clinton as secretary of state, he may have to take two for the price of one.

Should Ford, Chrysler and General Motors be bailed out with taxpayer money or allowed to suffer the consequences of bad management and uncompetitive products? Could federal aid force them to change their ways and save millions of jobs? We talk with industry insiders. Also, consumers freeze in the face of the ongoing financial crisis. On Reporter's Notebook, who is Martin Eisenstadt and why should we care?

President Bush has extended the powers of his office beyond what many believe the Constitution allows, with unauthorized spying, the treatment of prisoners and the denial of legal rights. Was it necessary and justified to protect the country or should there be high-level criminal trials to re-establish the rule of law? Also, the unemployment rate continues to climb, and same-sex marriage advocates take to the streets. 

Barack Obama has said the economic crisis means that a range of

With Democrats firmly in charge of the White House and Congress, Karl Rove's "permanent Republican majority" is a distant dream.  We talk with a range of thinkers about restoring the unity and the relevance of the GOP.  Also, an update on three unresolved US Senate races, and 90 years of commemorating America's war veterans.