To the Point

The promise of the Beijing Olympics was a healthier, freer, more open society, but with the games about to get under way, the world is seeing smog, the roundup of dissidents a crackdown on the Internet. Has China broken its promises, or was it subject to unrealistic expectations?  Also, tropical storm Edouard develops in the Gulf of Mexico. On Reporter's Notebook, should the case of the anthrax letters be closed?

More and more kids spend long hours on the Internet. At the same time, reading scores are declining. Is there a connection? Also, an apparent suicide in the anthrax case dies, and Manny Ramirez has been traded from Boston to Los Angeles. 

Polls show George W. Bush is the most unpopular President in American history, but Congress is more unpopular still. Also, President Bush shortens tours in Iraq, and America's largest cash crop...marijuana.

The US is losing the fight against wildfires, which are bigger, more

The opium poppy is financing the return of the Taliban in Afghanistan, but President Hamid Karzai is protecting opium traffic in order to stay in office.  We hear dramatic claims by a high-level US official who can tell his story now that's resigned. Also, Alaska Senator Ted Stevens indicted, and gas means gold in rural Louisiana.

Democrats say the new housing bill will help the housing market and the economy as a whole, but President Bush will sign reluctantly and against the wishes of many Republicans. Will lenders agree to restructure loans on homes facing foreclosure?  Will backing Freddie and Fannie put taxpayers at risk?  Also, a female suicide bomber kills dozens in Iraq, and Denver has second thoughts about the Democrats.

This year's presidential campaign is the first when both candidates have campaigned overseas. But Barack Obama's foreign excursion has gotten a lot more attention than John McCain's. Also, frightening moments for Qantas travelers at 29,000 feet, and Iraqi politics and the Olympic Games.

Americans are carrying $2.5 trillion in consumer debt. The average household owes credit card companies $8,500. Will that be the next bubble to burst? Also, Barack Obama speaks in Berlin, and another disaster in the river off New Orleans.  

Barack Obama confronted one of his toughest political challenges today with visits to Israel and the West Bank. We hear what he said and how both sides reacted. Also, the housing rescue bill moves through the pipeline, and a Texas oilman endorses wind power.  

In what's billed as a great year for Democrats, their candidate for president has a big problem. Less than half of Americans think Barack Obama would be a good commander in chief. Almost three-fourths say that about John McCain. Also, Obama in Jordan, and the accused mastermind of genocide in Serbia has been arrested after thirteen years on the run.