To the Point

President Bush's plans are going ahead to send 21,500 additional US troops to fight in Iraq. Three Republican Senators said today they aren't buying into the program. We talk about the new mission, the prospects of getting it accomplished and the likelihood that Iraq's government will meet the President's "benchmarks." Then, can the world's biggest sports star finally make soccer a major factor in the United States?

Still devastated in the aftermath of Katrina, New Orleans is now in the throes of a violent crime wave. With Mardi Gras less than six weeks away, we hear about a spate of murders and a lack of police. Plus, Somalia becomes the lates front on the US war on terror, and President Bush tonight will acknowledge mistakes and blame Iraq for "handcuffing" US forces with "political interference."

The United States wants to revive the Middle East peace process at a moment when Palestinians are ready for civil war and Israeli's don't trust their own government.  Will the threat of Iran get so-called "moderate" Arab governments to help out?  Does the road to regional stability run through Jerusalem after all? Plus, Iraqi and US forces kill 50 militants in central Baghdad, and will California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger provide a national model for healthcare?

President Bush has yet to announce his new strategy for Iraq, but Democrats already are lining up to oppose it. What power do they have to change the way the war is conducted? Will the Iraqi government agree to "benchmarks" if President Bush demands them? Plus, President Bush names a new ambassador to the UN, and Mexico's latest war on drugs involves disarming local police. Can federal troops overcome municipal corruption?

Women in their 60's are setting age records for giving birth, and the fastest growing group of new mothers are those in their 40's. The medical, social and ethical issues raised by the high-tech fertility industry. Plus, the President shakes up his Iraq leadership team, and American warships are off the coast of Somalia.  What's the US role in driving the Islamic Courts movement out of power?

Nancy Pelosi is now Speaker of the House of Representatives as the Democrats take over Capitol Hill.  We look at their agenda and its chance of success.  Can they make a difference in domestic policy?  What about the war in Iraq? Plus, career diplomat John Negroponte is rumored to be moving to the State Department, and a spectacular light display in the skies over Colorado as debris from outer space lands in Wyoming.

Saddam Hussein has gone to his grave.  What secrets died with him?  We hear about the ongoing search for mass graves, big money and the degree of western support for Saddam's war with Iran and atrocities against his own people.  Plus, a lame-duck President calls for bipartisanship, and religious diversity on Captiol Hill.

The late President Gerald Ford was remembered today by official Washington.  We hear about the funeral and get several views on Ford's legacy and the White House staff that included Donald Rumsfeld and Dick Cheney. Plus, more about the videotape of Saddam Hussein's execution and reaction in the Muslim world.

Business leaders and high-tech scientists are worried that America's losing its edge in technological progress. On this archived edition of To the Point, can the President's Competitiveness Initiative put America back on track, or will China, India and other developing countries dominate the world's economic future? Plus, Spring seems to have arrived early in Europe, and the man who made SuperFoods famous has some ideas that could lead to New Year's resolutions.

• This edition of To the Point will not be heard on KCRW as it will be pre-empted by special holiday programming.
  

Muslims in America. From politics to the workplace, are Muslims here carving out their own identity? Plus, John Edwards says he'll make another presidential run next year, and film critic Ken Turan on Clint Eastwood's remarkable pair of films about the battle for Iwo Jima.  Sara Terry guest hosts.