To the Point

By KCRWNews

To the Point episodes

October 31, 2006 Iraq, Iran and Patterns in Foreign Policy
The Iraq Liberation Act got little attention when Congress
passed it in 1998, but it was used later to help set the nation on the path to
war. What is the Iran Freedom Support Act, also passed with little attention
just one month ago? Will it set the
stage for confrontation--as opposed to diplomacy--over Iran’s nuclear program? Plus, North Korea surprises the world by
agreeing to rejoin the six-nations talks, and NASA changes its mind on the
Hubble Telescope.
52 min
October 30, 2006 Would a New Democratic Majority Go Left... or Right?
If Democrats regain their majority, Republicans warn about high
taxes, weak defense and social liberalism. But the Democrats have recruited
candidates who promise to take their party back to the right. Would
conservative newcomers put liberal veterans in check? Would grassroots liberals have to be
satisfied with the lesser of two evils? Plus,
thousands of weapons are unaccounted for in Iraq,
and an update on local violence and national politics in Oaxaca, Mexico.
52 min
October 27, 2006 Will Next Month's Elections Be Free and Fair?
Electronic voting is the latest device to make
sure that elections are free and fair, but new technology means new opportunities for rigging the outcome. Is
partisanship a worse threat than incompetence and mismanagement? Are ID cards needed to prevent voter fraud?
Plus, an update on the Esperanza Fire in California’s
Riverside County, and the New Jersey Supreme Court
gives gay rights new prominence on the campaign trail.
52 min
October 26, 2006 Is Voter-Vault the Key to a Midterm Election Win?

The polls look good for Democrats, but do Republicans have a
not-so-secret weapon? We look at Republican and Democratic strategies for
getting out the vote, including the Republican "voter vault," a huge database of
personal information on individual voters. Also, President Bush signs the Secure Fences Act and the
last Ford Taurus is set to roll off the assembly line. Lawrence O'Donnell guest hosts.
50 min
October 25, 2006 Iraq, Illegal Immigration and the November Midterm Elections
With no compromise on Capitol Hill, illegal immigration remains a divisive issue in next month's elections, in border states and beyond. Do voters want the President's guest worker program, 700 miles of fencing or both? Where do minority voters stand?
52 min
October 24, 2006 The Democrats and the United States Senate
With news from Iraq going from bad to worse, Democrats are now being given a chance to take back the Senate. Political handicappers are focused on Missouri, Tennessee and Virginia. Democrats have to win at least two. But it won’t be easy. We'll get reports from all three states and from New Jersey, where an incumbent Democrat just might lose. Plus, timelines in Iraq and cheatin' in baseball.
52 min
October 23, 2006 Civil Rights and National Security
There's a new law on the treatment of terrorist suspects, but the battle may just be beginning. Will the courts agree to military tribunals? What are the President's new powers? Have civil rights been sacrificed to national security? Plus, milestones and benchmarks in the Bush Iraq war strategy, and expanding the Panama Canal.
52 min
October 20, 2006 Should the US Put Weapons in Outer Space?
For the first time in 10 years, the Bush Administration has
revised America's policy for outer space. Should the heavens be ruled by international treaty, or
should the US
seize the moment to pre-empt an inevitable arms race in space? Plus, increasing violence in Iraq, and human
remains have been found at Ground Zero five years later. What does New York City plan to do now?
52 min
October 19, 2006 Is It Time to Change Course in Iraq after All?
Despite joint efforts by US and Iraqi forces,
violence in Baghdad
is on the increase, and there’s growing impatience with Prime Minister Nouri
al-Maliki. We get the latest from Baghdad and a
talk with Iraq’s
Ambassador to the UN. What about a
phased withdrawal or asking Iran
and Syria
to help restore order? Plus, GOP approval
ratings fall to dangerous levels, and feeding North Korea--in the midst of sanctions.
52 min
October 18, 2006 Evangelicals and the Realities of Political Partisanship
A former Bush White House aide for faith-based
initiatives says conservative Christians are being used for political reasons.
Also, Secretary of
State Condoleezza Rice vows that the US
will protect Japan,
and Tony Blair calls veils a sign of separation from mainstream British
society.
52 min

About To the Point

From the publisher's feed

A monthly reality-check on the issues Americans care about most. Host Warren Olney draws on his decades of experience to explore the people and issues shaping – and disrupting - our world. How did…