To the Point

More than 150 heads of state have recognized the science of climate change, but denial is alive and well in the US Senate. We hear how that helped shape this weekend's international agreement in Paris.

Donald Trump is drawing crowds and getting cheers for comments that have ended political candidacies in the past. At the same time, white supremacist websites are energized and new attacks on mosques are being reported. What's the connection to demographic change and economic inequality?

Tech companies claim that analyzing big data can predict crime and help to prevent it. That sounds like science fiction, but police agencies around the country are buying into it — with federal assistance. Critics say it's science fiction after all — with the risk of violating civil rights and eroding public confidence. Is it making law enforcement more efficient and more effective or reinforcing the biases that are leading to the erosion of public trust? 

Increased bombing has the Islamic State struggling to maintain its oil revenue and hold on to the territory it's occupied. At the same time, a system of taxation enforced by increasing brutality may ultimately erode its ability to control and govern millions of people. We hear about a model of governance that could threaten the sustainability of the Islamic State from the inside.

Regardless of whether it's true, false or what he calls "politically correct," Donald Trump is telling many potential American voters just what they want to hear. We hear about the challenges for the Republican Party… and the traditional news media. 

One of America's most controversial issues is back in the news. Amid racial protest on campuses across the nation, the US Supreme Court will take up race-based affirmative action in admission to public colleges and universities. The hearing's tomorrow. Are there other ways of creating the campus diversity regarded as essential to higher education?  

In last night's address from the oval office, President Obama tried to boost confidence in his leadership after a string of nightmarish events -- and the likelihood of more terrorism to come. We hear about oratory, politics and the search for acceptable strategies.

The killers in San Bernardino have been tied to ISIS, although the White House is still waiting for the FBI to call it "domestic terrorism." Meantime, the latest reports have renewed the battle over gun control. Is gun control an answer to homegrown terror?

The latest toll from yesterday's mass shooting in San Bernardino: 14 dead and 21 wounded. The killers were a local health inspector and his wife — who left their six-month old baby girl with her grandmother before arming themselves and attacking the husband's colleagues at a holiday party. Was it terrorism?

For months, Republicans have kept up a drumbeat of verbal attacks on Planned Parenthood. Last week, three people were killed at a clinic in Colorado Springs. Some abortion rights advocates say extreme political rhetoric was responsible for deadly violence. We  take a look at that accusation.