To the Point

America's poultry industry is under assault as never before from bird flu. It's thought to have started with migrating wild geese, but nobody knows why it's spreading. So far, there's no threat to the food supply, but prices could be on the rise and the future is full of uncertainties.

Under the leadership of Pope Francis, the Vatican has joined 135 countries in recognizing a Palestinian state.  Will it be more than a boost for Palestinian morale? We hear Israeli reaction and the possible consequences in Europe and elsewhere in the world of diplomacy.

President Obama has attacked union leaders and senators of his own party in unusually personal terms. Even former House speaker Nancy Pelosi says it's harder for Democrats to love each other than it used to be. How deep is the split between centrist pragmatism and progressive ideology? How will it look to voters in next year's primary campaigns?

President Obama has advocated alternatives to fossil fuels, but when it comes to US sources of energy, he's also been careful to consider "all of the above." Now he's approved exploratory oil drilling in parts of the Arctic Ocean — to the outrage of environmentalists concerned about polluting pristine waters and about climate change.

With campaign spending limits almost a thing of the past, candidates for the White House are lining up billionaires, giving a very few people unprecedented political power. Who are they? Is their influence a threat to democracy?

Israel's not the only American ally worried about a US nuclear deal with Iran. Saudi Arabia and other Arab Gulf States won't be sending their most senior leaders to what was hailed as a historic "summit" with President Obama this week at Camp David.

America's "crackdown on crime" has led to mass incarceration — with black Americans imprisoned out of proportion to their place in the population. We talk to the DA in Milwaukee and others about racial inequality and the role of prosecutors in the "crackdown on crime."

They’re called Legal Highs, drugs that mimic illegal substances like marijuana and cocaine, but are just chemically different enough to pass through customs on their way from labs in China and India. Now they’re causing a rash of overdoses in cities across the country. Are legalization and regulation the answer? 

As Hillary Clinton campaigns for the White House, attacks on the Clinton Family Foundation are simmering in the media. Is a real scandal about to emerge or is it what Hillary calls the "right wing conspiracy" all over again?

Deadly incidents involving police have sparked major protests in several American cities. Local police unions may no longer be able to resist reforms. Is civilian oversight the answer? What should it look like?