To the Point

Co-pilot Andreas Lubitz died with 149 others when he crashed an airliner in the French Alps. His mental condition can never be known, but speculation continues. We'll hear about depression, aggression—and how much reporting should be required for pilots, bus drivers, train engineers and others involved with public safety.

Parents who want their kids to be free, independent and responsible are subject to visits from the police and oversight from child protective service agencies.  Is "free-range parenting" a form of child endangerment?

California is adopting water restrictions for the first time… and that's the problem.  It's the first time.  Four years of drought have created an emergency, but 19th Century laws and 20th Century practices have created a 21st Century crisis, not just in California, but in much of the West as well. 

For the first time since the US embargo of 1961, there's now a direct flight from New York to Havana. We hear what the relaxation of diplomatic restrictions will mean for American tourists and for the communist island 90 miles from American shores.

Negotiators in Switzerland are aiming for a political deal on Iran's nuclear program — enough agreement to allow time for technical details to be worked out by the end of June. We get a progress report.

With new violence compounding more than decade of instability, the Obama Administration is struggling to keep up with the volatile Middle East. When past US involvement helped to create the current chaos, are there any new politics available to contain it?

Boosters of big-time, "amateur" college sports say "student athletes" are getting free educations and possible pro careers, but critics say they are unpaid professionals victimized by academic fraud. Should they be paid? 

Investigators now say Tuesday's Germanwings airline crash that killed 150 people was a "deliberate" act. The co-pilot locked the pilot out of the cockpit. A mysterious tragedy has now become a criminal case.

Once again, the US Supreme Court appeared divided today on a challenge to the Obama Administration. Do the EPA's proposed regulations on coal-fired power plants exceed its authority to protect public health? Does the Clean Air Act require the agency to consider the cost?

Despite promised action by Republicans when they won the Senate, gridlock continues on Capitol Hill. But it's not just partisanship as usual. Divisions within the GOP have slowed routine government business — and may delay enactment of the federal budget.