On his 100th birthday we celebrate the life and music of the great composer Richard Rodgers.
His career spans six decades with 40 musicals and over 900 published songs to his credit. Along with the lyricists Lorenz Hart and Oscar Hammerstein II, Richard Rodgers wrote some of the most popular music in the [...]

Two controversial court rulings this week have American’s temperatures rising over the sometimes blurry divisions between church and state in the U.S.
We’ll look at that intersection where religion enters public life, and vice versa — from Jefferson to Eisenhower to today’s George W. Bush — and ask: where are you finding the overlap uncomfortable? [...]

American business is under attack from angry investors are new revelations of corporate greed and fraud. What’s the impact on Wall Street and the still sluggish economy?
Guests:
Greg Ip, economics editor at the Wall Street Journal

Actor, writer, producer, political satirist and now Ph.D. (Hon.) is ready to share his life lessons and advice.
Nothing is taboo for Dr. Franken, from sex to religion to the weight you’ll gain to the retirement home you’ll end up in.
Whether you’re an anxious student ready to graduate, a recent grad stumbling through your chaotic twenties, [...]

From Blade Runner to Total Recall, sci-fi fans have flocked to films based on the stories of legendary writer Philip K. Dick. Now, two decades after his death, another one of his stories–Minority Report–has hit the big screen. Garen Daly walks us through the Philip K. Dick film library.
Guests:
Garen Daly, On Point Movie [...]

The College Board votes on revamping the SAT exam. The latest version is expected to include a writing section and will have other changes.
Proponents say this new test better reflects high school curriculum and the writing sample will be a useful tool for college admissions offices.
Critics counter the changes will penalize students who don’t speak [...]

The High Court ruled 5-4 today that the school voucher program is constitutional and doesn’t constitute the establishment of religion.
Guests:
Paul Peterson, director of the Educational Policy and Governance program at Harvard’s Kennedy School of government and longtime analyst of school voucher programs.

Commentator Walter Dixon gives his suggestion for an SAT redesign — if it really is supposed to measure what you need to know to succeed in college.
Guests:
Walter Dixon

On Point’s audio archaeologist Ned Connors looks back at the genesis of the jazz organ and the genius of Thomas “Fats” Waller.
Guests:
Ned Connors, On Point Audio Archaeologist

The G8 Summit is underway in Kananaskis, Canada. Though Canadian Prime Minister Jean Chretien wanted to focus the meeting on G8 aid to Africa, disagreement over President Bush’s Middle East peace plan and chaos over news of WorldCom’s shocking announcement of a possible accounting scandal today may overshadow all else. We get a live [...]

The troubled telecommunications company
WorldCom announced yesterday that it inflated
profits for more than a year, failing to account for
nearly $4 billion.
If the company files for bankruptcy it will be one of the biggest financial frauds in U.S. history.
As the cloud of corporate scandal looms over Wall
Street, what will be the fallout for investors? After
Enron, after [...]

The House is set to pass a Republican prescription drug coverage plan this week. Not to be outdone, the Democrats are fast following with a plan of their own.
Though the plans differ on key points such as maximum annual expenditure seniors would lay out and what fraction of seniors would receive full coverage, both plans [...]

Last week Amtrak President David Gunn threatened a shutdown of the nation’s passenger rail system.
The Bush administration is offering up a $120 million loan package that will keep the trains running, for now, but the company has not turned a profit in over 30 years. What is the future of rail transport in America?
This hour, [...]

The West is on fire again this summer and this time environmentalists find themselves in the hot seat.
Critics argue lawsuits against proposed forest thinning projects have led to unprecedented fire dangers. Environmentalists counter that it is just politics as usual and more evidence that America doesn’t have a viable fire policy.
This hour, the red-hot debate: [...]

President Bush delivered his much anticipated speech on the Middle East this afternoon.
The Bush Administration has been divided over plans for the Middle East. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld and Vice President Dick Cheney have pushed for the President to avoid creating a clear timeline for Palestinian statehood.
Secretary of State Colin Powell has argued that a [...]

Despite his name, DJ logic considers himself a musician first, a DJ second.
DJ Logic (aka Jason Kibbler) grew up at the same time and in the same Bronx neighborhoods as hip-hop did, watching first-hand as people like Afrika Bambaata, Kool Herk, and Grandmaster Flash created a new form of music that became the last revolutionary [...]

When President Bush signed a $190 billion farm bill that increased subsidies to American farmers, it was the death knell for millions of small farmers in developing countries around the world.
The flood of American crops on the global market is expected to drive down food prices, making it impossible for family farmers in the Third [...]

Eight years after one of the worst acts of genocide in the 20th century, the Rwandan government is turning towards traditional forms of justice.
With nearly 100,000 people still in jail awaiting trial, formal law courts are overwhelmed with the need to process cases in a timely manner. The government has revived the “gacaca” process – [...]

In the midterm elections, Republicans and Democrats won’t be gearing up for a fight.
Only 11 out of 425 House districts have been rated as “toss up” contests where either candidate could win. Ten years ago there were four times as many.
The 2002 elections: why Republicans and Democrats are playing it safe. What does it mean [...]

The source of American power lies in the wars of the 19th and 20th century. Have those wars, and their outcomes, positioned America as the premier global superpower, or propelled the US into a future where the “market-state,” and not democratic ideals, reign supreme?
Can the U.S., now commonly accepted as an informal cultural and economic [...]