Humans could face extinction in this century if we do not change our ways. The list of dangers has never been longer. Global warming, biological terrorism, or even a runaway lab experiment could bring about the demise of life on earth, warns Sir Martin Rees, Britain’s Astronomer Royal.
Theologian and ethicist Ted Peters responds. How will [...]

Maura Reynolds, White House corespondent for The Los Angeles Times on George Bush’s trip to Europe.
Guests:
Maura Reynolds, White House corespondent for The Los Angeles Times

In the early 1970s, Manthia Diawara was one of many young adults living in the Western African nation of Mali, praying to Allah for a better life in the West.
They were especially lured to France — the land of Liberty, Equality and Fraternity and later to the United States the land of Freedom, opportunity and [...]

Barbara Wallraff, best-selling author of “Word Court” and senior editor at The Atlantic Monthly magazine analyzes today’s buzz words.
Guests:

The real face of Russia. President Bush travels to St. Petersburg on Saturday in advance of the G8 meeting in France. From Moscow to Vladivostok, a look at the new Russia.
Guests:
Dimitri Simes, president of the Nixon Center, author of “After the Collapse: Russia Seeks its Place as a Great Power”
Anatol Lieven, senior fellow at [...]

In a report released today, Amnesty International says that the war on terror is degrading human rights worldwide. We take a close look at the laundry list of concerns the human rights organization is presenting.
Guests:
Joshua Rubenstein, Northeast Regional Director for Amnesty International USA
Bill Frelick, Refugee Program Director for Amnesty International USA
Daniel Byman, Assistant Professor [...]

Taking the media for a spin. Ari Fleischer’s resignation leaves the Bush Administration without one of its smoothest media mainstays. But the White House remains masterful at media management. And much of mainstream media seems happy to go along for the ride. From “the Coalition” to “Embeds”, a look at Washington’s [...]

In what could mark an escalation of an already tense situation with Iran, top aides to President Bush met today to discuss options. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld has said he’s certain Tehran is harboring senior al-Qaida terrorists, a charge Iran denies.
Rumsfeld’s remarks were the latest in a round of tough statements by American officials on [...]

At the age 13, Erik Weihenmayer lost his sight. At 16, he found rock climbing. Finding footholds on the side of a rock face opened up a new world for Erik. He is now a world-class climber, one of less than 100 people to have scaled the Seven Summits, and the first sightless person to [...]

Today, America celebrates Memorial Day. There’s always been a Norman Rockwell-like small town feel about it–parades, speeches, flags, backyard barbecues. This year, the big scary world has crashed in on Main Street. U.S. troops are still in Iraq, and there have been casualties. In recent weeks, terrorists have struck targets around the [...]

Truth is indeed stranger than fiction. Mo Rocca, fake reporter for “The Daily Show with Jon Stewart,” is the new darling of television news. With commentaries on NBC and punditry on FOX, CNN and Court TV, Rocca closes the gap between satire and journalism. He joins us for On Point Fridays for a conversation [...]

Time correspondent Michael Ware has followed the ravages of war through Afghanistan and on to Iraq. The war in Iraq is over. But has the dust settled in Northern Iraq or is it a powder keg ready to explode? A darkening view of unrest in the north.
Guests:
Michael Ware, correspondent, Time Magazine

Congress is set to pass a hefty $350 billion tax cut package tonight. Though $200 billion short of what President Bush was lobbying for last month, the administration is already calling the anticipated passage a victory for the President and the country. Critics warn the cuts will come at the expense of such social programs [...]

From day one of her tenure as EPA’s top administrator, it was anything but smooth sailing for Christie Todd Whitman. The former New Jersey governor and moderate Republican tried to keep both oars in the water, attempting to strike a nearly impossible pro-environment pro-business balance.
She ended up bruised and badmouthed by lobbyists on both sides, [...]

Annika Sorenstam is the Tiger Woods of the LPGA. With 43 tournament wins in just a decade, she dominates the field. Now, she’s getting ready to tee off against the men at the Colonial Open in Fort Worth, Texas. It is the home course of Ben Hogan, one of only five players to win all [...]

The alarms seem to be everyone now. From the shadows of the U.S.-led war in Iraq, Al Qaeda is back. Two deadly attacks in Saudi Arabia and Morocco in the last two weeks, have cast shadows on the statement made by the Bush administration recently that Al Qaeda is on the run.
According to Rohan Gunaratna, [...]

Pop quiz. What do all these words have in common?
Able-bodied, anchorman, barbarian, bookworm, codger, cowboy, deaf, deformed, Eskimo, fairy, God, Hottentot, hussy?
They’ve all been banned, along with thousands of other words, ideas and images, from the pages of American educational materials.
A movement that began with efforts to take racism out of textbooks has expanded, [...]

Five Palestinian suicide bombings in 48 hours wreaked havoc in Israel. Prime Minister Ariel Sharon then postponed his trip to Washington. Today, there was even a revival within in the Israeli government of a proposal to expel Arafat, although that has since been rejected.
President Bush called Sharon and Palestinian Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas to calm [...]

How did Adolf Hitler rise to power in Germany – a democracy, after all? A CBS docudrama miniseries on Adolf Hitler, “Hitler, the Rise of Evil,” which began last night, explores this question. We take a closer look, with a historian of Nazi Germany and an expert on Hitler.
Guests:
Gerhard Weinberg, Professor Emeritus of History at [...]

A ban on small nuclear weapons is a cornerstone of a decades-old policy of nuclear restraint. But in a the age of terror is a ban necessary or not? The argument for and against the development of small nuclear arms.
Guests:
James Sterngold, national correspondent, The San Francisco Chronicle
Charles Ferguson, physicist, Center for Nonproliferation Studies [...]