By host Tom Ashbrook:

Ok, it’s August. It’s summertime. And the livin’ is… well, not entirely easy. Not this week.

Wall Street is all over the place, and way too much down for investors’ liking. Utah coal miners are still buried in the earth. Baghdad’s government is looking creaky. The presidential primary calendar is hurtling back in time toward Christmas.

Even baseball was no relief, with Barry Bonds’ new homerun crown sitting uneasily on the big sluggers head. When the space shuttle soared into the cool heavens, maybe you wanted to be onboard.

This hour On Point: a week in the news, with Karen Tumulty, Clarence Page, Jack Beatty, and you.

Guests:

Karen Tumulty, national political correspondent for Time magazine

Clarence Page, columnist and editorial board member of the Chicago Tribune

Jack Beatty, On Point news analyst, senior editor at the Atlantic Monthly