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Analysis

Friday

Opinion

BackTalk

Listener Says John Edwards Should Cheat Smarter

Tell Me More host Michel Martin and Lee Hill, the program's "digital media guy," comb through listener feedback and offer important news updates to recent conversations heard on the program. This week, the audience weighs in on former presidential hopeful John Edwards marital woes and whether his transgressions of infidelity say anything about his capacity to lead with integrity as a public figure. Also, hear an update on the controversy surrounding the proposed merger of three historically black colleges in Mississippi.

Listener Says John Edwards Should Cheat Smarter

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Thursday

For Obama, Speech With Competing Goals

President Obama delivers his State of the Union address on Capitol Hill in Washington, Wednesday, Jan. 27, 2010. Tim Sloan/AP hide caption

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Tim Sloan/AP

Politics

For Obama, Speech With Competing Goals

In his first State of the Union address, President Obama tried to reassure both his liberal base and the disaffected moderates and independents that he and his party need to win back. Supporters were reassured, but pundits say the speech was no game-changer.

Hear President Obama's Speech

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Wednesday

Opinion

Sweetness And Light

College Sports Turmoil: The New Normal?

New stories about abusive coaches, outrageous salaries and alleged rules violations in collegiate football and basketball seem to be coming out every week. But the negative reports are unlikely to lead to meaningful change.

College Sports Turmoil: The New Normal?

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Thursday

Opinion

News Analysis

Americans Vent Anger At 'Fat Cat' Bankers

The billions of dollars in bonuses and other compensation awarded to bank executives has outraged Americans. NPR Senior News Analyst Daniel Schorr says it's beginning to feel a little like the 1930s, when President Franklin Roosevelt inveighed against "the economic royalists."

Americans Vent Anger At 'Fat Cat' Bankers

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Wednesday

Middle East

In Saudis, U.S. Has Ally Against Al-Qaida In Yemen

With al-Qaida gaining a foothold in Yemen, the country is seen as the next place the U.S. will have to do battle. There are clear similarities between Afghanistan and Yemen: Both are poor countries with weak governments. But unlike Afghanistan's neighbor, Pakistan, Yemen's neighbor is eager to play a cooperative role in U.S. efforts.

In Saudis, U.S. Has Ally Against Al-Qaida In Yemen

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Saturday

What The Divorce Revolution Has Meant For Kids

Producer Sasha Aslanian (right) and her brother, Joel, were 10 and 9 when their parents separated in 1978. Courtesy Sasha Aslanian hide caption

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Courtesy Sasha Aslanian

Culture

What The Divorce Revolution Has Meant For Kids

Radio producer Sasha Aslanian, herself a "divorced kid," spent five years documenting the lives of children whose parents are divorced. She discovered that while the courts and state governments are working to put kids first, divorce will always change their lives.

What The Divorce Revolution Has Meant For Kids

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Friday

Science

Looking Back At The Year In Science

Ira Flatow and a panel of science writers and editors discuss the top science stories of 2009, from the discovery of water on the moon to the unveiling of human ancestor Ardipithecus ramidus to public health controversies like the new mammography guidelines and the swine flu vaccine.

Looking Back At The Year In Science

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Friday

Sunday

Amanda Knox Trial A Tangle Of Cultural Tensions

The murder conviction in Italy of the American student outraged many in the U.S. Some denounced it as a miscarriage of justice. However, much of the coverage on both sides of the Atlantic was distorted by cross-cultural misunderstandings.

Amanda Knox Trial A Tangle Of Cultural Tensions

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Friday

Opinion

Barbershop

Shop Talk: 'Keep Your Tiger Woods In Your Pants'

Freelance writer Jimi Izrael, editor and founder of the MuslimGuy.com Arsalan Iftikhar, syndicated columnist Ruben Navarrette and Pulitzer Prize winning columnist for The Washington Post, Eugene Robinson. They discuss whether President Obama's acceptance of the Nobel Prize will restore any of his political clout in Washington and the latest with defamed golfer Tiger Woods and his ongoing sex scandal.

Shop Talk: 'Keep Your Tiger Woods In Your Pants'

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Tuesday

News

Unemployment Could Overshadow Economic Stimulus

The U.S. unemployment rate dipped to 10-percent in November after a two-year climb to heights unseen in almost three decades. Still, the decline is only a small improvement as some still wait to reap the benefits of President Obama's economic stimulus package. Stephen Henderson, of The Detroit Free Press, explains why he thinks the U.S. job market could take years to recover from the economic downturn and why the stimulus package may not offer a big enough boost.

Unemployment Could Overshadow Economic Stimulus

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Tina Brown's Must-Reads: Celebrities Behaving Badly

One day before breaking his silence over scandals in his personal life, golfer Tiger Woods practiced outside his home in Windermere, Fla. Sam Greenwood/Getty Images hide caption

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Sam Greenwood/Getty Images

Tina Brown's Must-Reads

Tina Brown's Must-Reads: Celebrities Behaving Badly

The editor of The Daily Beast gives her picks for the best reading on celebrity antics, from Tiger Woods to Roman Polanski.

Tina Brown's Must-Reads: Celebrities Behaving Badly

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Wednesday

Politics

Obama: Thousands More Troops Headed To Afghanistan

President Obama announced Tuesday his decision to aggressively increase the presence of U.S. troops on the ground in Afghanistan to 30,000. He also outlined an equally tight timeline for their withdrawal by July 2011. Some say the plan is the most consequential decision of his presidency to-date. Ashraf Haidari, a political counselor from the Embassy of Afghanistan in Washington, D.C., and Afghan journalist Najib Sharifi are joined by former U.S. Army Captain Benjamin Tupper to discuss the heavy implications of the recent announcement and whether they agree with President Obama's assessment of the situation.

Obama: Thousands More Troops Headed To Afghanistan

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Tuesday

Analysis: Presidents, Congress And War

President Lyndon Johnson signs the Tonkin resolution, which gave him power to escalate the Vietnam war. It was easily passed by both houses of Congress, although it was later repealed. MPI/Getty Images hide caption

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MPI/Getty Images

Politics

Analysis: Presidents, Congress And War

Congress may have the sole constitutional authority to declare wars and the finance them, but in America it is the president that carries them out. Among the challenges facing President Obama is convincing his own party that the cause in Afghanistan is right.

Thursday

What's Behind Lou Dobbs' Leaving CNN?

Lou Dobbs, shown in 2007, announced Wednesday that he is leaving CNN. Karen Bleier/AFP/Getty Images hide caption

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Karen Bleier/AFP/Getty Images

What's Behind Lou Dobbs' Leaving CNN?

The CNN anchor quit Wednesday after months of tensions with executives, saying he would seek new ways to advocate his opinions. Dobbs evolved as a hard-liner on illegal immigration after the Sept. 11 attacks. His often inflammatory views conflicted with corporate strategy.

What's Behind Lou Dobbs' Leaving CNN?

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