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Analysis Analysis by NPR commentators, including Ted Koppel. Subscribe to our free podcast.

Analysis

Friday

Top Science Stories of 2004

It might be hard to beat the success of the Mars rovers, but what else should make it onto a best-of-2004 list of science stories? Maybe Russia's ratification of the Kyoto Protocol, drug safety, or the discovery of a new species of ancient humans? We take a trip back through the year in science.

Top Science Stories of 2004

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Wednesday

How America's High Schools Can Be Improved

NPR's Robert Siegel talks to Theodore Sizer, a former high school principal and the founder of the Coalition of Essential Schools. Sizer talks about what's wrong with American high schools and how they might be improved. Sizer is also the author of The Red Pencil: Convictions from Experience in Education.

How America's High Schools Can Be Improved

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Tuesday

Wednesday

Examining Where Fannie Mae Went Wrong

Two top executives and the outside auditor exit the federally backed mortgage giant Fannie Mae after the Securities and Exchange Commission finds fault with the company's accounting. NPR's Robert Siegel talks with Mike McNamee of Business Week.

Examining Where Fannie Mae Went Wrong

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Monday

Government's Use of Automated Signatures Has Long History

The type of autopen machine at issue in the controversy over Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld's mechanized signature on condolence letters to killed soldiers' families has been in use by the government for years, and went public during President Gerald Ford's time in office. NPR's Robert Siegel talks with Philip Ross, an attorney and collector of political memorabilia, and David Laurell, associate editor of Autograph Collector Magazine.

Government's Use of Automated Signatures Has Long History

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Opinion

Veterans' Day

Bringing U.S. Wounded Home from the Battlefield

Advances in battlefield medicine mean more and more U.S. soldiers survive severe injuries and make it home again. That's where they face the daunting challenge of recovery and a possible life with disability. In the second of our two-part discussion of the wounds of war, we report on soldiers adapting to life after being wounded overseas.

Bringing U.S. Wounded Home from the Battlefield

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Thursday

Opinion

From Our Listeners

Taking Corporations to Task for Human Rights

This week, oil giant Unocal tentatively settled a lawsuit over allegations of human rights abuse in Myanmar. Human rights activists hail the news as a boost to their effort to hold multinational corporations responsible in U.S. courts for abuses overseas. We discuss the implications of the Unocal case.

Taking Corporations to Task for Human Rights

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Wednesday

Slate's Explainer: Blinding Pilots with Laser Beams

The Department of Homeland Security and the FBI have warned airport officials that terrorists may try to use laser beams to blind pilots coming in for landing at airport. Slate senior editor Andy Bowers reports on whether using laser beams this way could really bring down a plane.

Slate's Explainer: Blinding Pilots with Laser Beams

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Tuesday

Business

Revamping Tax Code: The Bush Approach

A simple, fair tax code sounds like one of those campaign promises that never quite happens. But the Bush administration insists this is a major goal of the president's second term. Can it be done -- and how? We discuss the president's plan to reform taxes.

Revamping Tax Code: The Bush Approach

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Considering the Child Welfare Record of Mike Leavitt

President Bush praises Mike Leavitt, his nominee to head the HHS, for improving child welfare services during his tenure as governor of Utah. The president's praise for Leavitt's record is not universally shared in Utah, or among some national children's advocates. Hear NPR's Howard Berkes.

Considering the Child Welfare Record of Mike Leavitt

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Monday

The Impact of War

Polls Suggest Support for Iraq War Despite Casualties

Peter Feaver of Duke University talks about why overall support for the war in Iraq hasn't dwindled, despite much higher casualties than either politicians or the public expected. Feaver says Americans can accept a high human cost for a war if they think the United States will ultimately win. Hear Feaver and NPR's Steve Inskeep.

Polls Suggest Support for Iraq War Despite Casualties

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