In a surprising move, Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist (R-Tenn) said on the Senate floor this morning that he would support a bill to allow federal funding for research on embryonic stem cells. The bill, which passed in the House in May, has been criticized by some abortion opponents and President Bush has said he [...]

The invasion of the i-Pods is radically changing the way Americans capture and listen to music. Now, a new wave is subscribing to satellite radio. An even newer wave is downloading music to cell phones.
On-demand media that allows Americans to listen to what they like when they like are soaring in popularity. [...]

With four suspects apparently related to the July 21 bombing reportedly in custody, the investigation into the London attacks is making progress.
Hear about the arrests in the UK and Rome from the BBC’s Rob Watson.
Guests:
Rob Watson, BBC defense and security correspondent.

The mission to make gay men and women straight is one that many find controversial. Being gay is not a choice, some say. But a number of evangelical ministries are catering to homosexuals who say they want to leave their same sex desires behind.
These ministries model the treatment of homosexual desires on the treatment of [...]

Like many tourists in Spain, journalist Edward Lewine found himself at a bullfight. He ended up fascinated with what he calls the “strange and violent subculture” of bullfighting.
Several years after his first experience of bullfighting, he spent a season traveling with one of Spain’s young bullfighting stars, a fourth-generation matador who struggles with the weight [...]

The Central American Free Trade Agreement, commonly known as CAFTA, was passed by Congress earlier today. It wasn’t an easy sell for President Bush.
Paul Magnusson from BusinessWeek magazine talks about the short and long-term benefits from CAFTA for the Anerican economy .
Guests:
Paul Magnusson, Washington reporter for BusinessWeek magazine.

July 7th was supposed to be a big day for British writer Chris Cleave. His first novel, “Incendiary” — which centers on a fictional terrorist attack at a British soccer game — was slated to be published that day.
And then to Chris Cleave’s shock and the world’s, the unthinkable happened. On that very [...]

The Irish Republican Army today announced that it was formally ending its armed campaign. After more than three decades of violence, which have claimed thousands of lives in Britain and Northern Ireland, the IRA says it will pursue its goal of a united Ireland by purely peaceful means.
Hear excerpts from remarks made today by Gerry [...]

After a long wait, the energy bill is finally out of Washington. The House voted on the bill this afternoon and the Senate is expected to do so tomorrow. Afterwards, it goes to President Bush, who is eager to sign.
Many are calling the legislation a bundle of missed opportunities. Looks like Congress blew it on [...]

Stephen Bochco’s new drama series “Over There” debuts on the FX TV channel tonight. There are few political topics in America today as controversial as the war in Iraq yet the producers of “Over There” insist they are harboring no hidden agendas.
“Over There” follows a fictional combat unit on the ground in Iraq. It’s the [...]

Not so long ago, Americans lived in a world of steel, glass and wood and knew where their food came from. Today, we’re surrounded by plastics, pesticides and other industrial chemicals that make their way into our bloodstream and bodies.
But the levels are low, and the U.S. government sets strict safety standards. Also, Americans are [...]

When San Diego writer Sue Diaz’s son, Roman, returned from more than a year of service in Iraq last summer, she breathed a huge sigh of relief.
Now, one year on, Roman is heading back to Iraq for a second 15-month tour of duty. The past 12 months have been an emotional rollercoaster for Sue.
In [...]

Few have monitored the country’s financial pulse as closely as David Walker — Comptroller General at the Government Accountability Office. When he says America’s heading toward financial Armageddon, it’s time to take notice.
Though President Bush has announced some rosy budget numbers this month, Walker is still crying “fire” over America’s giant federal deficit.
Hear a conversation [...]

In 1990, Congress passed the Americans with Disabilities Act, legislation that mandated better access and fuller inclusion in society for the disabled .
Ruth Colker, a law professor at Ohio State University and author of “The Disability Pendulum,” talks about the progress that has been made since ADA passed fifteen years ago.
Guests:
Ruth Colker, professor of constitutional [...]

Quadriplegics slamming wheelchairs in a hard-core game of rugby…not a typical Hollywood theme. But when the documentary Murderball hit theaters this month….it hit hard…and it’s challenging our idea of what it means to be paralyzed.
“Murderball ” follows a team of tough quad-rugby players who play to win.
Guests:
Mark Zupan, one of the quad-rugby players featured [...]

Quadriplegics slamming wheelchairs in a hard-core game of rugby is not a typical Hollywood theme. But when the documentary “Murderball” hit theaters this month, it hit hard and it’s challenging our idea of what it means to be paralyzed.
“Murderball” follows a team of tough quad-rugby players who play to win. They drive wheelchairs but these [...]

What better way to make it big fast than to run with someone else’s ideas? Pirates and police alike are fighting an international battle over intellectual property theft and piracy.
The piracy of Intellectual property has become rampant especially since pharmaceuticals, DVDs and software started to flow freely across borders. And it is hurting U.S. competitiveness [...]

Four unions representing about 30 percent of the AFL-CIO’s U.S. membership will boycott the labor federation’s annual convention, a first step toward what may become one of the biggest splits in organized labor in 70 years.
The unions are at odds with AFL-CIO President John Sweeney over how to revive the power of organized labor at [...]

In the 1950s, Los Angeles’ Chavez Ravine, home to 300 Mexican families, was leveled for a low-income housing project. The housing never came but charges of “creeping socialism” did. Then came Dodgers Stadium in Chavez Ravine, and a dream was gone.
For the last three years, L.A. native, composer and virtuoso guitarist Ry Cooder dedicated [...]

London bore witness to yet more violence today. As subway passengers watched, plain-clothes police officers in London pursued a man on a subway train today and fatally shot him five times. The shooting comes on the heels of four attempted bombings yesterday as authorities continue their investigation those and the July 7 attacks [...]

The Sunni pullout from the drafting comittee for Iraq’s constitution has threatened to derail the fragile political process in the country.
According to the current political timetable, the new constitution is to be completed by 15 August, a national referendum on the constitution is to be held by mid-October followed by full government elections by mid-December.
Hear [...]

After its decade-old fixed exchange rate to the U.S. dollar, China is unpegging its local currency, the Yuan, from the U.S. dollar in favor of other world currencies.
The Bush administration gave its stamp of approval but others say be careful what you ask for. From Walmart prices to the U.S. trade deficit and mortgage interest [...]

America has always been the giant in the global economy. But may be losing its lead because it’s not protecting its intellectual property. Our guest, political economist Pat Choate, says America needs to act now against pirates to protect its economic future.
Guests:
Pat Choate, he is a political economist. His new book is [...]

There was an eerie sense of deja vu in London today. Exactly two weeks after four suicide bombs exploded in London’s transit system, four detonations occurred this morning on three subways and a bus.
Although the detonations appeared largely ineffective, Scotland Yard released a statement indicating that the bombs were ‘meant to kill.’
Hear what Britain is [...]

Young American Muslims talk about their thoughts and emotions now, post-9/11, post-London bombings, in the midst of the war in Iraq and War on Terror.
Guests:
Rima Arnout, Medical Student at Harvard University
Mashhood Khawar, Senior at University of Texas, Austin
Sireen Sawaf, hate crimes prevention department, Muslim Public Affairs Council
Ahmed Soliman, Director of Sales, Bridges TV
Leila Ahmed, professor [...]

President Bush’s nomination of Judge John G. Roberts to the U.S. Supreme Court is provoking various reactions in Washington and across the country today.
The conservative pick is pleasing most Republicans. Democrats’ reaction is varying from guarded optimism to quiet indecision and outright criticism.
Sandra Day O’Connor, whom Roberts would replace if confirmed, was frequently a swing [...]

Known as Mr. TV, Haim Yavin has been a trusted and unbiased news anchor for Israel’s Channel One for more than thirty years. His opinions were kept so close to his chest that some wondered whether he had them at all. That question was answered unequivocally with the airing of his controversial documentary series [...]

Guests:

In 2004, filmmaker Morgan Spurlock stormed onto the Hollywood scene with his hit documentary “Super Size Me.” Audiences loved the drama of watching Spurlock eat his way through the entire McDonald’s menu for a month and then come to grips with the devastating consequences.
This summer, Spurlock has taken the rest of America on month-long [...]

The sixth Harry Potter novel by author J.K. Rowling flew off shelves this past weekend. With this latest installment, scholars are taking a closer look at the series and its deeper lessons.
They’re studying what Harry Potter tells us about good and evil, about the meaning of life, and where Rowling fits in with past [...]

Indian Prime Minister Singh went to Washington, DC today to meet with President Bush.
Their meeting is taking place during a dynamic period for U.S.-India relations, and for Indian immigrants in the U.S. who are reconsidering their roots.
In the past decade, India’s economy has exploded, especially in the Information Technology sector.
Hear from several Indian Americans with [...]

After a bitter strike in 1994, baseball team owners needed something big to get fans back in the ballparks. Then, along came Sammy Sosa and Mark McGwire, and their prayers were answered. Their home run duel filled seats and brought baseball back from the brink.
Yet, there was more to this story. Those monster blasts out [...]

The first funeral for a victim of last week’s bombings was held today for 20-year-old Shahara Islam of East London, a bank cashier who died in the bus bombing in Tavistock Square. And an Egyptian chemistry expert sought by London police, 33-year-old Magdi Mahmoud al-Nashar, was arrested in Cairo.
Hear more from the BBC’s [...]

At the Republican National Convention in New York, Rudy Giuliani reminded delegates and the country why he became known as “America’s mayor”. With a larger than life profile, he strode into office with a hard-nosed agenda to turn a troubled city around.
Under his watch, crime fell. He cut taxes and the welfare rolls. [...]

One week after the terrorist attacks in London, commuters are riding the subway, the market is recovering, and life is returning to normal.
Have the London bombings changed the way the West perceives and processes, terrorism? Will witnesses to terror ever be complacent about future attacks, and if so, how do terrorists adapt?
Hear a discussion on [...]

Actor Tom Cruise is the new public face of the Church of Scientology.
The church is based on the teachings of its founder L. Ron Hubbard, who is author of “Dianetics” - the cornerstone of the religion.
Members say Scientology has changed their lives. Yet some critics have called Scientology a “global racket.”
Hear about the teachings and [...]

For hundreds of years, it kept the invading Mongols out. But the Great Wall of China proved no match for Daredevil skateboarder Danny Way of Carlsbad, California. Last Saturday, he became the first person to jump the Great Wall of China on a skateboard.
In front of several thousand Chinese spectators, the 31-year-old Way rolled down [...]

Just what did President Bush’s most trusted advisor Karl Rove do and should he lose his job over it?
Revelations that Rove was the source for Time magazine reporter Matt Cooper’s story on CIA agent Valerie Plume is raising troubling questions and difficult choices for Bush.
Supporters urge Bush to stand by his man while critics say [...]

Shehzad Tanweer, Hasib Mir Hussain, and Mahammed Sadique Khan were the three young British Muslims, who along with a fourth bomber, detonated explosives in London’s underground subway and on a double-decker bus last week. The attacks in the morning rush-hour killed at least 52 people, injured 700 and are being called the first homegrown suicide [...]

William Kristol is perhaps the most influential of the neoconservatives. Editor of the Weekly Standard and chairman of the Project for the New American Century, he is reported to have enormous influence in the Bush White House.
Kristol’s agenda of promoting American global leadership has gained currency since 9/11. Recently, he has spoken out on possible [...]

Afghanistan is heating up. Eleven Navy SEAL commandos are now dead after a secretive mission in the mountains of Kundar ran into deadly Taliban fire.
Also, four supposed Al Qaeda detainees at the U.S. base in Bagram have escaped. The long, porous border with Pakistan isn’t helping the security landscape either.
Hear about the motive and strategy [...]

In a two-minute conversation on July 11, 2003, shortly before he went on vacation, White House Chief of Staff Karl Rove disclosed the identity of CIA agent Valerie Plame to TIME magazine reporter Matthew Cooper. This was three days before Robert Novak publicly exposed her in a column about her husband, former Ambassador Joseph Wilson.
Investigative [...]

In 2002, the U.S, federal government promised to pay up if companies lost business because of terrorist attacks. That promise will expire in 2005. Now, Bush says, it’s time that corporate America gets by on its own.
Corporate America and many of the blue states say the private sector cannot afford to take on that much [...]

World leaders joined 50,000 mourners today to remember the victims of Europe’s worst massacre since World War II — the killing of nearly 8,000 Bosnian Muslims exactly 10 years ago, when Serbs overran the U.N.-protected Bosnian enclave of Srebrenica.
Outmanned and outgunned Dutch U.N. troops watched on as Srebrenica’s men and boys were slaughtered, and [...]

Hear a conversation with Jimmy Guterman, author of a new book on the life, music, and cultural impact of America’s great and gritty rock and roll bard, Bruce Springsteen.
Guests:
Jimmy Guterman, author of “Runaway American Dream: Listening to Bruce Springsteen”
Tim Riley, author of “Fever”
Jim Cullen, author of “Born in the USA: Bruce Springsteen and the American [...]

After months of speculation, Chief Justice William Rehnquist announced his retirement from the Supreme Court. The country’s top legal scholars weigh in on his legacy and the court’s future
Guests:
David Savage, Supreme Court Reporter The Los Angeles Times
Pat Schiltz, former dean and professor of law at St Thomas University
Jonathan Turley, professor of law at George Washingon [...]