Friday, May 20, 2005

Stem Cell Breakthrough
Scientists in South Korea announced they successfully created the first embryonic stem cells that genetically match injured or sick patients. Dr. David Scadden, co-director of the Harvard Stem Cell Institute, talks about the implications of this and other recent breakthroughs in stem cell research.

Newsmaker: Ahmed Nazif
Egyptian Prime Minister Ahmed Nazif defended his country's effort to move toward a more democratic system even as critics worry upcoming presidential elections will not be free and fair.

Margaret Warner talks with Nazif about recent developments in his country and throughout the Middle East.

Margaret Garner
Jeffrey Brown looks at a new opera based on the same true story of slavery that was the basis for Toni Morrison’s "Beloved."

Shield and Brooks
Syndicated columnist Mark Shields and New York Times columnist David Brooks discuss the Senate debate over judicial nominee Priscilla Owen, the possible showdown over blocking the filibuster for judicial nominations, and the Newsweek story about the Quran that sparked deadly protests in Afghanistan.

Thursday, May 19, 2005

Crackdown in Uzbekistan
The Uzbek government Thursday reportedly recaptured a border town that had been held by Islamic rebels, as international calls continued for an investigation into a bloody clash between the two groups earlier in the week.

Margaret Warner leads a discussion on the situation in the former Soviet Republic with Daniel Kimmage, a central Asia analyst at Radio Free Europe-Radio Liberty, and Glen Howard, president of the Jamestown Foundation in Washington.

Judging Judges
Senate debate over controversial judicial nominee Priscilla Owen entered a second day Thursday.

Ray Suarez discusses Owen's nomination with Bruce Cain, director of the Institute of Governmental Studies at the University of California, Berkeley; Ed Cromer, editor of the Tennessee Journal; and William Lutz, managing editor of the Lone Star Report.

Aging Out
Correspondent Elizabeth Bracket of WTTW-Chicago examines what happens to young adults in foster care when they turn 18.

Star Wars: Space Saga
Jeffrey Brown talks with Stephen Hunter of The Washington Post about the release of the Star Wars movie, "Episode III: Revenge of the Sith."

Wednesday, May 18, 2005

Senate Showdown

Gwen Ifill joins Jim Lehrer to discuss what to expect from the Senate in the days ahead.

Los Angeles' New Mayor
Residents of Los Angeles elected city councilman Antonio Villaraigosa as their mayor Tuesday. Correspondent Jeffrey Kaye of KCET-Los Angeles reports on the city's first Latino mayor in more than a century.

Oil-for-Food Probe
Margaret Warner leads a discussion on recent developments in the United Nations oil-for-food scandal with Yochi Dreazen of the Wall Street Journal and Adam Zagorin of Time magazine.

Back to the Drawing Board
Ray Suarez examines the struggles over what to do with the site of the World Trade Center.

Tuesday, May 17, 2005

Senate Showdown
Talks between Senate Democrats and Republicans over President Bush's judicial nominees broke off late Monday after party leaders failed to reach a compromise for voting on the controversial nominees. Kwame Holman gives an update on the potential Senate showdown.

U.N. Oil-for-Food Probe
British Parliament Member George Galloway testified Tuesday before the Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations over allegations of wrongdoing in the U.N. oil-for-food program and denied any involvement in the scandal. Terence Smith reports on Galloway's confrontation with the Senate subcommittee.

Real Estate Boom
Jeffrey Kaye of KCET-Los Angeles reports on the rising real estate market in Southern California.

Then, Jeffrey Brown speaks with Nicolas Retsinas, director of the Joint Center for Housing Studies at Harvard University, about other hot, and not so hot, real estate markets around the country.

Road to Damascus
The NewsHour presents an excerpt of tonight's Frontline World special broadcast on Damascus and Syrians' views of their country's involvement in Lebanon and fear of reprisals from Washington.

Cancer News
A study released at this week's American Society of Clinical Oncology meeting revealed that breast cancer patients reduced their chances of seeing their tumor return if they followed a healthy, low-fat diet. Ray Suarez speaks with Dr. David Johnson, president of the American Society of Clinical Oncology, about some of the findings presented at the society's annual conference on cancer research.

Then, Dr. Ezekiel Emanuel, head of the Society's task force on quality cancer care and chairman of Clinical Bioethics at the National Institutes of Health, joins Suarez to discuss another study on disparities in cancer treatment.

Monday, May 16, 2005

Newsweek's Quran Report

Jeffrey Brown speaks with Newsweek editor Mark Whitaker about the article and then leads a discussion on the media's use of anonymous sources with Tom Goldstein, journalism professor at the University of California, Berkeley, and Jeff Jarvis, author of the Buzzmachine.com Web log.

Military Offensive in Iraq
A published report on a week-long battle between Marines and insurgents in western Iraq, near the Syrian border, said Marines were outgunned. Margaret Warner speaks with Ellen Knickmeyer, Baghdad bureau chief for The Washington Post, about her report.

Supreme Court on Wine Shipments
The Supreme Court ruled 5-4 Monday that states cannot prevent consumers from having vineyards ship them wine from another state. Chicago Tribune reporter Jan Crawford Greenburg speaks with Ray Suarez about the decision.

Filibuster Facts
The battle over President Bush's judicial nominees is expected to come to a head this week when Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, R-Tenn., plans to bring two of President Bush's controversial nominees up for a vote on the Senate floor. Gwen Ifill examines the history of the filibuster with Sarah Binder, associate professor at George Washington University and senior fellow at the Brookings Institution, and Jeremy Mayer, assistant professor in the School of Public Policy at George Mason University.