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 |  | MONDAY, January 30, 2006

 New Report Finds Shortcomings in Iraq Reconstruction Since 2003 the United States has spent more than $30 billion toward relief and reconstruction in Iraq. Stuart Bowen, the special inspector general for Iraq reconstruction, discusses a new report that finds shortcomings in the rebuilding.

     

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 |  | FRIDAY, January 27, 2006

 Hamas Faces Uncertain Future Three experts debate the future of Hamas now that militant party must run the Palestinian Authority and decide how deal with Israel -- a task made more difficult by many Fatah supporters's vehement opposition to a Hamas-run parliament.

  

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 Senate Debates Supreme Court Nominee Alito The Senate took up debate on Supreme Court nominee Samuel Alito following a party-line vote for approval in the Senate Judiciary Committee. Democrats, who have been trying to rally support for a filibuster against the nominee, appear to lack the votes to succeed.

     

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 Oprah Retracts Support of Frey Memoir Oprah Winfrey brought James Frey, author of "A Million Little Pieces," a memoir about drug addiction, back on her show to answer charges that he lied to her and his readers by fabricating parts of the book. A cultural historian discusses the cultural impact of Winfrey's show and the Oprah Book Club.

  

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 World Reacts to Hamas Election Victory Following excerpts from President Bush's reaction to the Hamas win in Wednesday's Palestinian elections, Ray Suarez reports on reaction of world leaders from Davos, Switzerland, site of the World Economic Forum.

  

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 Experts Discuss Hamas' Parliamentary Win With the militant group Hamas' stunning political victory in Wednesday's Palestinian parliamentary elections, two experts share their reactions regarding the potential impact on the Palestinian government and the peace process.

     

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 Auto Parts Supplier Experiences Cutbacks General Motors announced Thursday that it lost $8.6 billion last year -- the most since 1992. A report from Flint, Mich. examines the struggles of the union at Delphi, a parts supplier formerly owned by GM where workers are preparing for the worst.

     

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 Experts Discuss Drug Company Gifts A report in the Journal of the American Medical Association says 90 percent of the $21 billion pharmaceutical companies spend on marketing goes directly to physicians. Two experts discusses the debate concerning whether free samples from drug companies influence patients' care.

     




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 After Two Years, Journey Continues for Mars Rovers NASA's rovers Spirit and Opportunity -- once thought to have a life span of only three months -- are entering their third year of exploring Mars. They have found evidence of Mars' watery past and have been making other observations about the Red Planet ever since.

     




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 Google Agrees to Censor Chinese Version Google has agreed to censor its search engine in China. In return for blocking politically sensitive terms, Google gains access to the world's No. 2 Internet market. Following a background report, an expert discusses censorship for business interests and the implications this decision may have on the Internet.

 

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 Chile's New President Outlines Goals Michelle Bachelet, Chile's new president-elect, speaks about her experience during the 1973 coup led by former dictator Augusto Pinochet and her goals as the country's first female president.

     

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 Conservative Party Wins in Canada Canada's Conservative Party scored an election day victory Monday night, bringing to an end 13 years of the Liberal Party as the majority in the government. Following a background report, a reporter discusses the shift in power.

  

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 Palestinians Prepare for Elections Palestinians head to the polls for parliamentary elections. Experts predict a close contest between the ruling Fatah party and the Islamic military movement Hamas.

     

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 Post Web Site Halts Comments Section The Washington Post's Web site recently shut down the viewer comments section of one of its weblogs after an article by the Post's ombudsman caused a flood of complaints.

     

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 |  | MONDAY, January 23, 2006

 Attorney General Defends Domestic Wiretapping Program White House officials launched a public defense of the National Security Agency domestic wiretap program. At the center of the defense is Attorney General Alberto Gonzales, who discusses the surveillance program.

     

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 Leahy Challenges Domestic Spying Program In response to U.S. Attorney General Alberto Gonzales' defense of the National Security Agency's domestic surveillance program, Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., called the program illegal and said it threatens civil liberties in the United States.

     

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 Ford Announces Layoffs, New Business Plan The Ford Motor Co. announced restructuring plans that will cut 25,000 to 30,000 jobs and idle 14 plants by 2012. Two guests discuss the potential impact of the layoffs as well as Ford's new business plan.

     

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 |  | FRIDAY, January 20, 2006

 Shiite Alliance Wins Most Seats in Iraq Elections The election commission in Iraq released preliminary results from parliamentary elections on Dec. 15 showing an alliance of Shiite religious parties capturing most of the body's 275 seats but falling short of a majority needed to govern without coalition partners. Two guests discuss what this could mean for the future of Iraq.

     

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 New Orleans Businesses Struggle to Rebuild A commission called Bring New Orleans Back is charged with helping struggling business owners get back on their feet after much of their property and the city's tourist industry were damaged by Hurricane Katrina.

  

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 Google Rebuffs Government Subpoena A Media Unit report examines Google's fight against a government subpoena requesting access to the search records of millions of people. Two guests discuss what the case could mean for individual privacy protection in the 21st century.

     

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 Shields and Brooks Discuss Domestic Spying, Lobbying Reform Syndicated columnist Mark Shields and New York Times columnist David Brooks debate the White House's justification of domestic spying by the National Security Agency, a speech by former Vice President Al Gore condemning the program and lobbying reforms.

     

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 |  | THURSDAY, January 19, 2006

 Bin Laden Threatens U.S. in New Message Al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden threatened the United States on an audio tape aired Thursday by Al-Jazeera. Following a background report, two experts discuss the threat and its implications.

     

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 Investigation on Former Housing Secretary Ends The decade-long independent council investigation of former U.S. Housing Secretary Henry Cisneros ended Thursday. Cisneros was accused of lying to the FBI during his confirmation process background check about payments he made to a former mistress.

  

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 |  | WEDNESDAY, January 18, 2006

 Supreme Court Sends Abortion Case Back to New Hampshire The Supreme Court ruled unanimously Wednesday that a lower court was wrong to declare a New Hampshire abortion law unconstitutional and sent the case back to the lower court to find less drastic ways to repair the statute.

     

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 Congress Debates Changing Lobbying Rules Democrats and Republicans announced competing bills to reform lobbying practices on Capitol Hill in the wake of a corruption scandal surrounding lobbyist Jack Abramoff.

     

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 Reid Discusses Lobbying, Spying and Iraq Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., discusses the Democratic plan to reform lobbying practices in Congress, the confirmation hearings for Supreme Court nominee Samuel Alito, domestic surveillance and the war in Iraq.

     

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 |  | TUESDAY, January 17, 2006

 Supreme Court Upholds Oregon Assisted Suicide Law The U.S. Supreme Court Tuesday upheld an Oregon law that allows doctor-assisted suicide. By a 6-3 vote, the court said the U.S. Justice Department may not use a federal drug law to override the state law.

     

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 SEC Announces Companies Must Disclose Pay and Benefits The Securities and Exchange Commission said Tuesday that companies must spell out total pay and benefits for top executives, including stock options. Following a background report, two experts discuss the possible ramifications for companies.

     

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 |  | MONDAY, January 16, 2006

 Chile Elects First Female President Chile elected Socialist Michelle Bachelet, a 54-year-old single mother and pediatrician who suffered imprisonment, torture and exile under the dictatorship of Augusto Pinochet, as its first female president.

     

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 Biography Highlights Martin Luther King Jr. Taylor Branch, author of "On Canaan's Edge," the final installment of his three-volume biography of Martin Luther King Jr., discusses the civil rights leader's life and legacy.

 

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 NASA Mission Returns Cosmic Dust Scientists hope the interstellar dust recovered from NASA's Stardust capsule will help them learn more about the formation of the solar system 4.6 billion years ago -- and possibly the origins of life.

     




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 Shields and Brooks on Final Day of Alito Hearings Syndicated columnist Mark Shields and New York Times columnist David Brooks discuss the Senate confirmation hearings for Supreme Court nominee Samuel Alito and the push to gain support in the Democratic party.

     

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 New German Chancellor Angela Merkel Visits U.S. In the first meeting between President Bush and Germany's new Chancellor Angela Merkel, the two leaders criticized Iran's nuclear research program but disagreed over using prison camps such as Guantanamo Bay.

     

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 |  | WEDNESDAY, January 11, 2006

 Alito Record Reveals Views on Abortion, Executive Power Two constitutional legal scholars analyze what the second day of questioning in Supreme Court confirmation hearings for Judge Samuel Alito revealed about his legal opinions on abortion and executive power.

     

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 Iran Resumes Nuclear Processing An Independent Television News report from Iran, where nuclear workers removed U.N. seals from uranium enrichment equipment Tuesday and resumed nuclear research.

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 Health Care Costs Doubled Between 1993 and 2004 The overall cost of health care doubled between 1993 and 2004, and in 2004, health care spending topped $1.9 trillion or 16 percent of the nation's economic output -- the largest share on record, according to a report released Monday by the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services.

     




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 Majority Leader Tom DeLay Gives Up Leadership Post In a letter delivered Saturday to House Speaker Dennis Hastert, R-Ill., Majority Leader Tom DeLay, R-Texas, said he will not seek to recapture his leadership post. A congressional expert discusses the effect Delay had in the House and who might take his place.

  

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 |  | FRIDAY, January 6, 2006

 Abramoff Case Highlights Problems with Washington Lobbying The recent guilty plea of Republican lobbyist Jack Abramoff has thrown the spotlight on lobbying in Washington. Three experts, including two former lawmakers who are now lobbyists, take a closer look at the lobbying industry.

     

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 |  | THURSDAY, January 5, 2006

 Former U.S. Officials Discuss Iraq with President Bush Former cabinet members met with President Bush to discuss his administration's strategy in Iraq. Madeleine Albright, secretary of state in the Clinton Administration, and James Schlesinger, secretary of defense in the Nixon and Ford administrations talk about the war in Iraq.

     

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 Sharon Illness Signals End of Political Career Doctors announced that Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon will not return to politics after suffering a stroke Wednesday night, signaling the end of an era in Israeli politics since he took office in 2001.

     

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 Rise and Fall of Independence Air The low-cost airline Independence Air has made its last flight. A report looks at the rise and fall of the airline and what its closure means for the industry.

  

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 |  | WEDNESDAY, January 4, 2006

 Deadly Day in Iraq A reporter in Baghdad discusses the latest wave of deadly attacks in Iraq that killed more than 50 Iraqis Wednesday.

  

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 Assessing Coal Mining Safety Following an update on the coal mine explosion in Sago, W.Va. that resulted in the deaths of 12 workers and left one in critical condition, a former mine inspector gives an assessment of technological advancements and safety procedures in the coal mining industry.

  

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 Fighting Malaria in Africa Residents in rural communities in Africa have begun purchasing mosquito nets with international aid money as an affordable, available and effective method of preventing malaria.

  

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 191 U.S. Military Personnel Killed in Afghanistan The Pentagon has confirmed the deaths of 191 American personnel in Afghanistan since the beginning of U.S. military intervention in Oct. 2001. This report details the losses of life suffered by the U.S. in the Afghan war.

  

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 |  | MONDAY, January 2, 2006

 Russia and Ukraine Feud Over Natural Gas Pipeline A dispute between Russia and the Ukraine over natural gas prices and distribution has threatened much of Europe's natural gas supply. After a background report from Independent Television News, two guests discuss the causes of the pipeline dispute and the implications for Western Europe.

     

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 |  | SUNDAY, January 1, 2006

 Sharon's Grave Condition Raises Questions About Strokes Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon had emergency surgery again Friday to stop bleeding in the brain after suffering a massive stroke Wednesday. A doctor discusses the causes of and treatments for strokes

 

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