Need to Know interviews political reporter Jeff Schapiro about Republican Congressman Eric Cantor, who has emerged as a leading opponent of the White Houses attempt to broker a deal on the debt ceiling.

Need to Know turns to historian and senior editor at the National Review, Richard Brookhiser, for a broader perspective on the recent political machinations in Washington, and the age-old discussion over the size of government.

Alison Stewart sits down with author and anthropologist Gabriella Coleman to discuss the tricky and complicated world of hackers.

Could a Fukushima-style disaster happen at one of California's nuclear plants? Also: The zero population growth movement of the 1960s, and an interview with feminist icon Gloria Steinem.

As the world steadily marches toward record-breaking population figures, Need to Know time travels to the late '60s/early '70s, when "overpopulation" was a frightening issue that occupied a substantial slice of the American psyche.

Alison Stewart interviews reporters Phillip Longman and Julia Whitty to discuss the challenges of population change today, and just how serious they are.

Need to Know correspondent Stacey Tisdale talks with feminist icon Gloria Steinem about the gains made by the women's movement and what's left to be tackled.

The Diablo Canyon nuclear plant is situated near two fault lines, and at least one critic is questioning whether the utility that owns the plant is doing all it needs to to ensure that it can safely withstand the kind of earthquake some seismologists believe is possible.

The story of a remarkable symphony orchestra thriving in Congo, and an investigation on faltering safety in work sites that are exempt from OSHA regulations. Also: South Sudan's historic election and Jami Floyd on the Dominique Strauss-Kahn case. Maria Hinojosa guest hosts.

The news out of Africa is almost always bad, but that's not all that defines the continent. Maria Hinojosa explores the thriving community of West Africans in New York City and the hope they provide to their homeland.

As South Sudan prepares to become the world's newest nation, Need to Know reports on the election and the subsequent violence in the region through the eyes of Salva Dut, a so-called Sudanese "Lost Boy."

State and federal regulators have deemed that about 2,400 work sites across the country have exemplary health and safety programs. Many of these sites are part of a special program that allows them an exemption from OSHA's regular inspections. But a recent Center for Public Integrity/iWatch News investigation found that there have been at least 80 fatalities over the last decade at dozens of VPP sites, and yet the majority have remained in the program. Need to Know takes an in-depth look.