Fri, Mar 31, 2006
What's working and what's failing in the U.S.-led effort to battle the Iraqi insurgents? Video journalist Brian Palmer, who was recently embedded with U.S. Marines in Iraq's volatile Anbar province, gives us an uncensored, inside look at the extremely dangerous and often overwhelming job of fighting the committed insurgency.
Fri, Jun 23, 2006
Over 100,000 General Motors auto workers must make a pivotal deal or no deal decision: stick to careers with uncertain futures, or allow GM to buy them out and walk away from jobs that many have held their entire lives. This week on NOW, a former GM employee returns to Michigan to find out what happens when an entire generation of autoworkers is asked to leave so that their company may survive. The biggest employer buyout in American history, and the legacy it leaves behind.
Fri, Jun 30, 2006
Every day, thousands of tons of deadly chemicals are moving through our towns and cities, largely unguarded and vulnerable to a terrorist attack. The government knows that, if attacked, these shipments could cause great harm and many fatalities, but are we doing enough about it? NOW investigates how, nearly five years after 9/11, our trains, boats and trucks carrying hazardous materials could be left so defenseless. Also this week, David Brancaccio sits down with John D. Hutson, a former senior lawyer for the Navy, to talk about the June 29, 2006 U.S. Supreme Court ruling that the Bush administration does not have the authority to try terrorism suspects held at Guantanamo Bay by military tribunal.
Fri, Jul 7, 2006
Alabama's Dauphin Island has seen more than its share of nature's destruction. Five hurricanes have ravaged the island since 1979, including Katrina's devastation last year. Yet federal money - taxpayer money - helps reconstruct the island and other hard-hit coastal areas after each storm. NOW takes a trip back to Dauphin Island to take a closer look at the rebuilding that we're all paying for, just as a new hurricane season approaches. Also this week, NOW follows up with Fawaz Damra, a U.S. Muslim leader who was first profiled by NOW in 2002. An outspoken and controversial figure, the former Cleveland imam is now in jail awaiting deportation for his alleged ties to terrorism. Is he a man of peace or of terror?
Fri, Jul 14, 2006
As capital punishment becomes more clinical, doctors and nurses are being given medical responsibilities as part of the execution team. NOW asks how this role can be reconciled with a physician's ethical duty to heal and the Hippocratic Oath, which states in part, "I will give no deadly medicine to any one if asked..." The American Medical Association is vehemently opposed to this practice and courts are addressing the issue in California, Missouri, and elsewhere, bringing it to national attention. When does medical care end and killing begin? Also this week, David Brancaccio talks to Bunnatine Greenhouse, formerly the highest ranking civilian at the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, about this week's news of the U.S. Army ending its exclusive contract with Halliburton.
Fri, Jul 21, 2006
While Israel and Hezbollah trade lethal volleys, the world calls for peace, but who can lead the way? NOW checks in with Former Senator George Mitchell, who brokered ceasefires and peace agreements in the Balkans and Northern Ireland, for his insight into what role America can and should play in the Middle East conflict. Also, the Chesapeake Bay becomes the latest front in the conflict between industry and environmentalists. In collaboration with Mother Jones magazine, NOW investigates how a small but important fish has pitted these vital interests against each other, and how different states are responding. Whose needs should prevail and whose should be scaled back?
Fri, Jul 28, 2006
In his first primetime interview on American television, former "war on terror" detainee and British citizen Moazzam Begg tells a disturbing story of alleged kidnap, torture, and murder at America's foreign prison camps. Taken suddenly from his home one night in Pakistan, Begg was imprisoned for three years in Afghanistan and Guantanamo Bay. He gives viewers a rare insider's perspective on the secretive prisons in the "war on terror." NOW's David Brancaccio travels to Begg's hometown in Birmingham, England to find out how a Muslim man from a British upbringing ended up entangled in militant Islamic politics.
Fri, Aug 4, 2006
Is the press still fulfilling its obligation to the truth? NOW's David Brancaccio talks with Orville Schell, writer and Dean of the Graduate School of Journalism at the University of California, Berkeley, about the role of the press as a democracy watchdog. Some say the Fourth Estate has lost its teeth and is being manipulated into biased coverage of the war on terror and the White House in particular. Who's pulling the press' strings?
Fri, Aug 11, 2006
NOW's David Brancaccio sits with award-winning playwright and performer Anna Deavere Smith to discuss an artist's role and responsibility in a world wracked by war. Widely known for her realistic portrayal of National Security Advisor Nancy McNally on NBC's The West Wing, Smith's one-woman shows -- inspired by interviews with activists, politicians, and prison inmates -- have set her apart as one of theater's most electrifying performers. Her mission to translate art into social commentary has raised both her profile and her impact. Anna Deavere Smith on the state of the world through an artistic lens.
Fri, Aug 18, 2006
The Bush Administration suffered a major setback this week as a Federal judge ruled warrantless wiretapping unconstitutional. NOW's David Brancaccio talks with writer Tara McKelvey, one of the case's plaintiffs, about the ruling's implications and what else the government may be hiding. Also this week, NOW travels to Yellowstone Park to investigate how ranchers and wolves -- longtime adversaries -- are now facing a common enemy in encroaching development. In an unprecedented alliance, some cattlemen and environmentalists are working together to protect both the life of wolves and the livelihood of ranchers. Meanwhile, the fate of the gray wolf as an official endangered species falls to politicians and the courts. Who's really most endangered in Big Sky country?
Fri, Aug 25, 2006
Do voters see their representatives as lawmakers or lawbreakers? From the decisions by Congressmen Tom DeLay and Bob Ney to step aside, to questions surrounding other powerful members of Congress like Jerry Lewis and Alan Mollohan, ethics has become a big issue in this year's campaign. NOW begins a season of all-election coverage by asking if allegations of impropriety will affect how people vote this fall. Republican Representative Christopher Shays tells NOW, "People who are basically corrupt are as good as traitors. And I don't think the public always understands that." Also this week, Congressman Jim Cooper tells David Brancaccio about the government's misrepresentation of the federal deficit.
Fri, Sep 1, 2006
Across the nation, states have enacted new laws supposedly designed to prevent voter fraud and avoid election day debacles, but qualified voters may also be left out in the cold, especially minorities, the poor, the elderly and the disabled. This week, NOW looks at several states where these new rules may keep voters away from the polls in November. In Florida, new penalties for registration delays forced traditional registration advocacy groups, like the League of Women Voters, to avoid registering voters for a crucial primary. In Georgia, a law requires voters to show photo identification, a barrier to voting for thousands of people who currently lack the proper ID. Many of these laws have been approved by the Department of Justice, which is charged with protecting the rights of all voters. "This is a concerted effort to make sure that certain people don't have the opportunity to vote, that they don't have the opportunity to participate in their own democracy," Georgia state representative Alisha Thomas Morgan tells NOW. Also, David Brancaccio interviews Salon reporter Eric Boehlert about the effectiveness of a new Iraqi offensive.
Fri, Sep 8, 2006
Will new voting machines cure election headaches or cause them? The Help America Vote Act divided 3.1 billion dollars among all 50 states to update their voting systems with new technology. NOW takes a close look at one Michigan county on Primary Day to see how the new machines are working, but also checks in on other states, including Texas, Iowa, New Mexico, and -- you guessed it -- Ohio. What we found was alarming -- computer and human error, nonexistent contingency plans, and extreme vulnerability to tampering. "We are no more certain today than we were in 2000 that we will not have an embarrassing moment and a tragic outcome in this year's election," Deforest Soaries, former Chairman of the Election Assistance Commission, told NOW. Soaries and electronic voting experts say the government's requirement to use the new machines has been implemented too quickly and without careful scrutiny, resulting in a dangerously flawed technology delivering on democracy's greatest promise.
Fri, Sep 15, 2006
Left-leaning political bloggers are determined to demonstrate their real world influence in the upcoming mid-term elections. But will they finally make political headway, or just more hype? NOW visits a major political blogging convention and examines the candidacy of surprising U.S. Senate primary winner John Tester to find out. Bloggers both in his home state of Montana and outside of it have taken some credit for Tester's success. "You have a couple million people reading liberal blogs...and they're looking for ways to get involved. And they're looking for ways to participate and take hold of their own democracy. And that is powerful," says Markos Moulitsas, founder of one of the Internet's most popular blogs, to NOW. NOW meets the real people behind some of the Internet's most opinionated and widely-read liberal blogs to find out if they can really move the political needle.
Fri, Sep 22, 2006
In the voting booth this fall, voters in states across the country will find ballot initiatives with titles like "Taxpayers' Bill of Rights" and "SOS - Stop Over Spending." The aim is to slash state spending, including deep cuts in health care, education and other social services. But are these local initiatives really "home" grown? NOW investigates how one wealthy New Yorker is secretly providing major funding for these and other ballot measures way outside his neighborhood, in states across the country. NOW also takes a look at the questionable tactics used to put these issues on your ballot. Is someone manipulating your state's laws, your vote, and you?
Fri, Sep 29, 2006
NOW looks at how Republican candidates, eager to rally conservative voters, are talking tough on illegal immigration -- even if that means bucking the President. Even more surprising, they're doing so in states which have few illegal immigrants. NOW travels to Indiana to see how the politics of immigration is playing out, what people's fears are, and if xenophobia plays a part in political tactics. "If you're a Republican Party that's fairing poorly, sometimes you have to win ugly," says Robert Dion, a local political scientist at the University of Evansville, "and in this case, it's stirring up fears about the menace posed by immigrants."
Fri, Oct 6, 2006
Congressman Mark Foley's abrupt resignation last week is sending political shockwaves throughout the Capitol and the country, but more distressing are allegations that House leadership may have known details of Foley's inappropriate correspondence with a young page and done little about it. NOW asks: Can Congress police itself? Our investigation looks at the collision of political and ethical decision-making in Washington and its profound effects on the upcoming elections and our democracy. Also this week, the FCC is again considering proposals to let big media get even bigger. NOW takes a closer look at their most recent hearing.
Fri, Oct 20, 2006
The run-up to this year's midterm election smells of scandal and corruption, which raises the question: Can anyone stop the influence of big money and big influence on political campaigns? This week, NOW presents a special hour-long investigation into the fight to keep American elections free and fair. Airing less than three weeks before Americans go to the polls, "Votes for Sale?" will spotlight the so-called Clean Elections movement, a radical experiment adopted in Maine and Arizona to revolutionize how campaigns are conducted. It may not only help clean up politics, but also open the door for more average Americans to run for office and win. NOW also looks at a contentious California vote initiative, Proposition 89, with the same mission of cleaning up campaigns. But will "politics of the people" be a clean democratic step forward or a messy economic step backward? NOW travels across the country to find out.
Fri, Oct 27, 2006
In the final days of campaigning, a big battle is brewing over small wages. Congress hasn't touched the federal minimum wage level in nearly a decade (though its members routinely raise their own wages). But this year, eleven states have approved raising the minimum wage and six others have it on this November's ballot. In this week's show, NOW visits a Missourian who's relying on the minimum wage to support her entire family. She and others are engaged in a David vs. Goliath struggle -- in some cases against members of Congress -- to bring about something close to a "living wage" for those making the very least. Meanwhile, Democratic strategists are hoping this issue will light a fire under fellow Democrats to get them to the polls in some crucial battleground states.
Fri, Nov 3, 2006
With less than a week to go before the election, it's clear no single issue will have more impact than the war in Iraq. NOW goes to one of the most pro-war districts in the country -- the Texas 31st -- to see how townsfolk deeply affected by our presence in Iraq are expressing their feelings at the ballot box. This solidly-red district is home to Fort Hood, the largest active duty army base in America, and almost everyone living there has a personal connection to the war. Is the war in Iraq changing the minds of even the most entrenched voters? "Everybody here has felt the pain of what's going on," Jerry Morris, a district resident and retired Army Major told NOW. "So I think people here are more willing to say, 'maybe we need to rethink what we're doing.'" Also, an insightful interview with writer Andrew Sullivan, looking ahead to Tuesday's election.
Fri, Nov 10, 2006
News headlines are heralding Democratic Congressional victories on Election Night, but the larger story of the 2006 mid-term elections transcends statistical winners and losers. Since late summer, NOW has been focusing on crucial but underreported personal and political questions related to the election, such as: the performance of malfunctioning voting machines, the outcomes of deceptive ballot initiatives, the influence of religion in politics, the impact of immigration and minimum wage issues, the political role of the blogosphere, and the success rate of "clean" campaigners. NOW takes a hard look at the outcomes of these issues, as well as the individual people profoundly affected by them. Also this week, NOW's David Brancaccio and Salon.com editor-in-chief Joan Walsh place a magnifying glass on mid-term election outcomes to reveal what it means for America's future.
Fri, Nov 17, 2006
Dozens of families say the military has misled them about how their loved ones died, and the army has officially acknowledged seven instances of misinformation. In the most high-profile case, the army is finishing its fourth investigation into the death of former pro football player Pat Tillman in Afghanistan two years ago. This time, they are investigating to see if facts were intentionally covered up. But Tillman is not the only disturbing case. NOW talks to the mother of Army Pfc. Jesse Buryj, reportedly killed by friendly fire in Iraq. "They have two options: to tell me who killed my son, or to have a very good reason why they can't figure it out," Buryj tells NOW. "Those are their only two options. And one will not be acceptable." Also this week, David Brancaccio talks to Tyler Drumheller, a 25-year veteran of the Central Intelligence Agency, to get his insight into past intelligence blunders and what anti-terrorism tactics we can expect from the CIA moving forward.
Fri, Nov 24, 2006
Viewed before Hurricane Katrina as an institutional disaster, New Orleans' public schools got a second shot at success as a result of the devastation. City planners ran with the opportunity, deciding not just to rebuild schools, but to implement a bold experiment in public schooling. A full 60 percent of the city's reopened schools are now independently-run charter schools. NOW looks at the challenges, successes, and implications of one of these schools, Lafayette Academy, through the eyes of individual students, faculty, and parents. "I am convinced that this is all going to be the basis for the rebuilding process in New Orleans," Lafayette Academy Principal Eileen Williams tells NOW. "I'm a firm believer that if we're going to do away with poverty in this country and do things that are right, we've got to begin with educating our youth.
Fri, Dec 1, 2006
Public opinion polls unanimously show that trust in mainstream media -- the institution most responsible for keeping us all informed and aware -- is at an all-time low. How did we get here, and more importantly, how can we repair the damage? NOW poses these questions to legendary television producer and People for the American Way founder Norman Lear. Also interviewed is Martin Kaplan, associate dean of USC's Annenberg School of Communication. Is mainstream media serving public or corporate interests? Issues and answers from people who've spent their lives minding the media.
Fri, Dec 8, 2006
Corporations don't have the best reputation when it comes to compassion. More often than not, the bottom line leaves no room for benevolence. But some big businesses are taking a new approach. This week, NOW interviews Jonathan Schwartz, the charismatic CEO and president of Sun Microsystems, and billionaire venture capitalist Vinod Khosla, about their efforts to invest and grow programs that help make the world a better place. Khosla describes a radical proposal to move all U.S. automobile fuel consumption from gasoline to ethanol. As Khosla tells NOW, "We have a serious energy crisis. We have a serious climate crisis. We have a serious terrorism crisis. All three are related to one issue: oil consumption.