To the Point
To the Point
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Hosted by Warren Olney, To the Point is a fast-paced, news based one-hour daily national program that focuses on the hot-button issues of the day, co-produced by KCRW and Public Radio International.
Photo credit: Marc Goldstein
RECENT SHOWS
The Credit Card Economy Comes Home to Roost
When the great recession got under way, credit card companies began changing their rules, making it harder for struggling consumers to pay their bills. Congress enacted reform in May, but gave the industry nine months to clean up its act. What we told you in March, when this discussion originally aired, will still be valid until after this Christmas. Also, retailers are facing a weak holiday system, and two and a half million Muslim pilgrims descend on Mecca.
On Thanksgiving, It's All about Food
Farmers' markets are all the rage and school lunches are more nutritious than they used to be, but some urban American neighborhoods are “food deserts” with no grocery stores. We hear good news and bad news, and get some surprises today about how food and the way we eat it are changing. Also, investigating the Mumbai attacks, one year later, and an international video project on Democracy.
Football and the Cost of Concussions
Do concussions on the football field cause brain damage? Have coaches, team doctors and players themselves been in denial? We hear about growing evidence and some new signals of seriousness from the National Football League. Also, President Obama goes to Copenhagen, and feeding the hungry on Thanksgiving Day. Are you really needed?
Americans Are Too Fat and Too Hungry
Despite America's obesity epidemic, recent studies say tens of millions of people, including children, go hungry. What's the Obama Administration doing? What can you do? Is “food insecurity” a matter of politics as well as economics? Also, President Obama meets with India's Prime Minister Singh, and Europe's soccer scandal.
America's Airlines: Stuck in Traffic
Existing technology could make air travel faster, more fuel efficient and cheaper, but the control system won't be updated until 2025. We hear why and what passengers can expect in the meantime. Also, getting healthcare reform through the Senate, and US bases and escalating tensions between Colombia and Venezuela.
Religion and Warfare: Does God Choose Sides?
The Fort Hood shootings have raised disturbing questions about Islamic radicalism in the US military. What about Evangelical Christianity? Does it pose its own kind of dangers, especially with US troops on the battlefields of Iraq and Afghanistan? Also, the first EU president, and Oprah Winfrey calls it quits — at the same time she plans for the future.
Will Healthcare Reform Get to the Senate Floor?
Democrats finally have a healthcare reform bill they want to get to the Senate floor before next week's Thanksgiving vacation. Republicans will use all available parliamentary maneuvers to prevent that from happening. We hear how the bill compares to the House version and assess its chances. Also, Afghan President Karzai's inauguration, and a judge says the disaster following Hurricane Katrina was man made. Will the federal government be on the hook for billions in damages?
Global Warming: Can it Still Be Turned Around?
The international consensus is that next month's meeting in Copenhagen will not produce the expected binding agreement for action on Global Warming. What happened to the sense of urgency? Can President Obama take the lead without both houses of Congress? Also, the Attorney General is grilled about his decision on 9/11 trials, and the President and the Secretary of State on what's next for Afghanistan.
Closing Guantanamo: Easier Said than Done
To make good on his promise to close Guantanamo Bay, President Obama needs to re-locate more than 200 prisoners. One likely location in northwestern Illinois has set off a political firestorm, and there's ongoing dispute over how to clear up all those cases. Also, the President's trip to China, and British soldiers are ordered to pay off the Taliban.
'Job One' for the President: Creating Jobs
Bill Clinton won the White House by never forgetting that "it's the economy, stupid." Now unemployment looms as big or bigger for Barack Obama than healthcare or climate change. What more can the government to do create jobs? Can it happen before next year's mid-term elections? Also, President Obama's town-hall meeting in Shanghai, and Sarah Palin, the book the Presidency and the polls.
A Trial for Terrorists in New York City
Attorney General Eric Holder announced today that Khalid Shaikh Mohammed, the self-described mastermind of 9/11, will be tried in the federal court just blocks from where the World Trade Towers once stood in New York City. On Reporter's Notebook, former US diplomat Peter Galbraith reacts to claims he had a conflict of interest while helping to write Iraq's new constitution.
The President's Trip to Asia: Substance and Symbols
As President Obama visits Asia, the US is still in deep trouble while China is riding high. What does America want, and what can it provide in the newest world order? Also, the US ambassador to Afghanistan says hold that surge, and chimpanzees, human beings and the genetics of speech.
Iran: Complications and Contradictions
Political divisions inside Iran appear to be threatening a nuclear deal with the West, even though both Iranian factions may want it to happen. We ask, what are its chances…and what's liable to happen if it doesn't go through? Also, paying tribute to America's veterans, and the ravages of PTSD, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.
Could the Fort Hood Shootings Have Been Prevented?
Twelve American soldiers and one civilian were gunned down last Thursday at Fort Hood, Texas. Were they victims of terrorism? Could the incident have been prevented? What does it mean for military diversity in a world plagued by cultural and religious confrontations? Also, North and South Korean ships exchange fire, and nuclear disarmament produces nuclear power.
It Was 20 Years Ago Today: The Fall of the Berlin Wall
There are huge celebrations in Berlin, as world leaders gather to mark an event that changed the face of the world. It was twenty years ago today that the Berlin Wall came down. Guest host Sara Terry asks whether the past two decades have lived up to the promise of that moment, and how the end of the Cold War era shaped the political and economic realities of today. Also, the Supreme Court considers life sentences for children, and why pro-choice activists are upset with the vote on healthcare reform.
Program Details
Host
Considered the dean of Southern California broadcast journalists, Warren tackles the issues Southern Californians care about. Expanding that concept, To the Point deals with issues of national concern and is on air in most major metropolitan markets across the country. On any day, you’ll hear a fast-paced, news-based talk show featuring multiple perspectives on a single major issue, with Newsmaker and Reporters Notebook features, as well.
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