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Iraq and the Democrats

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When they left on vacation a week ago, Democrats said they'd be back with tough measures to discourage the President from increasing troops in Iraq. Why isn't that happening after all?  In Iraq itself, will the new oil agreement unite a divided country?   On Reporter's Notebook, hundreds of millions of honeybees have turned up missing in 24 states from California to Pennsylvania, an ecological mystery that threatens $14 billion in food crops.

Making News

Suicide Bombers Target Bagram during Cheney Visit ()

In Afghanistan today, a suicide bomber attacked Bagram Air Base, America's principal military base while Dick Cheney was visiting. The Vice President was unhurt, but at least 23 other people were killed. Cheney later met with President Hamid Karzai, who was reportedly "upbeat." Griff Witte, Foreign Correspondent for the Washington Post, has more on the reasons behind the Vice President's trip and meeting with Hamid Karzai as well as the increasing use of suicide bombers in Afghanistan.


Guests:
  • Griff Witte: Foreign Correspondent for the Washington Post

Main Topic

Democrats Struggle to Unify, Iraqi Cabinet Approves Draft Oil Law ()

Even in the Republican south, 64% tell pollsters they oppose the President's handling of the war in Iraq. With their party now a majority, anti-war Democrats are demanding action to stop the so-called "surge" of additional troops.  But on Capitol Hill, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid has delayed the plan to re-write the 2002 resolution that authorized the invasion; House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has yet to endorse colleague John Murtha's plan to condition funding on troop training and readiness. Meantime, Kurds, Sunnis and Shiites agreed yesterday on a new law that would divide Iraq's oil revenues based on population. Since the proven reserves are in the Kurdish North and the Shiite South, the deal is seen as a concession to Sunnis, who are concentrated in the central part of the county. The Bush White House calls it the "key linchpin" to the nation's recovery and it's hoped the Iraqi Parliament will pass it in the next month.

Guests:
  • David Sirota: Nationally syndicated columnist
  • Marie Cocco: Syndicated columnist with the Washington Post Writers Group
  • Antonia Juhasz: Fellow at Oil Change International
  • Gal Luft: Executive Director of the Institute for the Analysis of Global Security
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Reporter's Notebook

Honeybee Disappearances Alarm Beekeepers and Farmers ()

"Box after box is just empty.  There's nobody home."  That's what a California beekeeper told the New York Times after half of his 100 million honeybees turned up missing.  Beekeepers in 23 other states have the same problem. It's the first time this happened nationwide. All over the country, honeybees are flying off in search of pollen and nectar and not coming home. Experts are calling it "colony collapse disorder."  Dennis van Engelsdorp, bee specialist with the State of Pennsylvania, warns it could be "the AIDS of the bee industry."

Guests:

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