Making News

Taliban Extends Deadline for South Korean Hostages ()

Several news agencies are quoting Taliban sources who are saying they have shot to death another kidnapped South Korean. A South Korean envoy is headed for Afghanistan in the hopes of rescuing the rest. Most of the hostages are women. There are 21 or 22 remaining in custody. Griff Whitte is in Islamabad, covering Afghanistan and Pakistan for the Washington Post.

Guests:

• Griff Witte: Foreign Correspondent for the Washington Post

Main Topic

What's Next for the 'Special Relationship?' ()

Britain's new Prime Minister Gordon Brown has been portrayed as a big change from Tony Blair, especially on Iraq and the war on terror. But today at Camp David, Brown and President Bush filled the air with compliments. Each called the other his country's most important ally. We hear their public comments about the "historic partnership," and look at what their real differences might be. Can Brown get his troops out of Iraq soon enough to suit British voters?  Has he softened his rhetoric to appeal to a Muslim constituency threatened by terms like "war on terror?"

Guests:

• Mark Silva: White House Correspondent for the Chicago Tribune
• Gerald Howarth: Member of Parliament
• Mary Dejevsky: chief editorial writer for the Independent
• Azzam Tamini: Director of the Institute of Islamic Thought
• Christopher Hitchens: Contributing Editor to Vanity Fair

Links:

• Silva's article on President Bush’s increasing isolation
• Tamini's 'Hamas: A History from Within'
• Hitchens' 'God Is Not Great: How Religion Poisons Everything'

Reporter's Notebook

Breakthrough Discovery in Battle against Multiple Sclerosis ()

Multiple Sclerosis is a neurological disease that causes symptoms ranging from muscle weakness to paralysis. Its causes are environmental as well as genetic. Thirty years ago, researchers found one gene that's part of the problem. Now medical researchers say they've found a second gene.  Margaret Pericak-Vance, director of the Miami Institute for Human Genomics, co-authored two papers on MS published today.

Guests:

• Margaret Pericak-Vance: Director of the Miami Institute for Human Genomics at the University of Miami

Links:

• Nature Genetics article
• New England Journal of Medicine article