Making News

High Court Issues Key Rulings as Term Winds Down ()

The US Supreme Court ruled today that the death penalty for raping a child is unconstitutional if the child is not killed. It also cut punitive damages in the Exxon Valdez oil spill from $2.5 billion to $507 million. David Savage reports on the court for the Los Angeles Times.

Guests:

• David Savage: Reporter, Los Angeles Times

Main Topic

Obama: A Transcendent Figure or the Conventional Politician? ()

Despite many months of campaigning and hours of TV exposure, Barack Obama remains a puzzle to millions of potential voters. Is he a high-minded idealist with the vision and the capacity to get America back on track, or another Machiavellian politician who just wants to win? We hear about core values, the flip-flop on public financing and fighting the unfounded rumors. Can he win over skeptics with his oratorical skills?  Is he in need of a Big Idea?

Guests:

• Dorothy Wickenden: Executive Editor, New Yorker
• Steve Kornacki: Columnist, New York Observer
• Matthew Dowd: former Chief Campaign Strategist, 2004 Bush-Cheney re-election campaign
• Glenn Greenwald: Constitutional lawyer

Links:

• Obama's 'Dreams from My Father: A Story of Race and Inheritance'
• Obama's 'The Audacity of Hope: Thoughts on Reclaiming the American Dream'
• Washington Post article about Republicans perception of Obama
• Gary Hart's (New York Times) op-ed on America's wait for a new sort of national leader
• Wickenden's article on Obama

Reporter's Notebook

Environmentalists Elated by Crist's Everglades Conservation Deal ()

Environmentalists say it's a deal so big it wasn't even on their agenda. But Florida's Governor Charlie Crist has agreed to spend $1.7 billion to buy out the US Sugar Corporation, which pollutes the rivers that feed the Everglades. Environmentalists call today's announcement "monumental." It won't happen without some tradeoffs. John Kennedy covers politics and state government for the Orlando Sentinel.

Guests:

• John Kennedy: Tallahassee Bureau Chief, Orlando Sentinel