America's Energy Future Makes for Strange Bedfellows

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Despite Republican and Democrats' claims to "do something," the price of gasoline is by no means under control and the jury's still out on this year's energy bill. Meantime, two unlikely allies are pushing for cars they claim could get 500 miles to the gallon--with available technology and alternative fuels. Environmentalists want to clean up the air. Hawks and neo-cons say dependence on fossil fuels is a threat to security. Would the technology really work? Would it require more energy rather than less? Can hawks and neo-cons work with environmentalists to solve America's energy problems? This archived To the Point, recorded before Congress passed an energy bill, but the debate we're about to hear is as fresh as ever. (This segment originally aired on April 18, 2005.)Making News: Alito Facing a More Hostile Senate than RobertsWhen Congress adjourned for the holidays, it left a lot of work to be done. Next week, the Senate Judiciary Committee will begin hearings on Judge Samuel Alito, President Bush's nominee to succeed Sandra Day O'Connor on the US Supreme Court. Joan Biskupic, author of the new book, Sandra Day O'Connor: How the First Woman on the Supreme Court Became It's Most Influential Justice, covers the court for USA Today.Reporter's Notebook: Tracing Human Migration with DNAThere is scientific evidence that all of humanity came out of Africa, but nobody's sure how our ancestors got to other parts of the planet. The National Geographic Society, with help from IBM, hopes to solve the mystery. Researchers at 10 local centers will analyze the DNA of 100,000 blood samples from indigenous populations around the world, and trace the migration routes first established some 50,000 years ago. Population geneticist Spencer Wells is leading the program. (This segment originally aired on April 13, 2005.)
Despite Republican and Democrats' claims to "do something," the price of gasoline is by no means under control and the jury's still out on this year's energy bill. Meantime, two unlikely allies are pushing for cars they claim could get 500 miles to the gallon--with available technology and alternative fuels. Environmentalists want to clean up the air. Hawks and neo-cons say dependence on fossil fuels is a threat to security. Would the technology really work? Would it require more energy rather than less? Can hawks and neo-cons work with environmentalists to solve America's energy problems? This archived To the Point, recorded before Congress passed an energy bill, but the debate we're about to hear is as fresh as ever. (This segment originally aired on April 18, 2005.)
  • Making News: Alito Facing a More Hostile Senate than RobertsWhen Congress adjourned for the holidays, it left a lot of work to be done. Next week, the Senate Judiciary Committee will begin hearings on Judge Samuel Alito, President Bush's nominee to succeed Sandra Day O'Connor on the US Supreme Court. Joan Biskupic, author of the new book, Sandra Day O'Connor: How the First Woman on the Supreme Court Became It's Most Influential Justice, covers the court for USA Today.
  • Reporter's Notebook: Tracing Human Migration with DNA
    There is scientific evidence that all of humanity came out of Africa, but nobody's sure how our ancestors got to other parts of the planet. The National Geographic Society, with help from IBM, hopes to solve the mystery. Researchers at 10 local centers will analyze the DNA of 100,000 blood samples from indigenous populations around the world, and trace the migration routes first established some 50,000 years ago. Population geneticist Spencer Wells is leading the program. (This segment originally aired on April 13, 2005.)

US Supreme Court Associate Justice nominee Samuel Alito

Senate Judiciary Committee hearings on Alito

Energy Policy Act of 2005

Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) Standards

Flex-Fuel Vehicles

Plug-in Hybrid Vehicles, Institute for the Analysis of Global Security on

National Geographic Society

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Warren Olney