To the Point

Same-Sex Marriage and Election Year Politics

President Bush and Senate Republicans have put same-sex marriage on this week's political agenda. Three days of debate began today on a Constitutional amendment restricting marriage to one man and one woman. Nobody thinks it will pass, but everyone knows that Republicans need social-conservative voters to hold majorities in the House and the Senate. First Lady Laura Bush says the issue ought to be kept out of politics, but today, as promised, the President himself said again he supports such an amendment. Why do gays and lesbians insist on marriage when they have civil unions in many states? Would the proposed amendment write bigotry into the Constitution? Will many conservatives think a losing debate is too little too late? We'll hear about the pros, the cons and the politics.Making News: Supreme Court to Hear Cases on School Desegregation PracticesThe newly constituted US Supreme Court will hear a case about the use of race to assign students in public schools. There are claims that it could lead to a major affirmative-action ruling. David Savage, who reports on the court for the Los Angeles Times, has more on the upcoming case and how the presence of Justice Samuel Alito could swing the court away from its previous decision.Reporter's Notebook: Alleged Terrorist Plot Uncovered in CanadaUS officials reportedly were part of a sting operation that resulted in charges of 17 Canadian Muslims for plotting to blow up buildings with three times the ammonium nitrate that destroyed the federal building in Oklahoma City. Homeland Security officials are stepping up scrutiny of travelers crossing the Canadian border. Professor Wesley Wark of the University of Toronto is an expert on intelligence services and national security.