To the Point

Making Policy at The Intersection of Science and Politics

The Bush EPA is accused of ignoring a scientific consensus for downplaying the effect of greenhouse gas emissions in causing climate change, but dissenters insist that the science of global warming has been distorted-to manufacture a crisis for political reasons. It-s the latest example of an ongoing conundrum: when public policy depends on science, who decides which scientist to believe? Is the scientific method compatible with the black-and-white rhetoric of public debate? We hear about orthodoxy, heresy--and the scramble for research money, from a science correspondent, a climatologist, professors of environmental science and science technology, and a lawyer who specializes in the interactions of law, science and politics. Making News: A Fragile Peace in the Middle East Leaders of both sides shook hands today as Israeli forces pulled out of the Gaza Strip and Palestinian security forces took over, but their ability to keep order and the ceasefire that led to today-s changes are still very much in question. Los Angeles Times' reporter Megan Stack has just returned to Jerusalem from the Gaza Strip. Reporter's Notebook: Katharine Hepburn, 1907 - 2003 Surrounded by family, Katherine Hepburn died yesterday at 96 when she succumbed to -complications associated with aging.- Recently named the top female screen legend by the American Film Institute, Hepburn won three of her four Best Actress Oscars after the age of 60. Charles Champlin, now retired after long service as arts and film critic for the Los Angeles Times, remembers the actress--and woman--who was ahead of her time.