To the Point

Middle East at the Brink of the Brink of War

With Chairman Yasser Arafat a virtual prisoner and peace talks a thing of the past, the all-too-familiar cycle of violence continues and the Middle East spirals out of control. In Washington, the Bush Administration has invited Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon to the White House but is considering sanctioning Arafat or cutting off all contact with the Palestinian leader. How real is the threat of all out war? What are the implications for the US, the region and the world's oil supply? We get high-level updates from Palestinian and Israeli government officials, a former aide to Secretary of State George Schulz, and other experts on the Middle East. Newsmaker: Enron and Campaign Finance Reform After languishing in Congress for months, campaign finance reform may have received new life with the advent of the Enron collapse. Supporters of the legislation gathered enough signatures to force a vote in the House of Representatives. Bill Schneider, senior political analyst for CNN assesses the sudden turn of events as well as the likelihood that the bill will survive despite alternative plans to water down legislation. Reporter's Notebook: Federal Money, Utah and the Olympics Thanks to Utah politicians and the 2002 Winter Olympics, a stunning 1.5 billion dollars has fallen on the state and into the hands of wealthy private individuals. James Steele, editor-at-large for Sports Illustrated and Time, revisits his article, "Snow Job," about the "blizzard of federal money" that means big profits for private interests at the Winter Olympics.