To the Point

North Korea and Nuclear Weapons

Before the US invaded Iraq, the International Atomic Energy Agency was doubtful that Saddam Hussein had nuclear weapons. When it comes to North Korea, the IAEA is taking a stronger public stand than has the Bush administration. Last week, the US notified North Korea it wants to resume talks about nuclear weapons, along with China, Japan, Russia and South Korea. North Korea says it's a disguise for America-s real plan, a pre-emptive strike that might lead to nuclear war. What-s the evidence that North Korea has developed the atom bomb? Has the administration exaggerated evidence to make things look worse than they are? Should the US try to force -regime change- on North Korea or strategize and negotiate for the long term? We get perspective from journalists, Asia experts, a former State Department official and an IAEA spokesman. Making News: Supreme Court of Canada Rules Parliament Can Allow Gay Marriage The Supreme Court of Canada ruled today that same-sex marriages are allowed under the Constitution. It did not rule that they are required. That leaves the matter up to a vote of the Parliament. John Ibbitson, political affairs columnist for Canada-s Globe and Mail, says the judgment paves the way for Canada's Parliament to nationalize what is already legal in six of 10 provinces. Reporter-s Notebook: Abstinence Education under Fire To cope with teen pregnancy and sexually transmitted disease, the Bush administration has shifted federal emphasis from sex education to sexual abstinence. Now, social conservatives are up in arms over a Congressional study claiming that abstinence programs feature information that-s scientifically and medically inaccurate. The subject of their criticism is Henry Waxman, Democratic Congressman from Los Angeles.