To the Point

Suicide Bombings in Northern Iraq

The Bush administration is in a race with time and Iraqi insurgents, who want to stop the orderly transfer of power now scheduled for mid-summer. This weekend-s double suicide bombing brought terrorism and chaos to the Kurdish North and may create a new obstacle to unifying the country. Meantime, In the South, massive street demonstrations have raised the prospect of tyranny by the majority Shiites, who are demanding direct elections. With just three weeks until the deadline for an interim constitution, can Iraq-s diverse populations be reconciled? Will the US get any help from the United Nations? We update America-s race against time and the violence that threatens an orderly process with journalists, a professor of modern Middle Eastern history, a former US ambassador, and the US representative of one of the Kurdish parties that were bombed this weekend. Making News: Ricin Found in Office of Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist The powder that led to the closure of three Senate office buildings today has been identified as ricin. The poison is not the first choice of international terrorists but is regarded as a -blue-collar weapon.- Jeff Stein, editor of homeland security news at Congressional Quarterly, has details on the today's incident at the office of Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist as well as other recent cases involving the vegetable-based poison. Reporters Notebook: Baring Janet Jackson-s Breast What history will most likely remember about Sunday's Super Bowl game is not the Patriots versus the Panthers. Even viewers who missed the half-time show have likely seen repeated news replays of Janet Jackson-s costume being pulled away to expose her breast to millions of viewers. Robert Thompson, who directs Syracuse University's Center for the Study of Popular Television, says America's obsession with the female breast overlooks far more serious issues.