To the Point

The Terror Threat to US Nuclear Facilities

After September 11, Congress asked the National Academy of Sciences to report on the safety of nuclear power plants, including the storage of radioactive waste fuel rods in pools of water. The findings are still mostly secret. But when the Bush Administration's top nuclear regulator reassured Congress, NAS Executive Officer William Colglazier told the Washington Post that was "misleading," and that the public needs to know the government does not fully understand the risks of a terrorist attack. The government has denied the claim, but shrouded the matter in so much secrecy that questions are being raised. Is embarrassing criticism being suppressed? We look at the vulnerability of America's nuclear plants with industry watchdogs and public policy experts, safety consultants and a former appointee to the National Commission on Terrorism. Making News: Iraqi Prime Minister, President Storm out of Session In Iraq today, the second session of the newly elected parliament dissolved in acrimony over failure to form a new government. Meantime, in the White House Rose Garden, President Bush insisted that progress toward democracy is being made. Jill Carroll, who is in Baghdad for the Christian Science Monitor, says the reasons for the gridlock are religious in nature. Reporters Notebook: Death Penalty Thrown Out Because of Jury's Bible Study In 1995, Robert Harlan got the death penalty for kidnap, rape and murder. Instructed to think beyond the narrow confines of the law, jurors consulted the Bible before reaching their decision. Yesterday, the Colorado Supreme Court threw out the sentence because of the "distraction of extraneous texts." Harlan will now serve life in prison without parole. Edward Larson is a visiting professor of law at Pepperdine University in Southern California.