To the Point
Vice Presidential Debate Preview
Tomorrow night, it's Cheney and Edwards, facing off in Cleveland, Ohio--and this year, they might provide more than a sideshow. The televised debate will pit a one-term Senator against a Vice President with a lengthy record in Congress and the executive branch. In a contest as tight as this year's has turned out to be, every little bit helps. After Friday's victory for John Kerry, John Edwards wants to keep the momentum going; Dick Cheney will try to get the Bush campaign back on track. Should a one-term Senator be a heart-beat away from the Oval Office? What about tort reform? Is the Vice President to blame for White House miscalculations? What about Halliburton? Warren Olney joins historians and journalists traveling with and writing about the candidates for a look at where they've have been and what they've been saying. Making News: Space Plane Breaks Earth's Atmosphere Again, Wins Big Prize For the second time in a week, the stubby rocket called SpaceShipOne blasted through the Earth's atmosphere. By doing so, it won a $10 million prize designed to encourage tourism in space. Enthusiasts are calling it a historical moment, comparable to the first airplane flight at Kitty Hawk. One of those is Rand Simberg, president of Interglobal Space Lines, one of several companies preparing for future opportunities in space tourism. Reporter's Notebook: New Supreme Court Term Faces Controversial Docket No justice has resigned from the US Supreme Court in 10 years, making this the longest-serving court since the 1820's. The session that began today will hear a full docket of controversial issues. One is a review of criminal sentencing guidelines that revisits a 5-to-4 decision last year, predicted by Justice Sandra Day O'Connor to wreak havoc on trial courts across the country. Eugene Volloch, professor of constitutional law at UCLA, has more.
By Warren Olney • • 1h 0m ListenTomorrow night, it's Cheney and Edwards, facing off in Cleveland, Ohio--and this year, they might provide more than a sideshow. The televised debate will pit a one-term Senator against a Vice President with a lengthy record in Congress and the executive branch. In a contest as tight as this year's has turned out to be, every little bit helps. After Friday's victory for John Kerry, John Edwards wants to keep the momentum going; Dick Cheney will try to get the Bush campaign back on track. Should a one-term Senator be a heart-beat away from the Oval Office? What about tort reform? Is the Vice President to blame for White House miscalculations? What about Halliburton? Warren Olney joins historians and journalists traveling with and writing about the candidates for a look at where they've have been and what they've been saying.
Space Plane Breaks Earth's Atmosphere Again, Wins Big Prize
For the second time in a week, the stubby rocket called SpaceShipOne blasted through the Earth's atmosphere. By doing so, it won a $10 million prize designed to encourage tourism in space. Enthusiasts are calling it a historical moment, comparable to the first airplane flight at Kitty Hawk. One of those is Rand Simberg, president of Interglobal Space Lines, one of several companies preparing for future opportunities in space tourism.
New Supreme Court Term Faces Controversial Docket
No justice has resigned from the US Supreme Court in 10 years, making this the longest-serving court since the 1820's. The session that began today will hear a full docket of controversial issues. One is a review of criminal sentencing guidelines that revisits a 5-to-4 decision last year, predicted by Justice Sandra Day O'Connor to wreak havoc on trial courts across the country. Eugene Volloch, professor of constitutional law at UCLA, has more.