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NOW from PBS

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Language: English
Category: News and Politics / News and Politics
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Analysis and perspective on current events, issues and ideas

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Subprime Solution?

After the subprime mortgage debacle, have we learned that quick-turnaround mortgages to customers with low credit scores are always too good to be true? One enterprising entrepreneur says NO, and he has some success to back it up. NOW on PBS takes a look at the non profit organization "Just Price Solutions" and the man behind it, Brian Cosgrove. Cosgrove created a new mortgage model that, in his view, marries the speed and efficiency of the subprime model to safe lending practices including home...

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[ Fri, 27 June 2008 11:00:00 EST ]

India Rising

The global middle class is expected to swell by more than 1 billion people over the next decade, with the biggest increases in China and India. While millions are being lifted out of poverty as a result, the booming middle class is also consuming more global resources. As a result, prices for everything from steel to gasoline to food are soaring. NOW reports from Pune, India, where college graduates are getting tech jobs, traditional families are flocking to the new mall, and professionals are h...

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[ Fri, 20 June 2008 11:00:00 EST ]

Fighting the Army

Thousands of U.S. troops are getting discharged out of the Army. Many suffer from post traumatic stress disorders and brain injuries and aren't getting the care they need. The Army claims these discharged soldiers have pre-existing mental illnesses or are guilty of misconduct. But advocates say these are wrongful discharges, a way for the army to get rid of "problem" soldiers quickly, without giving them the treatment to which they're entitled. NOW travels to Texas' Fort Hood to meet traumatized...

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[ Fri, 13 June 2008 18:00:00 EST ]

Dialogue with Dictators?

NOW talks with the former head of U.S. Central Command, Admiral William J. Fallon, who resigned in March after a year of duty. Fallon had sharp disagreements with the Bush Administration's Middle East policy toward Iranian President Ahmadinejad. The former commander of all U.S. military forces in the Middle East and Central Asia, Fallon was portrayed in Esquire magazine as the man in the military preventing the administration from going to war with Iran. Also, we talk with political columnist an...

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[ Fri, 6 June 2008 18:00:00 EST ]

Fighting Child Prostitution

Living in the shadows of contemporary American society are hundreds of thousands of underage prostitutes -- desperate, exploited kids robbed of their childhood and of hope. The Department of Justice estimates that each day at least 300,000 American children are at risk -- on the streets, through escort services and increasingly on the internet. But while the underage sex trade is spreading, some leaders are taking strong measures to stand in its way. NOW on PBS goes to Atlanta, where Mayor Shirl...

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[ Fri, 30 May 2008 18:00:00 EST ]

Rape in the Military

There are more women serving in the military than ever before, and they're in danger -- but not just from combat. Last year, nearly 1400 women reported being assaulted and raped by their fellow soldiers, in some cases by their commanding officers. The shocking phenomenon has a label: military sexual trauma, or MST. NOW on PBS returns to the subject for an updated report and talks to women who've been raped and assaulted while serving in the military. Also on the show, NOW investigates how a har...

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[ Fri, 23 May 2008 18:00:00 EST ]

Education City

While America's reputation in the Middle East is hovering at historic lows, the demand for American university-branded education has never been greater. NOW on PBS takes a look at the unprecedented boom of American university campuses in an area where American military and cultural exports are typically viewed with suspicion. In the tiny oil-rich nation of Qatar, American universities like Carnegie Mellon, Georgetown, and Virginia Commonwealth are warmly embraced and enthusiastically attended by...

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[ Fri, 16 May 2008 18:00:00 EST ]

Prisons for Profit

America passed a grim milestone this year: One in every hundred Americans is now behind bars. This week, NOW on PBS investigates the government's trend to outsource prisons and prisoners to the private sector and examines the controversy it's causing. We travel to Colorado, where the debate over prison privatization is boiling over. The hot question: should incarceration be incorporated?...

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[ Fri, 09 May 2008 18:00:00 EST ]

Election 2008: What to Expect

Few predicted how competitive the race for President would be at this point, and no one knows how it will all turn out, but some insiders have the advantage of their own experience to provide a seasoned perspective. NOW on PBS host David Brancaccio shares a table with outspoken former San Francisco mayor Willie Brown and former McCain strategist Dan Schnur for an insider's look at what may happen next, and what the candidates each must do to win....

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[ Fri, 02 May 2008 18:00:00 EST ]

College Summit

While many kids from rich families take going to college for granted, poor kids face a harsher reality. According to one source, only 7% of low-income kids earn a college degree by the age of 25. NOW shares a year-long investigation of an innovative program trying to level that playing field. College Summit is hoping to close the gap by helping students from low-income families select schools, complete college applications, write personal statements, and navigate financial aid. After months of d...

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[ Fri, 25 Apr 2008 18:00:00 EST ]

Health Care Meltdown

As the political campaigns gear up for Tuesday's Pennsylvania primary, the candidates are trumpeting positions on one of the state's -- and the country's -- thorniest and most pressing issues: health care reform. With health care costs in the Keystone State 11% higher than the national average and rising twice as fast as the average wage, it's a problem Pennsylvania is desperately trying to fix on its own. The state legislature is debating a plan backed by Governor Ed Rendell to provide benefits...

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[ Fri, 18 Apr 2008 18:00:00 EST ]

Taxing the Poor

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[ Fri, 11 Apr 2008 18:00:00 EST ]

Back to the Front

As President Bush seeks to add to the U.S. military presence in Iraq, NOW asks: are we asking too much of our soldiers, many of whom are on their second or third tours of duty? This week, NOW follows troops from Georgia's Fort Stewart as they prepare to leave their loved ones and head back into harm's way. Through their personal stories, we witness the strains both the war and our expectations are placing on America's military. Michael Murphy is one of the Fort Stewart soldiers deploying to Iraq...

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[ Fri, 19 Jan 2007 18:00:00 EST ]

Home Grown

Can America grow its way out of its dependence on foreign oil? Country music legend Willie Nelson thinks so, and has a new twist on a 100 year-old idea that just may get us there. Nelson has introduced a new kind of crop-based diesel fuel he calls "BioWillie." Not only does BioWillie burn more cleanly than regular diesel, but it could give farmers a brand new market for their crops. NOW talks with Neslon about this new trend in biofuels that is attracting the attention of farmers, environmental...

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[ Fri, 12 Jan 2007 18:00:00 EST ]

How Green?

Can environmentalists and conservative lawmakers get along in the Idaho wilderness? That's the challenge Republican Rep. Mike Simpson took on when he sponsored compromise legislation with the help of the Idaho Conservation League to protect a vast swath of the state's natural environment. But the price is too high for some. NOW talks to residents, ranchers, off-road vehicle fans, and wilderness advocates -- including singer-songwriter and resident Carole King -- to unearth the truth behind a tug...

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[ Fri, 05 Jan 2007 18:00:00 EST ]

Food Fight

Can labor unions still pack a punch for workers? This week, NOW travels to Tar Heel, North Carolina to investigate the twelve-year battle to unionize the world's largest pork processing plant. In so doing, NOW's Maria Hinojosa became the first TV journalist ever allowed to film inside the plant, owned by Smithfield Packing Company. Smithfield has been locked in a fight with the United Food and Commercial Workers Union (UFCW) for over a decade, amid court and government findings of past intimidat...

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[ Fri, 15 Dec 2006 18:00:00 EST ]

Corporate Compassion

Corporations don't have the best reputation when it comes to compassion. More often than not, the bottom line leaves no room for benevolence. But some big businesses are taking a new approach. This week, NOW interviews Jonathan Schwartz, the charismatic CEO and president of Sun Microsystems, and billionaire venture capitalist Vinod Khosla, about their efforts to invest and grow programs that help make the world a better place. Khosla describes a radical proposal to move all U.S. automobile fuel ...

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[ Fri, 08 Dec 2006 18:00:00 EST ]

Norman Lear on Minding our Media

Public opinion polls unanimously show that trust in mainstream media -- the institution most responsible for keeping us all informed and aware -- is at an all-time low. How did we get here, and more importantly, how can we repair the damage? NOW poses these questions to legendary television producer and People for the American Way founder Norman Lear. Also interviewed is Martin Kaplan, associate dean of USC's Annenberg School of Communication. Is mainstream media serving public or corporate inte...

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[ Fri, 01 Dec 2006 18:00:00 EST ]

Live and Learn

Viewed before Hurricane Katrina as an institutional disaster, New Orleans' public schools got a second shot at success as a result of the devastation. City planners ran with the opportunity, deciding not just to rebuild schools, but to implement a bold experiment in public schooling. A full 60 percent of the city's reopened schools are now independently-run charter schools. NOW looks at the challenges, successes, and implications of one of these schools, Lafayette Academy, through the eyes of in...

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[ Fri, 24 Nov 2006 18:00:00 EST ]

Fog of War

Dozens of families say the military has misled them about how their loved ones died, and the army has officially acknowledged seven instances of misinformation. In the most high-profile case, the army is finishing its fourth investigation into the death of former pro football player Pat Tillman in Afghanistan two years ago. This time, they are investigating to see if facts were intentionally covered up. But Tillman is not the only disturbing case. NOW talks to the mother of Army Pfc. Jesse Buryj...

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[ Fri, 17 Nov 2006 18:00:00 EST ]

Election Day Outcomes

News headlines are heralding Democratic Congressional victories on Election Night, but the larger story of the 2006 mid-term elections transcends statistical winners and losers. Since late summer, NOW has been focusing on crucial but underreported personal and political questions related to the election, such as: the performance of malfunctioning voting machines, the outcomes of deceptive ballot initiatives, the influence of religion in politics, the impact of immigration and minimum wage issues...

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[ Fri, 10 Nov 2006 18:00:00 EST ]

Sway the Course?

With less than a week to go before the election, it's clear no single issue will have more impact than the war in Iraq. NOW goes to one of the most pro-war districts in the country -- the Texas 31st -- to see how townsfolk deeply affected by our presence in Iraq are expressing their feelings at the ballot box. This solidly-red district is home to Fort Hood, the largest active duty army base in America, and almost everyone living there has a personal connection to the war. Is the war in Iraq chan...

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[ Fri, 03 Nov 2006 18:00:00 EST ]

Minimum Wedge

In the final days of campaigning, a big battle is brewing over small wages. Congress hasn't touched the federal minimum wage level in nearly a decade (though its members routinely raise their own wages). But this year, eleven states have approved raising the minimum wage and six others have it on this November's ballot. In this week's show, NOW visits a Missourian who's relying on the minimum wage to support her entire family. She and others are engaged in a David vs. Goliath struggle -- in some...

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[ Fri, 27 Oct 2006 18:00:00 EST ]

Votes for Sale?

The run-up to this year's midterm election smells of scandal and corruption, which raises the question: Can anyone stop the influence of big money and big influence on political campaigns? This week, NOW presents a special hour-long investigation into the fight to keep American elections free and fair. Airing less than three weeks before Americans go to the polls, "Votes for Sale?" will spotlight the so-called Clean Elections movement, a radical experiment adopted in Maine and Arizona to revolut...

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[ Fri, 20 Oct 2006 18:00:00 EST ]

My Country, My Country

Filmmaker Laura Poitras spent eight dangerous months documenting the life of an Iraqi medical doctor and his family as they struggled to maintain hope amidst the bombings, bloodshed, and military occupation. When she returned to America, Poitras was labeled with the highest possible threat rating from the Department of Homeland Security. The resulting film, "My Country, My Country," is an intimate portrait of daily life in the war zone. NOW's David Brancaccio talks to Poitras about her eye-ope...

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[ Fri, 13 Oct 2006 18:00:00 EST ]

Cleaning House?

Congressman Foley's abrupt resignation last week is sending political shockwaves throughout the Capitol and the country, but more distressing are allegations that House leadership may have known details of Foley's inappropriate correspondence with a young page and done little about it. NOW asks: Can Congress police itself? Our investigation looks at the collision of political and ethical decision-making in Washington and its profound effects on the upcoming elections and our democracy. Also this...

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[ Fri, 06 Oct 2006 18:00:00 EST ]

Alien Nation?

NOW looks at how Republican candidates, eager to rally conservative voters, are talking tough on illegal immigration -- even if that means bucking the President. Even more surprising, they're doing so in states which have few illegal immigrants. NOW travels to Indiana to see how the politics of immigration is playing out, what people's fears are, and if xenophobia plays a part in political tactics. "If you're a Republican Party that's fairing poorly, sometimes you have to win ugly," says Robert ...

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[ Fri, 29 Sep 2006 18:00:00 EST ]

Taking the Initiative

In the voting booth this fall, voters in states across the country will find ballot initiatives with titles like "Taxpayers' Bill of Rights" and "SOS - Stop Over Spending." The aim is to slash state spending, including deep cuts in health care, education and other social services. But are these local initiatives really "home" grown? NOW investigates how one wealthy New Yorker is secretly providing major funding for these and other ballot measures way outside his neighborhood, in states across t...

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[ Fri, 22 Sep 2006 18:00:00 EST ]

Blog the Vote

Left-leaning political bloggers are determined to demonstrate their real world influence in the upcoming mid-term elections. But will they finally make political headway, or just more hype? NOW visits a major political blogging convention and examines the candidacy of surprising U.S. Senate primary winner John Tester to find out. Bloggers both in his home state of Montana and outside of it have taken some credit for Tester's success. "You have a couple million people reading liberal blogs...and ...

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[ Fri, 15 Sep 2006 18:00:00 EST ]

Down for the Count

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[ Fri, 08 Sep 2006 18:00:00 EST ]

Block the Vote

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[ Fri, 01 Sep 2006 18:00:00 EST ]

Lawmakers or Lawbreakers?

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[ Fri, 25 Aug 2006 18:00:00 EST ]

Warrantless Wiretapping Setback & Dancing With Wolves

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[ Fri, 18 Aug 2006 18:00:00 EST ]

Anna Deavere Smith on Art and Politics

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[ Fri, 11 Aug 2006 18:00:00 EST ]

Orville Schell on a Responsible Press

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[ Fri, 4 Aug 2006 18:00:00 EST ]

The Prisoner

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[ Fri, 28 Jul 2006 18:00:00 EST ]

Lebanon-Israel Crisis & A Fish Tale

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[ Fri, 21 Jul 2006 18:00:00 EST ]

Do No Harm?

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[ Fri, 14 Jul 2006 18:00:00 EST ]

Still in Harm's Way & Man of Peace?

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[ Fri, 07 Jul 2006 18:00:00 EST ]

Toxic Transport

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[ Fri, 30 Jun 2006 18:00:00 EST ]

The Final Offer

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[ Fri, 23 Jun 2006 18:00:00 EST ]

Crude Awakening

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[ Fri, 16 Jun 2006 18:00:00 EST ]

Who Killed the Electric Car?

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[ Fri, 9 Jun 2006 18:00:00 EST ]

Tangled Web and Gagged Librarian George Christian

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[ Fri, 2 Jun 2006 18:00:00 EST ]

Democrats Divided 2008

With the primary season underway, America is focused on whether the next president will be Democrat or Republican. Meanwhile, within the Democratic Party another struggle is unfolding. NOW on PBS reports on a rift between progressives who believe the party has sold out its liberal values and centrists eager to capture a broad swath of the more conservative voters. It's a struggle that is taking place at all levels of government. In Maryland, six-term incumbent Al Wynn is facing a tough challenge...

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[ Fri, 18 Jan 2008 18:00:00 EST ]

The Latino Vote 2008

The booming Hispanic population in political swing states is creating opportunities and headaches in both political parties as they try to court the Latino vote. NOW on PBS travels to Florida just weeks before its important primary to examine Republican tactics to win over Hispanic Americans. A fifth of Florida's residents are Hispanic, and Republicans are scoring points on traditional issues of faith and national security. But at the same time, they're frustrating Latinos with what many of them...

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[ Fri, 11 Jan 2008 18:00:00 EST ]

Dirty Politics 2008

Political mudslinging as a campaign tactic is as popular as it's ever been. Romney, Clinton, Huckabee, Giuliani, Obama--no one's managed to steer clear of targeted rumors and malicious gossip. NOW on PBS travels to South Carolina, the home of legendary no-holds-barred campaigner Lee Atwater, to see where negative stories come from, how they spread, and whether they can be effectively defeated with positive messaging. "In South Carolina, we know how to run negative campaigns," Rod Shealy, a veter...

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[ Fri, 04 Jan 2008 18:00:00 EST ]

How Green?

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[ Fri, 28 Dec 2007 18:00:00 EST ]

Home At Last?

What do homeless people most need to reenter the fabric of society? Some say the answer is right there in the question: homes. NOW investigates a program that secures apartments for the long-term homeless, even if they haven't kicked their bad habits. If you think that sounds crazy, think again. Advocates say this approach reduces costs, encourages self-help and counseling participation, and restores self-esteem. The evidence seems to be with them, and the program is spreading to hundreds of cit...

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[ Fri, 21 Dec 2007 18:00:00 EST ]

Ron Paul and Internet Politics

At the intersection of the Internet and politics, presidential candidate Ron Paul's supporters are rewriting the rules of political campaigns. NOW explores how the Texas congressman and his supporters are using the Internet to attract voters -- and massive contributions -- from across the political spectrum. Supporters include anti-war progressives, anti-tax libertarians, civil libertarians, and even some white supremacists. The common theme is anger over where the country is heading. "Ron Paul...

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[ Fri, 14 Dec 2007 19:00:00 EST ]

Talking About War

On the very day Pearl Harbor was attacked by Japanese warplanes 66 years ago, David Brancaccio interviews filmmakers Ken Burns and Lynn Novick and the Rev. James Forbes Jr. about Burns and Novick's epic World War II documentary "The War". Looking to the past as a mirror to the present, the four discuss how the waging of war intersects with our notion of democracy. "It's incumbent upon a democratic society to evaluate what the arithmetic is -- the cost of war," Burns tells the group. Sharp insigh...

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[ Thu, 07 Dec 2007 17:00:00 EST ]

Will The 2008 Vote Be Fair?

How safe is your right to vote? This week NOW talks to David Becker, a former Justice Department official and voting rights activist who worked under both President Bush and President Clinton, who alleges a systematic effort to deny the vote to hundreds of thousands, even millions of people. In a revealing interview with NOW's David Brancaccio, Becker openly worries that the 2008 election will not be free and fair. And is our own government part of the solution, or part of the problem?...

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[ Fri, 30 Nov 2007 17:00:00 EST ]

Oil, Politics & Bribes

NOW shines a bright light on the scandalous connection between VECO Corporation -- an Alaska-based oil services company -- and Alaska's old-boy Republican network. Two state legislators have been convicted in Federal court for accepting bribes from VECO, while one more awaits trial. The FBI has video and audio evidence that reveal VECO executives shockingly handing out cash to those legislators in exchange for promises to roll back a tax on the oil industry. But that may only be the tip of the o...

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[ Wed, 21 Nov 2007 17:00:00 EST ]

Mortgage Mess

NOW travels to North Minneapolis to investigate the mortgage meltdown that's left the city scarred with boarded-up and abandoned houses. What's happened in communities like this one has investors everywhere shaken. Wall Street firms are stumbling and markets around the globe are reeling. Economists worry the mortgage bust may even lead to a recession. By one estimate, investors could eventually see as much as 400 billion dollars go down the drain--losses almost twice as big as the savings and lo...

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[ Fri, 16 Nov 2007 17:00:00 EST ]

Children's Health Care Showdown

NOW investigates the latest Congressional maneuvers to determine the fate of a children's health care program. The State Children's Health Insurance Program, or SCHIP, is a block grant from the federal government to cover children whose family incomes exceed that which would make them eligible for Medicaid, but are too low to afford private insurance. But the fund is quickly running out of money. President Bush vetoed a bipartisan SCHIP reauthorization bill on October 3, claiming it would attrac...

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[ Fri, 09 Nov 2007 17:00:00 EST ]

Growing Local, Eating Local

When the federal government ended its 60-plus years of price support to tobacco farmers in 2004, Virginians were hit particularly hard. NOW travels to the mountainous farmlands of Appalachia to meet farmers who've attempted the difficult switch from tobacco to increasingly popular organic produce. Among those profiled is restaurant owner Steven Hopp who, along with his wife -- acclaimed author Barbara Kingsolver -- spent a year living off the land. Social entrepreneur Anthony Flaccavento founded...

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[ Fri, 02 Nov 2007 18:00:00 EST ]

God and Global Warming

In August, NOW traveled with an unlikely alliance of Evangelical Christians and leading scientists to witness the breathtaking effects of global warming on Alaska's rapidly-changing environment. Though many in the Evangelical community feel recognition of global warming is in opposition to their mission, the week-long trip inspired new thinking on the relationship between science and religion, and on our moral responsibility to protect the planet. Travel with NOW and the expeditionary group on a...

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[ Fri, 26 Oct 2007 18:00:00 EST ]

Immigration on Main Street

With Washington stuck in place on illegal immigration policy, local governments are taking the matter into their own hands, shifting the cultural and political battleground from Pennsylvania Avenue to Main Street, USA. NOW catches up with two New Jersey mayors who have sharply different -- and politically surprising -- approaches to dealing with undocumented immigrants in their communities. Morristown mayor Don Cresitello, a Democrat, wants to invoke a Department of Homeland Security provision t...

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[ Fri, 19 Oct 2007 17:00:00 EST ]

Child Brides: Stolen Lives

NOW's Senior Correspondent Maria Hinojosa travels around the world for a revealing exploration of early child marriage in developing countries, and how people can act locally and globally to solve the problem. The hour-long special, 'Child Brides: Stolen Lives,' marks the first time the subject has been documented in a primetime television newsmagazine. Countries visited include Niger, India and Guatemala. The stakes are high: child brides typically experience high rates of childbirth complicati...

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[ Fri, 12 Oct 2007 17:00:00 EST ]

Michael Apted on '49 Up'

NOW's David Brancaccio sits down with acclaimed director Michael Apted to talk about the surprising human predictors of future-generation education and income both here and in Britain. Apted discusses what he's learned from "49 Up," the seventh chapter of his groundbreaking documentary series that follows the lives of English citizens every seven years. "49 Up" premieres on "POV" October 9. Also on the show, "Off the Grid," a visit to Decorah, Iowa, where several families are going above and bey...

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[ Fri, 05 Oct 2007 17:00:00 EST ]

Veterans of PTSD

For many Iraq and Gulf War veterans, the transition from battlefield to home front is difficult. Bouts of fierce anger, depression and anxiety that previous generations of soldiers described as "shell shock" or "combat/battle fatigue" now earn a clinical diagnosis: Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. But the relatively new medical label doesn't guarantee soldiers will get the care they need. NOW looks at how America's newest crop of returning soldiers is coping with the emotional scars of war, and s...

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[ Fri, 28 Sep 2007 17:00:00 EST ]

Who's Making Money From Microcredit?

Microfinancing has been hailed as a breakthrough in combating global poverty by giving small loans to impoverished people in the hopes of transforming their lives. But one very profitable Mexican lending program is now under intense scrutiny. This week, NOW continues its "Enterprising Ideas" series with a look at Compartamos bank, which started as a nonprofit organization lending small sums of money to poor indigenous Mexican women to help them start their own businesses. Today, it's a for-profi...

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[ Fri, 21 Sep 2007 17:00:00 EST ]

Third Time Around

On the heels of a much-anticipated progress report in Washington, NOW travels to Iraq for an exclusive, hard look at the war through the telling eyes of U.S. soldiers on the ground, and of the families they left behind. We also examine first-hand the so-called "Anbar Awakening," a controversial partnership between U.S. soldiers and Sunni tribal leaders, many of whom who had previously been fighting the Americans. Some--including President Bush--are calling this a significant step forward in rees...

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[ Fri, 14 Sep 2007 17:00:00 EST ]

Military Sexual Trauma

Roughly one in seven of America's active duty military soldiers is a woman, but a NOW investigation found that sexual assault and rape is widespread. One study of National Guard and Reserve forces found that almost one in four women had been assaulted or raped. Last year alone, almost 3,000 soldiers reported sexual assault and rape by other soldiers. The shocking phenomenon has a label: military sexual trauma, or MST. In one of the only national television broadcasts covering the issue, NOW feat...

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[ Fri, 07 Sep 2007 17:00:00 EST ]

Montana Meth Project

When Tom Siebel, a billionaire software developer and part time Montana resident, learned the devastating effect methamphetamine addiction was having on the big sky state, he decided to use his successful marketing techniques--and 20 million dollars from his own wallet--to "un-sell" the deadly and highly addictive drug. It's called the Montana Meth Project. NOW's David Brancaccio talks with the venture philanthropist about blitzing the state with stark and shocking ad campaigns designed to drag ...

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[ Fri, 31 Aug 2007 17:00:00 EST ]

AWOL

Choosing to go to war is both a government's decision and one made by individual enlistees. But changing your mind once you're in the army is a risky decision with serious consequences. NOW talks to two soldiers who went AWOL and eventually left the Army, but who took very different paths. NOW captures the moment when one man turns himself in, and when another applies for refugee status in Canada, becoming one of the 20,000 soldiers who have deserted the army since the War in Iraq began. Each de...

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[ Fri, 24 Aug 2007 17:00:00 EST ]

Home Insurance 9-1-1

In the fall of 2003, one of the largest recorded wildfires in California's history destroyed over 2,200 houses and killed fifteen people. Soon after, many who'd lost their homes had a rude awakening: their insurance did not nearly cover their losses as expected. The insurance industry, which claims to cover "more property, more lives, more liability-related risks than any time at history," is busy fighting allegations that customers are receiving smaller payouts than what they were promised. Thi...

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[ Fri, 17 Aug 2007 17:00:00 EST ]

Income Inequality

In America, the top one-tenth of one percent of earners makes about the same money per year collectively as the millions of Americans in the bottom fifty percent combined. This is putting a tight squeeze on the middle class, while leaving millions of others in the cold. This week, David Brancaccio talks with Pulitzer prize-winning financial reporter David Cay Johnston, as well as author and advocate Beth Shuman about the state of our country's vast income divide and how it's hurting those just t...

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[ Fri, 10 Aug 2007 17:00:00 EST ]

Guantanamo Justice?

A strong blow to the Bush Administration's detainee policy, and the military lawyer who dealt it. David Brancaccio talks with Lieutenant Commander Charles Swift, whose Supreme Court victory on behalf of his client, a Guantanamo Bay detainee, successfully challenged the Bush administration's detainee policy. It also laid the foundations for the current Congressional debate over how to try those accused of terrorism. Will this development in the war on terror deliver swifter justice or false hope?...

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[ Fri, 03 Aug 2007 17:00:00 EST ]

Voter Caging

Was there a White House plot to illegally suppress votes in 2004? Is there a similar plan for the upcoming elections? NOW examines documents and evidence that points to a Republican Party plan designed to keep Democrats from voting, by targeting people based on their race and ethnicity. Congress is investigating, and so are we. We speak with David Iglesias, one of eight fired U.S. Attorneys, who says he lost his job because he refused to go along with the White House plan to suppress votes....

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