National Bush Sees Katrina Damage on Way to Capital August 31, 2005 • Returning to Washington, President Bush witnesses the devastation from Hurricane Katrina as he flies over the Gulf Coast in Air Force One. The president ended his August vacation two days early to take charge of the federal response to Katrina. Don Gonyea reports on the what's at stake politically for Bush in addressing this disaster.
National White House to Tap Strategic Oil Reserve August 31, 2005 • The White House has approved the release of oil from the nation's strategic petroleum reserve. The move is designed to offset the large production cuts caused by Hurricane Katrina. The storm has idled most of the region's refineries.
Environment EPA Emissions Proposal Sparks Debate August 31, 2005 • An Environmental Protection Agency draft proposal would change the way pollution from power plants is measured -- changes that critics say would undermine clean air laws. The document could limit pollution on an hourly -- not yearly -- basis.
News President Pledges Assistance for Hurricane Damage August 30, 2005 • President Bush pledged federal help for victims of Hurricane Katrina as he campaigned Monday for Medicare reform.
National TSA to Begin Screening S.F. Bay Ferryboats August 30, 2005 • Terrorism prevention is not just taking place on land and in the air -- ferryboats traveling across the San Francisco Bay have become the newest target in the "war on terrorism." Sarah Varney of member station KQED in San Francisco reports on a new project by the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) to help make the bay ferries safer.
Protests in Crawford A Conversation with Iraq War Activist Cindy Sheehan August 30, 2005 • Alex Chadwick speaks with Cindy Sheehan, the mother of an Army specialist killed in Iraq who has been staging a weeks-long vigil outside the president's ranch Crawford, Texas. Sheehan is calling on President Bush to explain what "noble cause" her son died for -- and her actions have divided the community of families of U.S. service members who've died in the invasion and occupation of Iraq.
Law Slate's Jurisprudence: A 'Living' U.S. Constitution? August 30, 2005 • U.S. Supreme Court nominee John Roberts has been dubbed a "strict constructionist" -- someone who believes the U.S. Constitution should be interpreted exactly as its original authors intended. Slate legal analyst Dahlia Lithwick recently challenged her readers to explain whether they viewed the Constitution as a static or a "living" document, and she discusses some of the responses with Alex Chadwick.
National Bush Adjusts Medicare Drug Costs Downward August 29, 2005 • President Bush announces that many of the new Medicare prescription drug plans set to take effect in 2006 will be less expensive than anticipated. But he also announced that every beneficiary will have a dozen or more different plans to choose from -- an idea that has advocates worried about confusion.
Opinion The Unger Report Pat Robertson's Improv Foreign Policy August 29, 2005 • Day to Day slightly cracked correspondent Brian Unger ponders the remarks of televangelist Pat Robertson, who suggested last week that the United States assassinate Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez. Unger thinks Robertson's excuse that the comment was just an "ad lib" needs work, and he should sharpen up his act in some comedy clubs first.
Louisiana Governor Meets Katrina Crisis August 29, 2005 • Louisiana Gov. Kathleen Babineaux Blanco tells Renee Montagne how her administration is reacting to Hurricane Katrina. Blanco says she will work with the National Guard and FEMA to assess damage as soon as possible.
Politics with Ron Elving: Bush Back to D.C. August 29, 2005 • President Bush heads back to the nation's capital this week, and returns to a very different atmosphere from the one he left earlier this summer. His approval numbers have dropped to the lowest level of his presidency, and so has public support for his Iraq strategy. Alex Chadwick talks with NPR senior Washington, D.C. editor Ron Elving.
Political Analysis Political Newcomers Confront a Hurricane August 29, 2005 • Cokie Roberts talks about the recently elected officials who are dealing with Hurricane Katrina in Louisiana, and the potential impact of the storm on the oil market. She also notes the effect on her Louisiana relatives.
Marriage Education Initiative Teaching Marriage to Welfare Moms August 29, 2005 • When President Bush announced in 2001 that his administration was going to devote $1.5 billion to promote marriage, his critics said the initiative was one more way the president was trying to advance the cause of his conservative supporters. In the first of a series of reports on teaching marriage skills, Alix Spiegel profiles an Oklahoma program for women on welfare.
World Slate's War Stories: Iraq's Sunni Problem August 29, 2005 • A draft Iraqi constitution appears ready to put to voters in a referendum this October. But Sunni leaders have denounced the document, and may try to block its passage. Alex Chadwick speaks with Slate military affairs writer Fred Kaplan.
National Georgia County Panel's Prayers Contested August 28, 2005 • Prayers at the start of government meetings in Georgia's Cobb County draw a lawsuit from five people who say the practice is unconstitutional. Susanna Capelouto of Georgia Public Radio says the case has prompted fresh debate on the relationship of church and state.
