NOW | PBS
The weekly news magazine from PBS
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Dinner With the President
When Pakistani filmmaker Sabiha Sumar chose to make a film about democracy in her country, she didn't just request a traditional interview with President Musharraf: she insisted on a formal dinner. To her surprise, the man who ran Pakistan for nearly eight years agreed, and Sumar spent the evening g …
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Alaska: The Senator and the Oil Man
On Tuesday, Alaska Senator Ted Stevens was indicted for failing to disclose gifts he received from VECO Corporation, an Alaska-based oil services company. But his indictment is only the latest news -- and perhaps the tip of the iceberg -- in an ongoing political scandal that's rocking the state. NOW …
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John Edwards' War on Poverty
Even though he's no longer running for president, John Edwards is still a man with a mission: to cut poverty in the United States by 50 percent in 10 years. The current economic crisis has him and his followers more committed than ever, but will their efforts gain enough momentum to make a differenc …
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Afghanistan: The Forgotten War
America thought it had won the war in Afghanistan six years ago, but a recent escalation in violence and instability -- including the death of nine U.S. soldiers this past weekend -- has given rise to the question: Have we allowed the Taliban to come back? NOW Correspondent Bill Gentile reports from …
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Jobs for Jordan
NOW travels to Jordan to explore the implications of -- and possible solutions to -- having millions of young people out of work in the Middle East. Staggering unemployment rates among the region's massive youth population is fueling anger, frustration and resentment. To combat the problem, Jordan's …
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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 So …
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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 everyt …
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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 thes …
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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 th …
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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 esc …
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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 sexua …
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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 typic …
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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 pri …
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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 …
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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. Colleg …
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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 r …
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Taxing the Poor
This month, millions of Americans are filing their taxes and hoping for the best, but are rich people actually paying a smaller percentage of taxes than the poor? NOW looks at plans in many states to raise sales taxes and lower property taxes in an effort to generate revenue. But those changes may c …
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Daughters for Sale
Unable to make ends meet, many families in western Nepal have been forced to sell their daughters, some as young as six, to work far from home as bonded servants in private homes. With living conditions entirely at the discretion of their employers, these girls seldom attend school and are sometimes …
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Regulators Fail Investors
Listen to David Brancaccio's web-exclusive interview with Arthur Levitt, former chairman of the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). Levitt describes an "almost total failure of present regulatory institutions" at the root of the crisis sweeping financial markets, a crisis he assesses as even w …
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Save Energy, Save Money, Save the Planet
Could a new effort to fight global warming save money and create jobs at the same time? NOW looks at a city-wide plan in Cambridge, Massachusetts to make all their buildings more energy efficient. Up to 80% of emissions in many urban cities comes from buildings. Cambridge hopes that this unprecedent …
NOW | PBS
