Lessons Linger 25 Years After Challenger Tragedy

The explosion of the space shuttle Challenger in 1986 "was a trauma to the nation's psyche," says Sen. Bill Nelson, a former astronaut. But NASA and the American public have learned a few things about space science since then.

Source: http://www.npr.org/2011/01/27/133238665/25-years-after-challenger-space-still-dangerous?ft=1&f=1007

al sharpton bill oreilly fox news hamid karzai barak obama

White House Attempts To Navigate Mideast Changes

The Obama administration is trying to navigate new political realities in the Middle East.

Hezbollah, which the U.S. calls a terrorist organization, is emerging as the main political power broker in Lebanon. Protesters toppled an autocrat in Tunisia, and many are taking to the streets in Egypt seemingly trying to do the same.

The U.S. is trying to encourage change — without too much turmoil or anti-American backlash.

Some U.S. foreign policy watchers were so worried that the Obama administration wasn't doing enough to support democratic forces in Egypt last year that they formed a working group to give the U.S. a wake-up call.

One member, Robert Kagan of the Brookings Institution, says the U.S. is coming around now, but only after protesters took to the streets across Egypt.

"The illusion that a lot of people had been living with, and I think the administration had also accepted, was that there is such a thing as stability in Egypt that you can hold on to. I think the days of stability in Egypt are over. Egypt is in transition," he says.

Source: http://www.npr.org/2011/01/28/133280719/white-house-attempts-to-navigate-mideast-changes?ft=1&f=1004

nancy pelosi harry reid john mccain al gore bill clinton

Community Colleges: Where's Our $12 Billion?

President Obama has called community colleges crucial to the nation's economic recovery, as jobs requiring associate degrees are expected to increase. But after empty promises of federal funding and ongoing state cuts, community colleges are struggling more than ever to deliver services.

Source: http://www.npr.org/2011/01/27/133208697/community-colleges-wheres-our-12-billion?ft=1&f=1003

nancy pelosi harry reid john mccain al gore bill clinton