After the Fall of Baghdad listen
[Special Edition] Now in the control of American forces, the historic city of Baghdad is quieter than at any time since bombing began three weeks ago. Marines and soldiers have been cheered in the streets, and a 40-foot statue of Saddam Hussein is among the many icons destroyed or disfigured. Still, the war is by no means over, as resistance continues in the cities of Mosul, Kirkuk and Tikrit, which have not yet been taken. The northern oil fields remain vulnerable to sabotage. We get a report on the historic day from the heart of Baghdad, hear mixed reactions from Iraqis in the United States, and address questions about weapons of mass destruction with a disarmament expert, and representatives of the Iraqi National Congress, Committee for the Liberation of Iraq, and the Muslim Public Affairs Council.

• Making News: Iraq’s UN Ambassador Admits Defeat
  In Baghdad, officials of the Iraqi regime were conspicuous by their total absence. Yet, in New York, Iraq’s ambassador to the United Nations, Mohammed Al-Douri, told CNN, “The game is over. I hope the peace will prevail and the Iraqi people…will have a peaceful life.” Susannah Price, who covers the UN for the BBC, reports on the first Iraqi official to concede defeat and on the upcoming meeting between France, Germany and Russia.
• Reporter’s Notebook #1: The Etiquette of Conquest
  Today in Baghdad, US Marines draped a statue of Saddam Hussein in the American flag before helping Iraqis topple the giant figure. Arab TV has replayed the scene again and again to demonstrate the hubris of the American conquest. Colonel Robert Killebrew disagrees. The retired Army veteran calls the exuberance a case of simple American cultural predilection, much like its bent for humanitarian aid after toppling an enemy.
• Reporter’s Notebook #2: Reporting from the Republic of Fear
  Los Angeles Times reporter John Danisewski has been in Baghdad since January. Like scores of other reporters, he's risked his personal safety to record the historic events that have unfolded there. Daniszewski, who's covered the falls of communism in Eastern Europe and apartheid in South Africa, reflects on his personal experiences in reporting from the “republic of fear” over the past 10 weeks.

Iraq, Syria and the View from Australia listen
[Special edition] Defense Secretary Rumsfeld today accused Syria of shipping high-tech equipment across the border into Iraq. Calling the shipments a direct threat to the lives of coalition forces, he warned that America would hold Syria accountable. Meantime, President Bush, Prime Minister Blair and other leaders speak proudly of the coalition they’ve formed to conduct the war in Iraq. Australia has about 2000 soldiers involved in the action but, for the first time in Australian history, one of the major parties is opposed. We hear different opinions on whether Syria’s actions mean escalation, learn about Australia’s contribution to the coalition, as well as its potential political cost.

• Making News: Families Mourn Baghdad Dead, Prepare for Guerilla War
  Another bomb has struck a marketplace in Baghdad. Patrick Graham of Canada’s National Post offers a first hand report of the latest civilian casualties—52 people dead, including children, and another 50 wounded. Graham reports that with the army digging in, anguished families are mourning their dead and preparing for the onslaught of guerrilla fighting.
• Reporter's Notebook: President Bush and American Veterans
  President Bush met with veteran groups today at the White House, thanking them for their support of the war in Iraq and calling it America’s responsibility to give them our full support. Joe Violante, national legislative director for Disabled American Veterans, says despite the plaudits, Bush must think of disabled vets as a continuing cost of war.

Iraq, the UN and the Anglo-American Alliance listen
[Special Edition] Today, as Baghdad is punished again with massive explosions, one of which may have taken out its communications center, the Pentagon is increasing troop strength to implement ongoing strategy. Meantime, President Bush and Tony Blair expressed unity in their commitment to the war in Iraq. After meeting with the Prime Minister, who is trying to overcome American frustration with the United Nations, Bush endorsed the resumption of the UN’s oil-for-food program in Iraq. Blair then went to New York to meet with Secretary General Kofi Annan. We update these stories and ask, if war crimes are being committed, where should the suspects be tried? Joining us are experts in human rights, national security policy, and political science, the founder of a news site devoted to the US-Iraqi conflict, and nationally syndicated columnist Charles Krauthammer.

• Making News: Pentagon Update on Iraq
  The Pentagon has announced that more than 100,000 new troops are being sent to Iraq, almost doubling the number already there. Meantime, there have been heavy bombing strikes again in the city of Baghdad. Elizabeth Manning, who covers the Pentagon and State Department for United Press International, says the additional troops will form a critical relief force for the troops already on the ground in Iraq.
• Reporter’s Notebook: Correspondent’s View of Baghdad under Siege
  The City of Baghdad has been struck again tonight by enormous explosions. Earlier today, bombs fell near a communications center where reporters were getting a briefing. A veteran New York Times war correspondent was on the scene and experienced his closest encounter with falling bombs. John Burns describes that experience, and assesses the feelings of Iraqis in Baghdad as US forces get closer and closer.

War and Post-War Rebuilding in Iraq listen
[Special edition of To the Point] Two missiles struck a residential marketplace in Baghdad today, killing 15 people and wounding 30 others. It's unclear whether it was by an American precision bomb or errant Iraqi weapon. Promising a full investigation, US officials confirmed that some missiles were shot into area but laid the blame squarely on Iraq for intentionally placing its missiles next to civilian populations. Meantime, as British Prime Minister Tony Blair and President Bush begin their meeting at Camp David to discuss what role the United Nations should play in reconstruction, no-bid contracts to rebuild Iraq have already been awarded to American companies. We hear a report from Baghdad, get the latest Pentagon explanation, and speak with legal and national security experts about why American companies already have contracts to rebuild Iraq.

• Making News: UN Back in the News as Camp David War Summit Convenes
  The United Nations may not be part of the war, but it is back in the news. Both the Security Council and the General Assembly have been meeting, and the UN is on the agenda at tonight's Camp David summit. David Usborne, who covers the UN for Britain's Independent newspaper, says Prime Minister Blair will aim to undo the damage done when the US and UK failed to get UN backing before going to war in Iraq.
• Reporter's Notebook: Death of Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan
  On the floor of the US Senate today, Hilliary Clinton today paid homage to Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan who died today at 76 after a long illness. The unassuming professor left Harvard to head the Labor Department for President Kennedy, before becoming a UN ambassador and serving four terms in the Senate. Lawrence O'Donnell, a former senior advisor to Moynihan, offers a personal remembrance of "the nicest, funniest guy in the world."

Urban Combat as Troops Advance towards Baghdad listen
[Special edition of To the Point] First, there were blinding sandstorms, then a "biblical" thunderstorm as US Marines moved north between the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers. Bypassing the southern city of Basra, where Shia Muslims are opposed to Saddam Hussein, advance units are now just 60 miles from Baghdad. What will Marines encounter when they get to Baghdad, and how well prepared are they for the prospects for urban combat? We update these developments, hear how the war looks on the streets of other Arab countries, and learn how both sides of the conflict are trying to win the hearts and minds of Iraqi people. We're joined by the journalists from the Christian Science Monitor and Jane's World Armies, Middle East expert Fawaz Gerges, a representative of the Iraqi National Congress and the executive director of the Marine Corps' Center for Emerging Threats and Opportunities.

• Making News: Senate's Cutback on Tax Cuts
  The Senate reversed itself today and cut President Bush's tax proposals in half. Republican Olympia Snowe of Maine, George Voinovich of Ohio and Lincoln Chaffee of Rhode Island joined Democrats in the unexpected 51-to-48 vote. The New York Times' Steve Weisman, author of The Great Tax Wars, attributes the reversal to political maneuvering by Democrats and resentment on Capitol Hill for the change in heart.
• Reporter's Notebook: Peter Arnett Back in Baghdad
  In 1991, Peter Arnett made journalistic history, reporting for CNN from inside Baghdad during the entire Gulf War. Now, he's back in Baghdad as a correspondent for National Geographic Explorer, also reporting on what he calls a very different bombing campaign for NBC and MSNBC. In Baghdad since the "shock and awe" bombing began last week, Arnett describes what it's been like in that Iraqi city.

The Media and the War listen
[Special edition of To the Point] American troops are just 60 miles from Baghdad, about to face the elite Medina Division of the Republican Guard. Iraq’s UN ambassador says that “the war will continue for years,” but US officials contend that, despite inevitable casualties, it’s going the way they want. Last week, despite the White House’s prolonged refusal to estimate war funding, both houses of Congress passed budgets that included tax cuts. Today, President Bush briefed Congressional leaders on how much additional money he wants for war and rebuilding. Will today’s announcement of possible cost affect support for the war? Are the media on both sides projecting stereotypes and distortions? We get the latest updates and look at public perceptions with political scientists, and journalists from America and the Arab world.

• Making News: Troop Update
  From Central Command in Qatar, to the White House, American leaders are trying to downplay yesterday’s setbacks by explaining that casualties, including prisoners of war, are inevitable and to be expected. Andrew Koch, Washington Bureau chief for Jane’s Defence Weekly, weighs the challenges facing American troops as the prepare to enter Baghdad and other Iraqi urban centers.
• Reporters Notebook: Women on the Front Lines in Iraq
  On Sunday, Iraqi television broadcast the image of five American POW’s, one of them a woman. Some 15% of all American active duty soldiers are women, an increase of 11% from the first Gulf War in1991. How close to combat are America’s female soldiers? Cathy Booth-Thomas of Time magazine has written on what’s it like for women who go to war.

American, Iraqis React to Shock and Awe listen
[Special edition of To the Point] The Pentagon says the Iraqi government is “beginning to lose control” after hundreds of tanks and massive bombing wiped out hundreds of targets in Baghdad, including a palace built for Saddam Hussein. US officials, who say the precision campaign is aimed to hit military targets and minimize death and injury among civilians, have plans for TV cameras to be on hand when American troops enter Basra, Iraq’s second largest city, where the dictator is distinctly unpopular. Yesterday, there were anti-war protests all over the world and, on Sunday, there will be a demonstration of another kind in Washington. We update the military’s “shock and awe” campaign, hear from Iraqi Americans who differ about the war, but share concern about relatives back home, and talk to demonstrators both for and against the war in Iraq.

• Making News: Operation Shock and Awe Rocks Iraq
  With TV cameras rolling, American bombs lit up the night sky, wiping out hundreds of targets around Baghdad. Though at one point, the Tigris River looked to be on fire, Defense Secretary Rumsfeld insists this was not a replay of the World War II bombing that destroyed whole cities and thousands of people. A cautiously optimistic Leroy Woodson, editor of MilitaryWeek.com, is awaiting the next move of the Iraqi ambassador to the UN.
• Reporter's Notebook: The Oscars in an America of War and Movies
  During its 75 years, the Hollywood awards show has been delayed or toned down, but it’s never been cancelled. Today, the president of the Motion Pictures Academy said only “extraordinary circumstances” could change that. Bob Dowling, editor-in-chief of The Hollywood Reporter, says that America will put a different foot forward when the Academy of Motion Pictures hands out the Oscars on Sunday.