President Nominates General to Head CIA; Autism: More Prevalent Than We Thought?; Peace in Darfur?; Jesus, the Bible, and Homosexuality
President Nominates General to Head CIA
President Bush on Monday chose Air Force Gen. Michael Hayden to lead the embattled CIA, re-igniting a debate over the domestic surveillance program that the one-time head of the National Security Agency once ran. Republican and Democratic critics also questioned the wisdom of putting a military officer in charge of the civilian spy agency. If confirmed, Hayden would replace Porter Goss, who resigned under pressure Friday. White House counselor Dan Bartlett said Hayden would be the fifth CIA chief in uniform. If he is confirmed, military officers would run all the major spy agencies, from the ultra-secret National Security Agency to the Defense Intelligence Agency. Larry Mantle talks with about the nomination with Loch Johnson, Professor of Public and International Affairs at the University of Georgia, and Gary Schmitt, Director of the Advanced Strategic Studies Program at the American Enterprise Institute.
Autism: More Prevalent Than We Thought?
According to the largest national study so far of the prevalence of autism, released Thursday by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, about 300,000 U.S. children have been diagnosed with this complex behavioral disorder. That means about 5.5 out of every 1,000 school-age children have been diagnosed with autism. Past estimates have ranged from 1 to 9 out of every 1,000 children, based on smaller studies in individual states or cities. Autism is a complex disorder usually not diagnosed in children until after age 3. It is characterized by a range of behaviors, including insistence on sameness, difficulty in expressing needs, and inability to socialize. Larry Mantle examines the significance of these new finding with Carole Samango-Sprouse, Director of the Neurodevelopmental Diagnostic Center for Young Children in Davidsonville, Maryland and an Associate Clinical Professor of Pediatrics at George Washington University.
Peace in Darfur?
The Sudanese government and the main Darfur rebel group signed a peace plan Friday after a diplomatic push by the U.S., a major step in the international effort to end the death and destruction in western Sudan. The peace deal calls for a cease-fire; disarmament of so-called Janjaweed militias linked to the government and accused of some of the war's worst atrocities; the integration of thousands of rebel fighters into Sudan's armed forces; and a protection force for civilians in the immediate aftermath of the war. Optimism over the deal was muted, however, as two rebel groups rejected the accord. At least 180,000 people have been killed and more than 2 million forced to flee their homes in what the United Nations has called one of the world's worst humanitarian crisis. The Darfur conflict, which erupted in February 2003, also has spilled into Chad and Central African Republic. Larry Mantle and experts examine the history of the conflict in Darfur, and the peace deal signed on Friday between rebel groups and the Sudanese government.
Jesus, the Bible, and Homosexuality
Larry talks with minister and teacher Jack Rogers about his new book, Jesus, The Bible, And Homosexuality. Rogers interprets the Bible through Jesus' redemptive life and ministry, which he believes calls upon the Church to grant equal rights to lesbians, gays, bisexual, and transgender people.