Listen / Download

Conservative and liberal lobbying groups are gearing up for yet another major battle; this one over who will become the next judge on the Supreme Court.

As President Bush prepares to name his nominee to fill Justice Sandra Day O’Connor’s vacancy, political and religious and social activists are steeling themselves for an ideological battle that cuts to the heart of a divided America. Court watchers say this decision will be among the most important of Bush’s presidency and will shape the institution for a generation.

On the right, conservatives are already fighting amongst themselves over just how important it is to have a nominee that will stand firm against abortion. While on the left, interest groups are preparing to make political hay over what they expect to be a Supreme case of presidential over-reach.

Guests:

Pamela Karlan, Kenneth and Harle Montgomery Professor of Public Interest Law at Stanford Law School

Emily Bazelon, Senior Editor and legal analyst for SLATE.

Listen / Download

Three years ago, Lizz Wright got her big break during a tribute to Billie Holiday. “She walked on stage a virtual unknown,” wrote the LA Times critic,”15 minutes later, she walked off a star.”

She was signed to Holiday’s old label shortly after, made a widely-selling debut CD, and Lizz Wright’s star continues to rise. Her new CD “Dreaming Wide Awake” is on the recommended rack at Starbucks and she’s being touted as the next Norah Jones.

It’s a long way for the daughter of a Holiness Minister and a church organist from Hahira, Georgia. What Lizz Wright learned in the church choir and heard on the radio when her parents were at Bible study have given her a range that keeps expanding. Today, that includes simmering, and spiritual reprisals of songs by Neil Young and Herb Alpert.

Guests:

Lizz Wright, singer and musician.

Listen / Download

It was once known as the Harvard of the Middle East. But decades of isolation, followed by war and looting, left the University of Baghdad in ruins. In fact all of Iraq’s universities were once regarded as bastions of higher learning, producing some of the brightest thinkers in the region.

Today, these institutions are plagued by crumbling infrastructure, looted libraries, power outages, and the constant threat of violence. And then, there’s the “brain drain.” Thousands of Iraq’s best and brightest left during Saddam Hussein’s rule. That exodus continues but it’s worse than that. Dozens of Iraqi academics have been assassinated in the last two years.

Money is coming in for books, buildings and teachers. But will it be enough to rebuild Iraqi universities, and create an academic home for the next generation?

Guests:

Beriwan Khailany, Iraq’s Deputy Minister of Science

Mosa Al-Mosawe, President of the University of Baghdad

Mahdi Taleb, Dean of the College of Science at the University of Baghdad