NPR

In the past seven years, has the U.S. gotten closer to finding Bin Laden, containing al-Qaida or stabilizing Afghanistan?

Ahmed Rashid, a Pakistani author and journalist, and Peter Bergen, author of The Osama Bin Laden I Know, discuss whether progress has been made in the region. LINK to audio

Steve Coll is a staff writer at The New Yorker and a former foreign correspondent and senior editor at The Washington Post. He's written books about the bin Laden family and the war in Afghanistan. He's also the president of the public policy institute the New America Foundation. He discusses "The General's Dilemma" his profile of General David Petraeus, which appears in the Sept. 8, 2008 issue The New Yorker. LINK to audio

The Republican National Convention kicks off in St. Paul, Minnesota today with the GOP poised to take back momentum gained by Democrats at their National Convention last week in Denver. Author Reihan Salam, of the Atlantic, is joined by Laura Elizabeth Morales, of Young Conservatives of Texas, discuss emerging conservatives and what John McCain can do to persuade voters with his message. LINK to audio

The Republican Party has lost touch with its roots, say authors Ross Douthat and Reihan Salam. They're hoping to fix that in their new book, Grand New Party: How Republicans Can Win the Working Class and Save the American Dream.

Salam says George W. Bush won the presidency by winning over "soccer moms" and then threw himself into a series of policy initiatives that his newfound base found largely irrelevant to their lives.

Salam says the American middle class is currently concerned about downward mobility and problems with the… more

Al-Qaida is rebuilding and recruiting rapidly, but there is some evidence that middle management is restless. Author and terrorism expert Peter Bergen talks about the growing dissension among bin Laden's followers and the future of terrorist attacks. LINK to audio

NPR | Syria Revelation Could Affect N. Korea Nuclear Talks

. . . But it remains to be seen whether Thursday's intelligence briefing in Congress will help or hinder the negotiations.

Jeffrey Lewis, who runs the Web site armscontrolwonk.com, says it's clear that the briefing is meant to undermine the negotiations.

"Members of Congress who have been pushing hardest to have this information declassified — or at least put out into the public domain in some form or another… more

NPR | America's Waning Influence in 'The Second World'

Parag Khanna believes that America's dominant moment is over. In his new book, "The Second World: Empires and Influence in the New Global Order," he argues that the 21st centruy will be dominated by three first-world superpowers: the United States, China and the European Union. . .

Philly Fears Earthlink May Bail on WiFi Network (NPR)

Philadelphia's wireless Internet network was supposed to be a model for the nation, but the project has been plagued by delays and spotty service. Now EarthLink, the company building it, is getting out of the municipal wireless business in other cities. That may leave Philadelphia disconnected.

...NPR reports on Philadelphia wireless and interviews Sascha Meinrath of the New America Foundation Wireless Future Program. Listen to the segment here.

Farai Chideya (Host): In a country that long defined itself in black and white, this past decade marked a watershed moment. Latinos surpassed African-Americans to become the largest ethnic group in America; Mexican immigration was just one driving force behind the change. According to cultural critic Gregory Rodriguez Mexican immigration will transform the way Americans view race. It's the premise of his new book, "Mongrels, Bastards, Orphans and Vagabonds." And Gregory joins me now. ... So you kick off your… more

President Bush will host Israeli and Palestinian leaders at the White House on Monday for separate meetings ahead of a conference in Annapolis, Maryland, that will formally launch Middle East peace talks.

Bush will open the Annapolis conference with a speech. He'll make clear that Mideast peace is a top priority for the rest of his time in office through January 2009, indicating a level of interest in the conflict never seen before in this administration. Analysts see the talks as… more