To the Point

Iran, Brazil and the Nuclear Bomb

Enriched uranium is required to generate nuclear power. Nuclear weapons require further enrichment. Faced with charges that it-s secretly trying to develop an atom bomb, Iran agreed this week to suspend all uranium enrichment, depending on support for its nuclear power industry from Germany, Britain and France. Today in Paris, an anti-Iranian-government group charged that Iran bought the blueprints for a nuclear bomb from Pakistan-s Abdul Qadeer Khan, who gave the same designs to Libya-s Moammar Kadafi. Meantime, Brazil is resisting international inspection to see whether it-s trying to produce fuel that could be used for nuclear weapons. Will Brazil demand special treatment? We explore what these latest developments mean for efforts to put a lid on nuclear proliferation with a spokesman for the IAEA, journalists in Iran and Brazil, an expert in nuclear arms proliferation and a former Iranian ambassador to the UN. Making News: House Rules Committee Protects DeLay Today, House Republicans are expected to change a rule they adopted back in 1993, when the Democrats still controlled Congress. In order to protect Majority Leader Tom DeLay of Texas, they now plan to amend the rule which says no Republican can be part of the leadership team if he or she is under indictment. Lou Dubose, former editor of the Texas Observer, has written a scathing story about Tom DeLay for Mother Jones magazine. Reporter's Notebook: Kmart and Sears Merge to Form Third Largest Retailer Kmart came out of bankruptcy just last year, but today it announced it's acquiring Sears in an $11billion deal that will produce America's biggest retailer after Wal-Mart and Target. The name will be Sears Holdings Corporation, but the new board will be dominated by Kmart's directors. David Greising, business correspondent for the Chicago Tribune, considers what the merger could mean for shareholders and shoppers.