To the Point

The Price of Power

California power regulators yesterday approved the largest electricity rate hike in the state's history in the hopes of averting more rolling blackouts and saving state utilities from bankruptcy. Meanwhile consumers across the country face soaring bills for natural gas and propane, and President Bush is sounding the alarm on looming energy shortages. We search for a solution and hopes for a national energy policy with the head of LA's Department of Water and Power, a trade representative for Western energy suppliers, an energy consultant, and head of the University of California Energy Institute. (Matt Miller guest hosts.) Newsmaker: Israeli Army Attacks Palestinian Targets - Israeli forces shelled targets in Gaza City and Ramallah today in retaliation for a suicide bomber who killed two Israelis. Dan Ephron, Jerusalem correspondent for Newsweek, talks about the escalating cycle of violence, the timing of this most recent carnage, and the increasing demands it poses for Yasser Arafat and Ariel Sharon. Reporter's Notebook: Segregated TV - The debut of a new African American sitcom is reviving a long running debate about the relative absence of minority faces on network TV. We look at the small screen and the bigger picture with the communications director of the NAACP and a writer from a conservative think-tank devoted to judicial, educational and political research.