On Capitol Hill, hearings have begun into what Republican Congressman Peter King calls the "radicalization" of American Muslims. In Los Angeles, a local imam and an orthodox rabbi warn the hearings could make the threat of terrorism worse rather than better. Also, the death penalty was abolished yesterday by the Governor of Illinois. What about California under Governor Jerry Brown? On our rebroadcast of today's To the Point, at a crucial moment in the effort to restore federal funding for public broadcasting, NPR appears to have shot itself in the foot for a second time. Is there real evidence of biased news reporting or administrative incompetence? Is taxpayer money needed to perpetuate reliable coverage to compete with the commercial focus on opinion and commentary?
Banner image: Peter King (R-NY), Chairman of the House Committee on Homeland Security, gavels to order the first in a series of hearings on radicalization in the American Muslim community, March 10, 2011. Photo: Saul Loeb/AFP/Getty Images