Local Families Fear That One Phone Call From Mexico’s Drug Cartels

by MERIBAH KNIGHT

T was lucky he heard his cellphone ring over the racket of his construction equipment as he worked outside in the suburbs last September. . “We have your father,” said a man in a voice T recalled as eerily calm. “Try to get the money together as soon as you can so that [...]

Age and the Demands of Managing

by DAN McGRATH

Lou Piniella, Bobby Cox, Joe Torre and Tony La Russa belie the notion that managing a professional baseball team should be a young man’s game. Lou Piniella turns 67 next month. Last week he decided that 23 years managing five big league teams was enough, and he told the Cubs he’ll be [...]

Whatever the Verdicts, Blagojevich Trial Hasn’t Answered All the Questions

by JAMES WARREN

As Rod Blagojevich’s lawyer declared to the jury during his closing argument last week, “Think about it.” He wanted jurors to consider what he thinks is self-evident about his client’s innocence. The rest of us might well think about all we still don’t know. Even if the former [...]

Blagojevich Jury Calls it a Weekend

by DANIEL LIBIT

The jury in Rod Blagojevich’s federal corruption trial has left for the weekend without reaching a verdict. They will resume deliberations Monday morning.

Chicago Expected to Face Record Budget Deficit

by DAN MIHALOPOULOS

Mayor Richard M. Daley’s administration is predicting the biggest budget deficit in Chicago’s history next year, and aides said today the mayor is mulling all options except a property tax hike to close the expected shortfall of $654.7 million. To understand the full depth of the problem, consider that the deficit represents about 20 percent of [...]

Blago Jury Seeks Transcripts of Whole Trial

by DANIEL LIBIT

On Friday morning, the jury in Rod Blagojevich’s political corruption asked the judge for the totality of transcripts from the trial – indicating that deliberations might be going on for longer than expected. Judge James Zagel said he plans to tell jurors that it will be possible to provide specific official transcripts with respect to certain [...]

Poynter Editor on WikiLeaks' Global Leverage, Playing by Its Own Rules

On this edition of NewsHour Plus, we check in with Steve Myers, managing editor of Poynter Online, a training facility for journalists, who wrote this week about how...

Brooks and Marcus Talk Bush Tax Cuts and WikiLeaks

New York Times columnist David Brooks and Washington Post columnist Ruth Marcus -- who's sitting in for Mark Shields this week -- stopped by The Rundown Friday...

Sting Puts New Classical Edge on Original Rock Hits

Listen to the AudioJeffrey Brown speaks with rock legend Sting, who just added a 45-piece orchestra to his act. The rock star says it's his job to keep his older hits alive with a renewed enthusiasm. JEFFREY BROWN: Call it Sting with strings....

Brooks and Marcus on Fallout From Immigration, Rangel, WikiLeaks

Listen to the AudioColumnists David Brooks of The New York Times and Ruth Marcus of The Washington Post speak with Jim Lehrer about the week's biggest news including part of Arizona's immigration law being struck down, ethics charges facing Rep. Charles Rangel, D-...

Will U.S. Auto Industry Manage to Survive Recession?

Listen to the AudioOn a day that President Obama touted his administration's efforts to save the U.S. auto industry, Judy Woodruff assesses the state of the industry with Micheline Maynard, senior editor of Changing Gears, a new public media project focusing on...

News Wrap: BP Plans to Cut Back Gulf Cleanup Efforts

Listen to the AudioIn other news Friday, with no more oil spewing out of the well, BP says the cleanup efforts will decrease along the Gulf. Also a major flood killed 430 people in Pakistan. HARI SREENIVASAN: BP said today it's set to cut back...