WAMU-FM: WAMU: The Diane Rehm Show Podcast

On November 6th, voters in Colorado, Washington, and Oregon will weigh in on whether marijuana should be legalized. 17 states currently allow marijuana for medical purposes, but initiatives in these three states make recreational use legal as well. The proposed laws directly contradict federal law which classifies marijuana as a controlled substance along with heroin and LSD. A recent Rasmussen poll suggests that more than 50% of Americans favor legalizing and regulating marijuana in a manner similar to alcohol and tobacco. Please join us to discuss the debate debate over legalizing marijuana.

Syrian rebels get anti-aircraft weapons. Libya singles out an Islamist leader in the Benghazi raid. And Iranian hackers renew attacks on U.S. banks. James Kitfield of National Journal, Indira Lakshmanan of Bloomberg News and Matt Frei of the UK's Channel 4 News join Diane for analysis of the week's top international news stories.

Both Barack Obama and Gov. Mitt Romney claimed momentum coming out of a spirited second debate. With less than three weeks until Election Day, polls still show a tight race. Consumer confidence rose to a six-month high as a housing recovery begins to ripple through the economy. The White House said President Barack Obama will veto bills to avert the fiscal cliff unless Republicans raise tax rates on the rich. Wall Street urged the president and Congress to address the crisis soon. And Newsweek said it will go digital only after nearly eight decades in print. Chris Cillizza of The Washington Post, Susan Page of USA Today and Jerry Seib of The Wall Street Journal join Diane for analysis of the week's top national news stories.

We can recognize self-defeating personality habits and styles in others. We can also sometimes recognize them in ourselves. Psychologist Henry Kellerman says although our personalities are set early in life, we can change as adults, but only if we understand how behavior patterns are formed. Our individual personalities are, he says, directly related to how each of us learns to cope with anger — anger that is almost always deeply repressed. Please join us for a conversation with psychologist Henry Kellerman on personality patterns and how anger drives us.

For the first time in 50 years, the Cuban government has eased travel restrictions for its citizens. Please join us to discuss who may leave, for how long and what the new rules could signal about Cuba's future.

For the first time in 50 years, the Cuban government has eased travel restrictions for its citizens. Please join us to discuss who may leave, for how long and what the new rules could signal about Cuba's future.

Classical composer Claude Debussy was born to a working class French family in 1862. A child prodigy, Debussy entered the Paris conservatory at age 10. He challenged the musical orthodoxy of his teachers there, choosing unusual harmonies that were widely frowned upon. His 24 preludes were revolutionary and reflected the Impressionist movement swirling around him. And a visit to the Paris World's Fair exposed Debussy to music from Japan and India. This experience profoundly influenced his compositions. Diane discusses the music of Claude Debussy with American classical pianist Stephen Porter.

A different host, a different format: President Barack Obama and Gov. Mitt Romney square off in a town hall setting. Morning-after analysis of the second presidential debate.

The U.S. is facing a critical lack of primary care physicians, and it's likely the Affordable Care Act will worsen that shortage. Many worry there won't be enough physicians to care for the estimated 30 million people set to gain insurance under the law in 2014. And it's not just an issue of fewer doctors joining the ranks. While 20 percent of Americans live in rural areas, just 9 percent of physicians practice there. But some argue that the way primary care doctors practice is even more important than their numbers. This hour, the first of our new medical series, "Mind and Body," Diane and her guests discuss the future of primary care medicine.

On November 6th, voters in Colorado, Washington, and Oregon will weigh in on whether marijuana should be legalized. 17 states currently allow marijuana for medical purposes, but initiatives in these three states make recreational use legal as well. The proposed laws directly contradict federal law which classifies marijuana as a controlled substance along with heroin and LSD. A recent Rasmussen poll suggests that more than 50% of Americans favor legalizing and regulating marijuana in a manner similar to alcohol and tobacco. Please join us to discuss the debate debate over legalizing marijuana.

F. Murray Abraham won an Oscar for his leading role in the 1984 film "Amadeus." The classically trained actor joins Diane to talk about his four decades of performing on the big screen, small screen and live on stage.

In recent weeks, some large U.S. financial institutions were hit by 'denial of service' attacks on their websites. Two months ago, the Saudi Arabian state oil company ARAMCO and RasGas of Qatar were attacked by a computer "wiper" virus called "shamoon." Crucial system files were replaced with an image of a burning U.S. flag. Real data on more than thirty thousand computers was overwritten with "garbage data," rendering them useless. American intelligence officials increasingly suspect Iran was behind these attacks. Last week, Defense Secretary Leon Panetta called this a pre-nine-eleven moment for cyberdefense. James Lewis of the Center for Strategic and International Studies, Thom Shanker of the New York Times and Greg Nojeim of the Center for Democracy and Technology join Diane for a discussion of the growing threat of cyberwarfare.

Last February, a House committee held a hearing on the new mandate that all insurance plans cover the cost of contraceptives. Republicans said the exemption for religious groups was too narrow and violated the First Amendment. Third-year law student Sandra Fluke was called by Democrats to testify at that hearing, but was turned away. Her testimony before a Democratic committee a week later was criticized by conservative talk-radio shows and thrust Fluke into the national spotlight. She went on to speak at the Democratic National Convention last month. A conversation with women's rights and social justice activist Sandra Fluke.

Republicans challenge the State Department over security at the Libyan consulate. The U.S. sends troops to Jordan to monitor the Syrian crisis. And outrage mounts over the Taliban's shooting of a 14-year-old Pakistani girl. Abderrahim Foukara of Al Jazeera, Courtney Kube of NBC and Nathan Guttman of Channel 1 Israeli News join Diane for analysis of the week's top international news stories.

Vice President Joe Biden and Rep. Paul Ryan debate in Kentucky. The presidential race tightens in swing states. And the Supreme Court hears arguments on affirmative action. Ron Elving of NPR, Sheryl Gay Stolberg of The New York Times and Naftali Bendavid of The Wall Street Journal join Diane for analysis of the week's top national news stories.