KCRW's To the Point

In America's big, metropolitan counties, prison populations are going down, but in suburban and rural communities, more people are doing big time than ever before. We hear how prosecutors and judges are cracking down on drug addicts in the white, middle class. 

Unlike Republicans before him — or Democrats, for that matter — White House candidate Donald Trump has been full of praise for the President of Russia, Vladimir Putin. What's the attraction? And how is it resonating in this year's presidential campaign?

Hillary Clinton has labeled half of Donald Trump’s supporters "deplorables." Trump has said, "Fifty percent of Americans just sit back and do nothing." As the rhetoric of this campaign becomes more divisive than ever, how difficult will be to govern — whoever ends up in the White House?

While the presidential candidates are being asked to reveal their personal medical profiles, the prices of life-saving medications are increasing dramatically. We look at how that's happening and what might be done.

After North Korea's latest test of a weapon of mass destruction last Friday, President Obama said, "The United States does not, and never will, accept North Korea as a nuclear state."  Others warn that the US and its allies may not have a choice.

Guest host Todd Purdum discusses the legacy of the September 11 attacks, on the event of its 15th anniversary.

Clinton and Trump were on the same stage at different times last night to talk about National Security. We hear about the issues raised… and some that were left out. Did NBC's moderator Matt Lauer provide fair treatment?

Thousands of Native Americans have gathered in North Dakota to protest an oil pipeline they claim endangers not just the water supply for a nearby reservation but sacred burial sites and other relics. It's beginning to look like a new movement for American Indian rights and protections.

President Obama's in Asia, coping with climate change, and China and America's past military excesses — not to mention his own legacy.  Experts disagree about successes… and failures.  We hear about the President's successes and failures. 

In many American cities, local police now act like tax collectors. On this special rebroadcast of To the Point, we hear how that can puts municipal finance on the backs of the poor.

In Colombia, more than 50 years of bloody fighting marked by atrocities may finally have come to an end. But peace won't come easy when former combatants have to live side by side.

Apple's just one of the US companies paying taxes in other countries to avoid taxes here — and small business, the middle class and other Americans needing government services are paying the cost.

Women have struggled to increase their numbers in the US Senate. But, after November's election, there could be more than ever before.  And female candidates are key to the Democrats re-taking control of the Upper House. We look at the states that could make a difference.

In France, there's a paradox: secularism is sacred. So it's no accident that the battle over body-covering burkinis started there. But the conflict is emblematic of cultural and religious challenges all over the world, including here in the United States.

Immigration has been the identifying issue of Donald Trump’s presidential campaign, but — in his own words — he's "softening" his call for mass deportations. If he really means it, what about his base of supporters, the Republican Party and the future of "immigration reform."