Season 2011

1. Foster Care, A ‘Lost Boy’ of Sudan

2011-01-07

On the eve of Sudan’s historic elections, we profile a “lost boy” who returned to aid his hometown. Plus: medicating foster kids, more “fixing America” and advice from Peter Sagal.

2. Gun Control, Haiti, High-Speed Rail

2011-01-14

In light of the Arizona shooting, we revisit a story on gun rights. Also: Two Haitian children treated in Boston after the earthquake, a look at high speed rail and author Peter Bergen on al Qaeda.

3. Care for Disabled Adults, Michael Vick’s Dogs, China

2011-01-21

This week, we visit with parents struggling to maintain care for their developmentally disabled adult children in the face of budget cuts. Plus: where are Michael Vick’s dogs now? And: the Amy Chua phenomenon.

4. Aging in the Car-Happy Suburbs, Congo, A New 'New Deal'?

2011-01-28

Getting older in the car-dependent suburbs, the State of the Union and the state of the Congo. Plus: an animated editorial by Steve Brodner.

5. Egypt, End-of-Life Care, Alzheimer’s

2011-02-04

Amid the upheaval in Egypt, we turn our attention to the political tension between Egypt and the U.S. Also, the defunct “death panel” provision, a new scan for Alzheimer’s, and “Reagan.”

6. Ahead of the Class

2011-02-11

As the nation debates how to get the best performance out of students and teachers, Need to Know presents an hour devoted to success stories in teaching.

7. The Universe(s), Egypt’s Future, and Fracking

2011-02-18

How many universes are there? Author Brian Greene explains. Plus: A fracking update, a look at what’s next in Egypt and an interview author Parag Khanna.

8. Sea level rise, National Guard bonuses, Somali pirates

9. Libya’s uprising, the high cost of college sports, Wisconsin’s unions

10. Public unions and state budgets, blood transfusions

11. Crisis in Japan, stories of academic transformation

12. Wounded in war, Arne Duncan, breast cancer research

13. Haiti and the Dominican Republic, Medicare, Edwidge Danticat

14. The BP oil spill and the Grand Isle one year later, fixing American education

15. Chinese drywall, ‘Capitalism 4.0,’ right-sizing Detroit

16. Joe Nocera on the Charlie Engle story, Tavis Smiley, free music education in Chicago

17. Adoptions in Nepal, Bin Laden economics, the united states of women

18. Detainee abuse, broadband in Europe, crisis mappers

19. Climate change and tropical disease, Upper Big Branch mine disaster, Stuxnet

20. Political storm over tornadoes, Paralympics, shrinking Youngstown

21. Paying for war, medicating foster children, childhood obesity

22. Clinical trials overseas, legacy of nuclear waste, Brian Greene and the multiverse

23. New voter laws, the anti-abortion movement, therapy for Tourette’s syndrome

24. Combating IEDs, the ramifications of the Wal-Mart case, the science of happy marriages

25. Greece’s debt crisis, congressional redistricting, ‘Page One’ and the New York Times

26. Congo’s orchestra, Dominique Strauss-Kahn, Sudan, workplace safety

27. California nuclear safety, population control, Gloria Steinem

28. Famine in Somalia, nuclear waste storage, Eric Cantor and the debt ceiling

29. Adult autism, food safety, wealth inequality

30. Breast cancer trials, Rick Perry’s ambitions, cyberweapons

31. The history of debt, detainee abuse, living with Chinese drywall

32. Urban farming in Detroit, consumer finance protection, gold mining in the Amazon

33. Texas textbooks, wild horses, hurricanes and climate change

34. Water contamination at Camp Lejeune, polls and markets, crisis-mapping

35. 9-11, Ten Years Later

2011-09-09

A special edition on the ten-year anniversary of 9/11. We visit three military families to see how the nation’s longest war effort has affected military children. Also: Six-word memoirs on 9/11, and an “In Perspective” essay from Jon Meacham.

36. Privatizing infrastructure, government and the private sector

37. Creating ‘green jobs,’ the American garage sale

38. Chemical pollution and the EPA

39. Help wanted

40. The politics of resentment

41. The nuclear question

42. Jobs in the balance

43. Creating opportunity

44. Coming home: The enduring sacrifice

45. The Pentagon: Hard times, hard choices

46. Resisting Alabama’s immigration crackdown

47. Help wanted: Revisiting Ohio

48. Making Congress work

49. Mayor under siege

50. Christian-Muslim relations in Iraq

51. Eye on Iowa