President Obama outlines his plans to rein in the $1.3 trillion deficit in government spending, while he also directs $787 billion in stimulus money to states. We speak with Greg Ip, US economics editor of The Economist.

President Obama has promised to change federal policy on stem cell research. For the last eight years, federal funding for embryonic stem cell research has been banned. Harvard scientist Doug Melton has been doing the research with private funding. He explains his work and why he’s doing it — both of his children have Type 1 non-lifestyle diabetes.

Here and Now’s space-watcher Kelly Beatty joins us to talk about a rare celestial event.  Tonight is the night for Earthlings to get a good look at the comet called Lulin as it zips by our planet. Astronomers call Lulin an oddball because unlike most comets it circles the sun in clock-wise motion and from Earth appears to be chasing its own tail. Beatty will also tell us about the growing problem of space debris in Earth’s orbit and what space agency officials are planning to do about it.

It worked to some extent in Iraq, but will it in Afghanistan? In addition to sending more troops to fight in Afghanistan, the U-S is also boosting the Afghan government’s efforts to arm local villagers to protect their own areas from the Taliban. The BBC visited the Afghan province of Paktia near the border with Pakistan to assess how that effort is going.

The summer writer Michael Greenberg’s daughter Sally turned 15, she was struck mad. Sally had grandiose, world-saving visions that she wanted to impart to strangers on the street, was brought home by police, and eventually hospitalized and treated for a severe bipolar disorder. Greenberg writes about it in “Hurry Down Sunshine”.

Music From the show:

Air, "Mike Mills"
Neil Young, "Tonight's the Night"
The Tornados, "TelStar"
The Lickets, "Serial East"
Count Basie, "Going to Chicago," performed by Red Holloway Blues All-Stars & Joe Willliams.