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Rundown 6/23

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Gen. Stanley McCrystal arrives at the White House for a meeting with President Barack Obama. (AP)
Gen. Stanley McCrystal arrives at the White House for a meeting with President Barack Obama. (AP)

President Obama Relieves Gen. McChrystal Of Command, Chooses Gen. Petraeus To Lead Afghan War Effort

President Obama announced that he's nominated General David Petraeus to replace General Stanley McChrystal, who the president relieved from his post today, saying it's "the right decision for our national security." We take a look at what that means, with Julian Barnes, who covers the Pentagon for the Los Angeles Times.

Debate Over Immigration Fence Heats Up Along Southern Border, But Are Visa Overstays As Big A Problem?

In Arizona, the debate over immigration is heating up. There's a Republican primary in August and immigration is a big part of the campaign. Sen. John McCain's challenger J.D. Hayworth argues that he knows more about securing the borders, after writing his 2006 book “Whatever It Takes," while Sen. John McCain's rallying cry seems to be "complete the danged fence." Half of the controversial border fence stands in Arizona, we get a status update with Christopher Conover, senior political reporter for KUAZ public radio and KUAT-TV in Tucson. Susan Martin, director of the Institute for the Study of International Migration at Georgetown University says that an estimated 40% of people in the U.S. illegally, came here legally - on visas or border crossing cards.

Russia Cracks Down On Dissent

The Russian government is pushing a bill through its parliament which critics say would give the country's main intelligence agency the FSB, powers similar to those once held by its predecessor the KGB. During the Soviet era, the KGB ruthlessly silenced almost all opponents of the communist regime. The government says the powers are needed to tackle extremism. The BBC's Richard Galpin reports.

The View of Drilling In the Gulf From An Environmentalist And A Businessman

We hear from Athan Manuel of the Sierra Club and Rob Vosbein of Harvey Gulf International about yesterday's ruling against the Obama administration's six month moratorium on deep sea exploratory drilling.

21st Century Huckleberry Finn Goes On Map Quest

We revisit a conversation we had with author Reif Larsen. His acclaimed debut "The Selected Works of T.S. Spivet: A Novel" is now out in paperback. The book recounts the cross-country journey of a 12 year old genius mapmaker, T.S. Spivet who wins an award from the Smithsonian Institution and decides to travel alone from his Montana ranch to Washington D.C. to accept it.

Music From The Show

  • Radiohead, "There, There"
  • Christian McBride, "Theme for Kareem"
  • Nathan Milstein, "Bach: Sonatas and Partitas for Solo Violin"
  • The Wee Trio, "About a Girl"
  • Medeski, Martin and Wood, "Bloody Oil"
  • Talking Heads, "This Must Be the Place"
  • Mark O’Connor “Johnny Appleseed Suite: The Life and Times of Johnny Appleseed” performed by Mark O'Connor and the Colorado Symphony Orchestra

This program aired on June 23, 2010.

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