Iowa Public Television

Washington Week

Episode #4310

Moderator: Gwen Ifill. Congress has reconvened, the race for the White House has kicked into high gear, and the president is back from the ranch. It's official: summer is over. This week on Washington Week we look at what's ahead as Washington gets back to business. After an August filled with violent setbacks in the war on terror, there are signs that the administration is exploring new strategies for peacekeeping in Iraq. Michael Duffy of Time Magazine takes a look. The summer was an eventful one in domestic news as well. The major blackout in the Midwest and on the East Coast reignited Congress's interest in energy policy, but will this new legislative priority reorder the agenda in the House and Senate? How will efforts to reform Medicare, fund the war on terror, and reign in the deficit pan out? Janet Hook of the Los Angeles Times assesses the agenda. Lazy days of summer are over for the 2004 White House candidates, too. They've picked up the pace since Labor Day and are testing their mettle in a series of official debates. It may seem like ages since the first candidates announced their intentions, but the race has only just begun in earnest. Rick Berke of The New York Times sizes up the contenders -- their strategies so far and what we can expect in the weeks ahead. A big topic for everyone in politics -- candidates, incumbents and voters -- continues to be the state of the economy. JCNBC's Allan Murray analyzes the latest unemployment numbers and examines the president's latest efforts to address the jobs issue. [26 minutes]

This episode has not aired in the past few months on Iowa Public Television.