David J Fazekas

The federal government is thinking about implementing a new formula to calculate poverty. The new formula would increase the number of poor from 13.2 percent to 15.8 percent. The striking change comes among the elderly, where under the new measure, 18.7 percent of people 65-years-old and over are under the poverty line. That's 7.1 million Americans and an increase from 9.7 percent.

Receiving mail on Saturdays could soon be a thing of the past, if the United States Postal Service has its way. The organization, which has been struggling in the wake of an extreme dip in business, has proposed a set of changes that could help it survive, including ending deliveries on Saturdays and closing down offices.

Whether it’s the casualty count in Afghanistan, the national deficit or the size of an earthquake – numbers help us communicate. But are telling the numbers the best way to tell a news story?

Over 700 lay dead and over two million have been left homeless after the weekend's 8.8 earthquake rocked Chile. Pascale Bonnefoy, correspondent for The Global Post in Chile has an update from Santiago, and says that many of the homeless are staying with relatives or they are on the streets trying to protect their property from vandals and looters.

We take a look at what's ahead in our weekly agenda segment with Marcus Mabry, international business editor for The New York Times, and Rob Watson from the BBC. 

President Obama's bipartisan health care summit begins later this morning, but the bickering started weeks ago. Arguments between Republicans and Democrats over what kind of table will be used, the seating arrangements, the frequency of coffee breaks and other minutiae are starting to take center stage even before the conversation about whether or how to reform health care.

• CONGRESS TAKEOUT:   Some lawmakers may be facing a conflict of interest as they go toe to toe with Toyota executives.  Communications director for the Center for Responsive Politics, Dave Levinthal, says many of these lawmakers are stockholders in Toyota.
• OLYMPICS PREVIEW: Jason Stallman, reporting on the Winter Olympics for The New York Times, has the latest from Vancouver and looks ahead to Lindsey Vonn's upcoming race.
• SUPREME COURT: Supreme Court correspondent for The New York Times, Adam Liptak, explains the Court's latest decision that police may now ad lib the Miranda Rights.

A NATO airstrike mistakenly killed 27 Afghan civilians in Uruzgan province in southern Afghanistan, Sunday. NATO apologized for the incident, but experts worry about the effects of this kind of event on the local populace. It was the third such incident by NATO in Afghanistan.

President Obama released a proposal for health care reform Monday that hewed close to the bill passed last year by the Senate. After watching months of rancorous debate in Congress, the White House is laying out the key points of the proposal in plain language. But will it be enough to get reform unstuck?

Our weekly look ahead at the news for the next seven days with Marcus Mabry, international business editor for The New York Times, and Jonathan Marcus from the BBC. This week: the fallout from a NATO air strike that killed a number of Afghan civilians; what's in store for Toyota executives as they face a grilling from U.S. lawmakers; and how Republicans are preparing to face President Obama at his health care summit.

• WASHINGTON TAKEOUT: An update from Time Magazine Washington correspondent Jay Newton-Small on legislation President Obama just introduced that would crack down on insurance companies. It's the first time the president has introduced legislation in the health care debate.
• OLYMPICS TAKEOUT: From Vancouver, New York Times reporter, Jason Stallman recaps the Olympics weekend, including the U.S.- Canada hockey team and Bode Miller's gold performance in the super combined.
• LISTENER RESPONSE: All weekend our listeners called in with their nominations for the top sports movies for people who hate sports. We hear some of your favorites.

Eight states are implementing a radical new program in high schools for next year that will allow students to graduate early and enter into two-year community colleges, if they pass the right tests. We speak to a top education official and a high school teacher involved in the program to find out how the program will work.

Yesterday, Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood announced the winners of a government stimulus grant called TIGER (Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery). Communities around the country competed for federal money to revamp their public transit systems. A flood of entries — nearly 1,400 — were whittled down to 51 winners.

President Obama announced Tuesday that he approved a loan guarantee to underwrite construction of two new nuclear reactors in Georgia.  These would be the first new reactors built in the United States since the 1970s. Will this be the start of a new wave of nuclear energy in this country?

Dr. Steven Landau, a family physician from Smithfield, N.C. rushed to Haiti after the earthquake to do his part in the relief effort. He was not prepared for the emotional toll of the experience. He tells us what he saw and how he coped.

It's our weekly look at the news to watch out for with Marcus Mabry, international business editor for The New York Times, and Rob Watson, BBC political correspondent.

The American Psychiatric Association started a two year negotiation process Tuesday, as it heard proposals for the fifth version of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-V). Columbia psychiatry professor Michael First edited the manual's fourth edition and he is critical of some of the proposals.

State Rep. Charlie Hoffman from Georgetown, Ky., is witnessing the affects of the Toyota recalls on the lives of his community, who rely on the company for jobs.

Our weekly look ahead at the news for the next seven days with Marcus Mabry, international business editor for The New York Times, and Rob Watson, BBC political correspondent.  

Colorado Springs, Colo., has been hit hard by the economic downturn. After public demands for no more tax increases, the city has taken some drastic measures to curb its financial bleeding. City government decided to cut services that many would consider basic: many street lights will be shut off, fire and policemen will be let go, parks will go unmowed and unwatered, and some museums and pools will close.