NOW on PBS

Just this week, a top UN official predicted that by the middle of this century, the world should expect six million people a year to be displaced by increasingly severe storms and floods caused by climate change. But for many island nations in the South Pacific, climate change is already more than just a theory -- it is a pressing, menacing reality. These small, low-lying islands are frighteningly vulnerable to rising temperatures and sea levels that could cause flooding and contaminate their fresh water wells. Within 50 years, some of them could be under water. NOW travels to the nation of Kiribati to see up close how these changes affect residents' daily lives and how they are dealing with the reality that both their land and culture could disappear from the Earth. We also travel to New Zealand to visit an I-Kiribati community that has already left its home, and to the Pacific Island Forum in Niue to see how the rest of the region is coping with the here-and-now crisis of climate change.

Iran and Pakistan are likely to be the sites of foreign policy flashpoints under the Obama Administration, but do we understand each country well enough to take the best approach? David Brancaccio sits down with author and journalist Tariq Ali, who grew up in Pakistan; and Tehran-born author Hooman Majd for unique insight into our thorny diplomatic, cultural, and political relations with each country. Obama will undoubtedly be put to the test, but how should he respond?

Robert Kuttner, author of the new book "Obama's Challenge," talks to NOW on PBS about the enormous obstacles to -- and potential solutions for -- getting America's economy back on track. As President-elect Barack Obama unveils his top economic team, Kuttner offers his advice on how America's next leader should stimulate a recovery, including a $600 billion government spending package. "We need the government big time to prevent this from becoming the Great Depression II," Kuttner tells NOW's David Brancaccio.

What role did the credit rating agencies play in the current economic crisis? A former managing director at Standard & Poor's speaks out on U.S. television for the first time about how he was pressured to compromise standards in a push for profits. Frank Raiter reveals what was really going on behind closed doors at the credit rating agencies the public relies on to evaluate the safety of their investments. "During this period, profit was primary; analytics were secondary," Raiter tells NOW Senior Correspondent Maria Hinojosa. Who was watching the watchers? Surprising new revelations in the economic debacle.

Can something as common as building materials represent an opportunity to create jobs, help the needy, and save the planet? NOW looks at two "green" projects keeping furniture, paint, cabinets, and other building supplies out of landfills and getting them into the hands of those who need them most. Will they be devastated by the economic meltdown, or do they signal a possible way out? Based in the Bronx, New York, Greenworker Co-operatives aims to set up worker-owned green businesses. The first of these is Rebuilders' Source, a store that sells recycled and donated building materials at affordable prices -- items that would otherwise have ended up in a landfill. "My vision now is a completely green South Bronx," says Bronx-born entrepreneur Omar Freilla, the founder of Greenworker Co-operatives, "with businesses throughout the area that are owned and run by people living in the area together." On the other side of the country, in Southern California, Materials Matter matches donations of furniture and high quality building materials with individuals, organizations, and homeless shelters that use the materials to literally rebuild lives. But the faltering economy has had an impact. "We have to decide whether the value of that donation will be worth the cost of transportation," says Materials Matter co-founder Alison Riback on her blog. "[The economic downturn] put a huge dent in our 'always say yes to a donation' philosophy."

With the campaign and the election finally behind him, Barack Obama is now focusing on governing, but in which direction will he take the country? Charles Ogletree is in a unique position to know. The Harvard professor was an adviser to the university's Black Law Students Association when Obama was a member, and Ogletree has been a trusted advisor to the president-elect ever since. David Brancaccio sits down with Ogletree, who some say is being considered for a top Justice Department position, to get early insight on what we might expect from an Obama Administration.

There are roughly eight million more female voters than male, and more women than men say they are still undecided. Senator Hillary Clinton and Governor Sarah Palin have undoubtedly changed the debate for many women voters, but the question is: how will they ultimately respond in the booth? This week, NOW on PBS travels to the swing state of Colorado to get insight from a diverse group of women. These pro-choice, pro-gun women don't fit into neat categories, but they do respond to issues built around working moms: pay equity, family leave, and child care. On the show, NOW also interviews former vice presidential Candidate Geraldine Ferraro for her take on the role of women in this election. Will the women's vote decide the election?

The state of Virginia has not voted for a Democratic President since 1964, but this year its 13 electoral votes are up for grabs as late polls show the race too close to call. NOW on PBS goes behind the national polls and punditry and into living rooms of real Virginia voters to learn how they'll be making their decisions. Military families, retirees, and blue-collar workers of all political stripes share their concerns about faith, the war, and making ends meet in troubling economic times. Also on the show, an update on the economic crisis. As the government expands its protective reach into the private sector, now including banks, how will this ease the financial burden on private citizens? NOW checks in with the AFL-CIO's Damon Silvers, who has been closely involved in Congressional negotiations for the financial rescue plan, for answers and insight.

With gas prices spiking and home values crumbling, the American dream of commuting to work from the fringes of suburbia has become an American nightmare. Many are facing a hard choice: Paying for gas or paying the mortgage. How did it come to this? It's not just about America's financial crisis; it's also about big problems with our national infrastructure. Overstressed highways and too few public transportation options are wreaking havoc on people's lives and hitting the brakes on our already-stretched economy. NOW on PBS takes a close-up look at our inadequate transportation network and visits some people paying a high price -- in both dollars and quality of life -- just to get to work. Do we have the means to modernize both our infrastructure and our lifestyles? This is the first installment in "Blueprint America," a year-long, PBS-wide series focusing on the nation's infrastructure. "Blueprint America" is an initiative of Thirteen/WNET.

This election year, the most crucial battleground states may fall far west of the Mississippi. Strategists say New Mexico, Nevada, and Colorado are pivotal to Senator McCain's success, so how are these voters being courted? NOW on PBS travels to New Mexico to see how both campaigns are hoping to attract -- and secure -- first time voters on college campuses, as well as voters in New Mexico's large Hispanic population. It's clearly anyone's game -- this southwestern state was won by fewer than 400 votes in 2000, and 6,000 votes in 2004. NOW sits down with New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson, a supporter of Barack Obama and former 2008 presidential contender himself, who affirms the political importance of the "New West." "Had Kerry won those states [in 2004]," Richardson tells Maria Hinojosa, "even having lost Ohio, he'd be President." Will the New West play a key role in determining the fate of the country?

The government's historic proposal to bail out the U.S. banking system is raising as many questions as it is offering solutions. Some in Congress are warning against reacting too quickly; others want conditions that protect homeowners, increase oversight, and limit the compensation of corporate executives. But the number one question on the minds of Americans: How will this affect me? NOW on PBS goes inside the round-the-clock efforts in Washington to craft a bailout plan of historic dimensions. NOW's cameras follow AFL-CIO Associate General Counsel Damon Silvers as he works to get help for working Americans in addition to bailing out financial firms in distress. Silvers, an architect of the major provisions Congressional Democrats are pushing for in the bill, provides key insight on the stake ordinary working Americans have in the fate of this proposal, and on what comes next.

Given the hoopla surrounding Sarah Palin and Hillary Clinton's historical political ascendance, why does the U.S. rank so low among countries for percentage of women holding national office? In a one-hour special, NOW's Maria Hinojosa talks to women leaders around the world and here in the United States for an intimate look at the high-stakes risks, triumphs, and setbacks for women leaders of today and tomorrow. Among these women are President Michelle Bachelet of Chile, the first woman leader in Latin America who did not have a husband precede her as President, and former New Hampshire Governor Jeanne Shaheen, now in a tight race for a seat in the U.S. Senate. We also travel to Rwanda, where, 14 years after a horrific massacre left nearly one million people dead, women make up nearly half of parliament; and to Manhattan, where ambitious high school girls are competing in a high-stakes debate tournament. "Women, Power and Politics," is also about the personal journey of mother and award-winning journalist Maria Hinojosa as she strives to answer the question: "What does to mean to be a woman in power?"

The Republican Party has long used wedge issues like abortion, gun control, and gay rights to its advantage in rallying conservative voters, but a shifting agenda amongst political evangelicals and new thinking about Democratic Party tactics might be changing the game. David Brancaccio discusses these issues and their implications with Bishop Harry Jackson and Author Drew Westen. Bishop Jackson, an influential voice among the nation's 100 million evangelicals, has shown a willingness to open his mind to opposing views, especially on climate control. Westen, author of "The Political Brain," talks about how appealing to voters' emotions reaps bigger electoral rewards than hammering home policy proposals.

John McCain chose Sarah Palin as his running mate in part to appease his party's strongly conservative base. With the Republican right wing weighing so much influence even in the waning days of the Bush presidency, where does that leave prominent moderate Republicans? Is there room for them in the GOP? David Brancaccio sits down with former New Jersey Governor and EPA Administrator Christine Todd Whitman to discuss the political tolerance of the modern Republican Party, and her perspective on the current race.

With Barack Obama officially nominated as the Democrats' Presidential nominee, is it time to re-think affirmative action? NOW on PBS looks at some state ballot measures that would eliminate race or gender considerations in public hiring, contracting and education programs. The controversial initiatives are being spearheaded by Ward Connerly, a long-time affirmative action opponent who some are accusing of ballot fraud. NOW also posed the question to leading thinkers at the Democratic National Convention in Denver. "I think that in some quarters, many parts of the country, a white male is really disadvantaged," Connerly, who considers himself multi-racial, tells NOW. "Because we have developed this notion of women and minorities being so disadvantaged and we have to help them, that we have, in many cases, twisted the thing so that it's no longer a case of equal opportunity. It's a case of putting a fist on the scale."