Need to Know | PBS » Podcast: Full Episode

This week on Need to Know, our medical correspondent Dr. Emily Senay examines the difficult road to advancement in cancer treatment by looking at three clinical trials for breast cancer -- one involving new chemotherapy treatments, another involving freezing cancer tumors as a potential substitute for surgery, and another using scalp cooling to salvage the hair of chemotherapy patients. Also: We tell the story of a group of U.S. soldiers whose lives were forever changed by a rocket attack in Baghdad seven years ago, and Alison Stewart sits down with activist Leymah Gbowee, whose work in Liberia helped bring down Charles Taylor's regime, to discuss political reform within the country and in the rest of West Africa. And: U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan speaks to Jon Meacham about the Obama administration’s push to revise No Child Left Behind. Watch the individual segments: (http://www.pbs.org/wnet/need-to-know/uncategorized/brockton-high-proves-that-big-schools-can-be-good-schools/6959/)(http://www.pbs.org/wnet/need-to-know/files/2011/03/WoundedInWar-th.jpg) Wounded in war, seven years later (http://www.pbs.org/wnet/need-to-know/security/video-wounded-in-war-seven-years-later/8229/) On April 24, 2004, the Renaud brothers were embedded with the U.S. Army in Iraq. Their cameras were rolling as a rocket attack struck an American military base in Baghdad, killing four soldiers and severely wounding Wayne Irelan and Anthony Smith. This story brings these soldiers together and tells the story of how those few seconds in Iraq changed their lives forever. (http://www.pbs.org/wnet/need-to-know/files/2011/03/Gbowee-th.jpg) Interview: Leymah Gbowee (http://www.pbs.org/wnet/need-to-know/video/video-leymah-gbowee-on-peace-in-west-africa-and-a-womens-revolution/8231/) Alison Stewart talks with activist Leymah Gbowee, who spearheaded Liberia's women's peace movement that brought down the brutal government of President Charles Taylor. Gbowee has continued to push for reforms in her home country but also in other countries in West Africa. (http://www.pbs.org/wnet/need-to-know/files/2011/03/BreastCancer-th.jpg) Breast cancer research (http://www.pbs.org/wnet/need-to-know/health/video-six-women-many-small-steps-toward-breast-cancer-breakthroughs/8232/) Correspondent Dr. Emily Senay examines three clinical trials for breast cancer treatment. One is a revolutionary way to test new chemotherapy treatments, another explores whether freezing breast cancer tumors can one day replace surgery, and the third investigates whether scalp cooling can save the hair of patients who undergo chemotherapy. (http://www.pbs.org/wnet/need-to-know/files/2011/03/Duncan-th.jpg) Interview: Arne Duncan (http://www.pbs.org/wnet/need-to-know/video/video-arne-duncan-on-american-education-we-have-a-crisis-on-multiple-levels/8230/) Education Secretary Arne Duncan talks to Jon Meacham about the Obama administration’s push to revise No Child Left Behind and how the U.S. can regain lost ground in educational excellence. INTERVIEW: ARNE DUNCAN Watch more full episodes of Need to Know.

The devastating earthquake in Japan has prompted fears of a nuclear crisis as the country desperately tries to curb the damage. This week, Need to Know provides an update on Japan's unfolding tragedy. Also, we reprise some of the best segments from our hour-long special on education (http://www.pbs.org/wnet/need-to-know/uncategorized/need-to-know-february-11-2011-an-education-hour-preview/6949/), which aired earlier this year. We feature three dramatic stories of academic transformation – focusing on literacy, physical education and science education.Watch the individual segments: (http://www.pbs.org/wnet/need-to-know/uncategorized/brockton-high-proves-that-big-schools-can-be-good-schools/6959/)(http://www.pbs.org/wnet/need-to-know/files/2011/03/Japan-Essay-th.jpg) Essay: Japan's 'third atomic bomb' (http://www.pbs.org/wnet/need-to-know/video/video-essay-from-japan-a-self-inflicted-third-atomic-bomb/8074/) Need to Know correspondent Abby Leonard reports from Japan, where she spoke with a survivor of the Hiroshima nuclear attack about Japan's most recent nuclear crisis. (http://www.pbs.org/wnet/need-to-know/uncategorized/brockton-high-proves-that-big-schools-can-be-good-schools/6959/) (http://www.pbs.org/wnet/need-to-know/files/2011/03/Japan-Essay-th.jpg)(http://www.pbs.org/wnet/need-to-know/files/2011/03/Japan-Levi-th.jpg) What happens after Japan's nuclear crisis? (http://www.pbs.org/wnet/need-to-know/video/video-the-crisis-in-japan-what-it-means-for-nuclear-power-in-the-u-s/8073/) Michael Levi, a nuclear expert at the Council on Foreign Relations, discusses the future of nuclear power here and around the world after Japan's earthquake. (//www.pbs.org/wnet/need-to-know/files/2011/02/Brockton2-th.jpg) School of thought in Brockton, Mass. (http://www.pbs.org/wnet/need-to-know/uncategorized/brockton-high-proves-that-big-schools-can-be-good-schools/6959/) In 1998, when Massachusetts implemented new standardized testing, administrators at Brockton High School, the largest public school in the state, learned that more than 75 percent of their 4,000 students would fail to graduate. But thanks to a small group of dedicated teachers who implemented a schoolwide program to bring reading and writing lessons into every classroom, even gym, Brockton is now one of the highest performing schools in the state. (http://www.pbs.org/wnet/need-to-know/files/2011/02/naperville-th.jpg) A physical education in Naperville (http://www.pbs.org/wnet/need-to-know/video/a-physical-education-in-naperville-ill/7134/) While physical education has been drastically cut back across the country -- in response to budget concerns and test score pressures -- Naperville Central High School, in the Chicago suburbs, has embraced a culture of fitness: PE is a daily, graded requirement. And for one group of struggling students, there’s an innovative program to schedule PE right before their most challenging classes. In the six years since that program started, students who signed up for PE directly before English read on average a half year ahead of those who didn’t, and students who took PE before math showed dramatic improvement in their standardized tests. (http://www.pbs.org/wnet/need-to-know/files/2011/02/MarylandChemistry-th.jpg) Good chemistry (http://www.pbs.org/wnet/need-to-know/video/good-chemistry-creating-more-scientists-in-maryland/7321/) Most people agree that for the U.S. to remain competitive in the global economy, we need more people in the fields of science, technology, engineering and math (STEM). But today, two-thirds of college students who start out majoring in the sciences end up switching concentrations. One university in Maryland is bucking that trend.

The ongoing conflict between public unions and state governments in Wisconsin, New Jersey and Ohio revolves around a central question: Are public unions in part responsible for states' budget problems? This week, Need to Know explores the facts to provide an answer. Also: A growing number of people in the medical community are questioning how blood transfusions are used in the United States. They are concluding that, for many patients, the risks can outweigh the benefits. We take a look at the practice of blood transfusions and some alternatives that have been developed to avoid the potential risks that transfusions may pose. And: Editorial illustrator Steve Brodner conducts an "illustrated interview" with author Eduardo Porter about income inequality in America. The episode airs Friday, March 11 -- check your local listings (http://www.pbs.org/wnet/need-to-know/schedule/) for details. Watch the individual segments: (/wnet/need-to-know/files/2011/03/UnionSalaries-th.jpg) Union salaries and state budgets (http://www.pbs.org/wnet/need-to-know/economy/video-are-public-employee-unions-to-blame-for-states-budget-problems/7904/) Are public unions to blame for states' budget woes? Governors from a number of states -- not just in Wisconsin -- say that public union workers' salaries and benefits are wreaking havoc on their state budgets. But are state workers really to blame for the economic plight of states? Need to Know examines the facts behind one of the most contentious arguments in the news today. (/wnet/need-to-know/files/2010/08/BloodTest-th.jpg) Blood test: What you don't know about blood (http://www.pbs.org/wnet/need-to-know/health/video-blood-test-what-you-dont-know-about-blood/3036/) Since World War ll, blood has been considered "the gift of life." But today a growing number of experts are questioning whether blood transfusions should be so widely used. For more about transfusions, watch these First Look videos on the Centers for Disease Control’s new “hemovigilance” program (http://www.pbs.org/wnet/need-to-know/health/video-the-truth-about-blood/2963/), and the more than 100 blood management initiatives (http://www.pbs.org/wnet/need-to-know/health/video-the-truth-about-transfusions/2870/) at hospitals across the country. (Original air date: August 20, 2010) (/wnet/need-to-know/files/2011/01/BPRRails-th.jpg) For high speed rail, a tale of two governors (http://www.pbs.org/wnet/need-to-know/video/video-for-high-speed-rail-a-tale-of-two-governors/6436/) President Obama's vision for high speed rail has been rejected by Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker, a Republican, and embraced by Illinois governor Patrick Quinn, a Democrat. For more reports from our partner at Blueprint America, check out Need to Know's Transportation Desk (http://www.pbs.org/wnet/need-to-know/tag/transportation-desk/). (Original air date: January 14, 2011) (/wnet/need-to-know/files/2011/03/Schiff_IntvTease-th.jpg) Interview with Stacy Schiff (http://www.pbs.org/wnet/need-to-know/video/why-cleopatra-still-matters/5982/) Jon Meacham speaks with Pulitzer Prize-winning biographer Stacy Schiff about her best-selling book about Cleopatra, the last queen of Egypt. (Original air date: December 24, 2010). (/wnet/need-to-know/files/2011/03/Brodner-Inequality-th.jpg) A Steve Brodner editorial cartoon (http://www.pbs.org/wnet/need-to-know/economy/video-income-inequality-in-america-an-illustrated-interview/7905/) Editorial cartoonist Steve Brodner conducts an "illustrated interview" with author Eduardo Porter about income inequality in America. (http://www.pbs.org/wnet/need-to-know/files/2010/07/tinyhouse-th.jpg) Living large: The tiny house movement (http://www.pbs.org/wnet/need-to-know/culture/living-large-a-look-inside-the-tiny-house-movement/2522/)Need to Know visited one of the proponents of the "tiny house" movement, Dee Williams,

This week on Need to Know: Are college sports programs enabling universities to say afloat during tough economic times or are they hampering the classroom? While many state budgets have forced administrators to make painful cuts to academic programs, intercollegiate sports seem to remain unscathed, even in bleak economic times. We travel to Ohio University to see how athletic success has been affecting their academic mission. Also: Princeton University professor Bernard Haykel speaks to us about what the international community's responsibilities are with regards to the uprisings in the Middle East. And in light of the protests in Wisconsin, Jon Meacham sits down with Columbia University professor Gregory Wawro to discuss controversial political tactics being used by Wisconsin and Indiana legislators to avoid being forced to vote on cutting benefits and collective bargaining rights for unions. And: Our Watch List segment, in cooperation with the Seattle Times, investigates exploitation and mistreatment of seniors at home-based facilities. The episode airs Friday, March 4 -- check your local listings (http://www.pbs.org/wnet/need-to-know/schedule/) for details. Watch the individual segments: (/wnet/need-to-know/files/2011/03/Haykel-th.jpg) What happens next in the Middle East? (http://www.pbs.org/wnet/need-to-know/security/video-bernard-haykel-what-happens-next-in-the-middle-east/7807/) Need to Know speaks with Bernard Haykel, a professor of Near Eastern Studies at Princeton University, who argues that the rest of the world has a responsibility to promote political dignity and good governance in the Middle East or “remain hostage to the pathologies of this region, which provide ample opportunity for al-Qaeda to reassert its narrative and influence.” (/wnet/need-to-know/files/2011/03/Libya-VII-th.jpg) Libya's uprising, in photos (http://www.pbs.org/wnet/need-to-know/security/video-libyas-uprising-in-photos/7806/) It is now three weeks into the uprising against Moammar Gadhafi. This week, fighting continued throughout Libya. Thousands have fled the country and are still trying to get out. Need to Know narrates specific events through photographs taken by VII magazine photographer Franco Pagetti, who is in Benghazi. Check out our live blog (http://www.pbs.org/wnet/need-to-know/the-daily-need/libya-revolts-a-live-blog/7679/) for daily, in-depth reporting on the Libya's revolt against the Gadhafi regime (http://www.pbs.org/wnet/need-to-know/the-daily-need/libya-revolts-a-live-blog/7679/). (/wnet/need-to-know/files/2011/03/CollegeSports-th.jpg) Sis, boom, bust: The high cost of college sports (http://www.pbs.org/wnet/need-to-know/economy/video-sis-boom-bust-the-high-cost-of-college-sports/7808/) State budget deficits have cast a pall on America's public universities, forcing administrators to make painful cuts to make ends meet. But there's one program that seems poised to emerge from this bleak time more or less unscathed: intercollegiate sports. Need to Know travels to Ohio University in Athens, Ohio, to see how the pressure to compete as a NCAA Division I program is affecting the classroom. (/wnet/need-to-know/files/2011/03/GregWawro-th.jpg) Gregory Wawro on 'filibuster by flight' in Wisconsin and Indiana (http://www.pbs.org/wnet/need-to-know/economy/video-greg-wawro-on-filibuster-by-flight-in-wisconsin-and-indiana/7809/) Jon Meacham talks to Professor Gregory Wawro of Columbia University about the controversial political tactics being used by legislators in Wisconsin and Indiana to avoid being forced to vote on legislation cutting benefits and collective bargaining rights for public employee unions. (/wnet/need-to-know/files/2010/09/CottageIndustry-th.jpg) The Watch List: Cottage industry (http://www.pbs.org/wnet/need-to-know/health/cottage-industry-neglect-and-abuse-in-adult-family-homes/3681/) Need to Know, in cooperation with the Seattle Times,

This week on Need to Know, the effects of climate change are already hitting the city of Norfolk, Virginia. We travel to Norfolk to see how the city is dealing with regular flooding caused by sea level rise and a sinking shoreline. Also: We look at an investigation by a Sacramento Bee reporter into millions of dollars in incentive bonuses that may have been wrongly paid out to members of the California National Guard. And: This week, four Americans whose yacht had been taken hostage by Somali pirates were killed by their captors. We reprise an excerpt of "The Trouble with Pirates," which explores the root causes of Somali piracy. The episode airs Friday, February 25 -- check your local listings (http://www.pbs.org/wnet/need-to-know/schedule/) for details. Watch the individual segments: (/wnet/need-to-know/files/2011/02/NationalGuard-th.jpg) The Watch List: Bonuses for the California National Guard (http://www.pbs.org/wnet/need-to-know/security/video-financial-scandal-in-the-california-national-guard/7634/) Sacramento Bee reporter Charles Piller and a former federal auditor dug deep into the California National Guard and discovered that as much as $100 million of taxpayer money may have been improperly or illegally paid out to undeserving Guard members in the form of cash bonuses or loan repayments. (/wnet/need-to-know/files/2011/02/SeaLevel-th.jpg) Sea level rise comes to one Virginia town (http://www.pbs.org/wnet/need-to-know/environment/video-climate-change-at-the-doorstep-in-norfolk/7636/) The city of Norfolk is already experiencing the effects of sea level rise. Streets that used to flood only occasionally now fill with sea water at each full moon. Need to Know reports on how one American city is dealing with a problem that may soon be on all our doorsteps. (/wnet/need-to-know/files/2011/02/SeaLevel-intv-th.jpg) Mark Hertsgaard: Climate change comes for us all (http://www.pbs.org/wnet/need-to-know/environment/video-mark-hertsgaard-climate-change-comes-for-us-all/7635/) Author Mark Hertsgaard anticipates what cities around the U.S. can expect from the effects of climate change in the coming years, and discusses the media's responsibility in covering it. (/wnet/need-to-know/files/2010/11/Pirates-th.jpg) The trouble with pirates (http://www.pbs.org/wnet/need-to-know/security/video-the-trouble-with-pirates-part-2/5295/) The four Americans who were killed this week by Somali pirates were the first Americans to have lost their lives since piracy became a serious problem off the African Coast. The deaths of Jean and Scott Adams, accompanied by another couple, raise some questions. Last November, Need to Know first brought you this unique and close-up encounter with pirates as part of a documentary called “The Trouble with Pirates” that goes behind the headlines about piracy in Somalia and looks at its root causes, as well as exploring the multimillion-dollar business it has become.