WAMU-FM: WAMU: The Diane Rehm Show Podcast

Tampa, Fla., Mayor Bob Buckhorn said he was prepared to call off the Republican National Convention next week if Hurricane Isaac threatens public safety. The housing market showed more signs of recovery as home sales rose in July. And U.S. health officials said the West Nile virus outbreak in five states was one of the worst in American history. Naftali Bendavid of The Wall Street Journal, Jeanne Cummings of Bloomberg News and David Chalian of Yahoo! News join Diane for analysis of the week's top national news stories.

The story of the Central Pacific Railroad, two writers — Ambrose Bierce and Frank Norris — and their battle in print against one of America's most powerful corporations.

Election year party platforms usually don't get much attention. But this year's draft Republican platform is different. It's making national headlines thanks to comments made by Missouri congressman Todd Akin — and by a widening gap in philosophies within the G.O.P. Akin's remarks about rape made the party's proposed adoption of a no-exceptions ban on abortion big news, even though similar restrictions have been in the platform for nearly three decades. Other planks include tougher immigration rules and a decision not to spare mortgage tax deductions. Diane and her guests discuss the Republican party platform and what it could mean for the Romney-Ryan ticket.

For the August Readers' Review, we chose Scott Turow's "Presumed Innocent." A legal thriller published in 1987, it became an instant best seller. The Hollywood movie came out three years later, starring Harrison Ford as Rusty Sabich. He's a prosecuting attorney who finds himself accused of murdering a beautiful female co-worker. Readers don't learn until the very end whether Sabich is guilty. Along the way, the novel provides keen insights into how politics and personalities can shape a criminal trial. Join Diane and her guests as they discuss "Presumed Innocent."

Over the past year, more than two dozen people in the U.S. have died and hundreds have fallen ill after eating contaminated cantaloupes. Early in 2011, President Barack Obama signed a food safety bill aimed at preventing these kinds of deaths and illnesses. The legislation is considered the biggest overhaul to food safety in decades, yet many months later, the rules are still being hammered out and the law has not taken effect. The delay has both consumer advocates and industry groups concerned and pushing for faster implementation. Diane and her guests discuss the holdup over new food safety rules.

Since the 2000 election, the U.S has witnessed a partisan war over voting rules. Election lawsuits have more than doubled. Every day we hear about challenges to voter ID and early voting laws. Campaigns deploy "armies of lawyers" and social media provokes partisan dissent when elections are expected to be close. And that's not to mention actual defects in the voting process. Even after major reforms over the past decade, our elections are still plagued with problems. Lists of eligible voters are inaccurate, procedures vary from county to county and election officials are often called partisan. Diane and author Richard Hasen discuss fixing the way we run our elections.

Americans are $21 billion dollars behind on their credit card debt. Banks are increasingly taking borrowers to court, suing them for payments owed. In many cases, these lawsuits rely on false documents, incomplete records and generic testimony from witnesses. State judges report that some lenders try to collect money that has already been paid or increase the size of the debt by adding fees and interest. Banks defend their procedures and insist their court filings are accurate. But consumer groups warn these cases are reminiscent of the mortgage foreclosure crisis with outcomes just as devastating. Diane and guests discuss new concerns over credit card debt collection in the U.S.

Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney's selection of Paul Ryan as his running mate has brought new attention to the philosopher Ayn Rand. Paul Ryan says as a young man he was inspired by Ayn Rand's writing. In her novels "Atlas Shrugged" and "The Fountainhead," she described the virtues of private enterprise and the evils of government. Those ideas resonated with Ryan, and in a campaign video from 2009 he said, "Ayn Rand more than anyone else did a fantastic job of explaining the morality of capitalism, the morality of individualism, and this to me is what matters most." Ayn Rand was also an atheist, and Paul Ryan has distanced himself from Rand's religious views. But Ayn Rand remains an intriguing figure in American political thought. Senior fellow Onkar Ghate of the Ayn Rand Institute, Slate political reporter David Weigel and Stanford history professor Jennifer burns join guest host Tom Gjelten to discuss her influence.?

The political and paramilitary group known as Hezbollah has been a major player in Lebanon and across the Middle East for 30 years. The U.S. considers it to be a terrorist organization. Now the group has extended its reach to this hemisphere. Iran and Syria are its key allies. With the Assad regime teetering in Damascus, and Iran bracing for a Mideast war, Hezbollah is at the center of attention as never before. Guest host Tom Gjelten and his guests talk about the military and political roles of Hezbollah in the Middle East and beyond - and why U.S. officials are watching the group so closely.

The role of subsidies for wind energy has become a hot-button issue in the presidential campaign. Governor Romney opposes extending tax credits for the wind industry. President Obama has re-doubled his commitment to them. In a rare show of bipartisanship last week, the Senate Finance Committee voted to extend the credits for another year. The debate over their fate will likely surface again in the fall. Supporters of the extension argue all major sources of energy have received federal help. Opponents say it's time to let the free market take over. Diane her guests discuss the politics the future of wind energy in the U.S.

A helicopter crash in southern Afghanistan killed seven American troops and four Afghans. The U.S. accused Iran of building and training a Syrian militia. The eurozone economy contracted in the second quarter despite German growth. And Ecuador granted WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange political asylum. Yochi Dreazen of National Journal, Indira Lakshmanan of Bloomberg News and Thom Shanker of The New York Times join guest host Tom Gjelten of NPR for analysis of the week's top international news stories.

A Pennsylvania judge upheld a controversial voter ID law that will go into effect starting this Election Day. Tens of thousands of undocumented immigrants lined up in cities across the country to apply for deportation deferrals allowed by a new federal program. And retail sales in the U.S. rose more than forecast in July, the first gain in four months. Susan Page of USA Today, Major Garrett of National Journal and Lisa Lerer of Bloomberg News join guest host Tom Gjelten of NPR for analysis of the week's top national news stories.

For those who suffer from migraine headaches, the pain can be devastating. Intense throbbing and sensitivity to light or sound often keeps people from their normal lives for hours or even days on end. The World Health Organization ranks migraine as one of the most debilitating diseases, and more than 10 percent of the population suffers from it. Yet migraine is not widely understood and is often misdiagnosed. But patients can find relief with the right treatments. As scientists learn more about the cause of migraines, doctors and patients have their sights on better medication. Diane and her guests discuss living with migraines and the search for new treatments.

The role of subsidies for wind energy has become a hot-button issue in the presidential campaign. Governor Romney opposes extending tax credits for the wind industry. President Obama has re-doubled his commitment to them. In a rare show of bipartisanship last week, the Senate Finance Committee voted to extend the credits for another year. The debate over their fate will likely surface again in the fall. Supporters of the extension argue all major sources of energy have received federal help. Opponents say it's time to let the free market take over. Diane her guests discuss the politics the future of wind energy in the U.S.

Decades before the Cooking Channel or "food celebrities," Julia Child captivated her television viewers with "The French Chef." The woman who brought fine cuisine into the homes of average Americans transformed the way this country thought about cooking and eating. A new biography says the mark she left went well beyond the kitchen. Her biographer describes Julia Child as an early feminist who taught women to find pride in their work and to take charge of their lives. Today would have been Julia Child's 100th birthday. To talk about her life and legacy, Diane sits down with Bob Spitz, the author of the new biography, "Dearie: The Remarkable Life of Julia Child."