This segment was from the National portion of program 86.

National   (Richard Donin) On April 16, the Securities and Exchange commission filed a complaint against Goldman, Sachs & Company and one of its employees Fabrice Tourre.   The suit alleges that Goldman, Sachs created a synthetic housing-market bond that was sure to fail, sold the bond to customers, and then conspired with a short seller to bet against it.   Could this one bond and the people involved have triggered the collapse of the financial markets, and one of the worst recessions in recent history, all while Goldman Sachs posted record profits?

This segment was from the Local portion of program 86.

Local (Al Young)   The Portland City Council recently approved a plan that would impose new regulations on where and how developers can build along an 11-mile stretch of the Willamette River.   The River Plan, as it’s called, would require developers to set aside 15 percent of their property for landscaping when they start projects, and would require any existing project that expands a business’s footprint would undergo a new city review process.   Many businesses along the river are already crying foul, and rumor has it that Washington is already courting the ports and railyards to move north.   Is the new River Plan the best way to strike a balance between businesses and the river environment, or will it just drive businesses out of the state?

This program 86 of the To The Point! series.

International   (Mike Riley) Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said he will not accept demands that Israel stop building in occupied East Jerusalem. Will this cause a new flare up in violence or is Israel using this as a bargaining chip to jump start stalled Palestinian – Israeli peace talks?

National   (Richard Donin) On April 16, the Securities and Exchange commission filed a complaint against Goldman, Sachs & Company and one of its employees Fabrice Tourre.   The suit alleges that Goldman, Sachs created a synthetic housing-market bond that was sure to fail, sold the bond to customers, and then conspired with a short seller to bet against it.   Could this one bond and the people involved have triggered the collapse of the financial markets, and one of the worst recessions in recent history, all while Goldman Sachs posted record profits?

Local (Al Young)   The Portland City Council recently approved a plan that would impose new regulations on where and how developers can build along an 11-mile stretch of the Willamette River.   The River Plan, as it’s called, would require developers to set aside 15 percent of their property for landscaping when they start projects, and would require any existing project that expands a business’s footprint would undergo a new city review process.   Many businesses along the river are already crying foul, and rumor has it that Washington is already courting the ports and railyards to move north.   Is the new River Plan the best way to strike a balance between businesses and the river environment, or will it just drive businesses out of the state?

This segment was from the International portion of program 85.

International   (Richard Donin) U.N. Climate Chief Yvo de Boer recently resigned after four years of leading international climate change negotiations.   Some say it was due to the chaos of the Copenhagen summit last year, and the fact that the summit quickly became known as Climate-gate after 1,000 suspicious emails between climate scientists were leaked to the public.   Will these scientists ever be able to regain the trust of the global community, and will the world’s largest polluters be motivated to change now?

This segment was from the National portion of program 85.

National:   (Courtney Clarke) President Obama’s healthcare bill seems to be losing steam, with the recent departure of some supporters on the Democratic side of the aisle.   Does President Obama have what it takes to convince the House and Senate to pass some sort of healthcare reform, or has his window of opportunity passed?