REPUBLICANS IOWA

REPUBLICANS IOWA – Republican presidential candidates spar today in their last debate before the Iowa caucuses next month. The debate is the first since the recent surge in the polls by former Arkansas governor, Mike Huckabee, who is coming under increasing scrutiny for his comments on the Mormon religion, AIDS, and immigration. We speak with Kay Henderson, News Director for Radio Iowa.

TRAUMATIC BRAIN INJURY

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We visit with Vincent Mannion, a private in the U.S. Army who suffered a traumatic brain injury during a bomb blast in Iraq.

HOLLYWOOD WRITERS’ STRIKE

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With talks stalled, the month-long writers’ strike looks likely to drag into 2008. Major film projects are on hold and TV networks are running out of new episodes. With Nikki Finke, columnist for LA Weekly and author of the website “deadline hollywood daily.com.”

MYSPACE SUICIDE

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St. Louis teenager, Megan Meier, took her life last year after she was bullied on the social networking site, MySpace. A Missouri prosecutor said recently that no charges can be brought against a neighborhood mother, Lori Drew, who’s believed to be behind the bullying. Drew allegedly befriended Megan using a fake MySpace profile, so Lori could learn why Megan didn’t like her daughter. But friendly messages turned nasty, and Megan, who had been treated for depression, committed suicide. We talk with Dr. Eli Newberger, a pediatrician and teacher at Harvard Medical School, about many parents’ misguided efforts to protect their children.

FOOD GIFTS

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From copper cookware to bacon chocolate, Here & Now’s resident chef, Kathy Gunst, gives us her list of food-related gift suggestions.