Need to Know Season 2011, Episode 2: Gun Control, Haiti, High-Speed Rail

Foster Care, A ‘Lost Boy’ of Sudan

On the eve of Sudan’s historic elections, we profile a “lost boy” who returned to aid his hometown. Plus: medicating foster kids, more “fixing America” and advice from Peter Sagal.

Care for Disabled Adults, Michael Vick’s Dogs, China

This week, we visit with parents struggling to maintain care for their developmentally disabled adult children in the face of budget cuts. Plus: where are Michael Vick’s dogs now? And: the Amy Chua phenomenon.

Aging in the Car-Happy Suburbs, Congo, A New 'New Deal'?

Getting older in the car-dependent suburbs, the State of the Union and the state of the Congo. Plus: an animated editorial by Steve Brodner.

Egypt, End-of-Life Care, Alzheimer’s

Amid the upheaval in Egypt, we turn our attention to the political tension between Egypt and the U.S. Also, the defunct “death panel” provision, a new scan for Alzheimer’s, and “Reagan.”

Ahead of the Class

As the nation debates how to get the best performance out of students and teachers, Need to Know presents an hour devoted to success stories in teaching.

The Universe(s), Egypt’s Future, and Fracking

How many universes are there? Author Brian Greene explains. Plus: A fracking update, a look at what’s next in Egypt and an interview author Parag Khanna.

Sea level rise, National Guard bonuses, Somali pirates

Libya’s uprising, the high cost of college sports, Wisconsin’s unions

Public unions and state budgets, blood transfusions

Crisis in Japan, stories of academic transformation

Wounded in war, Arne Duncan, breast cancer research

Haiti and the Dominican Republic, Medicare, Edwidge Danticat

The BP oil spill and the Grand Isle one year later, fixing American education

Chinese drywall, ‘Capitalism 4.0,’ right-sizing Detroit

Joe Nocera on the Charlie Engle story, Tavis Smiley, free music education in Chicago

Adoptions in Nepal, Bin Laden economics, the united states of women

Detainee abuse, broadband in Europe, crisis mappers

Climate change and tropical disease, Upper Big Branch mine disaster, Stuxnet

Political storm over tornadoes, Paralympics, shrinking Youngstown

Paying for war, medicating foster children, childhood obesity

Clinical trials overseas, legacy of nuclear waste, Brian Greene and the multiverse

New voter laws, the anti-abortion movement, therapy for Tourette’s syndrome

Combating IEDs, the ramifications of the Wal-Mart case, the science of happy marriages

Greece’s debt crisis, congressional redistricting, ‘Page One’ and the New York Times

Congo’s orchestra, Dominique Strauss-Kahn, Sudan, workplace safety

California nuclear safety, population control, Gloria Steinem

Famine in Somalia, nuclear waste storage, Eric Cantor and the debt ceiling

Adult autism, food safety, wealth inequality

Breast cancer trials, Rick Perry’s ambitions, cyberweapons

The history of debt, detainee abuse, living with Chinese drywall

Urban farming in Detroit, consumer finance protection, gold mining in the Amazon

Texas textbooks, wild horses, hurricanes and climate change

Water contamination at Camp Lejeune, polls and markets, crisis-mapping

9-11, Ten Years Later

A special edition on the ten-year anniversary of 9/11. We visit three military families to see how the nation’s longest war effort has affected military children. Also: Six-word memoirs on 9/11, and an “In Perspective” essay from Jon Meacham.

Privatizing infrastructure, government and the private sector

Creating ‘green jobs,’ the American garage sale

Chemical pollution and the EPA

Help wanted

The politics of resentment

The nuclear question

Jobs in the balance

Creating opportunity

Coming home: The enduring sacrifice

The Pentagon: Hard times, hard choices

Resisting Alabama’s immigration crackdown

Help wanted: Revisiting Ohio

Making Congress work

Mayor under siege

Christian-Muslim relations in Iraq

Eye on Iowa