Jon Meacham, a gun owner, takes both parties to task over their reluctance to ban assault weapons.

Rep. Mike Quigley of Illinois talks with Need to Know's Jon Meacham about the chances of gun control legislation passing in Congress after the shootings in Arizona.

A Profile of Salva Dut, a Sudanese "Lost Boy" who returned to Sudan to help bring clean water to the people of his birthplace. Need to Know traveled to Sudan to see him at work, and received a better understanding of the hopes and dreams of the people who will be voting, beginning next week, on whether to form an independent nation in the South.

In a follow up segment to How to Fix America Need to Know responds to suggestions from viewers regarding the nations infrastructure the war in Afghanistan and our economy Guests include Petra Todorovic director of America 2050 Felix Salmon a financial blogger for Reuters and Patricia DeGennaro a senior fellow at the World Policy Institute

Foster children are some of the most heavily medicated children in the nation. Need to Know investigates the use and potential over-use of powerful anti psychotics in our foster care systems, focusing on Texas, which has done much to reform its practices.

Peter Sagal lays out the formula for becoming a bestselling children's book author. Follow these easy steps, and watch the billions roll in.

Editorial cartoonist Steve Brodner takes a look back at the biggest stories of the year.

Does talking really get results? With the death of Ambassador Richard Holbrooke, United States Special Envoy for Afghanistan and Pakistan, and this week's review of the Afghanistan war, Need to Know takes a look at the state of President Obama's foreign policy strategy with former diplomat Frank Wisner.

Need to Know asked nine of the brightest thinkers in America to tell us one simple thing they'd do to get America moving again. Among the voices: Gary Shteyngart on immigration; Professor Tricia Rose of Brown University on race relations; author, activist Anna Lappe on the environment; and conservative writer Reihan Salam, on how he'd deal with poverty.

Comedian Amy Sedaris sits down with Alison Stewart to discuss her decidedly unique take on crafting, and her new book, "Simple Times: Crafts for Poor People."

In this essay, Jon Meacham considers the legacy of the late Richard Holbrooke, who died this week at the age of 69, and his impact on U.S. diplomacy.

Need to Know investigates the old time techniques of gerrymandering Congressional districts, and finds modern and sophisticated methods now being employed to re-draw Congressional district lines. Following candidates in a local race in Ohio, and with interviews with Republican Ed Gillespie and Democrat Harold Ickes, we see how much outside money and attention is directed toward them.

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. Need to Know investigates whether the risks of transfusions outweigh the benefits