From KCRW in Santa Monica and PRI, Public Radio International, this is To the Point.

As shelling continues, what do Hamas and Israel have to gain?

Hello again, I'm Roman Alney, and this is To the Point from Public Radio International,

a daily look at the issues Americans care about most. Prime Minister Netanyahu said today, Israel will not scale back

attacks on the Gaza Strip till the latest rocket fire comes to an end. U.S. and U.N. offers to

mediate a ceasefire have gone nowhere, with the death toll, now more than 100 Palestinians, and

zero Israelis.

Hamas is taking a reckless gamble, while Netanyahu may hope to divide its unity government with Fata.

We'll hear what it's like to be living in Gaza City and whether a full-scale Israeli incursion is likely.

Today's talking point, Prius Repellant, becomes a weapon in America's culture wars. First, here's the news.

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Hello again, Mormon, I'll need back with To The Poet.

No Israelis have been killed by rockets from Gaza, while the Palestinian death toll from retaliatory strikes is more than a hundred. But despite efforts to broker a ceasefire, there is no end in sight. We'll hear what's at stake for both sides. Today's talking point, coal country conservatives threatened by curbs on carbon emissions are finding ways to express their anger at presumptuous liberals.

We'll hear about Prius repellent and other forms of rolling coal.

First this news update.

America's tobacco industry may be reshaped by a merger of Reynolds, America, and Laurelard, this country's second and third largest makers of cigarettes.

It's all about a decline in the U.S. market for traditional cigarettes and the expected growth

of e-cigarettes as a replacement. David Welch reports for Bloomberg News. Hi, David. Good to have you

with us. Thanks for happening on the show. So how much has the smoking of tobacco cigarettes declined?

To what extent has e-cigarettes, or have they come along, as a possible replacement?

E-cigarettes have played a significant role in the decline, but smoking in general hasn't been a growth business.

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