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

The latest scandal on Capitol Hill.

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

a daily look at the issues Americans care about most.

Former Congressman Mark Foley's

lawyer says Foley never abused any children, but explicit messages to teenage boys cost him his job.

As the scandal escalates, can House Speaker Dennis Hastert and other Republicans hold on to theirs?

On To the Point, we'll get the latest on what they knew, when they knew it, and whether they took

appropriate action. What's the likely fallout with Christian conservatives and other voters

concerned about moral issues? Do the Democrats risk a backlash if they appear to politicize

a sensitive issue? On reporter's notebook later on, school shootings and gun control in Pennsylvania.

First up, here's the news.

Support for To the Point comes from subscribers of KCRW Santa Monica and from the Public Radio

International Program Fund, whose contributors include the Ford Foundation and the John

D. and Catherine T. McArthur Foundation.

Hello again.

I'm on Alney back with To the Point.

Mark Foley's now infamous instant messages to teenage boys have rocked Republican leaders in Congress.

On To the Point, what did they know and when did they know it? What will the scandal mean for control of the Congress?

On reporter's notebook, Monday, five girls were gunned down at an Amish schoolhouse in Pennsylvania. I should say

ten were. Five of them have died. The following day, Tuesday, the state legislature defeated a host of

gun control measures. We'll hear about that. First, this news update, two American soldiers were

...