The Diane Rehm Show

Political analysts say a handful of states will decide the 2012 presidential election. Diane and guests discuss the economic and political makeup of these battleground states and key issues for voters.

Facebook begins trading this morning in one of history’s largest initial public offerings. President Obama meets with congressional leaders to seek common ground on the looming debt ceiling battle; Facebook makes one of history's largest public offerings with a valuation larger than McDonald's and Kraft Foods; the FBI launches a criminal investigation into the $3 billion trading loss at JP Morgan Chase; and minorities surpass whites in U.S. births for the first time. Michael Scherer of TIME magazine, Laura Meckler of The Wall Street Journal and John Harwood of CNBC and The New York Times join guest host Tom Gjelten for analysis of the week's top national news stories.

Ambassador Henry Crumpton was an operations officer in the CIA's Clandestine Service for 24 years. In a new book titled "The Art of Intelligence," he describes what it means to be an honorable spy in war and peace.

Diane and her guests discuss political paralysis in Greece, a worsening crisis in Spain, and a setback for Angela Merkel in Germany. The fate of the euro hangs in the balance as EU finance ministers meet for a high-stakes summit.