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Several charts and diagrams are presented illustrating the state of U.S. public health and its health care system and comparing it with those of other countries. The article includes charts representing total health care spending as percentage of Gross Domestic Production (GDP) , life expectancy at birth, and preventable deaths per 100,000 people.

This article presents a chart depicting the popular and electoral votes received by the winners of each U.S. presidential election with brief summaries of ten significant elections. The elections of presidents including George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, and Andrew Jackson are described. Brief assessments of each candidate's presidency are also provided.

The article discusses several charts published within the issue listing the results of polls concerning the attitudes of U.S. voters. Included is one on how voters really decide who to vote for, one concerning swing voters, and one regarding how people have voted in other U.S. presidential elections.

Focuses on the Lewis and Clark expedition in the western United States. Boats that they used in their travels, including dugout canoes; Chronology of their travels, detailing the challenges and hardships they faced; Tools they used, including a compass and beads as a primary currency of trade.

Charts indicating demographic aspects of the 2008 U.S. presidential election are presented indicating which candidate won which state, what issues motivated voters, and the presidential votes in several contested counties.

The article offers world news briefs. Following the invasion of Georgia, investors are abandoning Russia and a proposed nuclear market exchange between Russia and the U.S. may not be developed. Officials from Iraq and the U.S. are in disagreement about the date for American soldiers to withdraw from the area. Ninety Afghanistan civilians, 60 of which were children, were killed by a U.S. air strike.

The author reports on the sleep habits of Americans by discussing various statistics regarding the amount of sleep people receive. According to the article, men and women between the ages of 45-54 receive less sleep than any other age group, 17% of people spent as much money on their mattress as they did on their last vacation and in 2000 13% of parents slept with their infants.

This article looks at the history of giving in the U.S. and at the present status of philanthropy. During 2005 with its massive tsunami and hurricane disasters, the U.S. dug deep to raise billions for those who have lost everything. Only a small percentage of U.S. donations go to charities that directly help the poor, most go to public health and world poverty. Andrew Carnegie, John D. Rockefeller, and Henry Ford were early philanthropists and Bill and Melinda Gates and Susan T. Buffet are among current donors.

Reports on high gasoline prices in the United States. The amount of oil that Americans consume and import; The amount that could be produced from the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge; The amount in the Strategic Petroleum Reserve; Facts about global demand for petroleum products; Factors contributing to the cost of crude oil and gasoline; How gas prices affect the U.S. economy.

Reports on the salvaging of the turret of the Union ironclad U.S.S. Monitor from the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean. Description of the turret; Recovery efforts; Restoration of the turret; Background on the sinking of the Monitor in 1862 off the coast of North Carolina.

Focuses on the spread of the Asian long-horned beetle, a pest that eats hardwood trees, in the United States. Types of trees destroyed by the beetle; Threat posed to U.S. forestry.

Maps of the U.S. are presented with information about how people voted in the Democratic primary elections of 2008.

This article focuses on statistics of religious groups in America. A study by the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life created a view of religion in the U.S. by surveying 35,000 people in five languages. Included is a visual portrayal of the study findings and information showing growth in religious groups.

The article presents obituaries for several notable persons including U.S. White House aide Michael Deaver, musician Max Roach, and hotelier Leona Helmsley.

The article reports that despite high corporate profits and gross domestic product, workers are not seeing an improvement in their wages. The average household median is down due to an array of factors, such as inflation, rising gas prices and rising insurance costs. Pollster David Winston believes that working-class groups will be key swing voters in the elections.