BBC correspondent Lyse Doucet speaks with us from Kabul, Afghanistan, where the city is preparing for only the second presidential election since the overthrow of the Taliban. Afghans are bracing for violence, as the Taliban has threatened to harm anyone who votes. The Taliban has already rocked the capital city this week with suicide bombings and a rocket attack on the presidential palace.

Afghanistan has seen months of political campaigning – and as we discussed Monday, "Daily Show"-style satirical political commentary – ahead of Thursday's presidential election. Safety, or the perception of safety, may turn out to be as important for determining voter turnout as much as any candidate's message. A week of violent attacks may impede democracy in the country's second-ever presidential election. Retired General Anthony Zinni led U.S. Central Command until 2000 and he joins us with a look at how important security will be as Afghans head to the polls. (Click through for a full interview transcript)

The Minnesota Vikings welcomed a new star quarterback yesterday... but their new quarterback is an old enemy. 39-year-old Brett Favre just came out of retirement (again) and signed a $12 million contract to play for the Vikings this season. This is the second time in two seasons that the famed quarterback has retired and then...unretired. Many Vikings fans have lived with nothing but disdain for Favre in the fifteen years he played for their rivals, the Green Bay Packers.  Are they ready to root for him, now?

Joining us to talk about Favre's latest career move is The Takeaway’s sports contributor, Ibrahim Abdul-Matin, and two Favre fans: Rick Stratton, a Green Bay Packers fan who runs the Packer Backer blog, and Mike Rice, a Minnesota Vikings fan who is the general manager for Gabe’s Roadhouse, which is, ironically, a Green Bay Packers Bar.

Here's Favre at the press conference announcing his return to football:

In a newly-released paper in the journal Forensic Science International: Genetics, scientists in Tel Aviv, Israel, describe how they have found a process to fabricate DNA. The process involved removing DNA from a woman’s blood sample and adding DNA from a different person. The process was so easy, they say, that any biology undergraduate has the tools to engineer his or her own crime scene.  (DNA evidence left at crime scenes has been considered nearly incontrovertible in the past; this process raises questions about its reliability going forward.) 

We talk to Timothy Bestor, a professor of genetics and development at the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Columbia University, and Tania Simoncelli, a science advisor at the American Civil Liberties Union.

August is typically the month where tomato enthusiasts can count on an abundance of their beloved juicy, red gems. This year, however, a "late blight" is devastating tomato crops across the Northeast. Farmers and consumers alike are mourning a scarcity of summer’s favorite fruit. For a look at what’s behind this year’s blight and what to substitute for tomatoes in the kitchen, we are joined by Dan Barber. He is the chef and co-owner of Blue Hill and Blue Hill at Stone Barns. We are also joined by our friend and tomato-lover Melissa Clark. She’s a food writer for the New York Times, and brought a "BLP" (that's bacon, lettuce, and plum) sandwich to share with us. (Check out the recipe for the BLP at the New York Times.)

For more, read Melissa Clark's article, Plums Rescue a Seasonal Favorite, in the New York Times.

The debate over reforming the nation's health care system has been raging for months, and it seems one of the groups watching the tussle most closely are senior citizens. Most people tend to head to the doctor more as they get older, after all, and as they do, see their health care costs and time spent navigating the bureaucracy increase dramatically.  Also increasing dramatically are the number of American seniors; as the Boomer generation moves into retirement, there are going to be many, many more people who require health care.

Today we talk to Julie Mason, White House correspondent for the Washington Examiner, about how senior citizens have ended up at the center of Washington's tug-of-war on health care reform. We also talk to four senior citizens who have their own opinions on where the debate is going: 67-year old Mary McKinney of the Bronx, New York, 80-year old married couple Dick and Barbara Mitchell of Yukon, Oklahoma, and 86-year old Geraldine Powe in Charlotte, North Carolina.

Long-time Washington reporter, columnist and political pundit Robert Novak died yesterday after losing a battle to brain cancer.  His five-decade-long career as a journalist and man-about-town may be forever tarnished by his involvement in the leaking of CIA agent Valerie Plame's identity in 2003. Joining us to discuss Robert Novak's illustrious career and dubious legacy is Michael Calderone, media reporter for Politico, and Albert Hunt, a friend of Mr. Novak's and the executive Washington editor of Bloomberg News.

For more, read Michael Calderone's article, CNN remembers Novak, at Politico.com.

Here's CNN's look at the life and legacy of Robert Novak:

Retired four star General Anthony Zinni knows something about being in command. Among other posts, he was in charge of U.S. Central Command during the run up to the Iraq war, in charge of all U.S. military operations in the Middle East. He has a new book out called Leading the Charge: Leadership Lessons from the Battlefield to the Boardroom. We asked him to apply his leadership lessons to an issue on everyone's mind: President Obama's management of the effort to reform health care.

This week many large chain retail stores reported their earnings for the second quarter. While the numbers are down, they are beating analysts' expectations. That must be a good thing, right? Helping us decipher the results is New York Times business reporter Stephanie Rosenbloom.

Forbes is set to release their list of the World's 100 Most Powerful Women. In honor of the women who will appear on that list, we put together our own roundtable to discuss what it means to be a powerful woman today, as well as who they think should be topping the list. Sarah Palin? Tina Fey? Angela Merkel? Oprah?

Our guests: Anna Deavere Smith, the Tony Award nominated actress, playwright and current Artist-in-Residence at the Center for American Progress; Faye Wattleton, former president for Planned Parenthood and current president of the Center for the Advancement of Women; and Carol Jenkins, president of the Women’s Media Center.

A series of truck bombs and other attacks have shaken central Baghdad today. According to the New York Times, the concerted attacks left huge dust clouds over the city and collapsed highways. A blast near the Foreign Ministry left a crater 30 feet deep and 60 feet wide. At this report, authorities estimate at least 75 people have been killed; over 300 were injured in the bombings. New York Times correspondent Sam Dagher joins us from Baghdad, along with the BBC's Natalia Antelava.