Archives for March 2009

We have Friday’s top news…What is the Obama strategy for Afghanistan?  How tough is our mission there and what will our posture be towards Pakistan?  What is the congressional response to Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner flip-flopping on whether he supports an international currency?  What is Nancy Pelosi planning to include in the House version of health care reform?  What happened on Wall Street in Friday’s trading?  And what is the federal government doing as the flood waters rise in North Dakota?  We have the answers as we bring you the biggest stories for Friday, March 27, 2009.

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Is Hillary Clinton right when she says American-made guns are a big factor in the violence involving Mexican drug cartels?  Why else is she discussing this?  How much of the border violence could be eliminated if we had been serious about border security years ago?  What will it take to secure the border?  Is a fence necessary?  How about a military presence?  What kind of immigration reform plan can we expect in Congress later this year?  We ask former Colorado Rep. Tom Tancredo.

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On Friday, President Obama outlined his strategy for Afghanistan.  In addition to sending additional military forces to battle the Taliban, Obama is calling for billions in aid to Pakistan.  What are the highlights and lowlights of this policy?  What kind of military success do we need to achieve?  How much can we really count on the weak government of Pakistan?  And should Obama abandon efforts to open dialogue with more moderate members of the Taliban?  We ask terrorism expert Dr. Walid Phares, senior fellow at the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies.

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Spring is officially here and that means baseball season cannot be far away!  Teams are now wrapping up the pre-season ritual known as Spring Training.  What makes Spring Training so special for the players and fans?  What’s it like at the games in Arizona and Florida?  And what can we expect in the 2009 season?  We ask Jim Roberts, executive producer of Dateline Washington, reporting from Lakeland, Florida.

We end the week on the lighter side with our regular visit with The Capitol Steps.  This week the Steps bring President Obama and former President George W. Bush together to discuss Obama’s addiction to hi-tech gadgetry.  Our guest is Steps star Elaina Newport.

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What are Republicans touting as their alternative to the $3.6 trillion Obama budget?  How different are their priorities than those of the president?  What do they make of Obama’s argument that reforming education, energy and health care are essential for long term economic growth?  What are constituents telling their members about all the spending going on here in Washington?  We ask Ohio Rep. Jim Jordan.

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The Obama administration has forbid the use of terms like enemy combatant, terrorism and even global war on terror.  How significant is the removal of this terminology?  What does it tell us about the Obama approach to the war?  And what is the latest on the congressional effort to keep Guantanamo Bay detainees out of the U.S. when the prison facility is shut down next year?  We ask Arizona Rep. John Shadegg, sponsor of the bill to keep the Guantanamo inmates out of our country.

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Pennsylvania Sen. Arlen Specter says he will not support the union card check legislation being brought before Congress.  What is the significance of his flip-flop in terms of vote counting and in momentum?  Why do opponents see this as a bad deal for workers and even an avenue for union intimidation of employees?  How could card check also mean greater government control over the business community?  How much additional bureaucracy could this create?  We ask Jim Copland, senior fellow at the Manhattan Institute.

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Will President Obama get everything he wants in the current budget debate?  Will Democrats pay the price if they don’t allow debate on major reforms to health care, energy and education policy?  What is the fate of the card check bill now that zero Republicans publicly support it?  And how strong is the Obama policy toward drug cartel violence along the Mexican border?  We ask John Gizzi, political editor at Human Events.

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We have Wednesday’s top news… How are President Obama and Senate Democrats reacting after their budget negotiations?  What are Republicans saying?  How is Obama defending all the new spending in his budget during an economic crisis?  What happened on Wall Street today?  What is the latest troubling news from North Korea?  And who is Secretary of State Hillary Clinton blaming in part for the violence perpetrated by the Mexican drug cartels?  We have the answers as we bring you the biggest stories for Wednesday, March 25, 2009.

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