Radio America Online News Bureau

The mainstream media are always titlting to the left but in the 2008, the press was more in the tank than ever for the Democrats – and specifically Barack Obama.  That’s the thesis of the new book by longtime network television reporter Bernard Goldberg entitled “A Slobbering Love Affair: The True (And Pathetic) Story of the Torrid Romance Between Barack Obama and the Mainstream Media”.  Why does Golberg believe coverage of the campaign crossed the line from bias to activism?  What’s the difference and why is that difference important?  Why did the press consider the campaign more about themselves than Obama?  Why did reporters really loathe Sarah Palin?  How was it obvious that negative stories for Obama got far less attention than ones that reflected poorly on John McCain?  And what risk do we run if this media activism is allowed to continue?  We ask these questions and more to Mr. Goldberg.

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After all the wrangling, what kind of stimulus bill will emerge from the U.S. Senate?  Why did Tom Daschle’s nomination get dashed?  Why did Obama pick GOP senator Judd Gregg to serve in his cabinet?  How will the Republican party change with Michael Steele as the new chairman?  And who will win the marathon U.S. Senate race in Minnesota?  We ask John Gizzi, political editor at Human Events.

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If you examine the contents of the economic stimulus legislation, you’ll see billions and billions of dollars being targeted for many of our nation’s 50 states.  From funding health care programs to paying for infrastructure upgrades that should have been covered by state funds, almost every governor in America has their hand out in hopes of getting some help from Washington.  So have states just been hit by a rough economy or are they the victims of their own rampant spending?  What would the policies in the stimulus plan actually accomplish?  What policies would actually work?  And are most states within range of of solvency or they in a financial death spiral like the one playing out in California?  We ask Jonathan Williams, director of the Tax and Fiscal Policy Task Force at the American Legislative Exchange Council.

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We have Wednesday’s top news… What kind of caps is President Obama placing on firms that receive bailout money?  What is the purpose of this order?  What is Obama’s approach for a final stimulus bill?  Why do Republicans say the current version is unacceptable and who do they blame for that?  What happens now that Obama has signed S-CHIP expansion into law?  Is this just the tip of the iceberg in terms of government involvement in health care?  And what happened on Wall Street today?  We have all the answers as we bring you the biggest stories for Wednesday, February 4, 2009.

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On Wednesday, President Obama announced that executives of companies receiving taxpayer assistance through the TARP (or bailout) funds will have their salaries capped at $500,000 until the government is repaid the TARP loans.  Is this a way of promoting responsible use of taxpayer funds or guaranteeing the flight of top-level talent of executives to firms not saddled by Obama’s restrictions?  How are Wall Street firms reacting to this move?  Is this the start of even more government intrusion into the free market?  We ask Jack Gage, associate editor at Forbes magazine.  We also get Jack’s insights on the merits of the current economic stimulus plan before Congress, as well as the Republican alternative.

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Is the current economic stimulus plan a costly but necessary path to restoring our economic health?  Or is it just a massive pork plan designed to give away big bucks to political allies of the Democratic Congress and the new administration?  What if anything is good in the plan?  When will the provisions actually kick in?  And is the Republican plan much better?  We ask Dr. Tom Borelli, director of the Free Enterprise Project at the National Center for Public Policy Research.

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President Obama has made an early effort in his administration to ‘reach out’ to the Muslim world.  Why do some of his comments suggest a radically revisionist look at recent history and a soft posture against our enemies in the war on terror?  What have we learned about his overtures to Iran?  And is Obama really trying to cut a deal with Al Qaeda?  We ask Frank Gaffney, president of the Center for Security Policy.  He is also a former Assistant Secretary of Defense.

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As the nation’s capital gets ready for a major auto show over the next four days, we check in with another of the Big Three to find out what its plan is to emerge from this industry crisis and survive and thrive in the years ahead. How important is the electrification of vehicles for the future of Ford? how are consumers reacting to these changes? Will greater fuel economy mean less safe materials in constructing our cars and trucks? And what kind of sales year is Ford projecting after a dismal performance in January? We ask Nancy Gioia, director of Sustained Mobility Technology at the Ford Motor Company.

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We have Tuesday’s top news…What are Senate Republicans, including John McCain, offering as an alternative to the massive stimulus plan being pushed by Democrats?  What do poll numbers suggest about shifting public opinion on the stimulus debate?  What are the Obama administration and congressional figures saying about Tom Daschle’s decision to withdraw as the next Secretary of Health and Human Services?  Who else is withdrawing from the Obama administration over tax issues?  Why is Obama picking Republican Judd Gregg as Commerce Secretary?  Why did Gregg accept the job?  What kind of sales report did we get from the major automakers on tuesday?  And what happened on Wall Street?  We have all the answers as we bring you the biggest stories for Tuesday, February 3, 2009.

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On Tuesday, tax troubles scuttled the nomination of Health and Human Services Secretary nominee Tom Daschle.  Did Daschle bow out on his own or was he pushed by a White House reeling from cabinet selection controversies?  Why did Obama select Republican New Hampshire Sen. Judd Gregg to be Secretary of Commerce?  Will Gregg have a major seat at the table or be a faint voice in the background?  And who is Nancy Killefer – the other Obama nominee to bow out on Tuesday?  We ask Christina Bellantoni, White House Correspondent for The Washington Times.

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