Radio America Online News Bureau

Will scandal-plagued Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich step down or be forced out of office?  How long will lawmakers and other state officials give him to leave willingly?  How is the governor’s track record with the legislature working against any hope of him staying in office?  Is this scandal seen just as the latest corruption in Illinois politics or is this story even shocking longtime observers of Chicago-style politics?  And have we seen the worst charges that will be presented against Gov. Blagojevich or are many more coming down the pike?  We ask Bernie Schoenberg, political writer and columnist for the State Journal-Register in the state capital of Springfield, Illinois.

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We have Thursday’s top news!  What is Barack Obama saying today about the corruption scandal surrounding his home state governor?  What steps is Obama taking to show his team has no connection to the scandal?  What fate awaits Gov. Blagojevich if he does not resign?  Who is Obama’s choice to lead the health care reform effort? What is the status of the auto industry bailout bill?  And what happened on Wall Street today?  We answer all these questions as we bring you the biggest stories for Thursday, December 11, 2008.

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The House of Representatives passed the $14 billion rescue plan for the auto industry, but did so without the support of Texas Rep. Mike Conaway.  Why does Conaway believe this plan solves nothing?  Why does he believe Chapter 11 is a better option for these automakers than government welfare?  And how does he reconcile his vote for the Wall Street bailout with his opposition to aid for Detroit?  We discuss all these issues with Rep. Conaway.

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What will be the fallout of the Rod Blagojevich scandal in Illinois?  Could Republicans be competitive in a special election?  How will this impact Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr.?  What will happen with the auto bailout bill in the U.S. Senate?  And what should we make of this week’s selections for the Obama cabinet?  We ask John Gizzi, political editor at Human Events.

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The auto industry and other sectors of the economy are suffering because of the lack of credit.  And credit is scarce because too many loans were given out in recent years to people who had no hope of paying them back.  So what are the key policies that triggered this mess?  Why did banks have an incentive to hand out high-risk loans?  And what are the lessons to learn so this doesn’t happen again?  We ask Howard Husock, vice president for policy research at the Manhattan Institute.

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How close is the White House to a deal with Congressional leaders?  What are the details?  Where will the money come from?  Is this a one-time deal or will the automakers be back for more?  And how will the White House try to convince skeptical Republicans to vote its way?  We ask Deputy White House Press Secretary Tony Fratto.

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On Wednesday we learned that Barack Obama plans to name Nobel winner Steven Chu as secretary of energy, Lisa Jackson as head of the Environmental Protection Agency and Carol Browner as energy czar.  What the track records of these people?  What do their nominations suggest about the policy track being pursued by Obama?  What proposals in the early days of the administration should give us pause?  We ask Dan Kish of the Institute for Energy Research.

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How does media coverage of a scandal differ depending on which party is at the center of a scandal?  How are we seeing that play out as a Democratic governor finds himself charged with corruption?  What should the media be doing?  And what are they actually doing?  How is it different when a Republican politician is in the crosshairs?  We ask Rich Noyes of the Media Research Center.

How does media coverage of a scandal differ depending on which party is at the center of a scandal?  How are we seeing that play out as a Democratic governor finds himself charged with corruption?  What should the media be doing?  And what are they actually doing?  How is it different when a Republican politician is in the crosshairs?  We ask Rich Noyes of the Media Research Center.

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