How optimistic is President Bush that the second time is the charm for House passage of the bailout bill? What are the presidential candidates saying about their support for the bill in the Senate? What explanations are we hearing from the few senators who voted against the updated plan? And what is House Speaker Nancy Pelosi saying about the significance of Friday’s vote? Listen here for the latest details on all of these major stories for Thursday, October 2, 2008.
How did the markets fare on Thursday after Senate passage of the bailout bill and investors await the verdict in the House? What can we expect from Sarah Palin and Joe Biden in tonight’s vice presidential debate? Which Midwestern state is being abandoned by the McCain campaign? We answer all of these questions in this section of Thursday’s top news. Listen now!
There is no consensus among House Republicans or Democrats about whether supporting the revised bailout bill is the right thing to do. What about the taxpayers? Should you support or oppose this plan? How much will it squeeze taxpayers? Will you get your money back and possibly even more or does history show otherwise? And what about all the additions tacked on by the U.S. Senate? Are those reasons to like the bill or line up in opposition? We ask Pete Sepp, Vice President for Communications at the National Taxpayers Union.
After changes made by the Senate, the revised $700 billion bailout plan seems destined for House passage on Friday. But Arizona Rep. Trent Franks is not budging in his opposition to the plan. Why not? Why does he believe putting up so much in taxpayer dollars is unacceptable? What kind of alternative is he pursuing? And how does he respond that rejecting this bill again would be far costlier than the price tag on this bill? Click below hear Greg’s discussion with Rep. Franks.
Supporters of the revised $700 billion bailout plan are optimistic the House of Representatives will pass the revised plan on Friday. Why should it be passed? Why are the changes good? And how are constituents being impacted by the current financial crisis? We ask South Carolina Rep. Joe Wilson, who supported the bill on Monday and will vote in favor of the new version on Friday.
The day’s biggest stories…what message is President Bush sending just before the bailout vote in the U.S. Senate? What changes have been made to the bill? Why are all congressional leaders from both parties urging immediate passage of the new plan? We discuss all of these stories during the top news for Wednesday, October 1, 2008.
Why are the vast majority of senators supporting the revised bailout plan? Why are many conservatives demanding that Gwen Ifill of PBS be removed as moderator of Thursday’s vice presidential debate? And why do the latest polls have the Obama campaign smiling? Listen here for all the details.
After a stinging defeat over the $700 billion bailout plan in the House of Representatives on Monday, how confident is the Bush administration that the revised version will pass both chambers? Do the president and his advisers like the changes or just accept them as a necessary addition to gain passage? What is the price of doing nothing? And what is the White House reaction to the public disapproval of a bailout? We ask Keith Hennessey, Assistant to the President for Economic Policy and Director of the National Economic Council.
Over 90 House Democrats voted against the $700 billion bailout plan that was rejected by the House of Representatives on Monday. Now that the bill is being modified in order to to pacify Republicans, will the number of Democrats voting no increase? What do they like and not like about the contents? We ask Larry Haas, former spokesman for the Clinton White House Budget Office and former Communications Director to then-Vice President Al Gore.
Haas will also explain why he believes Democrats would be better stewards of the economy over the next four years, while also acknowledging Barack Obama will likely raise taxes on more Americans than he claims.
By doing absolutely nothing, Congress failed to extend an offshore drilling moratorium that had been in place for years. So how much energy production could this mean? When will it make an impact on supply and the price of energy? What else is Congress doing or not doing to impact our domestic energy production? We ask Brian Kennedy, Senior Vice President at the Institute for Energy Research.
