On Monday, Defense Secretary Robert Gates and Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Admiral Mike Mullen announced Gen. David McKiernan is being replaced as the top U.S. commander in Afghanistan. Why is this move being made? What do we know about McKiernan and his successor? And what is the right road ahead in Afghanistan? We ask retired U.S. Army Gen. Paul Vallely.
On Friday, the government announced another month of job losses exceeding 500,000. How lofty does this make the president’s goal of creating or saving 3.5 million jobs by the end of 2010? Why are his own policies hampering the nation’s effort to dig out of the recession and jump-starting the economy? What policies would Obama be wise to pursue? We ask J.D. Foster of the Heritage Foundation.
Just how porous is our border with Mexico? How easily could terrorists of any affiliation slip into this country and attack our infrastructure? How vital is energy independence for our national security and our economic security? Those questions and a whole lot more are woven together with a gripping plot in “Final Finesse”, the new novel from Karna Small Bodman, senior director for the National Security Council in the Reagan Administration.
We have Friday’s top news…How bad were the job losses in April? What is President Obama asking states to do in order to assist jobless Americans? How is Congress reacting to the unemployment numbers? How did Wall Street do on Friday? What do CIA memos prove about what Nancy Pelosi knew about waterboarding and when she knew it? How is the commander in Iraq assessing security there? We have the answers as we bring you the biggest stories for Friday, May 8, 2009.
The problem of identity theft is growing and getting your life back in order after it happens is an absolute nightmare. So how do thieves operate? What information do they need to create trouble for you? What is the most important piece of information for you to protect? How can you nip the problem in the bud early? And what are the best ways to make sure you never become a victim? We ask Scott Mitic, CEO of Trusted ID.
Next week is National Police Week in Washington and around the nation. What is National Police Week all about? How will it be observed in the nation’s capital? How are the fallen police officers in our country honored during this special occasion? How deadly was 2008 for those serving our communities in uniform? How close are we to a new museum recognizing the courage and sacrifice of law enforcement? And what will that museum include? We ask Craig Floyd, Chairman of the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund.
The U.S. military has recently confirmed that it confiscated and later destroyed a shipment of Bibles translated into local Afghan languages. The Bibles were sent to a soldier in Afghanistan by his church back home. So why did the Bibles need to be destroyed? What is the rule on U.S. soldiers discussing their faith with the local people? What message does this send? We ask Dr. Carl Moeller, President of Open Doors USA, one of the leading organizations assisting the persecuted Christian church.
We have Thursday’s top news…How much does President Obama want to trim from a record-setting federal budget? Where does he want to make the cuts? What did the ‘stress tests’ show about the health of major U.S. banks? What happened on Wall Street Thursday? Why is Pakistan scrapping a peace deal with the Taliban? What is Attorney General Eric Holder suggesting about the fate of the Guantanamo detainees? We have the answers as we bring you the biggest stories for Thursday, May, 7, 2009.
On Thursday, President Obama announced $17 billion in spending vuts from his $3.44 trillion budget for Fiscal Year 2010. Is this a significant reduction or an almost imperceptible amount? Is he serious about fiscal discipline or is this just for show? Are the cuts based on wasteful spending or does he have a political agenda? Where could Obama and Congress find ways to cut a whole lot more money? We ask Pete Sepp, vice president for communications at the National Taxpayers Union.
What is the legacy of retiring Supreme Court Justice David Souter? Who is the front-runner to replace him? How significant is the Justice Department review that recommends no criminal prosecution of Bush lawyers over enhanced interrogation of terrorists? How upset is Sen. Arlen Specter that Democrats voted not to count his 28 years of seniority when giving him committee assignments? And how is Jack Kemp being remembered here in Washington? We ask John Gizzi, political editor at Human Events.
