Radio America Online News Bureau

On Tuesday, voters in Virginia will choose the Democratic nominee for governor.  It’s a tight three-way race in these off-year elections.  So who are the candidates and which one is likely to emerge as the nominee to face Republican Bob McDonnell in November?  Is this campaign a referendum on President Obama or the Democratic Congress?  What historical trend favors the GOP even though Virginia seems to be tilting further to the left?  We ask Professor Larry Sabato of the University of Virginia, and we’ll also discuss his new book “The Year of Obama: How Barack Obama Won the White House”.

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On Monday, the U.S. Supreme Court upheld a 1993 law forbidding homosexuals from serving in the military.  Is this decision a surprise?  How vigorously will the Obama administration push for gays to serve openly in the armed forces?  How would removing the ban impact military recruitment, retention, morale and performance?  And why do political figures, activists and members of the media get it wrong when they say “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” is the current law when it comes to gays serving in the military?  We ask Elaine Donnelly, president of the Center for Military Readiness.

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As we get closer to a Congressional showdown on health care reform, Massachusetts Sen. Ted Kennedy is proposing language that would force employers to provide health coverage to their workers or face financial penalties.  So why is this a critical step in the push for government-run health care?  Could this provision get taken out or is this an essential component in the Democratic plan?  Why are private insurance companies getting on board with all this?  We ask Grace-Marie Turner, president of the Galen Institute.

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President Obama says he wants to speed up the shelling out of stimulus dollars and get more people back to work faster than originally planned.  He vows 600,000 jobs will be created or saved by the end of this summer.  So is this the right move to spur job creation or just pouring money down a rat hole at an even faster pace?  We ask Bill Ahern, director of policy and communications at The Tax Foundation.

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We have Friday’s top news… How many jobs did the economy lose in May?  How are the numbers being interpreted by Democrats and Republicans in Congress?  What new numbers could discourage prospective home buyers?  Who is buying the Saturn line from General Motors?  What is a federal appeals court saying about the merger of Chrysler and Fiat?  What happened on Wall Street Friday?  And what did President Obama have to say on his visit to the Buchenwald death camp in Germany?  We have the answers as we bring you the biggest stories for Friday, June 5, 2009.

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On Friday, the Department of Labor reported another 345,000 jobs were slashed in May, and the national unemployment rate jumped to 9.4 percent.  So is this a sign that the economy is still in a deep crisis or is it slightly encouraging that fewer jobs were lost than in previous months of this recession?  What has been the impact of the Obama stimulus plan on the U.S. job market?  Is the stimulus a negative influence or just a trillion dollar venture that’s having no impact at all?  How tough is life for Americans in urban areas where the unemployment rate is in double figures?  We ask Illinois Rep. Peter Roskam, a member of the House Ways and Means Committee.

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This week we bring you a double shot of Washington’s favorite political parody troupe, The Capitol Steps.  This week, the Steps examine the the swine flu scare in “Fever” and the rough road ahead for the auto industry in “God Bless My SUV”.  Our guest is Steps star and co-founder Elaina Newport.

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The past several years, and especially the past few weeks, have been filled with debate over how the U.S. interrogates suspected terrorists and at Guantanamo Bay in in the war zones.  So what are the interrogation sessions really like?  How is most critical information gleaned from the detainees?  How often were “enhanced” interrogation techniques really used?  When were they used?  And should the Guantanamo Bay detention facility stay open or be closed as President Obama wishes?  We ask U.S. Army Captain Jason Meszaros, who served eight months as an intelligence officer in Afghanistan.  He is also the author of “Interrogation of Morals”.

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Earlier this week, New Hampshire lawmakers approved an amended bill legalizing gay marriage starting in January 2010.  Why could this backfire on the new Democratic majority in the state legislature?  What did national Democratic leaders threaten to do if lawmakers did not pass the bill?  Why was this even on the agenda in a severe economic recession?  What’s the big goal of the gay marriage movement in the months ahead?  And what is the latest news in the fight for traditional marriage in states like Maine and New York?  We ask Maggie Gallagher, president of the National Organization for Marriage.

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We have Thursday’s top news… What did President say in an effort to extend an olive branch to the Muslim world?  What did he say about the U.S. fight against radical Islamic groups?  What was his message for Iran?  How about Israel and the Palestinians?  What the reaction to the speech in the Muslim world?  How optimistic are Americans that Middle East peace will ever be achieved?  What is the latest on the Supreme Court nomination of Sonia Sotomayor?  And how are GM executives viewing the company’s future just three days after beginning the bankruptcy process?  We have the answers as we bring you the biggest stories for Thursday, June 4, 2009.

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