Radio America Online News Bureau

Most of the states are eagerly awaiting tens of billions of dollars through the recently signed economic stimulus package.  The administration has promised strict oversight for all of the money, but what should we really expect from the states?  Will the money be spent shrewdly and responsibly or will much of it go to waste and fall through the cracks?  And why exactly is California broke?  What went wrong?  And why did this happen even though Gov. Schwarzenegger promised fiscal responsibility?  We ask Michael Bowman, director of policy at the American Legislative Exchange Council.

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We have Tuesday’s top news…How many additional troops is President Obama sending to Afghanistan?  How is he defending the $787 billion stimulus bill he signed into law today?  How did the markets react to the stimulus plan?  What are the beleaguered automakers saying as they come back to Washington for more money?  How receptive is the Obama administration to additional auto industry aid?  And why is Illinois Sen. Roland Burris in hot water again in connection with the effort of former Gov. Rod Blagojevich to sell the senate seat of Barack Obama?  We have all the answers as we bring you the biggest stories for Tuesday, February 17, 2009.

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President Obama is planning to send an influx of 17,000 U.S. forces into Afghanistan.  How much of a difference can that many troops make?  What will be asked of these soldiers and Marines?  How good of a handle does Gen. Petraeus have on the situation?  What strategy makes sense in obliterating the enemy?  How do we overcome the challenging terrain?  We ask retired U.S. Air Force General Tom McInerney.

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Would the Republican version of economic stimulus really create twice the jobs at half the price?  How can we know?  How much pork is in this stimulus plan?  Is pork identified objectively or is it just in the eye of the beholder?  Are we really in danger of not having other nations from which to borrow?  What happens then?  And is there anything Congress can do to begin reversing this ocean of red ink?  We ask Peter Sepp, vice president for communications at the National Taxpayers Union.

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On his final full day in office, President Bush commuted the sentences of imprisoned Border Patrol agents Jose Compean and Ignacio Ramos.  How are border security activists reacting to this news?  How did the imprisonment of Ramos and Compean negatively impact the morale and actions of current Border Patrol agents?  What must the government do to prove it’s serious about border security?  We ask Al Garza, executive director of the Minuteman Civil Defense Corps.

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What are we hearing from General Motors and Chrysler in their reports to the federal government today? What did they do with the first several billions of dollars allocated back in December? How receptive does the Obama administration appear to be to additional aid? Which automaker is more likely to receive a favorable response? Is either company poised to show long-term viability? What is the role of the United Auto Workers in this crisis? What happens if the government does not extend additional aid? And when must President Obama make a decision on all of this? We ask Marty Padgett, executive editor at thecarconnection.com.

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We have Monday’s top news…What is Kadima party leader Tzipi Livni saying about the possibility of being part of a coalition in the government of her rival?  What did she outline Monday as critical for any lasting peace with the Palestinians?  What did the Pakistani government do that many consider an appeasement for terrorists?  Why is Nancy Pelosi confident that none of the Guantanamo detainees will end up in Europe?  What is the latest in the probe of the plane crash last week outside of Buffalo?  We have all the answers as we bring you the biggest story for Presidents Day – Monday, February 16, 2009.

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Israeli Foreign Minister and prime minister canidate Tzipi Livni says her country must be ready to concede a lot of land to achieve peace with the Palestinians.  Is she right?  Why would she say this now?  How will those comments impact her stalemate of a campaign against Benjamin Netanyahu?  We ask former Pentagon official Frank Gaffney, who is now president of the Center for Security Policy.  We also ask him why Pakistan would agree to impose Sharia law in the northwestern part of Pakistan, where Al Qaeda and the Taliban are plotting and regrouping.

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Who were the political winners and losers in the stimulus debate?  Was President Obama a big winner since he got what he wanted even though he attracted virtually no Republican support?  Why might Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid be the biggest political losers even though they also succeeded in passing the plan?  Will Republicans be viewed as principled or obstructionists for their almost unanimous opposition to the plan?  And what lessons from the state of California might be good for lawmakers to learn here in Washington?  We ask longtime political analyst and strategist Carol Liebau.

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After Barack Obama’s win in November, Americans started buying guns in huge numbers out of concern that the new administration would drastically reduce our access to guns.  But now a new strategy is in place?  Why are gun control advocates going after our access to ammunition rather than the guns themselves?  How does their plan work?  How would it be enforced?  And how do police officials feel about citizens being armed?  We ask Jim Kouri, vice president of the National Association of Chiefs of Police.

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