Radio America Online News Bureau

We have Monday’s top news…What is the Bush administration doing to end the violence in the Middle East in a way that defends Israel?  What are Palestinian leaders saying about Israeli tactics?  What will likely be included in the Obama economic plan?  Who was certified as the winner of the Minnesota senate race today?  Why is one Obama cabinet nominee withdrawing his candidacy?  Who is Obama tapping to lead national intelligence?  And how did the markets fare on the first Monday of 2009?  We have all the answers as we bring you the biggest stories for Monday, January 5, 2009.

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What is the focus of Israeli forces in Gaza?  What must be accomplished before the operation ceases?  What lessons has Israel learned after the 2006 fight against Hezbollah?  And how do Israelis react to international criticism that its military actions are execessive?  We ask retired Israeli Brigadier Gen. Elihu Ben-Onn.

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Minnesota election officials are declaring Democrat Al Franken the winner of the razor-close and highly disputed U.S. Senate race in that state.  Why do those officials consider the ballot counting over?  What grounds might Coleman have for contesting the results?  And when will the new senator come to Washington?  We ask Kevin Duchshere, political reporter for the Minneapolis Star Tribune.

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We have Friday’s top news…What is the U.S. posture as the fighting rages between Israel and Hamas?  Will Gov. Blagojevich’s choice to replace Barack Obama in the U.S. Senate actually get the job?  When will we have a senate winner declared in Minnesota?  Which famous former senator died on New Year’s Day?  And how did Wall Street fare on the first day of trading in 2009?  We have all the answers as we bring you the biggest stories for Friday, January 2, 2009.

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The Israeli war with Hamas continues into a second weekend.  What will be considered an appropriate conclusion for Israeli leaders?  What lessons have they learned from their 2006 war against Hezbollah?  Will Israel be as sensitive this time to international condemnation of their response to their enemies?  We ask Daveed Gartenstein-Ross, vice president for research at the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies.

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We’ve begun 2009, but the last word on 2008 belongs to John Gizzi. The political editor at Human Events gives us his biggest political winner, loser and surprise of 2008 and reveals who his publication selected as ‘Conservative of the Year’. Listen here to John’s review of the past year and tell us if you agree or disagree with his picks!

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The new year is here but for most people, the majority of the next few months will be spent inside.  If you siffer from allergies or asthma, this could be a rough stretch if you don’t take some precautions?  What are the most common triggers of allergies and asthma?  What are some basic steps to reduce those triggers?  How can caring for your pets properly greatly improve the situation?  We ask Mike Tringale, Director of External Affairs at the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America.

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The Capitol Steps ring in 2009 with a brand new song – this one examining President Bush’s confrontation with a shoe-throwing reporter in Iraq. The song is “The Chap Who Threw His Two Shoes” and our guest is Steps impressionist Mark Eaton.

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