As the week comes to an end, we tak a break from the debates over budgets and Wall Street and health care to visit with the Capitol Steps, Washington renowned musical and political parody group. This week, the Steps focus on the Octo-Mom in their new song “What Child Is This?” Our guest is Steps impressionist Mark Eaton.
What are the biggest reasons that more than 650,000 jobs were cut in February and unemployment is the highest since 1983? What additional reasons explain the tanking stock market? How badly does Wall Street need a clear banking reform policy from Washington? Why does Wall Street lack confidence in Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner? And what should be the most immediate priorities for President Obama and leaders in Congress? We ask Robert Lenzner, contributing editor and columnist at Forbes magazine.
We have Thursday’s top news…What case for reform did President Obama make at his White House health care summit? What did ailing Sen. Ted Kennedy say about reform? What tough words did senators have for the massive bailout required to save insurance giant AIG? How did the Fed defend the bailouts? What arguments were made on both sides of the marriage debate in California before the state supreme court? And why did former First Lady Barbara Bush need open heart surgery on Wednesday? We have all the answers as we bring you the biggest stories for Thursday, March 5, 2009.
What will be the fate of President Obama’s huge budget proposal or the $410 billion spending package left over from the Bush administration? How distracted is the Republican party by the spat between GOP leaders and radio host Rush Limbaugh? What kind of relationship will the U.S. and Britain have as Obama and Prime Minister Gordon Brown forge their relationship? Will there be a Truth Commission probing the policies of the Bush administration in the war on terror? We ask all these questions and more to John Gizzi, political editor at Human Events.
On Thursday, President Obama held a health care summit at the White House that included lawmakers, health care professionals, insurers and pharmaceutical leaders. What was the real point of the summit? What does Obama want to do in reforming our health care system? What are some market-based alternatives? Is Obama right in saying that government-run health care will cost less in the long run than the current system does? What are the obvious and hidden costs of government-run care? And how are lawmakers viewing this debate? We ask Grace-Marie Turner, president of the Galen Institute.
The California Supreme Court is once again deliberating the definition of marriage in the state. This time, however, justices are deciding whether a state constitutional amendment approved by the voters to restore the traditional definition of marriage is constitutional. So will this amendment withstand scrutiny by the very court that legalized gay marriage in the first place? How much does the argument change because the voters approved a constitutional amendment? What will it mean for our system of government if the court overrules the will of the people? How do traditional marriage defenders argue against the contention that gay marriage is simply a matter of equality? And when we we get a decision form the court? We ask Matt Staver, founder and chairman of Liberty Counsel, who argued the 2008 case against gay marriage before the California Supreme Court.
Just a day after taking office, President Obama ordered the closing of the terrorist detention center at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. But there has been no decision on what to do with the inmates. Will they end up in the U.S.? Why would they raise the risk of terrorism even if they stay locked up for the rest of their lives? Given our court system, what is the chance some could be set free? Is is possible some could even be granted asylum? We ask all these questions and more to Arizona Rep. John Shadegg, the sponsor of new legislation calling for none of the terrorists to be brought to the U.S.
We have Wednesday’s top news…How is the Obama administration defending its massive budget blueprint? What tool are Senators McCain and Feingold trying to give President Obama to trim excessive government spending? What will Thursday’s health care summit accomplish? What challenge die British Prime Minister Gordon Brown issue to Congress? What are the top senators on the Judiciary Committee saying about a possible Truth Commission to probe Bush administration activities in the War on Terror? And what happened on Wall Street today? We have all the answers as we bring you the biggest stories for Wednesday, March 4, 2009.
How will President Obama’s approach to the Middle East resemble that of the Bush administration? What is his plan for keeping nuclear weapons out of Iran? What chance is there for progress for peace between Israel and Hamas? How much pressure will Obama place upon both sides to move towards peace? And what ground work should he seek for Iraq once U.S. forces are gone in less than three years? We ask Clifford May, president of the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies.
Why do many Congressional Republicans believe the Obama administration has been deceptive about the projections in the new $3.6 trillion budget blueprint? Why do they believe everyone will be paying higher taxes to pay for all the spending – and not just the very rich? Why do they see the budget as a war against small business? What are the Republican ideas for getting out of this economic ditch? And will the Obama budget plan be changed or will Congress give it the stamp of approval? We ask Texas Rep. Kevin Brady, a member of the House Ways and Means Committee.
