On Monday, Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer announced she would appeal an appellate court decision against the Arizona immigration laws to the Supreme Court. Cochise County Arizona Sheriff Larry Dever is strongly supportive of the laws. He says allowing the full implementation of SB 1070 would end sanctuary cities for illegals and make life much safer for people throughout his state. Dever also fires back against critics who suggest the laws amount to racial profiling. And we get his thoughts on President Obama’s latest push for “comprehensive immigration reform”. Listen here for our conversation with Sheriff Dever, who is also co-chair of bordersheriffs.com.
Want Jobs? Clear the Red Tape!
The latest jobs data shows more jobs being created by the unemployment rate still rising. So what would unleash massive job creation? According to Oklahoma Rep. James Lankford, a big part of the answer is doing away with many of countless, burdensome government regulations. So what type of regulations create the most problems? How much are they stifling job growth? What are House Republicans prepared to do on this front? And how is the GOP preparing for the debt ceiling debate? What is acceptable and what is not? And why is there some hope for consensus on taking on spending and runaway entitlements? We discuss it all with Rep. Lankford, a member of the House Budget Committee.
Three Martini Lunch 5/10/11
Greg Corombos of Radio America and Jim Geraghty of National Review applaud John Boehner’s speech on spending and the debt ceiling. We also slam the Nevada secretary of state’s decision on a special Congressional election. And we pour some cold water on the impending Newt Gingrich presidential bid.
Processing Pakistan
Over the past week, America has applied a great deal of pressure to Pakistan – trying to determine whether Pakistan aided Osama bin Laden’s years of hiding in Abbotabad. So what should we make of the defiant Pakistani response? How will Pakistan try to look tough for its people and appease the U.S. at the same time? Could the U.S. overplay this hand against Pakistan? And will all that’s happened in the past week help us to crush the Taliban and Al Qaeda in the months ahead? We ask Dr. Walid Phares, author most recently of “The Coming Revolution” and an adviser to the Anti-Terrorism Caucus in the U.S. House of Representatives.
The Truth About Jobs
On Friday, the Department of Labor announced a net gain of 244,000 jobs in the month of April. But it also reported the overall unemployment rate is back up to 9.0 percent. So why the disconnect? Which number is more likely to be inaccurate? What’s the real jobless rate when factoring in part-time and discouraged job seekers? Is the job situation getting markedly better as President Obama claims? How bad is the housing market and how much is that impacting the overall economy? We ask Diana Furchtgott-Roth, former chief economist at the U.S. Department of Labor. She was also chief of staff of President George W. Bush’s Council of Economic Advisers. She is now director of the Center for Employment Policy at the Hudson Institute.
Three Martini Lunch 5/9/11
Greg Corombos of Radio America and Jim Geraghty of National Review cheer Dick Cheney and others who are pushing President Obama to end the Justice Department probe of CIA interrogators. We also groan as experts suggest the housing market could get substantially worse before it gets better. And we rip former Rep. Alan Grayson as he proves he has learned nothing since getting thrashed in the midterm elections.
Righteous Indignation
Is the liberal media something that just sort of happened or is their existence and bent something that’s carefully choreographed. What’s the most effective way for conservatives to fight back? And what are the key rules for combating the mainstream media? We ask Andrew Breitbart of biggovernment.com, brietbart.tv and several other conservative sites. His websites broke the ACORN video scandal in 2009.
Obama vs. Osama
President Obama is enjoying a mild surge in popularity after ordering the mission that killed Osama bin Laden. But even after all these years, people keep confusing the names of Osama and Obama. So as bin Laden gets back in the headlines briefly, the Capitol Steps dust off a favorite from the 2008 campaign to help you avoid a verbal stumble.
Three Martini Lunch 5/6/11
Greg Corombos of Radio America and Jim Geraghty of National Review are actually positive about the first Republican presidential debate of the 2012 campaign. We are especially bullish on Herman Cain and Tim Pawlenty. We’re also concerned about the mixed jobs report which shows more jobs created but the unemployment rate is up to 9.0 percent. And we rip Michael Moore for slamming the U.S. for killing Osama bin Laden without a trial and Al Qaeda for whining that we didn’t kill bin Laden on the battlefield.
Bin Laden and the Ballot Box
John Gizzi of Human Events discusses the significance of Osama bin Laden’s demise and it’s impact on President Obama’s short and long-term political future. Gizzi also comments on Rep. Mike Pence’s decision to run for governor of Indiana and makes a guarantee on which Republican will definitely run for president.