Last week, hidden videos were released showing National Public Radio executives disparaging conservatives and getting cozy with people purporting to be in league with the Muslim Brotherhood. So why did James O’Keefe focus on NPR? How did he come up with the complex premise? Why does he do these hidden videos? How does he answer critics who slam his tactics? And what videos are coming next? We discuss it all with James O’Keefe of Project Veritas.
Three Martini Lunch 3/16/11
Greg Corombos and National Review’s Jim Geraghty give the GOP credit for creatively reminding Americans why we’re in an awkward budget mess. We also slam the Obama administration for claiming to have led aggressively on Libya when in fact it has done almost nothing. And we marvel as President Obama and his own surgeon general can’t seem to agree on whether Americans in the West need medication to ward off possible radiation exposure.
Nuclear Power Very Safe
As Japan fights to prevent disaster at a nuclear power plant following the earthquake and tsunami, many here at home are debating whether our energy future should include nuclear power as a major component. So what can actually tell about what’s happening in Japan? Do our nuclear plants have better containment provisions than Japan? Will this country move forward with additional nuclear facilities or will we freeze in place as we did after Three Mile Island? We ask former Michigan Rep. Vernon Ehlers, the first nuclear physicist ever elected to Congress.
Three Martini Lunch 3/15/11
Greg Corombos and Jim Geraghty of National Review feel better about GOP prospects in 2012 as Obama’s poll numbers drop. We also wince as Democrats apparently convince their top Virginia Senate candidate to run. And we wonder why Obama has time for golf and his NCAA brackets but not for making decisions about budget cuts or dealing with Libya.
Christians Targeted, Media Silent
Many cheered the regime change in Iraq in 2003 as well as the recent upheaval in Egypt. But along with some positives comes major persecution for Christians in these Islamic countries once ruled by secular leaders. How bad has it become for Christians in Iraq in the past eight years? How much worse have just the past few weeks been for Christians in Egypt? Why doesn’t the media report this brutality? What could democracy really mean in these countries? What could and should the U.S. be doing (especially in Iraq) that we have neglected to do? We discuss it all with Dr. Carl Moeller, president of Open Doors USA.
Massive Quake Nothing New
Massive earthquakes have struck Japan, New Zealand, Sumatra, Chile and Haiti in recent years. Does this suggest the earth’s crust is getting more volatile or do the numbers largely suggest consistency? Is there or is there not a significant threat posed by tsunamis if they have to travel the entire length of the Pacific Ocean? Can this only happen along major fault lines? We discuss all this and much more with Professor Michael Wysession, seismologist at Washington University in St. Louis.
Three Martini Lunch 3/14/11
Greg Corombos and National Review’s Jim Geraghty are encouraged by the latest Republican rumblings on tackling America’s massive debt. They also cringe as Democrats want to put our nuclear energy agenda on hold again in the wake of Japan’s nuclear crisis. And we try to figure out why the treatment of one of our worst suspected spies is what pushed State Department spokesman P.J. Crowley over the edge and out the door.
Dem Budget Efforts ‘Pathetic’
This week, the Senate rejected the House plan for funding the government through the remainder of the fiscal year. It also spiked the plan offered by Democrats. So what happens next and why does Arizona Rep. David Schweikert describe the performance of President Obama and other Democrats as ‘pathetic’? Will we get nothing but short continuing resolutions for the rest of the fiscal year? Are conservatives OK with that? And what does Schweikert have to say about President Obama’s call for more drilling to ease energy prices until his clean energy agenda can fully come on line? We discuss it all with Rep. Schweikert.
Wisconsin Republicans Win
In the past couple of days, Republicans in the Wisconsin legislature succeeded in passing legislation ending collective bargaining for public sector employees. Why did the GOP finally decide not to wait for the Democrats to return? How serious are the threats to recall some members of the state senate? What else is on the GOP agenda to reduce debt and grow the economy? We ask Wisconsin State Senator Glenn Grothman.
The Big One Hits Japan
An 8.9-magnitude earthquake struck off the coast of Japan today, triggering a massive tsunami that has killed hundreds and rolled all the way to the west coast of the United States. What happened in the earth’s crust? Why did this quake trigger such a major tsunami? Was this along a major fault line? Is there a connection to the recent earthquake in New Zealand? We ask Linda Lastowka, geophysicist at the U.S. Geological Survey’s National Earthquake Information Center.