Radio America Online News Bureau

Even before the horrific shootings in Arizona on Saturday, new House Administration Committee Chairman Dan Lungren was planning to conduct a thorough review of Congressional security procedures.  So what changes might come and what how will such decisions be made?  How does Lungren characterize his meetings with Rep. Giffords?  And how does he react to suggestions that rhetoric from Tea Party activists and conservative radio hosts may have played an indirect role in sparking the kind of violence we saw in Tucson?  We ask Rep. Lungren.

Standard Podcast [ 8:37 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Pete Hegseth served with the U.S. Army’s 101st Airborne Division in Iraq in 2005 and 2006 and was awarded the bronze star.  For the past few years, he has led and been chief spokesman at Vets for Freedom.  Now, Hegseth is returning to active duty for the Army in Afghanistan.  What prompted him to return to combat?  How optimistic or pessimistic is he about the mission in Afghanistan?  What does he want to see from the Obama administration as we get closer to the July deadline to begin removing U.S. troops?  And what areas of the war does he see as reason to praise the Obama strategy?  We ask U.S. Army Captain Pete Hegseth.

Standard Podcast [ 8:01 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Greg Corombos and National Review’s Jim Geraghty commend most Republicans and Democrats for their handling of the Tucson shooting and for resolving not to let one deranged killer change how they do their jobs.  However, they also criticize Pima County Sheriff Clarence Dupnik for injecting politics and speculation into his investigation of six murder, and they slam many commentators on the Left for seeming to conspire to blame Sarah Palin for inciting this act of violence.

Standard Podcast [ 9:14 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

The job numbers from December show a drop in the unemployment rate to 9.4 percent and an addition of 113,000 new private sector jobs.  But the growth numbers are still less than expected.  So what are the keys to unleash job growth?  What must Washington stop doing and what policies need to be pursued?  How would repealing the health care laws make a big difference? How serious are Republicans about slashing spending?  Where do they specifically want to cut?  We discuss all of this with Texas Rep. Kevin Brady, vice chairman of the Joint Economic Committee and sponsor of the CUTS Act to reduce government spending.

Standard Podcast [ 10:01 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

As Republicans take over the House of Representatives with promises of transparency and openness, Maryland Democratic Rep. Chris Van Hollen says the GOP is not practicing what they preach.  What new rules does he say show an even greater level of partisanship and behind-closed-doors decision-making?  How does this fit into the debate over repealing the new health care laws?  How does he respond to Republican explanations for not using numbers besides the ones generated by the Congressional Budget Office?  We discuss it all with Rep. Van Hollen.

Standard Podcast [ 7:01 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

The Capitol Steps welcome in the new Congress and the renewed debate over the new health care laws.  As House Republicans get ready to repeal the laws, the Capitol Steps look back to the summer of 2009, when opposition hit a fevered pitch.  Our guest is Steps star Elaina Newport.

Standard Podcast [ 6:03 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Greg Corombos and National Review’s Jim Geraghty celebrate the start of the debate to repeal Obamacare, rip two Republican members of Congressmen for missing their oaths on the House floor and slam Democrats for opposing the recitation of the U.S. Constitution on the second day of the new Congress.

Standard Podcast [ 7:54 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

What is it like to be sworn into Congress for the first time?  How ready are freshman Republicans to tackle spending, job creation and the repeal of Obamacare?  We ask Florida Rep. Dan Webster, who is also a member of the House Rules and Transportation Committees.  We ask Webster to discuss the fierce debate over House rules for the new Congress and how the Transportation Committee will try to avoid becoming a haven for pork barrel spending once again.

Standard Podcast [ 8:04 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

It’s just the second day of the new Congress, but Republicans seem ready to cut spending.  But after all the campaign rhetoric, what can we actually expect from the House Appropriations Committee when it comes to spending?  Just how much do they hope to slash?  Why might these aggressive cuts have a chance of making it through the Senate?  What are the keys to job growth in the new Congress?  Why is confronting bureaucratic regulators essential to saving and growing jobs?  We ask these and other questions to Texas Rep. John Carter, a member of the  GOP House leadership and  the House Appropriations Committee.

Standard Podcast [ 8:00 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Greg Corombos and National Review’s Jim Geraghty cheer John Boehner’s performance on his first day as Speaker of the House.  They also rip Nancy Pelosi for trying to upstage Boehner in a rather graceless way and make a big deal deal out of the first-ever “Fiscy” awards – given to those supposedly exercising fiscal discipline.

Standard Podcast [ 10:03 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download