Election Day has arrived in the United Kingdom. The majority Labour party is fighting furiously to keep control of parliament, Conservatives are confident they will return to power for the first time in 13 years and the upstart Liberal Democrats threaten to throw everything into chaos. So which party has the momentum? Why is the public so upset with Labour? Will any party win a majority or will it take a coalition to rule? We ask former British diplomat Jonathan Clark, now a senior fellow with the Carnegie Council.
The News
House Appropriations Committee Chairman David Obey announces he will not seek re-election, California Rep. Dan Lungren rips terrorism interrogation and prosecution policies. Greek debt could begin devastating domino effect in Europe. Baseball legend Ernie Harwell dies.
‘Enough is Enough’
On Wednesday, Wisconsin Rep. David Obey announced he will not seek a 22nd term in the House of Representatives. So why might Obey be leaving Congress? What issues were working against him? What kind of candidate do Republicans have in that district? And just how many seats could the GOP gain this year? We ask Tom Erickson of the National Republican Congressional Committee.
Greek Debt Tip of the Iceberg
In recent days, the International Monetary Fund and World Bank extended $156 billion worth of bailout assistance to Greece. Now rioters are in the streets protesting the aid and other possible solutions. So how did Greece get in this dilemma? What is the smart way to get out of it? Which countries could be next? How endangered is the U.S. given our mounting debt? We ask Ted Bromund, senior fellow in the Thatcher Center at the Heritage Foundation.
‘It Makes No Sense Whatsoever’
California Rep. Dan Lungren is a member of both the House Judiciary and Homeland Security Committees. He explains why government officials should not be quick to mirandize terrorism suspects whether they are citizens are not. What should be the policy? Where should terrorism trials be held? Are we getting really good at thwarting attacks or are we just lucky? And what lessons should we learn from this and other recent attempts to strike the U.S.? We ask Rep. Lungren.
The News
Feds nab the Times Square bombing suspect just minutes his plane was set to leave the U.S. Major charges coming against Faisal Shahzad. A furious effort continues in the Gulf of Mexico to cap a ruptured oil well.
The Race to Shut Down the Oil Rig
Louisiana Sen. David Vitter says many efforts have been made to shut off the flow of oil from the offshore rig that exploded last week – but none of them have worked. So what might work? How can the existing oil slick be contained? What is the extent of damage to the Louisiana economy? And how does Vitter react to the political controversies concerning BP, offshore drilling and more?
The Terror Case to Come
On Tuesday, Attorney General Eric Holder announced five criminal charges against Faisal Shahzad, the man accused of trying to detonate a massive car bomb in New York City over the weekend. How much does this case change because Shahzad is a U.S. citizen? How much sensitive intelligence will be revealed in civilian court? What does this attempted attack teach us about the Pakistani Taliban? We ask Jonathan Schanzer, vice president of research at the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies.
The EMP Threat
There is an international consensus that Iran is pursuing nuclear weapons, and we know North Korea has them. But as horrific as a nuclear strike would be on American soil, a nuclear attack accompanied by an electromagnetic pulse (EMP) could cripple the nation if deployed in certain places. So what is an EMP? Are Iranians and others working on that as well? Why would it be worse than a nuke? And what can be done to prepare? We ask Dr. Peter Pry, president of EMPACT America – one of the foremost experts on the EMP threat.
‘It Will Take Months to Recover’
This past weekend, multiple states were hammered by fierce thunderstorms than dumped record amounts of rain in many areas – including downtown Nashville, Tennessee. What are the flood waters doing now? How have some of Nashville’s famous landmarks been impacted? Why are severe water restrictions now in place and how are people responding to them? We ask Meg Buenting, longtime Radio America producer, who is now based in Nashville.