Radio America Online News Bureau

President Obama told the nation’s governors on Monday that he will allow states to opt out of some of the major provisions of the new health care laws in 2014 as long as they find ways to cover the same number of people.  So is this a small or even a major concession?  Or is Obama just trying to put a better face on a very unpopular plan?  And is this move a sign that the administration knows that it is losing the public relations campaign over health care in a major way?  We ask Grace-Marie Turner, president of the Galen Institute.

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On Sunday, Frank Buckles died at the age of 110.  And his death breaks the final link America had with more than 4.7 million man and women who served the nation during World War I.  In 2007, Greg Corombos interviewed Buckles and learned about his service in ‘the war to end all wars’, his brutal experience in World War II and how Buckles viewed his service 90 years after the fact.  Here is our tribute to America’s last Doughboy, Frank Woodruff Buckles, and the many heroes of his generation.

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Now that President Obama and his Justice Department refuse to defend the Defense of Marriage Act in federal court, an expert on the legal fights to preserve traditional marriage says it’s up to Congress to pick up the baton and defend the law it passed 15 years ago.  So will the GOP House do that?  Why would Congress have a very good chance of winning in court if it did take up the defense of DOMA?  What should we make of the executive branch simply deciding not to defend a law anymore?  And how could Obama deciding to abandon DOMA actually be a good thing for traditional marriage?  We ask Jim Campbell, litigation staff counsel at the Alliance Defense Fund.

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Greg Corombos and National Review’s Jim Geraghty are actually encouraged by President Obama’s latest attack on those seeking to rein in public sector unions.  We lament the ongoing chaos in Libya and the latest weak-kneed response from Obama and the United Nations.  And we’re stunned that the head of the AFL-CIO can’t bring himself to say that Scott Walker is not like Hitler – as many protesters in Madison have suggested.

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John Gizzi of Human Events shares his thoughts on how the budget fight in Wisconsin will impact other-deficit-ridden states.  He also looks ahead to next week’s Congressional budget debate that could lead to a government shutdown.  And we ask Gizzi about how the crisis in Libya is likely to play out and why the Obama administration is so tight-lipped in reacting to events there.

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Nearly a decade into U.S. military involvement in Afghanistan, the U.S. military is performing at amazing levels but our strategy can’t succeed.  That’s the conclusion of Marine combat veteran and frequent embed reporter Bing West, author of “The Wrong War: Grit, Strategy, and the Way Out of Afghanistan”.  Why does West say the counterinsurgency strategy can’t succeed?  How bad are Afghan security forces?  Are there hopes they can come around like the Iraqi security forces?  What should we be doing instead of counterinsurgency?  How dominant are U.S. forces when they’re actually allowed to fight?  And would Afghanistan become a terrorism haven again if U.S. forces were to begin leaving according to the Obama timetable?  We discuss it all with Bing West.

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So far, Republican hopefuls have been very slow to enter the 2012 presidential race.  But the Capitol Steps can’t wait for all the politicking to start.  To prepare for the long campaign, we roll out a Steps classic from the 2008 race – “76 Unknowns”.  Our guest is Steps star Elaina Newport.

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Greg Corombos and Jim Geraghty of National Review are impressed that the Wisconsin State Assembly approved the Republican budget plan in the face of boorish and menacing protesters.  We also wonder why Mike Huckabee is already attacking Mitt Romney when neither man is running for anything yet.  And we rip the United Nations as it has trouble determining whether Libya ought to be given the boot from the UN Human Rights Commission.

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While Democratic lawmakers remain on the lam, Wisconsin legislators are moving forward with plans to implement Gov. Scott Walker’s budget plan that demands greater worker contributions to pensions and benefits and less collective bargaining power.  What have Republicans been able to do without Democrats on the job?  Why do Republicans insist on the collective bargaining provision even when union members are agreeing to demands to pay for more of their pensions and benefits?  How steep will the political price be for Democrats from competitive districts?  And which side are voters on after two weeks of fierce debate?  We discuss it all with Wisconsin State Sen. Glenn Grothman.

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Thursday night, the Maryland State Senate is expected to pass legislation to legalize gay marriage.  Why will the legislation do far more than redefine what marriage is?  How will it remove religious freedoms for faith-based organizations, pastors and business owners?  How will legalizing gay marriage lead to children being indoctrinated in our schools?  And how will defenders of traditional marriage try to fight back against this impending law through a 2012 referendum?  We discuss it all with Maryland Delegate Donald Dwyer, a leading supporter of traditional marriage and vocal opponent of the gay marriage bill.

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