Radio America Online News Bureau

Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich suggested this week that record levels of Americans on food stamps show that Democrats are party of food stamps and Republicans are the party of paychecks.  Nancy Pelosi shot back by saying that until the job market picks up, food stamps and unemployment insurance provide the “biggest bang for the buck”.  So who is right and what does this debate tell us about the very different economic philosophies of the parties?  What does the rhetoric suggest both parties fail to comprehend?  We ask Bill Beach of the Heritage Foundation.  He also explains why he considers a possible Federal Reserve plan to intentionally allow inflation to rise the most “hare-brained” idea to come from the Fed in the past 20 years.

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John Gizzi is here with his first batch of predictions on competitive races in this midterm election cycle.  Who does he see emerging in key Senate contests in Alaska, Washington and Colorado?  Will Republicans or Democrats gain ground after Nancy Pelosi suggests record numbers of food stamp recipients is the right way to address the rough economy?  We discuss that and more in our weekly chat with John Gizzi, political editor at Human Events.

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Afghan President Hamid Karzai is reportedly ready to engage in peace talks with some war-weary elements of the Taliban.  Is this promising or just a ploy?  Can the most radical Taliban factions ever accept a political compromise?  What would be signs that such a truce might actually happen?  We ask K.T. McFarland, former Pentagon official in the Reagan administration and national security analyst for the Fox News Channel.  She also weighs in on the series of terrorist attacks in Pakistan on convoys bringing critical supplies to our troops in Afghanistan.

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California is home to two of the most contentious statewide races in the country.  Can Republicans actually win in a state that leans so heavily to the left?  Will the story of Meg Whitman’s relationship with her illegal immigrant housekeeper cost her the governor’s race?  Why is this such a major issue?  Are Californians likely to trust Democratic career politicians more than former corporate CEO’s?  We ask Carol Liebau, longtime political analyst based in California.

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On Wednesday, the Supreme Court heard the case of a grieving father against a group that protests and celebrates the funerals of U.S. soldiers as God’s punishment of America’s tolerance for homosexuality.  So does the Westboro Baptist Church have this right or are their tactics going beyond the protections of free speech?  Will the court come down somewhere in the middle?  And do Americans and even the media understand that the Westboro group is not reflective of how the vast majority of Christians think?  We ask Mathew Staver, founder and chairman of Liberty Counsel.

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The debate continues over whether the Bush tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans should be left in place or extended along with middle class tax rates.  So why does former Congressional economist Dr. Larry Hunter say the greatest victims of higher upper class taxes are black Americans, especially young black workers?  What other prescriptions does Hunter have for healing our economy when it comes to spending and entitlements?  We ask Dr. Hunter, president of the Alliance for Retirement Prosperity.

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Virtually every Republican senate seat is safe and Democrats are furiously playing defense in more than a dozen others.  Is the Obama agenda the main reason or have Republicans recruited a better-than-average crop of challengers?  How will the key races in Nevada, Florida and Illinois play out?  We discuss it all with Brian Walsh of the National Republican Senatorial Committee.

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Dozens of House Democrats are in trouble this election season, but Florida’s Alan Grayson may be the one Republicans are most intent to bring down.  Grayson is best known for suggesting the Republican health plan was for people to not get sick, and then die quickly if they do.  Now he’s under fire from all sides for a clearly misleading attack ad against GOP challenger Daniel Webster.  So why is Webster running for Congress?  What would he do if he gets elected?  What is it like to be smeared unfairly in the midst of a heated campaign?  And what is he hearing from the people in his district?  We ask former Florida House Speaker and Republican Congressional candidate Daniel Webster.

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Last week, researchers at Harvard University successfully tested a new stem cell approach that shows adult and pluripotent stem cells can be used even more effectively and may end the need for any further stem cell research involving the destruction of human embryos.  So what is this amazing development that rivals the discovery of penicillin?  What kind of difference could it make in the fight against many debilitating diseases?  Why have embryonic stem cells proven unsuccessful in developing treatments – especially when compared to adult stem cell therapies?  And why do scientists and politicians continue to stress embryonic stem cells despite evidence of where the major progress has been seen?  We ask Dr. David Stevens, CEO of the Christian Medical Association.

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Authorities in the U.S. and Europe are now aware of major terrorist plots overseas.  But where do they go from here?  What steps will investigators take to zero in on the terrorists before they strike?  Will uncovering a few members of these radical cells lead to the capture of many more?  And how well do the FBI and CIA communicate with each other and our European counterparts?  We ask Bob Hamer, a 26-year veteran of the FBI and a member of the bureau’s Joint Terrorism Task Force.

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