Radio America Online News Bureau

Earlier this week, President Obama and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met at the White House to discuss the Iranian nuclear threat and the effort to restart the Middle East peace process.  But they disagree on which priority ought to be highest.  Which issue needs to be dealt with first?  How soon could Iran be ready to launch a nuclear weapon?  Are today’s missile tests a sign that Iran is in the final stages of its preparations?  Why are other Arab states siding with Israel on the threat of Iranian nukes?  How tough and how specific does Obama need to get with Iran?  We ask James Robbins, senior editorial page editor at The Washington Times.

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Why are House Democrats fast-tracking a massive energy bill to passage before Americans even know what’s in it?  How much will your energy taxes go up?  How about the price at the pump?  How about everything you buy?  And why are the CEOs of some major energy firms like GE and Conoco Phillips jumping on board a plan that could cripple them? We ask Tom Borelli, senior fellow at the National Center for Public Policy Research.

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On Wednesday, the Senate joined the House of Representatives in refusing to fund the closure of the Guantanamo Bay detention center because President Obama has not submitted a concrete plan on what to do with the remaining detainees.  So what will Obama likely do?  Will he provide details and stay on schedule?  Will he have to keep it open because no members of Congress want suspected terrorists in their neighborhoods?  What would happen if the detainees were brought to the U.S.?  We ask retired U.S. Air Force General Tom McInerney.

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On Tuesday, California voters went to the polls and were expected to roundly defeat a ballot proposal asking the people to impose a $16 billion tax hike on themselves.  Why is the public fed up with Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and the Democrats in control of the state legislature?  What will be the strategy if the ballot measures do fail?  Where did the once fiscally hawkish Schwarzenegger go wrong?  We ask longtime political analyst and strategist Carol Liebau.  We also get her reaction to Tuesday’s speech by Republican Party Chairman Michael Steele, who vowed to fight the policies of President Obama and rebuild the party on core conservative values.

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What is the impact of President Obama ordering all cars and light trucks made in this country to get 35 mpg by 2016?  Why will that mean higher costs for consumers?  Why are the auto companies cheering this huge increase in their own costs?  Why could this trend get a whole lot worse in the ‘cap and trade’ legislation?  We ask Tom Pyle, president of the Institute for Energy Research.

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The House Energy and Commerce Committee is going line by line through a major energy reform bill that would clamp down on the use of oil, coal and natural gas and impose huge costs on energy producers, manufacturing firms and you!  What is happening inside the committee?  How sound is the science calling for this massive overhaul of our energy policy?  What will be the real impact on our economy?  What has happened to the economy in other nations where this has been tried?  And is this plan a slam dunk in a Democratic Congress?  We ask Arizona Rep. John Shadegg, a member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee.

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On Friday, President Obama announced military tribunals would resume at Guantanamo Bay for detainees being held there.  Why did he bring them back?  What changes is he demanding and what impact will they have?  Why do the ACLU and other groups hate the idea of tribunals in any form?  And will we see a reversal of policy from Obama on the Guantanamo detention facility itself?  We ask Chapman University Law School Professor Kyndra Rotunda, a former prosecutor in the Office of Military Commissions at Guantanamo.

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We have Monday’s top news…How soon does Obama want progress on thwarting Iranian nuclear ambitions?  How is Benjamin Netanyahu describing today’s meeting with Obama?  What is the nation’s top military officer saying about future use of unmanned aerial drones?  What did the Supreme Court rule about a Pakistani man’s right to sue two Bush administration officials?  What new fuel economy standards can we expect from the Obama administration on Tuesday?  What U.S. senator in the hospital?  And what happened on Wall Street today?  We have the answers as we bring you the biggest stories for Monday, May 18, 2009.

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On Monday, the Supreme Court ruled 5-4 against a Pakistani man who wants to sue FBI Director Robert Mueller and former Attorney General John Ashcroft for intentionally discriminating against him based on race, religion and ethnicity.  So did the court make the right decision?  Why or why not?  How tough is to sue a public official?  We ask Professor Robert Pugsley of the Southwestern University School of Law.

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Before long, President Obama will announce his nominee to replace retiring Supreme Court Justice David Souter.  But as the speculation swirls, conservative activists are sending a clear warning – to Senate Republicans…get tough with this choice or face an electoral backlash.  So why is this warning coming before we even have a nominee?  Which of the people believed to be on the short list is considered the most activist?  And what will happen to senators who rubber stamp a liberal activist judge?  We ask Scott Wheeler, executive director of the National Republican Trust PAC.

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