Radio America Online News Bureau

A new American Religious Identification Survey shows that fewer Americans identify themselves with a particular faith or denomination.  It also shows a huge rise among those who have no faith affiliation and an increase in those nominally connected with a particular church?  Why is this happening?  How are American attitudes changing?  What role do the churches play?  How consistent is the trend?  And what is the long-term impact on our nation and on our culture?  We ask Alan Wisdom, vice president at the Institute on Religion and Democracy.

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Relations with China have been tested again by a series of seemingly minor international incidents. But the latest episode of China trying to force a U.S. ship further away from its waters is drawing ire from the Pentagon? What is China trying to prove through these unnecessary acts of aggression? What does it tell us about China’s long term goals? And what role do our differences with Taiwan play in all of this? We ask retired U.S. Army General Paul Vallely, who served as deputy commanding general in the Pacific theater.

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We have Friday’s top news…How bad were the unemployment numbers for February that were released on Friday?  Do experts see the numbers improving soon?  What are Congressional Republicans urging President Obama to do to address the financial crisis?  How did stocks react to the dismal news?  What did Obama have to say about our nation’s fiscal woes on Friday?  What step will Obama take on Monday that’s sure to infuriate pro-life Americans?  Why does Secretary of State Hillary Clinton say we should not “waste a crisis”?  And what diplomatic stumbles did Clinton and Obama make this week?  We have all the answers as we bring you the biggest stories for Friday, March 6, 2009.

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Why has a U.S. Army captain been ordered out of the military?  What did he do in Afghanistan to save the lives of his men?  How extreme were his actions against the enemy?  Why were those actions necessary in the first place?  How did it get turned into a massive legal issue?  And who are the real culprits in this case?  We discuss the case of Captain Roger Hill with retired U.S. Air Force General Tom McInerney.

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How much government spending would be required to fund President Obama’s health care agenda?  How can we afford that while Medicare remains awash in red ink – like the rest of the government?  Why is the Obama team likely to shrink rather than expand the private sector role in health care?  We ask these and other questions to Joe Antos of the American Enterprise Institute.  He is also a health adviser to the Congressional Budget Office.

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As the week comes to an end, we tak a break from the debates over budgets and Wall Street and health care to visit with the Capitol Steps, Washington renowned musical and political parody group.  This week, the Steps focus on the Octo-Mom in their new song “What Child Is This?”  Our guest is Steps impressionist Mark Eaton.

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What are the biggest reasons that more than 650,000 jobs were cut in February and unemployment is the highest since 1983?  What additional reasons explain the tanking stock market?  How badly does Wall Street need a clear banking reform policy from Washington?  Why does Wall Street lack confidence in Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner?  And what should be the most immediate priorities for President Obama and leaders in Congress?  We ask Robert Lenzner, contributing editor and columnist at Forbes magazine.

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We have Thursday’s top news…What case for reform did President Obama make at his White House health care summit?  What did ailing Sen. Ted Kennedy say about reform?  What tough words did senators have for the massive bailout required to save insurance giant AIG?  How did the Fed defend the bailouts?  What arguments were made on both sides of the marriage debate in California before the state supreme court?  And why did former First Lady Barbara Bush need open heart surgery on Wednesday?  We have all the answers as we bring you the biggest stories for Thursday, March 5, 2009.

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What will be the fate of President Obama’s huge budget proposal or the $410 billion spending package left over from the Bush administration?  How distracted is the Republican party by the spat between GOP leaders and radio host Rush Limbaugh?  What kind of relationship will the U.S. and Britain have as Obama and Prime Minister Gordon Brown forge their relationship?  Will there be a Truth Commission probing the policies of the Bush administration in the war on terror?  We ask all these questions and more to John Gizzi, political editor at Human Events.

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On Thursday, President Obama held a health care summit at the White House that included lawmakers, health care professionals, insurers and pharmaceutical leaders.  What was the real point of the summit?  What does Obama want to do in reforming our health care system?  What are some market-based alternatives?  Is Obama right in saying that government-run health care will cost less in the long run than the current system does?  What are the obvious and hidden costs of government-run care?  And how are lawmakers viewing this debate?  We ask Grace-Marie Turner, president of the Galen Institute.

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