Radio America Online News Bureau

Israeli Foreign Minister and prime minister canidate Tzipi Livni says her country must be ready to concede a lot of land to achieve peace with the Palestinians.  Is she right?  Why would she say this now?  How will those comments impact her stalemate of a campaign against Benjamin Netanyahu?  We ask former Pentagon official Frank Gaffney, who is now president of the Center for Security Policy.  We also ask him why Pakistan would agree to impose Sharia law in the northwestern part of Pakistan, where Al Qaeda and the Taliban are plotting and regrouping.

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Who were the political winners and losers in the stimulus debate?  Was President Obama a big winner since he got what he wanted even though he attracted virtually no Republican support?  Why might Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid be the biggest political losers even though they also succeeded in passing the plan?  Will Republicans be viewed as principled or obstructionists for their almost unanimous opposition to the plan?  And what lessons from the state of California might be good for lawmakers to learn here in Washington?  We ask longtime political analyst and strategist Carol Liebau.

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After Barack Obama’s win in November, Americans started buying guns in huge numbers out of concern that the new administration would drastically reduce our access to guns.  But now a new strategy is in place?  Why are gun control advocates going after our access to ammunition rather than the guns themselves?  How does their plan work?  How would it be enforced?  And how do police officials feel about citizens being armed?  We ask Jim Kouri, vice president of the National Association of Chiefs of Police.

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President Obama has promised a greater commitment to winning the fight against Al Qaeda and the Taliban in Afghanistan.  But what will that commitment look like?  What do we need to make sustainable progress there and will Obama provide it?  Just how precarious is the mission in Afghanistan?  What move by Russia has hurt out operations even more?  What lessons should have been learned by previous conflicts in Afghanistan?  We ask retired U.S. Army General Paul Vallely.

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We have Friday’s top news…What was the final House vote on the economic stimulus plan?  Did any Republicans vote in favor?  How are Democrats defending the bill?  Why are Republicans slamming it?  What are investigators saying about the plane crash that killed 50 people near Buffalo?  How many people were killed by a suicide attack in Iraq?  What offer is Hillary Clinton making to North Korea if it stops its nuclear ambitions?  And what happened on Wall Street in Friday’s trading?  We have all the answers as we bring you the biggest stories for Friday, February 13, 2009.

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What it the real impact likely to be for our economy and our debt from this $787 billion stimulus bill?  Why is there good reason to fear this spending plan also brings significant, left-leaning  changes to our welfare and health care systems?  How does it encourage discrimination against people of faith?  Will it do any good for the states or just reward fiscall irresponsible behavior?  We ask bill Beach, director of the Center for Data Analysis at the Heritage Foundation.

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Unlike the Miracle on the Hudson, all passengers aboard Colgan Air Flight 3407 were killed when the plane nose-dived into a neighborhood near the airport in Buffalo, New York.  What should we glean from the lack of any distress call?  How much ice is needed to really imperil an airplane?  And what will investigators be doing with this evidence to determine an official cause of the disaster?  We ask David Field, the Americas editor for Airline Business magazine.

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After an intense week of stimulus debate and another cabinet headache for Barack Obama, the Capitol Steps bring some much-needed levity.  This week they look at the man who backed out of his bid to be in the cabinet last week.  This week’s selection is ‘Hang Down your Head, Tom Daschle’ and our guest is Steps star Elaina Newport.

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For the second time in the stimulus debate, every House Republican voted against the Democratic plan.  Why was the revised bill still not acceptable?  Did President Obama really work in good faith to reach common ground with the Republicans?  What do Republicans see as clear examples of agenda-driven pork projects masked as economic stimulus?  And will states hit hardest by the recession benefit from this plan?  We ask Michigan Rep. Thaddeus McCotter, a member of the House Republican leadership.

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Is the amended stimulus bill any more appealing for House Republicans?  Why do they believe this bill can’t be fixed?  What is their alternative?  Are they optimistic about the tax relief included in the plan?  What lessons from California’s financial mess should be applied to our national economy?  And how real is the threat of major inflation?  We ask California Rep. Tom McClintock.

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