Minnesota election officials are declaring Democrat Al Franken the winner of the razor-close and highly disputed U.S. Senate race in that state. Why do those officials consider the ballot counting over? What grounds might Coleman have for contesting the results? And when will the new senator come to Washington? We ask Kevin Duchshere, political reporter for the Minneapolis Star Tribune.
Georgia Rep. Tom Price Reacts to Likely Democratic Stimulus Plan
Will income tax credits for millions of individual couples spark the economy? How about temporary business tax breaks and giving small businesses the chance to double their write-offs? Does this show fiscal sensibility on the part of the incoming Obama administration or are they completely overlooking the best way to trigger an economic recovery? We ask Georgia Rep. Tom Price, a member of the House Financial Services Committee.
The News
We have Friday’s top news…What is the U.S. posture as the fighting rages between Israel and Hamas? Will Gov. Blagojevich’s choice to replace Barack Obama in the U.S. Senate actually get the job? When will we have a senate winner declared in Minnesota? Which famous former senator died on New Year’s Day? And how did Wall Street fare on the first day of trading in 2009? We have all the answers as we bring you the biggest stories for Friday, January 2, 2009.
The Israeli War with Hamas
The Israeli war with Hamas continues into a second weekend. What will be considered an appropriate conclusion for Israeli leaders? What lessons have they learned from their 2006 war against Hezbollah? Will Israel be as sensitive this time to international condemnation of their response to their enemies? We ask Daveed Gartenstein-Ross, vice president for research at the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies.
John Gizzi’s Year in Review
We’ve begun 2009, but the last word on 2008 belongs to John Gizzi. The political editor at Human Events gives us his biggest political winner, loser and surprise of 2008 and reveals who his publication selected as ‘Conservative of the Year’. Listen here to John’s review of the past year and tell us if you agree or disagree with his picks!
Keeping Your Home Asthma and Allergy-Free
The new year is here but for most people, the majority of the next few months will be spent inside. If you siffer from allergies or asthma, this could be a rough stretch if you don’t take some precautions? What are the most common triggers of allergies and asthma? What are some basic steps to reduce those triggers? How can caring for your pets properly greatly improve the situation? We ask Mike Tringale, Director of External Affairs at the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America.
Capitol Steps Parody
The Capitol Steps ring in 2009 with a brand new song – this one examining President Bush’s confrontation with a shoe-throwing reporter in Iraq. The song is “The Chap Who Threw His Two Shoes” and our guest is Steps impressionist Mark Eaton.
2008 – The Year in Politics Part 1
Listen here as we look back at an historic year in politics! How did Barack Obama move from second-tier candidate to become the upset nominee of his party and the 44th president of the United States? Did Hillary Clinton make fatal mistakes that ruined her White House bid or was she just defeated by a political phenomenon? How did John McCain come back from the brink of political death to win the Republican nomination? Why couldn’t he win the White House? Was Sarah Palin a plus or minus for McCain? We ask all of these questions to University of Virginia Professor Larry Sabato.
2008 – The Year in Politics Part 2
Our conversation on the year in politics continues with Larry Sabato of the University of Virginia. Who are some of the rising political stars in 2012? What lessons should Democrats remember as they control everything in Washington? And what should Republicans keep in mind? We get answers to all of these questions from Prof. Sabato.
2008- The Year in the Economy Part 1
2008 was a memorable year in many arenas, but the upheaval in the U.S. economy may well be the biggest story of all. How did the U.S. go from an economic downturn to the worst point losses in the history of Wall Street, major financial firms collapsing and Congress stepping with a massive bailout plan with President Bush adding another for the auto industry? We’ll walk through all of the instability with Bill Beach of the Heritage Foundation.