Radio America Online News Bureau

We have Friday’s top news!  Where are the automakers looking for money now that Congressional Republicans have said no?  Which senator is organized labor blaming for the failure of the bailout?  What does that lawmaker say in his defense?  What steps are being taken to remove Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich from office?  And what happened on Wall Street Friday?  We answer all these questions as we bring you the biggest stories for Friday, Dember 12, 2008.

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‘Tis the season for parodies from the Capitol Steps of some of our favorite Christmas carols.  This week we bring you a double header, featuring “Little Plumber Boy” and “Have Yourself a Condoleezza Christmas”.  Our guest is Steps star Elaina Newport.

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Does Barack Obama owe us a more detailed explanation of his transition team’s contact with Gov. Rod Blagojevich about the open senate seat?  If so, what does he need to tell us?  Is Obama hampered until all the facts are known?  We ask Republican National Committee Chairman Mike Duncan those questions and find out why he wants anothern term as head of the RNC.

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Why might a major legislative initiative of Big Labor be very harmful to the very workers it claims to represent?  What responsibility do union leaders bear for the crisis in the domestic auto industry?  And why is one major union allegedly connected to the scandal engulfing Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich?  We ask Mark McKinnon of the Workforce Fairness Institute.  He is also a former media adviser to George W. Bush and John McCain.

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Will scandal-plagued Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich step down or be forced out of office?  How long will lawmakers and other state officials give him to leave willingly?  How is the governor’s track record with the legislature working against any hope of him staying in office?  Is this scandal seen just as the latest corruption in Illinois politics or is this story even shocking longtime observers of Chicago-style politics?  And have we seen the worst charges that will be presented against Gov. Blagojevich or are many more coming down the pike?  We ask Bernie Schoenberg, political writer and columnist for the State Journal-Register in the state capital of Springfield, Illinois.

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We have Thursday’s top news!  What is Barack Obama saying today about the corruption scandal surrounding his home state governor?  What steps is Obama taking to show his team has no connection to the scandal?  What fate awaits Gov. Blagojevich if he does not resign?  Who is Obama’s choice to lead the health care reform effort? What is the status of the auto industry bailout bill?  And what happened on Wall Street today?  We answer all these questions as we bring you the biggest stories for Thursday, December 11, 2008.

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The House of Representatives passed the $14 billion rescue plan for the auto industry, but did so without the support of Texas Rep. Mike Conaway.  Why does Conaway believe this plan solves nothing?  Why does he believe Chapter 11 is a better option for these automakers than government welfare?  And how does he reconcile his vote for the Wall Street bailout with his opposition to aid for Detroit?  We discuss all these issues with Rep. Conaway.

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What will be the fallout of the Rod Blagojevich scandal in Illinois?  Could Republicans be competitive in a special election?  How will this impact Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr.?  What will happen with the auto bailout bill in the U.S. Senate?  And what should we make of this week’s selections for the Obama cabinet?  We ask John Gizzi, political editor at Human Events.

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The auto industry and other sectors of the economy are suffering because of the lack of credit.  And credit is scarce because too many loans were given out in recent years to people who had no hope of paying them back.  So what are the key policies that triggered this mess?  Why did banks have an incentive to hand out high-risk loans?  And what are the lessons to learn so this doesn’t happen again?  We ask Howard Husock, vice president for policy research at the Manhattan Institute.

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