Posts Tagged ‘Barack Obama’
LiveBlog for Thursday, November 5, 2009
Thursday, November 5th, 2009
• MSNBC’s David Shuster calls in at 6:05am Pacific to talk about the elections, the economy, and health care reform.
• Erica Williams, Deputy Director of Campus Progress, calls in at 6:30am Pacific to talk about where the youth are in the health care reform debate.
• John Marcotte, originator of the 2010 California Marriage Protection Act, calls in at 7:05am Pacific to talk about his proposed ban on divorce in California.
• Rep. John Yarmuth (D-KY) calls in at 8:30am Pacific to talk about the economy and health care reform.
• In a coup for House Dems, AARP will endorse sweeping health care overhaul legislation headed for a history-making floor vote. House Dem leaders are hoping it will give them a needed bost as they strive to deliver on President Obama’s signature issue.
• President Obama’s top budget official promised this week that the administration will try next year to wrestle the skyrocketing budget deficit under control to avoid higher interest rates and putting the health of the economy in jeopardy.
• The New York Yankees scored a 7-3 victory at the new Yankee’s Stadium in Game 6 of the World Series last night to win the series over the Philadelphia Phillies. It’s the Yankees’ 27th championship.
Tags: 2010 California Marriage Protection Act, AARP, Barack Obama, Campus Progress, David Shuster, Erica Williams, Health Care Reform, John Marcotte, John Yarmuth, New York Yankees, Philadelphia Phillies
Posted in liveblog | 412 Comments »
LiveBlog for Tuesday, November 3, 2009
Tuesday, November 3rd, 2009
• Rep. Allyson Schwartz (D-PA) calls in at 6:30am Pacific to talk about health care reform and the encouraging signs in the economy.
• Charlie Pierce, author of “Idiot America,” calls in at 7:30am Pacific to talk about Election Day, health care reform, Afghanistan, and the economy.
• Today is Election Day in many states. Polls are close in the New Jersey governor’s race, Dem Creigh Deeds trails GOP-er Bob McDonnell in the polls by double digits in the Virginia gubernatorial race, Conservative Doug Hoffman leads Dem Bill Owens in NY’s 23rd Congressional District race, Maine voters are being asked if gay marriage should remain legal, and Washington State voters are deciding on a domestic partnerships law.
• While House leaders are moving toward a vote on health care legislation by the end of the week, enough Dems are threatening to oppose the measure over the issue of abortion to create a question about its passage. A bloc of Dems are worried that the bill could lead to public funding of the procedure.
• President Obama called Afghan President Hamid Karzai to congratulate him on being named the winner of that country’s election, and urged him to work to improve governance and end corruption there.
• The Philadelphia Phillies beat the New York Yankees 8-6 in Game 5 of the World Series last night, forcing a Game 6 at Yankee Stadium tomorrow night.
Tags: Allyson Schwartz, Barack Obama, Bill Owens, Bob McDonnell, Charlie Pierce, Creigh Deeds, Doug Hoffman, Hamid Karzai, Health Care Reform, New York Yankees, Philadelphia Phillies
Posted in liveblog | 327 Comments »
LiveBlog for Friday, October 30, 2009
Friday, October 30th, 2009
• Rep. Diana Degette (D-CO) calls in at 6:05am Pacific to talk about The Affordable Health Care for America Act.
• Dr. Maya Angelou calls in at 6:50am Pacific to talk about her new book, “Letter to My Daughter.”
• Rep. Robert Andrews (D-NJ) calls in at 7:30am Pacific to talk about The Affordable Health Care for America Act.
• Comedian John Fugelsang joins us in studio at 8am Pacific for “Fridays with Fugelsang.”
• Cheered by President Obama, House Dems rolled out landmark legislation yesterday to extend health care to tens of millions who lack coverage, impose sweeping new restrictions on the insurance industry, and create a government-run option to compete with private insurers.
• President Obama will host the Joint Chiefs of Staff at the White House today as he reassesses his administration’s military strategy in Afghanistan. The meeting will give each branch of the armed services a direct opportunity to tell Obama the effect on the military if a large number of additional forces are sent to Afghanistan.
• Mark Teixeira and Hideki Matsui hit solo homers off Pedro Martinez to give the New York Yankees a 3-1 victory over the Philadelphia Phillies and tie the World Series at 1-1 last night.
Tags: Afghanistan, Barack Obama, Diana Degette, Health Care Reform, John Fugelsang, Joint Chiefs of Staff, Maya Angelou, New York Yankees, Philadelphia Phillies, Robert Andrews, World Series
Posted in liveblog | 192 Comments »
LiveBlog for Thursday, October 29, 2009
Thursday, October 29th, 2009
• Rep. Donna Christensen (D-Virgin Islands) calls in at 6:30am Pacific to update us on health care reform.
• Rep. Earl Perlmutter (D-CO) calls in at 7:30am Pacific to update us on health care reform.
• Christine Romans, host of “Your $$$$$” on CNN, calls in at 7:50am Pacific to update us on the economic recovery.
• House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is preparing to unveil a retooled health care overhaul plan today intended to bridge differences among Dems. She wants to have the legislation on the floor next week with a final vote before Veterans Day, that would give President Obama a bill to sign by year’s end.
• President Obama is considering a scaled-down version of the war plan advanced by his top Afghanistan commander, Gen. Stanley McChrystal, U.S. officials say. The plan would focus on protecting Afghan cities and key infrastructure. One official described the plan as “McChrystal Light.”
• Fox News Channel and the Obama administration are talking. The network confirmed a Politico report that a Fox News executive met at the White House yesterday with Robert Gibbs, President Obama’s press secretary. There were no details given about the meeting.
• The Philadelphia Phillies beat the New York Yankees 6-1 last night in Game 1 of the World Series.
Tags: Afghanistan, Barack Obama, Christine Romans, Donna Christensen, Earl Perlmutter, Fox News, Nancy Pelosi, New York Yankees, Philadelphia Phillies, Stanley McChrystal, World Series
Posted in liveblog | 279 Comments »
LiveBlog for Wednesday, October 28, 2009
Wednesday, October 28th, 2009
• Rep. John Yarmuth (D-KY) calls in at 6:30am Pacific to talk about health care reform.
• Karl Frisch, Senior Fellow at Media Matters for America, calls in at 7:05am Pacific to co-host Right Wing World.
• Comedian Hal Sparks joins us in studio at 8:05am Pacific for another edition of “Humpdays with Hal.”
• Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-CT) said yesterday that while he’s “strongly inclined” to vote to move Sen. Harry Reid’s (D-NV) health care plan with an opt-out public option to the Senate floor for debate, he would ultimately oppose the measure and join a GOP filibuster because it includes that option.
• The White House said yesterday that President Obama has nearly finished gathering information and advice on how to proceed in Afghanistan. Press Secretary Robert Gibbs told reporters that a planned meeting on Friday with the Joint Chiefs of Staff will be among the last events in the decision-making process.
• The FAA has revoked the licenses of the two Northwest Airlines pilots who flew a passenger jet past their Minneapolis destination by 150 miles last week. They had violated numerous regulations, including failing to comply with air traffic control instructions and clearances and operating carelessly and recklessly.
Tags: Afghanistan, Barack Obama, Hal Sparks, Harry Reid, Joe Lieberman, John Yarmuth, Karl Frisch, Media Matters for America, Northwest Airlines, Robert Gibbs
Posted in liveblog | 294 Comments »
LiveBlog for Monday, October 26, 2009
Monday, October 26th, 2009
• The Rude Pundit (Lee Papa) calls in at 6:30am Pacific to talk about Ann Coulter, Pat Buchanan, and Britney Spears.
• Eric Boehlert, Senior Fellow at Media Matters for America, calls in at 7:05am Pacific to co-host Right Wing World.
• Comedian Sara Benincasa calls in at 8:30am Pacific to tell us about her columns for The Huffington Post and her upcoming tour dates.
• Both House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid are expected to make decisions this week in hopes the long-delayed health care reform bills can come to a vote early next month. Officials familiar with the Senate talks say businesses would not be required to provide health insurance, but large companies would owe significant penalties if any worker needs government subsidies to buy coverage on their own.
• Top lawmakers sparred yesterday over the timing of President Obama’s decision on how to move ahead in Afghanistan, with Republicans urging a quick move to boost troop levels and Dems counseling patience.
• President Obama declared the swine flu outbreak a national emergency, giving his health chief the power to let hospitals move emergency rooms offsite to speed treatment and protect non-infected patients.
Tags: Afghanistan, Barack Obama, Eric Boehlert, Harry Reid, Health Care Reform, Lee Papa, Media Matters for America, Nancy Pelosi, Rude Pundit, Sara Benincasa, Swine Flu
Posted in liveblog | 163 Comments »
LiveBlog for Friday, October 23, 2009
Friday, October 23rd, 2009
• Comedian John Fugelsang joins us in studio at 8:05am Pacific for another edition of “Fridays with Fugelsang.”
• The Senate has long been seen as opposing the public health care option in health care reform, but now senior Senate Dems and White House officials are strongly considering including such a measure, but would permit individual states to drop out of the system.
• The White House yesterday forcefully rejected criticism from former Vice President Dick Cheney and other GOP-ers that President Obama’s Afghanistan decision is taking too long. “What Cheney calls dithering, President Obama calls his solemn responsibility,” White House press secretary Robert Gibbs said.
• Physical attacks on people based on their sexual orientation will join the list of federal hate crimes in a major expansion of the civil rights-era law Congress approved yesterday and sent to President Obama. The measure is named for Matthew Shepard. Many GOP-ers voted against the bill, calling it “controversial.”
• Soupy Sales, the rubber-faced comedian whose anything-for-a-chuckle career was built on 20,000 pies to the face and 5,000 live TV appearances across a half-century of laughs, has died at a hospice in the Bronx. He was 83.
Tags: Barack Obama, Dick Cheney, Health Care Reform, John Fugelsang, Matthew Shepard, Robert Gibbs, Soupy Sales
Posted in liveblog | 398 Comments »
LiveBlog for Thursday, October 22, 2009
Thursday, October 22nd, 2009
• Christian Weller, Senior Fellow at the Center for American Progress, calls in at 6:30am Pacific to talk about the economy and the progress it’s making.
• Rep. Tim Ryan (D-OH) calls in at 7:05am Pacific to talk about health care reform and the economy.
• Rep. Bruce Braley (D-IA) calls in at 8:05am Pacific to talk about health care reform and the economy.
• Former Vice President Dick Cheney last night accused the White House of “dithering” over the strategy for the war in Afghanistan and urged President Obama to “do what it takes to win.” Cheney said that signals of indecision out of DC “hurt our allies and embolden our adversaries.”
• President Obama unveiled plans yesterday to refocus spending of the government’s $700 billion financial bailout away from Wall Street’s big financial institutions and toward small businesses. He announced initiatives that would make it easier for smaller community banks to provide credit to small businesses.
• Dems launched a drive at both ends of the Capitol yesterday to strip the insurance industry of its decades-old exemption from federal antitrust laws. The change would put an end to “price-fixing, bid-rigging, and market allocation in the health and medical malpractice” insurance areas.
Tags: Afghanistan, Barack Obama, Bruce Braley, Center for American Progress, Christian Weller, Dick Cheney, Health Care Reform, Tim Ryan
Posted in liveblog | 310 Comments »
LiveBlog for Wednesday, October 21, 2009
Wednesday, October 21st, 2009
• Lester Brown, Founder of the Earth Policy Institute and author of “Plan B 4.0,” calls in at 6:30am Pacific to talk about the need for immediate environmental action.
• Karl Frisch, Senior Fellow at Media Matters for America, calls in at 7:05am Pacific to co-host Right Wing World.
• Rep. Allyson Schwartz (D-PA) calls in at 7:30am Pacific to talk about health care reform.
• Hal Sparks joins us in studio at 8:05am Pacific for another edition of “Humpdays With Hal.”
• Comedian Margaret Cho calls in at 8:30am Pacific to talk about her upcoming shows and the release of her new concert DVD, “Beautiful.”
• President Obama has sought to spend no more than $900 billion over a 10-year period on health care reform. Yesterday, however, House Dem leaders received a new cost estimate of $871 billion from congressional budget umpires who measured a bill with a a robust public option.
• President Obama spoke with Afghan President Hamid Karzai yesterday and congratulated him for accepting the report of the UN-backed Election Complaint Commission which ruled that he garnered under 50% of the vote in the August election after vote fraud had been factored in, mandating a recount.
• Oprah Winfrey announced yesterday that Sarah Palin will appear on her show on Monday, November 16th.
Tags: Afghanistan, Allyson Schwartz, Barack Obama, Earth Policy Institute, Hal Sparks, Hamid Karzai, Health Care Reform, Karl Frisch, Lester Brown, Margaret Cho, Media Matters for America, Oprah Winfrey, Sarah Palin
Posted in liveblog | 146 Comments »
LiveBlog for Tuesday, October 20, 2009
Tuesday, October 20th, 2009
• Rep. Adam Smith (D-WA) calls in at 6:05am Pacific to update us on his collapsed lung and to discuss health care reform.
• Charlie Pierce, author of “Idiot America,” calls in at 7:30am Pacific to riff on the news of the day.
• Rep. Frank Pallone (D-NJ) calls in at 8:05am Pacific to talk about health care reform.
• MSNBC’s David Shuster calls in at 8:30am Pacific to talk about the big news of the day, including health care reform and Balloon Boy.
• White House advisers have stepped up their attacks on Fox News, claiming the cable television network is a GOP mouthpiece whose programming “is geared toward making money.” Rahm Emanuel, President Obama’s chief of staff, said on Sunday, “It is not a news organization so much as it has a perspective.”
• The White House is waiting for Congress to settle on a final health care bill, even though President Obama has a clear preference in favor of at least once specific – the much-debated public option. Obama, however, will not demand that legislation include a government option.
• The stock market stepped to new highs for the year yesterday after a handful of earnings reports bolstered hopes that the economy is coming back sooner than analysts had thought.
Tags: Adam Smith, Barack Obama, Charlie Pierce, David Shuster, Fox News, Frank Pallone, Health Care Reform, Rahm Emanuel, Stock Market
Posted in liveblog | 432 Comments »
