Posts Tagged ‘George W. Bush’
LiveBlog for Monday, August 24, 2009
Monday, August 24th, 2009
• The Rude Pundit (Lee Papa) calls in at 6:30am Pacific for more rudeness about Tom Ridge and the health care reform protests.
• CNN’s Paul Begala calls in at 7:05am Pacific to talk about health care reform, Libya, and the President’s vacation.
• The Justice Department’s ethics office has recommended reversing the Bush administration and reopening nearly a dozen prisoner-abuse cases, potentially exposing CIA employees and contractors to prosecution for brutal treatment of terrorism suspects.
• Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-CT), the independent senator counted on by Dems in the health care debate, showed signs of wavering yesterday when he urged President Obama to postpone many of his initiatives because of the economic downturn.
• The First Family settled in yesterday for their vacation on Martha’s Vineyard not long after Hurricane Bill scampered away, leaving behind big waves and heavy rip currents for the Obamas.
• The Obama administration expects the federal deficit over the next decade to be $2 trillion bigger than previously estimated, White House officials said Friday, a setback for a president already facing a Congress and public wary over spending.
Tags: Barack Obama, CIA, George W. Bush, Hurricane Bill, Lee Papa, Martha's Vineyard, Rude Pundit
Posted in liveblog | 387 Comments »
LiveBlog for Monday, July 13, 2009
Monday, July 13th, 2009
• Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) and Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL), both on the Senate Intelligence Committee, suggested yesterday that the Bush administration broke the law by ordering that a CIA counterterrorism program be concealed from Congress. They are pushing for twin investigations into Bush-era torture policies.
• Attorney General Eric Holder is leaning toward appointing a prosecutor to investigate the Bush administration’s interrogation practices. “Newsweek” is also reporting that Holder has asked his staff for a list of 10 candidates who might serve as that prosecutor if one is named.
• After weeks of meeting senators and preparing for tough questions, Sonia Sotomayor today begins the formal hearings on her nomination to become the nation’s first Hispanic Supreme Court justice. Sotomayor, 55, received a good-luck phone call yesterday from President Obama.
• Dems on the House Ways and Means Committee on Friday proposed a graduated tax on wealthy Americans to pay for health care reform. The new tax would apply to individuals who make more than $280,000 a year and married couples who make more than $350,000 a year.
• North Korean leader Kim Jong Il has life-threatening pancreatic cancer, a news report in South Korea said today, days after new images of him looking gaunt spurred speculation that his health might be worsening following a reported stroke last year.
Tags: Dianne Feinstein, Dick Cheney, Dick Durbin, Eric Holder, George W. Bush, Health Care Reform, Kim Jong Il, Sonia Sotomayor
Posted in liveblog | 377 Comments »
LiveBlog for Friday, May 29, 2009
Friday, May 29th, 2009
• Comedian Hal Sparks joins us in studio at 7am Pacific for two hours to talk about the news of the day and to promote his upcoming gig at the Brea, CA Improv next month.
• Rev. Jim Wallis, founder of Sojourners, calls in at 8:06am Pacific to talk about President Obama’s plan for national security, the nomination of Sonia Sotomayor, and the upholding of Prop. 8.
• Melissa Etheridge calls in at 8:30am Pacific to discuss the upholding of Prop. 8 and what that means for her relationship.
• Former President George W. Bush at a speech in Michigan last night repeated Dick Cheney’s assertion that the administration’s “enhanced interrogation” program, which included waterboarding, was legal and garnered valuable information that prevented terrorist attacks.
• President Obama is expected to announce today the creation of the position of cyber czar, a person who will coordinate the nation’s efforts to protect government and private computer systems from hackers, criminal gangs, terrorists, and spies.
• Israel must halt West Bank settlement activity and the Palestinians need to increase West Bank security to advance the Middle East peace process, President Obama said yesterday after meeting with Palestinian authority President Mahmoud Abbas.
• Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-UT), the longest-serving GOPer on the Senate Judiciary Committee, said yesterday that he believes Sonia Sotomayor is headed for a Supreme Court confirmation.
Tags: Barack Obama, Dick Cheney, George W. Bush, Hal Sparks, Jim Wallis, Mahmoud Abbas, Melissa Etheridge, Orrin Hatch, Sojourners, Sonia Sotomayor
Posted in liveblog | 477 Comments »
LiveBlog for Tuesday, April 21, 2009
Tuesday, April 21st, 2009
• President Obama, visiting CIA headquarters yesterday, defended his decision to release Bush-era memos on interrogation tactics, saying the country will ultimately be stronger as a result. He met with officials and employees there and talked to them about the importance of the agency’s mission to national security.
• President Obama gathered together every confirmed member of his Cabinet for the first time as president yesterday and challenged them to cut $100 million in the next 90 days. The edict is part of Obama’s “commitment to go line by line through the budget to cut spending” and “reform the government.
• The Norm Coleman legal team announced yesterday that it would be filing a notice of appeal with the Minnesota Supreme Court. Coleman’s lawyers say it could take anywhere from “two weeks to two months” for the court to begin hearing oral arguments.
• A number of delegates walked out of a United Nations conference on racism in Geneva yesterday when Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad called Israel a racist government during his address. Some 40 Western diplomats walked out of the room when Ahmadinejad said Israel was created on the “pretext of Jewish suffering” from the Second World War. The U.S. Canada, and Israel all boycotted the meeting.
• A Boston University medical student was arrested yesterday in the shooting death in a hotel of a masseuse and the robbery of another woman who both advertised their services on Craigslist.
Tags: Barack Obama, CIA, Craigslist Killer, George W. Bush, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, Norm Coleman, United Nations
Posted in liveblog | 364 Comments »
LiveBlog for Friday, April 17, 2009
Friday, April 17th, 2009
Follow Producer Chris Lavoie on Twitter!! Get updates on Steph’s appearances on TV, upcoming guests on the show, and much more.
• CNN’s Chief Medical Correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta calls in at 7:06am Pacific to talk about his new special, “CNN Presents: Addiction: Life On The Edge.”
• Rep. Michael Honda (D-CA) calls in at 7:30am Pacific to discuss President Obama’s trip to Mexico and the need for immigration reform.
• Fran Drescher calls in at 8:30am Pacific to discuss her charity work, especially with “Cancer Schmancer,” her cancer organization.
• Interrogation tactics such as waterboarding, sleep deprivation, and slapping did not violate laws against torture when there was no intent to cause severe pain, according to a Bush-era memo on the tactics released yesterday. Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-VT) called the list of specific approved tactics “chilling.”
• Reviving a ban on assault weapons and more strictly enforcing existing gun laws could help tamp down on drug violence that has run rampant on the U.S.-Mexican border, President Obama said alongside Mexican president Felipe Calderon in Mexico City yesterday.
• President Obama unveiled his administration’s blueprint for a new national network of high-speed passenger rail lines yesterday, saying such an investment is necessary to reduce traffic congestion, cut dependence on foreign oil, and improve the environment.
Tags: Felipe Calderon, Fran Drescher, George W. Bush, Michael Honda, Patrick Leahy, Sanjay Gupta
Posted in liveblog | 483 Comments »
LiveBlog for Wednesday, April 8, 2009
Wednesday, April 8th, 2009
Follow Producer Chris Lavoie on Twitter!! Get updates on Steph’s appearances on TV, upcoming guests on the show, and much more.
For those of you in Portland, OR who are wondering where The Stephanie Miller Show went, we have good news! You can now hear us LIVE every weekday from 6am to 9am Pacific on 970AM, The Talker!
• Jenny Pizer, Marriage Project Director for Lambda Legal, calls in at 7:05am Pacific to talk about gay marriage in Iowa, Vermont, DC, and California.
• President Obama made a surprise trip to Baghdad yesterday, where he had a raucous meeting with several hundred U.S. troops who cheered wildly when he told them it’s time for Iraqis to take responsibility for their country. He also met with his top commander in Iraq, and the president and prime minister of the country.
• Vice President Joe Biden said yesterday that his predecessor, Dick Cheney, is “dead wrong” when he says President Obama’s national security policies are making the U.S. less safe. Biden said the exact opposite is true and added that President Bush’s vice president was part of a dysfunctional decision-making system.
• Vermont’s House and Senate voted yesterday to override the governor’s veto of a bill legalizing same-sex marriage in the state. This makes Vermont the 4th state to legalize gay marriage.
Tags: Baghdad, Barack Obama, Dick Cheney, George W. Bush, Jenny Pizer, Joe Biden, Lambda Legal, Vermont
Posted in liveblog | 363 Comments »
LiveBlog for Tuesday, March 10, 2009
Tuesday, March 10th, 2009
• Former Alabama governor Don Siegelman calls in at 7:30am Pacific to talk about his reaction to the court’s upholding of 5 of the 7 charges against him.
• President Obama signed an executive order yesterday repealing a Bush-era policy that limited federal tax dollars for embryonic stem cell research. Obama also signed a presidential memorandum establishing greater independence for federal science policies and programs.
• President Obama yesterday ordered a review of George W. Bush’s guidelines for implementing legislation passed by Congress, at the same time saying that he would implement his own vision of how he wants the government to follow the law. Obama said government officials must check with Attorney General Eric Holder before relying on any of Bush’s signing statements for guidance.
• President Obama today will call on Americans to educate themselves as well as their children during his first major speech devoted solely to education since taking office. He will promote tighter standards for teachers and a reduced dropout rate for students as part of an education plan.
• About 12,000 U.S. soldiers will leave Iraq by September, officials said Sunday. The withdrawals, which will most likely come from Baghdad and Anbar province, once main battlefields of the war, are the first step in keeping with President Obama’s pledge to end America’s role in the war.
Tags: Barack Obama, Don Siegelman, George W. Bush, Iraq
Posted in liveblog | 438 Comments »
LiveBlog for Wednesday, March 4, 2009
Wednesday, March 4th, 2009
• Rep. Allyson Schwartz (D-PA), Vice Chair of the House Budget Committee, calls in at 7:30am Pacific to talk about President Obama’s budget goals.
• The Obama administration will release guidelines today to help lending institutions figure out which homeowners are most in need of help to stave off foreclosure. The guidelines will include tests to help banks figure out whether individual homeowners who are “underwater” can be saved by Obama’s $75 billion loan modification program.
• President Obama said yesterday that the country already is “seeing shovels hit the ground” on the first infrastructure repair project funded through the Transportation Department’s share of the $787 billion stimulus bill. Work began in Montgomery County, Maryland on resurfacing Maryland State Highway 650.
• President Obama yesterday overturned a last-minute Bush administration regulation that many environmentalists claim weakened the Endangered Species Act. The regulation made it easier for federal agencies to skip consultations with government scientists before launching projects that could affect endangered wildlife.
• Democrats plan to launch a website today that mocks GOP leaders for apologizing to radio host Rush Limbaugh for criticizing or publicly disagreeing with him. It will allow visitors to mockingly create an apology on behalf of people who have crossed Rush. You can find the website here!!!
Tags: Allyson Schwartz, Barack Obama, George W. Bush, Rush Limbaugh
Posted in liveblog | 421 Comments »
LiveBlog for Wednesday, February 25, 2009
Wednesday, February 25th, 2009
Let’s get Stephanie on MSNBC! Sign this petition today!
• David Shuster, anchor of MSNBC’s “1600 Pennsylvania Avenue” seen at 6pm Eastern weekdays, calls in at 6:06am Pacific to talk about President Obama’s speech last night.
• CNN’s Senior Political Correspondent Candy Crowley calls in at 7:06am Pacific to talk about President Obama’s speech to Congress last night.
• Rep. Rush Holt (D-NJ) calls in at 7:30am Pacific to give us his reaction to President Obama’s speech last night.
• Frank Stallone calls in at 8:30am Pacific to tell us what he’s been up to since he and Stephanie met at the Playboy Mansion years ago.
• President Obama yesterday outlined an ambitious agenda that requires “significant resources,” even as he aims to halve the deficit by the end of his term. In his first speech to a joint session of Congress, Obama said it’s time to act boldly not just to revive the economy, but “to build a new foundation for lasting prosperity.”
• Tapped by the GOP to deliver their response to Obama’s address last night, Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal took on the massive stimulus package and big government – and pledged that his party would regain the nation’s trust.
• Rep. Hilda Solis (D-CA) won confirmation yesterday as President Obama’s labor secretary, giving the agency a pro-worker tilt after years of business-friendly leadership under Bush.
Tags: Barack Obama, Bobby Jindal, Candy Crowley, David Shuster, Frank Stallone, George W. Bush, Hilda Solis, Rush Holt
Posted in liveblog | 481 Comments »
LiveBlog for Friday, January 23, 2009
Friday, January 23rd, 2009
• CNN’s Senior Political Correspondent Candy Crowley calls in at 6:30am Pacific to talk about the inauguration afterglow, and to discuss the tough things Obama has to confront now.
• Comedian John Fugelsang joins us in studio at 7:30am Pacific to talk about the inauguration and to promote his upcoming gigs in New Mexico.
• Angela Shelton and Frances Callier join us in studio at 8:30am Pacific for another edition of “Fridays with Frangela!”
• Promising to return America to the “moral high ground” in the war on terrorism, President Obama issued three executive orders yesterday to demonstrate a clean break from the Bush administration, including one requiring that the Guantanamo Bay detention facility be closed within a year.
• The other executive orders formally banned torture by requiring that the Army field manual be used as the guide for terrorism interrogations, and established an interagency task force to lead a systematic review of detention policies and procedures and a review of all individual cases.
• New York Gov. David Patterson has chosen second-term Dem. Rep. Kirsten Gillibrand to succeed Hillary Clinton in the U.S. Senate. She is expected to be named at a noon Eastern public announcement in Albany, NY.
• In an interview with a Conservative magazine, Dick Cheney said that Bush should have pardoned Cheney’s former chief of staff Scooter Libby, whom he calls “a victim of a serious miscarriage of justice.”
Tags: Barack Obama, Candy Crowley, David Patterson, Dick Cheney, Frangela, George W. Bush, Guantanamo Bay, Hillary Clinton, John Fugelsang, Kirsten Gillebrand, Scooter Libby
Posted in liveblog | 487 Comments »
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