Update on budget negotiations. End of an era for ethanol? Britons’ taste for tattler tabloids. How does a national obsession with true crime affect us?
Clock is ticking, still no debt deal in sight
At a White House press conference this morning, President Obama declared there would be no deal on raising the government’s debt ceiling if Republicans are unwilling to compromise. “I don’t see a path to a deal if they don’t budget. Period.” The President warned that failure to reach a deal by the August 2 deadline could create another recession and cost millions of jobs. The President is pushing for $4 trillion worth of deficit cuts over the coming decade and said he’s willing to take heat from his party to get something done. But Republicans, lead by House Speaker John Boehner, remain steadfast in their opposition to tax hikes. What will it take to end this partisan showdown? What will the consequences be if Congress fails to act by the August 2 deadline?
Guests:
Jeanne Cummings, Deputy Government Team Editor for Bloomberg News
Tom Del Bacarro, Chairman, California Republican Party
Brad Sherman, Democratic Congressman from the San Fernando Valley's 27th congressional district
End of an era for ethanol?
For the thirty years that the federal government has been subsidizing corn ethanol, the policy has been sacrosanct. Few politicians have dared challenge the desires of the powerful Iowa constituency – until now. A bipartisan group of U.S. Senators has reached a deal to cut a major chunk of the tax credit incentives and to do away with protective tariffs on foreign ethanol. With the billions of dollars tied to the ethanol subsidies, it is a high stakes debate for the interested parties. Federal debt watchers say the savings will go a long way to alleviating U.S. debt. Some ethanol producers concede the time has come for cuts, but still want government investment in ethanol infrastructure. Others argue the adolescent industry still needs a safety net to help increase American sources of energy. What exactly are the changes in the ethanol policy? How much money will be saved? How much will be spent on ethanol infrastructure – such as new pumps at gas stations? What does this mean for farmers – large and small – in corn-growing states? Is this all about money or has the new science on ethanol changed the debate? What is the future for flex fuel vehicles?
Guests:
Ken Glozer, author of Corn Ethanol: Who Pays, Who Benefits?" published by Hoover University Press; President, OMB Professionals – energy consultancy in northern Virginia. Former head of the Energy and Agriculture Budget Division, Office of Management & Budget (OMB), Executive Office of the President of the United States (1970-1996)
Tom Buis, CEO, Growth Energy – Ethanol industry lobby group
Britons' taste for tattler tabloids
Last week, Rupert Murdoch’s son James announced that the British tabloid News of the World would be shutting down on Sunday, July 10th. This comes after the outfit faces allegations of hacking the voicemail account of a missing girl in 2002, who was later found to have been murdered. This move could have negatively affected police work and did mislead the girl’s family into believing she was still alive. Murdoch’s decision to shutter the tabloid is a direct response to the paper’s gauche actions, but critics say it isn’t enough. Some are calling for Rebekah Brooks, editor of News of the World at the time of the hacking and now chief executive of News International, to step down or be removed by Murdoch. He has not done so and has publicly defended her work. Murdoch’s other news properties are also being called under scrutiny for such behavior. Britain has had a longstanding fixation on tabloids, and these revelations have caused an uproar across the pond. Notable Brit Hugh Grant, also the victim of phone hacking, went so far as to call the debacle a “national outrage.” Will tabloid culture survive in the UK? Will readership dwindle? What will happen to Murdoch’s publishing empire in light of these events?
Guests:
Nicholas Cull, Professor of Communications, USC Annenberg School for Communication & Journalism
Jose Lambiet, Veteran gossip writer and columnist; publications include the Palm Beach Post, Star Magazine, National Enquirer, New York Daily News and Radar Online
Dan Wooding, former correspondent for the National Enquirer and a staffer on Britain's raciest tabloids including News of the World, Sunday People and the Sunday Mirror
How does a national obsession with true crime affect us?
Smart, Dugard, Holloway, Anthony…these are the names that have captured our national attention in the last few years, and now the public profile of these women is on the rise. Jaycee Dugard just gave her first big interview to Dianne Sawyer, Elizabeth Smart is about to become ABC News’ contributor on missing person cases and analysts expect Casey Anthony to walk out of jail and right into a book deal. The media and public’s obsession with these high-profile and completely horrific murder, kidnapping or rape cases is well documented and, in a cynical sense, totally understandable.