If homeland security officials were to stop doing their jobs until after the election, so as not to be perceived as being politically-motivated, would we really be better off? That's how DHS Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs Susan Neely responds to accusations that her agency is shilling for the GOP. She joins Brooke to explain that preparedness activities have been taking place for many months now, and that National Preparedness Month is simply an opportunity to spread the message wider.
There are more developments in the FBI's search for the source of the Bob Novak column that outed CIA agent Valerie Plame. This week: The Feds vs. The New York Times.
The horserace, political fumbles, the knockout blow. Once again, sports metaphors are a ubiquitous part of the presidential campaign. But this year, sports themselves are in the middle of the political playing field. And the images of the candidates on the water, on the mound or against any other sporting backdrop may have a real impact on the final score. OTM's John Solomon gives this play-by-play of the campaign's last lap.
How scared should we really be about thieves accessing our credit card bills? And how has the growing reach of the internet affected the limits of our privacy? Steven Rambam, a private investigator who makes heavy use of online databases in his daily work, has some disturbing answers. He gives Brooke the willies with disturbing stories about the federal government, the internet… and her social security number.
Despite repeated warnings from Bush Administration officials that terrorists could strike the U.S. this summer, most Americans have made more preparations for barbecues than for a potential attack. In the first of a two-part series on homeland security readiness, OTM's John Solomon looks at how the Bush Administration is doing in its effort to market civil defense preparedness to the public and the press.
Last weekend, Italy held elections for its representatives to the European Parliament. As in other EU member states, the results were an upset for the ruling party. But in Italy, that upset was compounded. The ticket led by television journalist Lilli Gruber, who recently left the public TV station because of government meddling in editorial decisions, trounced that of Prime Minister and media mogul Silvio Berlusconi. NPR's Sylvia Poggioli joins Bob from Rome to discuss the results.
This week, the National Rifle Association went live on Sirius satellite radio with its 3-hour daily talk show. The NRA says its media aspirations, which include plans to eventually buy actual radio stations, are as much about the first amendment as they are about the second one. Specifically, the group claims it's not subject to pre-election spending limits for lobbying organizations laid out in the McCain Feingold campaign finance law. Why? Because that law exempts newspapers, broadcasters, and other media outlets. Larry Noble, Executive Director of the Center for Responsive Politics, tells Bob what's at
Ronald Reagan is gone, but at least as far as the cable news networks are concerned, he is not forgotten. Not so with most of the other important news items this week, which were relegated to the nooks and crannies between the Gipper coverage. OTM pauses to consider the casualties in a week of saturation death coverage.
