Record Food Prices and Record Farm Profits, Why Record Farm Subsidies?
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Food prices are setting records and so are the profits of farmers, so why is Congress at work on a farm bill with more subsidies than ever before? Even Iowa Senator Tom Harkin calls it "free money." Will the rich be getting richer at the expense of the environment, small farmers and American consumers? Also, the Supreme Court upholds Indiana Voter ID Law, and Jeremiah Wright at the National Press Club today: on patriotism, Louis Farrakhan and Barack Obama.
Making News
Supreme Court Upholds Indiana Voter ID Law ()
A week before Indiana's presidential primaries, the US Supreme Court today upheld that state's law requiring photo identification when voters go to the polls. David Stout reports for the New York Times.
Guests:
- David Stout: Washington Bureau reporter for the New York Times
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Main Topic
Income and Federal Subsidies Up for US Farmers ()
Increased farm subsidies have made strange bedfellows of environmentalists and the Bush Administration. They agree that that the big federal money goes to big agri-business, at the expense of the little guys, not what subsidies were designed to do. Even the Wall Street Journal calls the Farm Bill a "millionaire safety net" which raises taxes to pay off the rich. What does it mean for the environment? What are the prospects of another "bubble" with results like those for dot-coms and housing?
Guests:
- Catharine Richert: Agricultural Reporter for Congressional Quarterly
- Sandra Schubert: Director of Government Affairs, Environmental Working Group
- Mary Kay Thatcher: Director of Public Policy, American Farm Bureau
- Brad Lubben: Assistant Professor of Agricultural Economics, University of Nebraska at Lincoln
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Reporter's Notebook
Rev. Jeremiah Wright Speaks Out ()
After days of silence, except for sound bites from past sermons, Barack Obama's pastor has been going public. Friday, he appeared on Bill Moyers' public television show. Last night, he addressed the NAACP. And today, he got some tough questionsafter a speech to the National Press Club in Washington, DC. Ben Smith is senior political writer at Politico.com.
Guests:
- Ben Smith: Senior Political Reporter, Politico.com
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