Saber Rattling from Tehran, Tel Aviv, Moscow and Washington
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Iran today test-fired nine ballistic missiles, including one which it says has the capacity to strike an Israeli city. The test comes just a month after Israel drilled with warplanes that could reach Iran's nuclear installations. Also, should Washington cut programs to balance the budget or continue deficit spending to help hard-hit Americans? What about taxes? We look at the presidential candidates and the economy.
Banner image: Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Czech Republic Karel Schwarzenberg during their press conference, Prague, July 8
Making News
Iranian Missile Tests and Russian Threats ()
Iran today test-fired nine ballistic missiles, including a new version of the Shahab-3, which Iran says has the capacity to strike Tel Aviv. The tests were shown on government-run TV and a commander of the Revolutionary Guard said they were designed to "tell the world...that our finger is always on the trigger." We get perspective from Iran, Israel, Russia and the US.
Guests:
- Najmeh Bozorgmehr: Tehran Correspondent, Financial Times
- Yossi Melman: Commentator for Ha'aretz
- Mark Thompson: National Security Correspondent, Time, @MarkThompson_DC
- Edward Lucas: Central and Eastern Europe correspondent, Economist
Links:
- Secretary Rice on missile-defense agreement with the Czech Republic (video)
- Bozorgmehr's article on Iran's Shahab-3 test fire
- Melman's 'The Nuclear Sphinx of Tehran: Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and the State of Iran'
- Thompson's article on response to expansion of US missile shield in Europe
- Lucas' 'The New Cold War: Putin's Russia and the Threat to the West'
Main Topic
The Candidates Stump on the Economy ()
Both John McCain and Barack Obama had harsh words today about Iran's missile testing, but they've spent the week talking about the economy. Senator McCain says he'll balance the budget by 2013, the end of his first term. Senator Obama says he won't promise to eliminate the deficit in his first term because hard-hit American families need what he calls "some critical investments." We look at the impact of economic hard times on ordinary Americans and some of the economic fixes proposed by the two presidential candidates.
Guests:
- Nancy Pfotenhauer: Economic advisor to John McCain
- Jason Furman: Economic advisor to Barack Obama
- Peter Gosselin: National Economics Correspondent, Los Angeles Times
- Tom Donlan: Editorial Page Editor, Barron's National Business and Financial Weekly, @barronsonline
- Stephen Moore: Member of the Editorial Board, Wall Street Journal
Links:
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