Tea Parties, Terrorism and Political Partisanship

Making News

EPA Clears the Way to Regulate Greenhouse Gasses ()

Two years ago, the US Supreme Court ordered the Environmental Protection Agency to determine if greenhouse gases harm the environment and public health. The Bush Administration took no action, but today, the Obama EPA said the evidence is “compelling and overwhelming.” Juliet Eilperin is national environmental reporter for the Washington Post.

Guests:

• Juliet Eilperin: National Environmental Reporter, Washington Post

Main Topic

Is Right-wing Extremism on the Rise? ()

Conservative pundits are up in arms about a new report warning that right-wing extremists are a threat to America's internal security. Prepared in conjunction with the FBI and unlike a previous report about left-wing radicals, it contains few specifics and names no names, but it does say returning veterans could pose a danger. Though the Obama Administration has apologized for that, mainstream conservatives still insist they're under unwarranted political attack. We hear both sides and ask what this dispute and the Tax Day "tea parties" mean for the future of Republican politics.

Guests:

• Peter Roff: Senior Fellow, Institute for Liberty
• Mark Potok: Director of the Intelligence Project, Southern Poverty Law Center
• Jennifer Rubin: blogger, Commentary magazine
• Brian Levin: Director of the Center for the Study of Hate and Extremism, California State University San Bernardino
• Ron Brownstein: Political Director, Atlantic Media

Links:

• Rubin on tea parties as wake-up call for Obama, main stream media
• Levin's 'The Limits of Dissent: The Constitutional Status of Armed Civilian Militias'
• Brownstein's 'The Second Civil War: How Extreme Partisanship Has Paralyzed Washington and Polarized America'
• Roff's blog on DHS reports on rightists, leftists

Reporter's Notebook

Memos May Expose Government Lawyers, Others to Prosecution ()

Some of the Bush Administration's most closely guarded secrets have now been revealed in legal memos released by the Obama Justice Department, despite opposition by the CIA. Brutal interrogation tactics are described in graphic detail along with efforts to square them with international and American law. President Obama condemned a "dark and painful chapter in our history," but said "nothing will be gained by spending our time and energy laying blame for the past." Hofstra Law Professor Scott Horton is contributing editor to Harper's magazine, where he writes the "No Comment" blog.

Guests:

• Scott Horton: Visiting Professor of Law, Hofstra Law School