Local Elections and National Politics

Making News

Italian Judge Convicts 23 Americans in Rendition Case ()

In Milan today, an Italian court convicted 22 CIA agents and a US Air Force Colonel of kidnapping a Muslim cleric in 2003 and flying him to Egypt, where he says he was tortured. It's a case of what's called "extraordinary rendition." Sebastian Rotella has covered the lengthy trial in Italy; he's now in Washington for the Los Angeles Times.

Guests:

• Sebastian Rotella: National Security Correspondent, Los Angeles Times

Links:

• TtP 'Notebook' on the case (2007)

Main Topic

Local Elections and National Politics ()

Most voters in New Jersey and Virginia said Barack Obama's performance was not a factor when they elected Republicans over Democrats to run their states. But the chattering class is still looking for signs of meaning. Will GOP wins make moderate Democrats in Congress think twice about the Obama agenda? Did Sarah Palin, Rush Limbaugh and Glenn Beck show conservative muscle in upstate New York or sabotage the Republican Party? What do results from Maine and Washington State reveal about efforts to legalize same-sex marriage?

Guests:

• John Mercurio: Senior Editor, The Hotline
• Jonah Goldberg: Editor-at-Large, National Review Online
• David Sirota: nationally syndicated columnist, @davidsirota
• Charlie Bass: former Congressman (R-NH)
• Nan Hunter: Professor of Law, Georgetown University

Links:

• Columbia Journalism Review on media, broader meaning of off-year elections
• RNC Chair Steele on GOP election victories in Virginia, New Jersey
• Mercurio on variables favoring GOP in yesterday's election
• Goldberg's column on the GOP rediscovering its conservative principles
• Times of London's analysis of election results
• New York Times' editorial on election results

Reporter's Notebook

Did Buffett Make a Safe Bet on the Future of Railroads? ()

Warren Buffett is spending $34 billion on the Burlington Northern Santa Fe Corporation, in what he calls "an all-in wager on the economic future of the United States." The nation's largest rail transporter of coal and grain, the BNSF is a link for consumer goods from Asia to the ports of Southern California to the rest of the country.  Aaron Gellman, Professor of Management and Strategy at the Kellogg School of Management and the Transportation Center at Northwestern University, says the implications extend far beyond America's railroads.

Guests:

• Aaron Gellman: Professor of Management and Strategy, Northwestern University