Midterm Elections and Congressional Paralysis
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Back in session today, Congress has about 14 working days left before the November elections. With a lot of major work yet to be done, is Washington politically paralyzed? Also, the largest international arms deal in US history, and this week in Florida, 20 state attorneys general will argue that President Obama's healthcare reform is unconstitutional. We get a preview.
Banner image: Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) accepts the gavel from Minority Leader John Boehner (R-OH) during the first session of the 111th Congress in the House Chambers January 6, 2009 in Washington, DC. Photo: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images
Making News
$60 Billion Saudi Arms Deal Potentially the Biggest Ever ()
The Obama Administration is about to notify Congress of the largest international arms deal in American history, a $60 billion package for Saudi Arabia. Adam Entous is national security correspondent for the Wall Street Journal.
Guests:
- Adam Entous: National Security Correspondent, Wall Street Journal, @adamentous
Main Topic
Congress Is Back to Work, or at Least Back in Session ()
As the Senate and Congress come back to Washington, forget about climate change and immigration reform. It's all about the November elections. Congressional Republicans are plotting strategy for what they hope will be John Boehner's replacement of Nancy Pelosi next year. Democrats are trying to whip up their base by raising the specter of Sarah Palin. Meantime, not a single appropriations bill has been passed to keep the government going. With about 14 working days until the elections, we look at the prospects for the Bush tax cuts, the President's new economic agenda and the pressures of partisan politics.
President Obama's September 10 news conference
Congressman Boehner's September 12 appearance on Face the Nation
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Reporter's Notebook
Showdown in Court over Obama's Healthcare Overhaul ()
The Obama healthcare reform requires that all Americans have health insurance and even offers subsidies to those too poor to buy their own policies. Twenty state attorneys general have filed suit claiming that's unconstitutional, and the case begins tomorrow in Florida. The attack on what conservatives call "ObamaCare" was at first considered unlikely to pass judicial muster. But judges are sensitive to politics, and that could make a difference, according to David Savage, who covers the federal courts for the Los Angeles Times.
Guests:
- David Savage: Reporter, Los Angeles Times and Chicago Tribune, @latimes
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