Maxine Waters Breaks Her Silence

Main Topic

Maxine Waters Breaks Her Silence ()

The Congressional Ethics Committee has said there is "substantial reason" to believe Maxine Waters may have violated House ethics rules, but has not made public the charges against her. It has been reported that she helped set up a meeting between former Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson and the National Bankers Association, which was looking for help from TARP, the Troubled Assets Relief Program. The Association includes One United Bank of Massachusetts. Waters' husband, Sidney Williams, resigned as a director of One United five months before the meeting took place, although he still held stock in the bank. Three months after Waters' request, One United received $12 million in bailout funds. The Congresswoman has demanded that charges against her be made public now and that a hearing be held before the November election.

(Earl Ofari Hutchinson will interview Congresswoman Waters on KTYM, 1460AM on August 6, 9:30-10am.)

Guests:

• Maxine Waters: Congresswoman (D-CA)
• Earl Ofari Hutchinson: Nationally syndicated columnist, radio host, civil rights activist and author, @earlhutchinson

Links:

• Hutchinson on House Ethics Committee report
• House Ethics Committee on Rangel
• Report of the Office of Congressional Ethics, US House of Representatives

Reporter's Notebook

California to Get New Infusion of Federal Aid ()

Senate Democrats had to make concessions, but today won the battle to approve more federal aid to California and other financially troubled states. Moderates Susan Collins and Olympia Snowe, both from Maine, voted to break the Republican filibuster. Speaker Nancy Pelosi has called the House back from recess to vote on the measure. Governor Schwarzenegger’s office calls it “critical to preventing deeper pain and deeper job losses in California." Carolyn Lochhead reports from Washington for the San Francisco Chronicle.

Guests:

• Carolyn Lochhead: Washington Correspondent, San Francisco Chronicle, @carolynlochhead

Main Topic

Prop 8 and Prop C: States Rights and Political Consequences ()

Two years ago, 52% of California voters banned same-sex marriage, a ruling upheld by the State Supreme Court.  But yesterday, a federal judge in San Francisco ruled that Proposition 8 is unconstitutional. It could be a political landmark, too, if some voters see it as another federal intrusion like the overturning of Arizona’s immigration law and the requirements of healthcare reform.

Guests:

• Ralph Richard Banks: Stanford University
• Ken Warren: Professor of Political Science, St. Louis University
• Jim Lembke: Missouri State Senator (R-St Louis County)
• Richard Reuben: Professor of Law, University of Missouri School of Law
• Ezra Klein: Staff Writer, Washington Post, @ezraklein

Links:

• California's Proposition 8 on same-sex marriage
• Missouri's Proposition C on mandatory health insurance
• McCulloch v Maryland, Supreme Court on (1819)
• Klein on yesterday's Prop 8 decision, judge