To the Point
The Farm Bill: Real Reform or Political Bait and Switch?
This year's trillion-dollar Farm Bill is likely to pass both houses of Congress. Could it be a model for the bipartisanship that will be needed after November's elections?
By Warren Olney • • 50m ListenDespite a price tag of almost a trillion dollars, this year's Farm Bill is expected to pass both houses of Congress. Critics say much-touted reforms are bogus, but there's enough pork barrel spending to earn the support of both Democrats and Republicans. Could it be a model for the bipartisanship that will be required after November's elections? Also, a Syrian pilot defects as the CIA helps arm rebels, the Hawaiian Island of Lanai is being sold by one billionaire to another. What will that mean for 3200 people who live there?
Banner image: As a new federal farm bill is debated in Washington, DC, a customer shops for nectarines on June 13, 2012 in San Francisco, California. Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images
In this episode
3 storiesSyrian Pilot Defects as CIA Helps Arm Rebels
The Obama Administration insists that it's not providing arms to Syrian rebels, but other countries are, and weapons are being slipped across the border from Turkey. Today's New York Times reports that CIA officers are part of the operation. Terrorism correspondent Eric Schmitt wrote the story.
Read the story7 minThe Farm Bill: Real Reform or Political Bait and Switch?
Every few years, Congress takes up the massive Farm Bill, with members of both parties loading it up with pork barrel spending. After George W. Bush vetoed the Farm Bill in 2008, the Senate over-rode him with 82 out of 100 votes. This year, the bill totals almost a trillion dollars with passage expected before the end of this week.
Read the story34 minOracle Chief to buy Lanai
Larry Ellison, the billionaire founder of Oracle, plans to pay cash for the Hawaiian island of Lanai — 88,000 acres of land with two resorts, two golf courses, a stable and no traffic lights. What will it mean for 3200 people who live there? Part of the county of Maui, 98 percent of the Lanai is owned by David Murdoch's company Castle and Cook.
Read the story9 min
