Washington Bureau Chief, Columbus Dispatch
Washington Bureau Chief for the Columbus Dispatch
PROFILE
Jonathan Risking
Guest
FROM Jonathan Risking
To the Point
Last Call for Game-Changers In the depths of an economic crisis, recent polls show that attacks are backfiring on John McCain . But the message from his Republican base was to come out swinging. That he did in last night's debate —on taxes, healthcare and Barack Obama 's alleged association with 60's anti-war extremist Bill Ayers. In what's being called the "most intense," "spirited and combative" of their three debates, Obama maintained what one paper labeled "amused detachment." With so little time left, did it make a difference? Did McCain successfully separate himself from President Bush? Did Obama stay ahead by staying cool? What about the economy? We hear from strategists on both sides and get reaction from the battleground states of Virginia, Ohio and Indiana.
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To the Point
Replacing Obamacare: Now you see it… now you don’t As the Senate deliberates replacing Obmacare, health coverage for millions of people is at stake. There've been no public hearings, and a draft measure won't be made public. Is the House version so unpopular that that Senate is hiding a version that looks much the same?
To the Point
Venezuela spirals into economic and political chaos Venezuela, a country whose potential for prosperity is unmatched, finds itself on the verge of civil war. What sustains the repressive government? With time running out, guest host León Krauze looks at what the international community can do to pull the country from the edge of collapse.
To the Point
The Trump agenda: where's the beef? President Trump says big things are happening. After celebrating a House bill on health care, he doesn’t yet have Senate agreement. With James Comey’s public testimony scheduled tomorrow, the President today tweeted his selection of a new FBI Director. Is the Chief Executive all style and no substance? Later, terror attacks in Iran and conflicting claims about who’s behind them.
To the Point
Trump plays scolder-in-chief with NATO allies At the opening of NATO’s dramatic new headquarters in Brussels today, President Trump acknowledged that Article 5 — promising that “an attack on one nation is an attack on all” -- has only been invoked one time: in the aftermath of September 11. But the President failed to provide what 27 other Alliance members have been waiting for: a re-commitment by America’s new leader to Article 5. Instead, they got a scolding.