Staff Reporter, National Review
Staff reporter for National Review
PROFILE
Stephen Spruiell
Guest
FROM Stephen Spruiell
To the Point
A Subdued Republican Convention Kicks Off Opening day is a shadow of what the Republicans planned for their National Convention in St. Paul, Minnesota. George Bush and Dick Cheney won't be coming as scheduled. Hurricane Gustav has forced them to make other plans. John McCain has suspended political hoopla, at least for today, and the convention will conduct the minimum of official business. We get the latest from Louisiana and try to assess what it will mean for the legacy of President Bush and McCain's political future. We also hear Republicans debate the choice of Sarah Palin and a conservative platform that fails to mention McCain.
To the Point
The State of the Presidential Race after the Philly Debate Polls show the top issues for voters are the economy, including free trade and $4-a-gallon gas and the war in Iraq. But less than a week before the Pennsylvania primary , the first 50 minutes of last night's debate between Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama , – the twenty-second in this presidential campaign -- were focused on personal gaffes, past associations and who could withstand a Republican onslaught before the November elections. Eventually, each candidate was forced to concede that the other could beat John McCain . ABC;s moderators are getting as much post-mortem attention as the candidates. Did anything happen to change the momentum in Pennsylvania? Are voters around the country better informed? What about the super-delegates who are likely to make the final decision?
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Left, Right & Center
The week that wouldn't quit Will next week get even weirder? (Special one-hour episode)
To the Point
Janesville and the American Dream Janesville, Wisconsin is the hometown of Republican House Speaker Paul Ryan. But he couldn’t prevent the closing of the General Motors factory after 100 years. On this Memorial Day rebroadcast of To the Point, we hear what’s happened to what once was a model of American middle-class unity.
To the Point
Who's to blame for the opioid crisis? Some of the lawyers who took on Big Tobacco are now going after Big Pharma. It’s all about the deadly epidemic of opioid use. Are the drug companies to blame? What about the users? Later, on today’s Talking Point: making sense of Britain’s upset election.
To the Point
Ex-FBI Director Comey tells his side of the story Today, former FBI Director James Comey came close to calling the President who fired him a liar. The White House denied the claim and called it insulting, but Republican Senators did not challenge Comey’s truthfulness. Many questions remain: did the President try to obstruct a federal investigation? Later, we’ll go behind the “velvet rope” for a look at 5-Star health care for the richest Americans.