Counsel, Judicial Confirmation Network
Counsel to the Judicial Confirmation Network; former clerk for Justice Clarence Thomas at the Supreme Court
PROFILE
Wendy Long
Guest
FROM Wendy Long
To the Point
The Candidates and the Supremes We hadn't heard much about the Supreme Court until this week's final debate . John McCain and Barack Obama were asked what sort of justices they would appoint, and it is clear that they differ profoundly on the subject. The current Court is four judicial conservatives – Alito, Roberts, Thomas and Scalia, four judicial liberals— 88-year old Stevens, 75-year old Ginsburg, Breyer and Souter, and one swing vote, Anthony Kennedy. The next president is likely to appoint at least one, and perhaps as many as three, new justices. Since the justices most likely to retire are on the liberal side of the Court, Obama would likely appoint justices who would maintain the status quo; McCain could create the most conservative Court since the 50's. What sort of impact will the next Court have on our lives? We look at what's at stake, from abortion to affirmative action.
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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
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.
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
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.