To the Point
The Olin Foundation Closes
The John M. Olin Foundation is shutting its doors today after 35 years of financial support for conservative ideas and institutions. In its wake, groups like the Heritage Foundation and the American Enterprise Institute are defining policy for the Bush Administration and Congress. How did conservative think tanks get to be so powerful? Have they advanced the financial goals of their funders as well as ideology? Can wealthy progressives adopt the same strategies and compete more effectively in the war of ideas? Joining us today are James Piereson, with the Olin Foundation, who will now be Executive Director for the William Simon Foundation and Andrew Rich, teacher of political science at the City College of New York. He-s author of a book called, "Think Tanks, Public Policy and the Politics of Expertise".Making News: Reaction to Army Paying for Good News in IraqThe Bush White House says it-s "very concerned" that US forces are paying Iraqi newspapers to run stories secretly written by American troops. Virginia-s Republican Senator John Warner asked the Pentagon for a briefing today at his Armed Forces Committee. Jonathan Landay is covering the story for Knight-Ridder. Reporter's Notebook: Texas Redistricting Plan RevealedAfter Tom DeLay-s reapportionment plan in Texas, Republicans won five new seats in the Congress. Now it turns out that Justice Department lawyers assigned to the case were unanimous in deciding the plan violated federal law. The federal Voting Rights Act of 1965 requires states with histories of discriminatory elections to submit changes in voting systems or election maps to the Department of Justice. Today-s Washington Post reports on a 73-page staff memo by six lawyers and two analysts saying new Congressional districts in Texas illegally diluted black and Hispanic voting power in that state.
By Warren Olney • • 1h 0m ListenThe John M. Olin Foundation is shutting its doors today after 35 years of financial support for conservative ideas and institutions. In its wake, groups like the Heritage Foundation and the American Enterprise Institute are defining policy for the Bush Administration and Congress. How did conservative think tanks get to be so powerful? Have they advanced the financial goals of their funders as well as ideology? Can wealthy progressives adopt the same strategies and compete more effectively in the war of ideas? Joining us today are James Piereson, with the Olin Foundation, who will now be Executive Director for the William Simon Foundation and Andrew Rich, teacher of political science at the City College of New York. He-s author of a book called, "Think Tanks, Public Policy and the Politics of Expertise".
Reaction to Army Paying for Good News in Iraq
The Bush White House says it-s "very concerned" that US forces are paying Iraqi newspapers to run stories secretly written by American troops. Virginia-s Republican Senator John Warner asked the Pentagon for a briefing today at his Armed Forces Committee. Jonathan Landay is covering the story for Knight-Ridder.
Texas Redistricting Plan Revealed
After Tom DeLay-s reapportionment plan in Texas, Republicans won five new seats in the Congress. Now it turns out that Justice Department lawyers assigned to the case were unanimous in deciding the plan violated federal law. The federal Voting Rights Act of 1965 requires states with histories of discriminatory elections to submit changes in voting systems or election maps to the Department of Justice. Today-s Washington Post reports on a 73-page staff memo by six lawyers and two analysts saying new Congressional districts in Texas illegally diluted black and Hispanic voting power in that state.