The Brody File
Join with CBN News Capitol Hill Correspondent David Brody
as he brings you the latest inside information from Capitol
Hill, the Supreme Court, and beyond.
March 22, 2006
Leave it to Justice Antonin Scalia to lay it straight out there.
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March 22, 2006
There’s a great piece in townhall.com today on the Afghan man who faces a possible death penalty for converting from Islam to Christianity.
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March 22, 2006
Now, let me ask you something? Why does everyone go gaga googoo over Helen Thomas? OK, yes she’s been around a long time and we are told to respect our elders, but this woman is really a flaming liberal. Did you hear how she asked her question to the president yesterday? It was basically a political statement phrased as a question.
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March 17, 2006
It’s not making major headlines, but the House of Representatives is moving to scale back gambling on the Internet. This has been in the works for a long time, but it’s finally seeing some strong movement. The problem is that Senate and House leaders have so many other priorities that this one typically falls by the wayside. But conservative lobbying groups on the Hill, especially Christian lobbying groups, are making an all out push to get something done.
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january 31, 2006
In the end it was just too much for liberals like Ted Kennedy and John Kerry to overcome. They tried to filibuster the Alito nomination, but it really was too little too late. Alito was strong in the hearings, he didn’t mess up, and the public never turned on him. Ralph Neas, Nan Aaron and other liberal special interest group biggies tried to drum up a groundswell of opposition to Alito, but it never worked.
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january
23, 2006
This morning, I had a conversation with Congressman Roy Blunt, the acting House Majority Leader. The race to fill Tom DeLay’s shoes ends with a vote by Republican members of the House on February 2. My story will air next Wednesday, February 1, but here’s some of that interview.
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january 23, 2006
I had a chance to interview Congressman Tom DeLay and his wife Christine last week in Houston Texas. The full story will air next Thursday February 2, but below are some excerpts from my conversation with them. I found them to be very genuine. They clearly feel that the mainstream media has done them a disservice, and the former House Majority Leader says his lawyers look at everything he does so he feels comfortable that he will NOT be implicated in the Jack Abramoff mess.
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january 17, 2006
I head to Houston Texas Wednesday to sit down one on one with former House Majority Leader Tom DeLay. I’ll be talking to him and his wife about everything: from Jack Abramoff, to his re-election race in his home district to who should be the next Majority leader. I’m soliciting questions, so send me an email if you have one you want me to ask.
january 12, 2006
Don’t worry Mrs. Alito. Your sad tears the other day in the Senate Judiciary Committee will soon be tears of joy when your hubby Sammy ( is that what you call him?) is confirmed as the next Supreme Court Justice. Alito was never rattled by Schumer,Biden,Kennedy et al. I just don’t see how Democrats could sustain a filibuster here. There only chance was if Alito came across as bumbling or incompetent. He didn’t. As a matter of fact, he looked a lot like John Roberts out there.
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january 11, 2006
Ok, first let’s just admit it. Samuel Alito will not make the cover of GQ if you know what I mean. Doesn’t he look the guy in 10th grade math class with eight pens and a slide rule tucked in his front left pocket? He’s the smart, nerdy guy you remember from high school that is now all grown up and ready to be a Supreme Court Justice. He sure did look the part yesterday.
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january 3, 2006
After covering Capitol Hill for a while now, I just have a feeling, a hunch that the Democrats will try and filibuster the Alito Supreme Court nomination. Let’s break this down for a moment. It really is the “perfect storm” for the Democrats. First of all, Alito is clearly a pro-life guy who has written how Roe was wrongly decided. That not only drives Democrats nuts, it scares them too. The abortion topic alone would be enough for many Senators to try and block his nomination. But now comes this whole NSA wire tapping program. The Democrats are livid over that too. Remember, they DO NOT like President Bush. It all goes back to 2000 and Al Gore and how Bush isn’t the legitimate President. But now here comes Bush saying I have the “power” to secretly wiretap. How do you think that’s playing in democratic circles?
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December 15, 2005
I’m getting word this morning that Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist will head to the Senate floor today and ask for unanimous consent to pass the Cord Blood Stem Cell Research bill. It is widely supported for its promotion of ethical medical treatments and was passed by the House on May 24 of this year by a vote of 431-1. But Senate Democrats have been holding it up, even though no one is disputing the immediate benefit it offers to many Americans in need. Basically, some liberals want the Senate to pass an embryonic stem cell research bill and will hold up a vote on cord blood because they’re concerned that the cord blood bill would strip votes away from their embryonic bill. Stay tuned.
december 13, 2005
Have you heard about the latest controversy with the abortion drug, RU-486? In a nutshell, the FDA and CDC are trying to figure out what to do after four women in California all died from a certain bacteria. They had all taken Mifeprex (RU-486). So will the FDA pull Mifeprex? Not likely but they’ll discuss their next move sometime next month. The company that makes it, Danco Laboratories, won’t go on camera with us for the story I’m working on. When I asked a public relations spokesperson why not, that person told me that the folks at Danco have no desire to go on camera because they don’t want their identity exposed! You know what? I can’t blame them. In this day and age, and with such a volatile subject, you never know what sort of crazy will try and find them.
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december 1, 2005
Remember the movie Field of Dreams with Kevin Costner and the famous line “If they build it, they will come.” Well how about this line as it pertains to illegal immigration in the United States: “If they build it, will they STOP coming”. Congressman Duncan Hunter, a powerful GOP lawmaker is proposing building a huge fence along the ENTIRE U.S./Mexican border. You know, kind of like the Great Wall of China! I know it sounds crazy and even the White House is saying no way but you know what…on the Hill this bill has some support. I’m going to be talking to Congressman Tom Tancredo next Monday. He’s a big proponent of it. There are dozens of others who like the idea. It sure is intriguing. I’m currently working on a story that focuses in on this issue. I’ll be heading out to the U.S./Mexico border in Arizona to do some investigative work on the topic. I just talked to a police officer out there who patrols the border. He’s invited our CBN crew to ride along with him as he searches for illegal immigrants. He says you won’t believe what you see. He picks many up every day. Here’s a link with more information on the fence.
November 14, 2005
Just when you thought Democrats were MOST likely not going to filibuster Judge Samuel Alito, now comes this interesting article by the Washington Times. Check out the link: www.washingtontimes.com. Basically, it says that Alito is on record saying he DOES NOT believe the Constitution gives women the right to an abortion. Get the paramedics ready! That alone will put Barbara Boxer, Howard Dean, and others into cardiac arrest! This is the type of ammunition that liberals will have a field day with. They could filibuster over this revelation. Forget all the other stuff you’re hearing such as Alito is against workers rights, civil rights, etc. This battle has and always will be about abortion. And this new information gives the Democrats a case to start building against Alito. I say all bets are off now regarding a filibuster. You get the sense that Democrats may do that and with a weakened President, they may go for the political kill and try and filibuster. That could backfire because it would rile up the base but for Democrats, they may strike while the iron is hot.
november 10, 2005
There are quite a few interesting developments from Capitol Hill. One of the big ones has to do with drilling for oil in the Alaska National Wildlife Refuge. House moderates have basically forced GOP leadership to strip that part out of the entire budget bill so it won’t be in the House version. But it is in the Senate version. Eventually, conferees on both sides will huddle in a room and decide if it stays or goes. House moderates say if it comes back into the final Senate-House version, then they’ll vote against the budget bill and that means the GOP leadership won’t have the votes to pass it. But the bet here is that it stays in the final version and somehow someway, Roy Blunt, Dennis Hastert, and yes, even Tom Delay find a way to twist enough arms ( maybe even make some future promises) to get those moderates to vote for the final bill. I mean, let’s think about this for a moment. Is ANWR really worth fighting for if you’re a house moderate considering that Hastert and Blunt may promise you something much more enticing to your home district in the future? I think we know the answer to that.
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November 4, 2005
On Friday morning, I sat down one on one with Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid. This is the third time I’ve sat down with him. The first time was at his home in Searchlight, Nevada. I must say, let’s take politics out of the equation for a moment. He is a really nice guy. The headline of this blog says Harry Reid goes nuts. Well, it’s not that he went nuts as in loco crazy. Actually, after the interview he invited me and the crew in to his office for nuts and candy. The snacks were delicious. Now, as for the interview, I’m doing an exclusive story for CBN that will air this coming Monday. Here are some highlights...
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October 31, 2005
Well, we here at CBN predicted it. I said in this space on Friday that Samuel Alito would be the President’s pick, and that was correct. Why? Well, a few ideas here. First, he’s right in the mold of an Antonin Scalia. He’s called “Scalito” for goodness sake. (He’s Italian- American just like Scalia not to mention his judicial philosophy is right in line as well). Also, he has ruled on the pro-life issue before. He was the judge who dissented in the 1991 Casey v. Planned Parenthood decision where he said a woman SHOULD notify her husband if she’s having an abortion. Finally, and this is really the most important point, Alito is not "in your face” like some other judges.
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October 28, 2005
Not that the White House is calling me for advice, but I have some for them anyway. Go with Janice Rogers Brown. Listen, both sides want a fight. Republicans want to expose Democrats for the liberals they are, and Democrats want America to know that the Republicans are being run by the radical right of this country. So we might as well get on with it. Both sides have been gearing up for this fight for a long time. The reality is there is an ideological battle going on here and it’s about time both sides had that knock down drag out fight. Janice Rogers Brown would be the one to do it. So would a lot of other nominees like Pricilla Owen, Edith Jones and Michael Luttig. Here’s a prediction: I think the President will go with none of those: instead I think it’s going to be Samuel Alito. From what I’m hearing this seems to be a logical pick. Alito is Italian American and is strong on the pro-life issue.
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October 27, 2005
Well, did we not predict this? In this space a few weeks ago, we talked about this scenario of Harriet Miers withdrawing, and now it has happened. A couple observations: This really seems like the best move for the White House at this point. Miers looks like the constitutional hero as she preserves executive privilege as it pertains to documents that the Senate wants and the White House won’t release. That gives the President the out he needed.
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October 25, 2005
Would anybody really have predicted this? Not only have conservatives turned on President Bush when it comes to his Harriet Miers pick, but now they are getting ready to run TV and radio ads against her!! So let me get this straight. Conservative groups wait years, raise money so they can come out with ads in support of the President’s Supreme Court Nominee, and instead they use that money to shoot the nominee down? Hollywood couldn’t even come up with a script like this. You wouldn’t even see a scenario like this on the "West Wing." But indeed it’s happening. Check out this link.
Also, there’s Web site out now called www.withdrawmiers.org. This is organized by the former head of the Family Research Council, Ken Connor. Speaking of the Family Research Council, there’s word that this major pro-family group is going to come out against Miers. That could happen real soon.
October 20, 2005
Reporting from Dallas, Texas tonight, I'm on the road to do interviews on a Harriet Miers story that will air next week. I talked to Miers’ Pastor today. His name is Ron Key. He's a wonderful man, low key, and measured. Here's a little something he told me in the interview today. He was talking about how hard a worker Miers is.
“God has just given her extra strength to keep up, and I think that’s the reason because she’s a woman of prayer and that when she gets to the place where she needs that extra stamina to keep up, she just constantly prays and God provides that,” he said.
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October 17, 2005
I just finished taking in the Charles Schumer press conference on Harriet Miers, and the liberal democratic Senator from New York doesn’t seem happy. He met with Miers in his office Monday and afterwards he “didn’t learn answers to so many important questions.” He also said she offered very little information on her judicial philosophy. When it came to Roe v. Wade, she told him that she had not discussed her views on Roe v. Wade with anybody, and that no one knows her views on it. Also, as for whether or not she believed in a right to privacy as it pertains to Griswold v. Connecticut (which was the basis for the Roe decision), she told Schumer that she wasn’t ready to give an answer on that yet. You could tell by the end of the press conference that Schumer was feeling frustrated that he’s getting so little information from her.
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october 17, 2005
I’m on my way to Texas this week to cover the Harriet Miers story. I’ll be talking to Judge Nathan Hecht, one of Miers closest friends. He is a sitting judge on the Texas Supreme Court. It’ll be interesting to hear what he has to say about all of this criticism that Miers has endured. Plus, now there’s this controversy about whether or not Judge Hecht told conservative leaders that she would overturn Roe. V. Wade. Was it a guarantee? Did he know for sure or was it just his opinion? I’ll blog about it after my interview with him, which takes place Tuesday afternoon in Austin, Texas.
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October 12, 2005
In this space a few weeks ago, I predicted that Miers nomination would be in trouble. And so far that looks to be the case. There is still that steady drumbeat from Capitol Hill that this choice was not the best. As a matter of fact, many are telling me on the Hill that this is downright awful and that there are a lot of Senate staff lawyers who are simply not happy about it. Staff lawyers don’t have a vote but they can put some pressure on their Senators to reconsider their position.
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oCTOBER 11, 2005
I just finished an interview with Former Congressman Dan Coats. He’s the man the White House has picked to help shepherd Harriet Miers through the Senate confirmation process. Coats was in rare form, ready to go with the White House talking points. Here are some excerpts from the interview. You can watch the full piece either today (Tuesday) on our Newswatch show or on the 700 Club Wednesday morning.
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october 10, 2005
It appears Supreme Court Nominee Harriet Miers played some sort of role in setting up a liberal women’s lecture series at Southern Methodist University. The following comes from The Chronicle of Higher Education. This will probably makes social conservatives go “hmmm”. Miers may have played an indirect role in bringing certain ultra feminists and pro-abortion speakers in to speak to college kids. Have a look at this link.
october 7,
2005
It really seems like the Harriet Miers nomination is
in deep trouble. There are just too many conservatives
complaining. Then throw in some Democrats and you have
a recipe for a Bush White House disaster. And now this.
I just got an email from the Hill newspaper that has this
nugget that raises more questions on Miers.
More...
October 5, 2005
I’ve been doing a little digging and here are a couple nuggets I’ve come up with on Harriet Miers. She filled out a questionnaire in 1991 and listed some qualities about herself. Her favorite movie is “The Sound of Music”. Now clearly that is controversial because… just kidding. Also in the questionnaire she says that behind her back people say that “They can’t figure me out”. Yikes! That may not bode well to Senator Brownback and other social conservatives.
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october 4, 2005
This is not the way the Bush White House drew up the Harriet Miers nomination. It appears the thinking here was to thread the needle and not give Democrats any paper trail, so they wouldn’t be able to go hard after her and at the same time conservatives would be able to trust Bush that he would be nominating a reliable conservative. But some conservatives balked. And what I’m hearing on Capitol Hill from Senate aides on the judiciary committee is that there is “supreme frustration” on this pick. It’s not just that Miers has no track record. That’s scary enough for conservatives who want a reliable vote on the high court.
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september
28, 2005
This is a tough blog to write. I'm in New Orleans this
week reporting on the scene down here. As I traveled outside
the city of New Orleans, I saw damaged buildings and signs.
But then I went in to New Orleans with photographer Chris
Sullivan and what we saw is really indescribable. It's
a war zone. I saw the Ninth ward up close. That's the
area most affected. Everything is torn apart. In rubble,
mud and water. It will take your breath away. Besides
media, there's nobody there. It's eerily quite. And it
smells.
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september 26, 2005
 Coast Guard Heroic in Katrina Aftermath
Here I am, on assignment in the New Orleans area and I must say, the situation down here is surreal. Everywhere you look you see destruction. Whether it's downed trees, broken windows, crushed buildings, you name it. They have it. There are signs everywhere that are posted on trees lting people know that help is available whether that means food and water or help with electricity. We're running a piece of mine on Tuesday that looks at some of the daring heroes in all of this. They are the Coast Guard personnel who go around saving lives by rescuing people from roof tops. They are amazing and they admit to me that they really have to check their emotions at the door or they wouldn't be able to do their job.
september
23, 2005
Well, Senator Hillary Clinton says she’ll vote
no on John Roberts. That actually surprises me a little.
I figured if she wanted to come across as moderate, then
voting yes on Roberts would have been the way to go.
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september
23, 2005
The way I
see it, the big winner in the Roberts Committee vote is
Senator Russ Feingold. Sure, Democrats Patrick Leahy and
Herb Kohl also supported Roberts in the Senate Judiciary
committee vote on Thursday. But neither one is thinking
about running for President. Feingold is considering it.
This puts Feingold in a position to appeal to moderate voters.
He can say he voted for Roberts which will show him as not
some sort of left wing nut job and a slave to the special
interest groups. Instead, Feingold positions himself as
a moderate. Throw in the fact that he was the only committee
Democrat to vote for former Attorney General John Ashcroft,
plus his good looks, good speaking ability, etc. and it
makes you wonder how much momentum he’ll have come
the 2008 presidential election.
sepember 21,
2005
It’s been quite an interesting week here in Washington.
First, Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid comes out against
the Supreme Court nomination of John Roberts. So does
Ted Kennedy and John Kerry. But Senator Patrick Leahy
will vote for Roberts. That’s interesting. It looks
to be a good move by Leahy for a couple of reasons.
More...
september
14, 2005
The mainstream media spin has been that Supreme Court
Nominee John Roberts basically called Roe v. Wade settled
law. And that he seemed to lean towards upholding the
legal underpinning of Roe by saying there is a right to
privacy in the constitution. But what they are not reporting
is that Roberts DID lay the groundwork for Roe to be overturned.
He talked about how cases could be overruled if "subsequent
developments" occur. Well, for years, pro-life groups
have said there are subsequent developments that put Roe
in a different light. New ultrasound technology shows
how developed the fetus is at a young age.There are other
factors too that may give judges pause to reconsider Roe.
More...
september 13,
2005
I wish I was as smooth as John Roberts. I mean this guy
is good. Say whatever you want about his judicial rulings,
he is one cool cucumber. Think about it. There he is,
in front of influential Senators, a nationwide audience
and what does he do? He gives his opening statement to
members of the Senate Judiciary committee WITH NO PREPARED
SCRIPT!!! Six minutes, no script, just having some good
old fashioned fun with his pals on the judiciary committee.
He didn’t mess up once. I could read a script and
stumble dozens of times. He goes without one and is flawless.
The Democrats have their work cut out for them. I really
see no opening here for them. They will press and press
hard on abortion rights, privacy rights, women’s
rights, civil rights and they’ll score points with
their base and liberal interest groups. But John Roberts
seems to play to mainstream American very well. He’s
smooth but not slick. You just want to sit on the front
porch and have some apple pie with the guy. Speaking of
apple pie, I’m hungry. I’m working hard on
this story!
september
7, 2005
I love dodge ball. It was the ultimate in high school
gym class: A huge red ball in your hand and on the other
side of the line are a bunch of human targets. You take
dead aim and ba-boom! Victory! Well, it looks like the
Supreme Court nomination hearings for John Roberts will
be just like that. Imagine John Roberts as the only one
left on the dodge ball wall. He’s just waiting to
be hit by red balls flying left and right. And he’s
dodging each one. There’s Ted Kennedy in gym shorts
(that’s a scary thought!) firing a zinger right
at home. His zinger is expected to be how Roberts is supposedly
hostile to civil rights. Then there’s Dick Durbin
in a tank top (another equally scary thought!). He has
his red ball lined up too. Then Chuck Schumer comes in
and fires his, then Patrick Leahy, etc.
More...
september
2 , 2005
With the devastation from Katrina continuing to just
worsen by the day, it makes me wonder. Should the Supreme
Court Nomination of John Roberts be postponed? It’s
scheduled for next Tuesday. So far, it’s still on
but this situation in New Orleans just keeps getting worse
and I’m sure it’s going to get even more attention
in the coming days. It may make sense to postpone it.
The Administration makes a big deal about getting Roberts
on the bench when the Supreme Court session starts on
October 3, but isn’t a one month delay worth it?
We’re talking about a natural disaster here. One
Senate staff aide told me that so far, the hearings are
going on as scheduled. He says there have been rumors
of a postponement but that’s all they are at this
point. That same aide says that the Senate did pass an
emergency spending bill for New Orleans, so it’s
a tough argument to say that the hearings will get in
the way of funding the efforts in the Gulf. Stay tuned.
august 30,
2005
The liberal
group Alliance for Justice is officially opposing the Supreme
Court Nomination of John Roberts. That’s about as
shocking as seeing cows in a barn. I mean, we knew this
was going to happen. The real question here is just how
much are the democrats willing to follow their lead? Already,
the liberal special interest group People for the America
Way is against Roberts.
More...
august 17,
2005
Did you know
that pro-abortion liberal Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) actually
used to be pro-life? Durbin is one of the main liberal Senators
who have been very tough on supposed pro-life federal appeals
court nominees sent up by the Bush administration. Expect
him to go hard on Supreme Court nominee John Roberts on
the abortion issue when his hearing starts in September.
More...
August 16,
2005
It’s pretty clear now that Supreme Court nominee
Judge Roberts is going to get confirmed. I have talked
to a number of democratic aides who can’t envision
a scenario in which Roberts would be filibustered. It’s
just not going to happen. But will there be a “September
surprise?” Look at Anita Hill and the whole Clarence
Thomas situation. He was sailing along well until her
allegations. So you never know. But what I’m being
told by people in the know is that this isn’t about
if he’ll get confirmed, it’s about by how
much. In other words, what will the vote count be? Will
he get 70 votes? 80?
More...
august 12,
2005
Can you imagine the look on the face of NARAL President
Nancy Keenan when she received a letter from PRO-CHOICE
Senator Arlen Specter asking her group to pull that controversial
ad on Judge Roberts? That ad of course had generated so
much controversy lately because of what nearly everyone
said were false allegations. But when Specter sent that
letter, you just knew the end of the road for that ad
was imminent.
It’s one thing to get a letter from PRO-LIFE Senator
Sam Brownback, but when your own turn against you then
you know you’re in trouble. Obviously NARAL did
the right thing here. The real question is how much damage
has been done to their organization and left wing groups
in general? Liberals Ted Kennedy and Chuck Schumer have
been conspicuously quiet during all of this and now that
the ad is pulled, what are they going to say?
But more far reaching is that maybe, just maybe the attack
ads will settle down from the left and instead the ads
will reflect certain points that add to the national discussion.
But don’t think for a moment that NARAL is going
to go quietly into the night. They have a base to feed,
and they have already said they plan to come out with
another ad. This one probably focusing more on Judge Roberts’s
comments regarding Roe v. Wade.
august 12,
2005
Have you heard that liberal Senator Barbara Boxer will
filibuster John Roberts Supreme Court nomination if he
does not say he’s in favor of upholding Roe v. Wade.
Listen to this quote: “I need to know exactly where
he will stand, and I need to know if he will fight to
protect and defend the rights and freedoms of the American
people.” Huh? Did she just say that Judge Roberts
need to fight to protect and defend this right to an abortion?
Since when are judges in the business of fighting for
a cause? They aren’t supposed to be advocates for
a position either way, conservative or liberal. They are
simply to interpret the law not choose sides. This is
unbelievable to me that Senator Boxer would even make
a statement like this. It gives you some insight as to
how the far left thinks when it comes to abortion. They
want judges that will be a defender of Roe no matter what--
even if a certain case comes before the Supreme Court
that merits a different result.
August 10,
2005
Keep an eye
on this developing story:
The New York Times ran an article that dealt
with John Roberts legal opinions on the Terri Schiavo
case. (Remember, Schiavo was the brain damaged woman from
Florida who was taken off life support. Congress tried
to get involved by basically passing a law that would
tell the courts they needed to look at the case anew.)
Well, after Roberts met with Senator Ron Wyden (D-OR),
the Senator said that Roberts was clear that he was displeased
with Congress's effort to force the federal judiciary
to overturn a court order withdrawing her feeding tube.
More...
august 3, 2005
Have you heard about Senator Tom Harkin’s comments regarding Christian Broadcasters? During an interview with Randi Rhodes on her Air America radio show on June 8, 2005, Harkin described Christian Broadcasters as follows: “They are sort of our own home grown Taliban….if you don’t tune into their line, then you’re obviously on Satan’s line. Yikes! Strong words! Well, The Catholic based advocacy group Fidelis has launched the first phase of an internet advertising campaign to prevent anti-religious bigotry in the confirmation hearings of Judge John Roberts. The campaign looks at many examples of anti-religious comments made by Democratic leaders Howard Dean, Senator Harry Reid (D-NV), and Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA). Their President Joseph Cella says “We warned the public that anti-religious bigotry would enter the confirmation process just as it has in the past.
More...
august 3, 2005
Frist Not Invited to Justice Sunday Event
The Senate Majority leader’s about face on stem cells has been quite a story and as you might imagine, it has not played well within evangelical circles. As a matter of fact, Senator Frist has not even been invited to the upcoming Justice Sunday event. This is the sequel to the one months ago where Evengelical organizations and churches got together in a nationwide simulcast to rally support for non activist judges. This time around, this event will be a rally for support for the President’s pick for the Supreme Court, John Roberts. Frist was invited to the first one and he showed up via video with a taped message. This time, not even an invitation. Sounds like a snub to me. House Majority Leader Tom Delay will be there. So will former conservative DEMOCRATIC Senator Zell Miller. For more check out the link at www.frc.org.
august 3, 2005
Talk Show Host Suspended for Calling Islam a Terror Organization
How about what happened to Radio talk show host Michael Graham? He hosts a radio show on 630 WMAL in Washington D.C. but he’s been suspended WITHOUT PAY because he repeatedly said on the air that “Islam is a terrorist organization." Graham was suspended when the Muslim group, CAIR initiated a public campaign against WMAL and the station's advertisers after receiving complaints from Muslim listeners. In a statement, WMAL President and General Manager Chris Berry said that Graham would be suspended for statements that "crossed the line." "We do not condone his position and believe his statements were irresponsible," said Berry. (WMAL is owned by the Walt Disney Co.) For more on the story, check out this link.
july 20, 2005
Judge John Roberts was only a surprise because he was
not a woman. He was on the short list all along, and conservatives
are pretty happy with the pick.
But what I’m hearing is that some social conservative
groups are hoping and praying that Roberts will be the
right choice. They think he will, but he has a small paper
trail. He hasn’t written opinions on abortion, same
sex marriage, and other hot button issues.
He definitely is a Republican, definitely a conservative
but will that translate into votes that will take a new
look at Roe v. Wade. It’s hard to say. Nobody knows
for sure.
At the same time, conservative groups are being assured
that Roberts is “No Judge Souter”. You’ll
remember that Souter had a small paper trail too and turned
into one of the more liberal justices. No one believes
that will happen with Roberts.
july 14, 2005
Democrats are already laying the groundwork that they
want to ask specific questions when it comes to questioning
a Supreme Court nominee. You know Republicans on that
Senate Judiciary Committee will try to not let democrats
get away with that but it may not be that easy. Democrats
are going to ask these questions and Thursday on the Senate
floor, Senator John Cornyn ripped the democrats who plan
to do this. Check out his floor statement...
More...
july 12, 2005
It was all smiles at the White House today. I was there
to cover the remarks by four key senators as it relates
to the Supreme Court nomination fight. It seems to me
that at least for now everyone is playing nice. But clearly,
this meeting had to be somewhat disappointing to the Democrats.
Yes, they got their meeting with Bush BUT Senator
Reid and other Democrats really wanted a frank discussion
over certain candidates that the President was considered.
Instead what they really got was not much of anything.
The President was tight lipped, revealing nothing when
it came to who’s on his list. I’m sure that
will come back to haunt Bush later if he goes with a nominee
Democrats consider out of the mainstream.
More...
july 8, 2005
Even though all the talk has been about a Rehnquist resignation,
I’m getting word from some pretty reliable sources
on Capitol Hill that John
Paul Stevens may retire this summer as well. If that’s
the case, then hold on everybody. If we thought the fight
over O’Connor and Rehnquist would be brutal, the
fight over Stevens is taking it to a whole new level.
More...
july 1, 2005
The Race is
on for the Next Supreme Court Justice
Wow! Not
exactly a shocker, but many people will think that the resignation
of Sandra
Day O'Connor comes as a surprise. But actually, I speculated
on this yesterday, and indeed, she's gone into retirement.
One of the choices that President Bush could make may
be Judge Edith
Jones of the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals. She's
been long rumored as a Supreme Court nominee and is as
conservative as they come. Being a woman, it may make
sense that Bush goes this route.
But another judge to keep your eye on is Emilio
Garza. Being Hispanic will work in his favor because
the president has a desire to put the first Hispanic on
the Supreme Court.
I was talking today to an aid to top Republican leadership
on the Hill and she tells me that leadership was surprised
by the O'Connor resignation. Another senior Republican
aid told me that "now the battle begins -- and we're
ready for it."
As for that battle, expect it to be a long, hot summer
in Washington with Democrats and Liberals digging in their
heels even more now that President Bush will be replacing
a moderate Supreme Court justice and going more conservative.
What's interesting here is that Chief Justice
William Rehnquist could still retire -- and probably
will at some point. So it's looking more and more likely
that President Bush will be able to select another justice
in addition to the one who will replace Justice O'Connor.
And you know that CBN News will follow this story every
step of the way. Until next time…
july 1, 2005
I'm getting
word that on the hill in Washington, a group of social conservative
lawmakers plan to draft a letter to encourage Senate leadership
to take up the marriage protection Amendment. It used to
be called the Federal Marriage Amendment. This is the one
that would basically add language to the constitution that
makes it clear that marriage is between a man and a woman
only. This group wants leadership in the senate to take
this up right away but don't bet on it. Congress goes on
its summer recess break in August and July may be tied up
with social security and supreme court nominee battles so
this bill is simply not a priority right now. It will come
up at some point but right now, it really isn't even on
the radar screen on Bill Frist and Republican leaders. They
have other issues to deal with it including the War in Iraq
and what to do about Guantanomo Bay.
july 1, 2005
You know,
when you work on Capitol Hill long enough, you see some
strange stuff. Sometimes, you don't need to be around too
long before you see it. How about this one! There is actually
money approved to give the National Institute of mental
Health (NIMH) a grant to study pigeon's processing of visual
concepts. Huh? You've got to be kidding me. For an agency
that is supposed to study disorders like schizophrenia,
bipolar disorder (manic-depressive illness), autism, and
severe forms of depression, they are going to do something
like this? Well, anyhow, it's not going to happen because
Rep. Randy Neugebauer was able to offer an amendment to
the Labor HHS bill that basically stops any sort of funding
for this type of project.
juNE 30, 2005
I'm writing my first blog for CBN from Colorado Springs
where I am on location shooting a story at the Air Force
Academy. The story will focus in on just what exactly
is going on out here regarding the "religious climate".
There have been reports of evangelical Christian commanders
witnessing to cadets. The Academy looks like they are
going to crack down on this a little bit because it may
be considered insensitive to non-believing cadets. My
story is going to air July 11th and I'm looking forward
to it. After talking to high level officials out here,
I get the sense that they are going to make some changes
to try and crack down on what commanders can say to a
cadet in a classroom setting. The head of their religious
sensitivity program told me that it would be inappropriate
for a commander to invite a cadet to a nighttime bible
study. That would be off limits! Wow! Times are a changin'
and CBN will tackle the issue head on in this story.
june 30, 2005
In this whole battle over confirming president bush's
judicial nominees, we have never heard publicly from two
of the most controversial nominees, California judge Janice
Rogers Brown and Texas judge Priscilla Owen. I actually
spoke with owen on the phone justa day after she was confirmed.
I tried to secure an interview with her for the 700 club
but she really just wants to lay low for awhile. I got
the impression though, when she does speak, she would
love to come on the 700 club and talk to our audience.
I'm working on that and looking forward to the day she
does that. As for Janice Rogers Brown, she hasn't spoken
in public, but in a speech to the Heritage Foundation,
Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist had this to say about
a recent letter and conversation he had with Justice Brown.
More...
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