Tonight: Letting Teens Sleep In, Farmers Branch Was Warned, White "Debates" Sans Perry, and more...
I hope everybody had a great holiday weekend. While you were barbecuing and watching pretty colored explosives ignite in the sky, all kinds of news stories were piling up that deserve our attention tonight. Among the things we'll cover:
At 7:05: Do teenagers really need more time to sleep in the mornings so that they'll do better in school? Several studies now back up the idea that school should start later so that the kids aren't "brain dead" when class starts, but others argue the kids ought to go to sleep sooner, then they wouldn't be so worn out! Education expert Terry Abbott will join me.
At 7:20: The Elena Kagan "Abortion Scandal" or "When Elena Kagan Played Doctor." Conservatives are upset because the Supreme Court Nominee is said to have tinkered with a statement from the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. They say that this means Kagan is clearly a liberal ideologue who would naturally have to be an "activist judge" if she's approved as a Supreme Court Justice.
But, Will Saletan at Slate argues that people should really be worried about all judges because they put way too much stock in statements from scientific organizations without asking enough questions. I'll chat with Will about it.
At 7:35: The Justice Department is filing suit against Arizona over their tough new immigration law. Chris Salcedo talked with the chief architect of the law, Kris Kobach, during the Jay McFarland Show today. Kobach, by the way, is running for Secretary of State in Kansas. Listen here:
Podcast
I'll speak with an unbiased expert who doesn't think the Arizona law will stand up in court: CBS News Chief Legal Analyst Andrew Cohen. Your thoughts are welcome at 214.787.1080.
At 8:05: Was it wise for Bill White to "debate" sans Rick Perry? The Democrat challenging the Republican governor took part in a debate in Hill County last night in which he spoke with the Libertarian candidate. Democrats have been calling Perry a "chicken" for refusing to debate white. Perry's campaign has maintained that White needs to release all his tax returns for all the years he was in public service before the governor will appear with him. I'll be joined by one of the most knowledgeable guys on the planet when it comes to Texas politics: Joe Householder at the bipartisan Purple Strategies.
At 8:20: The immigration debate sparks big time lobbying efforts. Dave Levinthal at the Center for Responsive Politics will join me to break down where the money is flowing from and to in the immigration debate. The amount of money is pretty staggering and there's all kinds of behind-the-scenes maneuvering in races for federal offices.
Oh, and another immigration note: City leaders in Farmers Branch were apparently warned about just how expensive it would be to defend their crackdown on illegal immigration. Mayor Tim O'Hare and others have defended their efforts but critics point out that courts have repeatedly ruled that cities cannot write their own immigration policies.
I'll be adding to the agenda throughout the day.
