Tonight: Mexican Elections, Having a Blast(s) with BP, Mondays with Carl Jeffers, and more...
Happy July 5th, everybody. Whether you have the day off or your nose is pressed against that stone designed for grinding, we've got you covered with the biggest stories of the day. Some of the things I'm lining up for the show at 7pm tonight:
At 7:05: I've been in touch with Texas Tribune Reporter Julian Aguilar, who is fresh back from Mexico, where elections this weekend seemed to propel the once-dominant political party back toward power. It may be a sign that voters there are ready to change leadership because of the rising violence in the Mexican Drug War. There was also quite a bit of intimidation reported before the vote, with many elections workers quitting their jobs before votes were cast this weekend. By the way, one thing Julian told me is a Border Patrol Agent told Julian it was a "good day" because he had not been shot while reporting on the elections.
At 7:20: Something I meant to get to on Friday: Is President Obama really interested in quickly reforming the nation's immigration laws? Joshua Keating at Foreign Policy Magazine is all over that.
At 7:35: What kind of warning signs were there before the blowout on the Deepwater Horizon that sparked the nation's largest-ever environmental disaster? Well, how about the deadly blast at the BP Texas City Refinery in 2005? I've written about this here. The folks at Propublic have been looking into the similarities and they're pretty striking. I'll chat with Ryan Knutson at Propublica.
At 8:05: Mondays with Carl Jeffers: I think we'll start having nationally known political analyst Carl Jeffers on the show Monday nights at 8:05. Among the things I plan to talk to Carl about:
The Republicans in the senate are under fire now for blocking unemployment benefits right before leaving for the holiday. The GOP argues that there isn't enough money to extend these benefits, but Democrats say it is cruel to cut off Americans who are out of work. Also, what about the idea that "liberals" don't embrace the flag? Every liberal I know raises a flag on Independence Day and so does every conservative. I should also probably ask Carl about what's going to happen with the walking gaffe factory that is Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Steele. His latest is a doozy.
Oh, and we've got fireworks in Dallas tonight! I'll try to watch the display from the CBS Radio building just north of Downtown. Our sister station, KLUV, will provide a simulcast of the music during the display tonight starting at 8:30.
I'll be adding to the agenda throughout the day...
