John King, USA

The latest political news and information on the most important stories affecting you.
September 15th, 2011
10:43 PM ET

Be in the know: Today's political bullet points

Every day we ask influential politicos to send us their top three bullet points that are driving the day's conversation inside and outside Washington.

Senior Editor of MarioWire.com Mario Solis-Marich:

– Silence is Golden: Will the mainstream media honor the tacit arrangement that keeps GOP Congressman Issa from investigating the Murdoch’s U.S. Empire and that keeps Murdoch’s U.S. Empire silent on Issa’s ethics problems?

– Sound of Truth: Mellon dynasty heir James Mellon told me on my radio show yesterday that he agrees with Obama’s call for more taxes on the those who “wouldn’t even feel it,” which presents the question – which of the 400 wealth dynasties in America are Boehner/Cantor/McConnell shilling for?

– Yell of Freedom: Tonight at midnight throughout Mexico millions will reenact their historic 1810 call for independence from economic and political oppression, in that same spirit: Viva Elizabeth Warren! Viva Warren! Viva Warren! Viva Warren!

RedState.Com Editor Erick-Woods Erickson:

– James Carville recommends the President fire some people. Yes! Yes! Yes! When Bush lost the public's confidence on Iraq, he threw Don Rumsfeld under the Bush. Throughout Barack Obama's campaign, he threw anybody and everybody under the bus who became an obstacle to his election. Now? We still have Tim Geithner at Treasury. Come to think of it, please Mr. President, ignore James Carville.

– This administration is shaping up to be the second coming of Warren G. Harding and the Tea Pot Dome scandal. For starters, we have Solyndra. As more emails come out it appears (A) the White House pressured budget wonks to speed up approval for the deal so Joe Biden's photo-op wouldn't be ruined; (B) the budget wonks predicted in 2009 that Solyndra would be bankrupt in September 2011; (C) the Obama Administration allowed the taxpayer loan to be subordinated by a private equity firm whose head is an Obama bundler and who visited the White House 16 times on behalf of Solyndra. Oh, and the taxpayer loan was not supposed to be subordinated.

– If Solyndra isn't bad enough, we now have LightSquared, a company whose majority owner, Phillip Falcone, is a huge Democratic donor. People at the Pentagon and in Congress are under the impression the Obama Administration pressured a General to change testimony to benefit LightSquared and pushed a project few wanted to help a donor. Oh, and then had LightSquared agree to not resell part of its wireless spectrum to Obama Administration critics AT&T and Verizon.

Editor’s Note: The blog is a place for a freewheeling exchange of ideas and opinions. CNN does not endorse anything said by its contributors.


Filed under: Bullet Points
September 15th, 2011
12:46 PM ET

Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio discusses the GOP presidential candidates.

Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio talks about meeting with Republican presidential candidate Michele Bachmann.


Filed under: Interview