What’s on Tap – Wednesday April 8th, 2009

Here are the big stories we're working on for you right now:

• President Obama arrived back from Iraq overnight.  A full agenda on his plate after a trip to try and reestablish America’s leadership in the world.  What did his journey accomplish? Are Iraqi police & military personnel up to speed for handling operations after U.S. forces begin pulling out?  We’ll ask NATO’s former Supreme Allied Commander, who led a Congressional study on Iraqi Security forces.
• Italy rocked by strong aftershocks – an uplifting moment amid disaster – a woman who was buried alive in the original earthquake, is pulled from the rubble.
• Congress and Castro – Members of the Congressional Black Caucus meeting with Raul and Fidel Castro.  It’s Raul’s first face-to-face meeting with U.S. leaders since he took over the island.  This comes as the Obama administration gets ready to lift all travel restrictions on the Island.  Has decades of Cold War-era policy been a complete failure – like Fidel Castro said?
• Stiffed by Stimulus – At first glance, it appears good on paper.  One-point-two billion in funds for Texas transportation infrastructure under President Obama's "American Recovery and Reinvestment Act,” but there is a growing anger in Texas over several expensive new TOLL roads being built with tax dollars.  They say that's equal to being taxed on both ends.
• The super-generous CEO – An insurance company owner sells half of the biz and then split the proceeds with all of his employees.
• Python Patrol – Need a job and don’t mind catching 20-foot, 200 pound snakes that dine on bobcats??  A non-profit group is trying to save the Florida everglades from pythons… and it needs your help.   We take a class on catching the beasts.