American Morning
Talk Radio: Do we need a new Fairness Doctrine?
In the late 1940’s, the Federal Communications Commission decided that it was more likely to grant and renew licenses to broadcasters who offered up more than one point of view to their listeners. That decision came to be known as the Fairness Doctrine.
The doctrine was intended to serve the public interest by having broadcasters offer the public more than one side to controversial issues.
But the Fairness Doctrine didn’t last. With its constitutionality in question, the doctrine was repealed in 1987. Not long after that, conservative talk show host Rush Limbaugh took to the AM radio dial and became a hit.
It wasn’t long before other conservative talkers followed his lead. They became so successful they pushed most liberal talkers off the dial. Today, according to Talkers Magazine, 91 percent of talk radio on the AM commercial dial is conservative.
Some say that’s reason enough for the return of the Fairness Doctrine. But, most experts say that’s not likely to happen. There is a new push, however, called “localism.”
Simply put, it means radio stations would be forced to carry more local programming that appeals to local audiences. Right now, big broadcasting companies like Clear Channel Communications, CBS, and others own hundreds of radio stations across the country. They often program syndicated, national shows featuring conservative talkers like Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity and Glenn Beck.
Some say that kind of national programming is not serving some audiences across the country. Randi Rhodes, a syndicated progressive talker, is based in Washington D.C., where 93 percent of voters voted for Barack Obama. Yet, only a small percentage of AM talk radio is liberal or progressive.
FAA probes plane's landing on taxiway
CNN Atlanta Bureau Chief
ATLANTA, Georgia (CNN) - The Federal Aviation Administration is investigating how an international flight into Atlanta's major airport landed on a taxiway instead of a runway early Monday.
[cnn-photo-caption image= http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/2009/US/10/21/georgia.taxiway.incursion/art.atl.airport.jpg caption="The pilots of the plane that landed at the Atlanta airport have been relieved from flying duties pending probes."]
FAA spokeswoman Kathleen Bergen said Delta Flight 60, from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, to Atlanta's Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport, was cleared to land about 6:05 a.m. Monday on Runway 27R but landed instead on Taxiway M, which runs parallel to the runway. The flight had 194 passengers and crew aboard, according to CNN affiliate WXIA.
No other aircraft were on the taxiway, and there was no damage to either the taxiway or the plane, a Boeing 767, Bergen said.
A runway or taxiway collision, particularly with one plane preparing to take off and carrying a full fuel load, would be catastrophic.
Bergen said she isn't sure whether or when other aircraft have ever landed on the taxiway at Hartsfield.
Both Runway 27R and Taxiway M are 11,890 feet long, Bergen said, but the runway is marked with white lights while the taxiway is marked with blue lights.
Delta spokesman Anthony Black said the airline is cooperating with the FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board in their investigation, as well as conducting an internal investigation. The pilots of the flight have been relieved from active flying pending the completion of these investigations, Black said.
CBO finds Dem bill with public option reduces deficit
CNN
WASHINGTON (CNN) - A preliminary estimate from the Congressional Budget Office projects that the House Democrats' health care plan that includes a public option would cost $871 billion over 10 years, according to two Democratic sources.
[cnn-photo-caption image= http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/2009/POLITICS/10/21/health.care.cbo/art.pelosi.afp.gi.jpg.jpg caption="Nancy Pelosi, right, here with Harry Reid, proposes a "more robust" public option. The CBO analyzed the plan."]
CBO also found that the Democrats' bill reduces the deficit in the first 10 years.
This new CBO estimate, which aides caution is not final, is significantly less than the $1.1 trillion price tag of the original House bill that passed out of three committees this summer. More importantly, it comes under the $900 billion cap set by President Obama in his joint address to Congress last month.
CBO analyzed what House Speaker Nancy Pelosi calls a "more robust" public option - one that ties reimbursement rates for doctors to current Medicare rates, plus a 5 percent increase.
At a meeting with House Democrats on Tuesday night, Pelosi did not release CBO's preliminary numbers, but told members that CBO told leaders the House bill would cost well below $900 billion. Aides say final CBO numbers could be released on Wednesday.
Insurer under fire for cutting coverage
Ian Pearl suffers from muscular dystrophy. He uses a wheelchair and a ventilator, and in less than a month and a half he’s scheduled to lose his health insurance.
His insurance company, Guardian, decided to cancel a series of old policies in three states, leaving Ian without coverage. His family sued, and their lawyers discovered an internal company e-mail that referred to high cost policies like Ian’s as “dogs.”
The company has apologized, but for now, they’re going forward with their policy cancellations. The Pearl family is appealing to the Obama administration for help – adding their voices to calls for health care reform.
Ian has a new battle cry: "I am not a dog."
More fruits, less fries at school lunch
School lunches could be getting a nutritional overhaul, and just like at dinnertime, kids may be pushed to eat their veggies. Dr. Virginia Stallings is the director of the nutrition center at the famous Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, and she was in charge of the group that put together the list of recommendations.
Stallings spoke to John Roberts on CNN’s “American Morning” Tuesday. Below is an edited transcript of that interview.
John Roberts: Let's take a look at the recommendations that you're coming up with here. First of all, more fruit at breakfast, more vegetables at lunch. You also have an indication here that you want to limit starchy vegetables. Also, more whole grains, low fat milk, less sodium. The goal among high school students is to reduce the sodium intake by 50% over ten years, and no skipping of vegetables. It sounds like a no-brainer and sounds like something that we try to do every day.
Virginia Stallings: Very good. Well, I think the committee would agree with you, but we do see this as the beginning of a very good start in overhauling the school lunch and breakfast programs. With this, we really will align what we know in nutrition, science, and child health, and make this really large, important program support those two components.
Roberts: So there's a big difference between what students should eat and what they want to eat or what they do eat. So how do we get them to get on board with this idea of healthy choices?
Stallings: Well, you know, it's an important part of the whole program now. We've learned that students are pretty sophisticated consumers. So we've got to balance this. The children and the families will all be asked to be a part of really thinking about the menus, even doing taste testing. Those sorts of things. And then we also know that for children of all ages, that being exposed to foods over and over again ultimately will help with the acceptance. … The last part is we hope that we can combine some of the new foods with some of the other activities in school, so that they can be part of science class or French class or whatever.
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