Tag: State Politics

The Takeaway

Blagojevich impeachment hearings off to a bad start

Wednesday, December 17, 2008

Illinois state legislators began impeachment hearings against embattled Governor Rod Blagojevich on Tuesday, but the proceedings were stopped after just one hour. It seems that Prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald would like to know who the lawmakers are planning to ask to testify, to make sure that their hearings will not interfere with his case. Amanda Vinicky, Statehouse Reporter for Illinois Public Radio, joins The Takeaway with the latest.

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The Takeaway

Is Jesse Jackson Jr.'s political career over?

Monday, December 15, 2008

More details have come to light on possible connections between the congressman and disgraced governor Rod Blagojevich, D-Ill.

It's possible that the two actions had nothing to do with one another, but they are coincidences that are very interesting.
— David Kidwell on the possible connection between Jackson and Blagojevich

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The Takeaway

When governors select senators, a historical perspective

Monday, December 15, 2008

With a president, vice president and a secretary of state nominee all coming from the U.S. Senate, three state governors will have the chance to choose their replacements.

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The Takeaway

How do you solve a problem like Blagojevich?

Monday, December 15, 2008

The Illinois General Assembly meets today to consider how best to remove Democratic Governor Rod Blagojevich and how to fill the Senate seat vacated by President-elect Barack Obama. Amanda Vinicky, statehouse reporter for Illinois Public Radio, joins The Takeaway with an update from the state capital.

I've learned with this governor to make no predictions whatsoever. I feel like he doesn't even know at this point what he is going to do.
— Amanda Vinicky

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The Takeaway

The Chicago Cubs, a newspaper and a fallen politician

Thursday, December 11, 2008

Of all the sordid details aired in the criminal complaint handed down to Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich, one stuck out in Jeff Beresford-Howe’s mind. Find out how Wrigley Field may have factored into the latest gubernatorial scandal to rock the nation.

Blog: "And a-one count, and a two-count, and ...

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The Takeaway

Illinois pols in the hot seat

Thursday, December 11, 2008

Illinois lawmakers have the power to impeach Governor Blagojevich, call a special election, and more. What will they do next?

"He said he's not going to resign, but he would be the first Illinois governor in history ever impeached, so that might be an incentive."
— Amanda Vinicky on Gov. Blagojevich

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The Takeaway

How will budget deficits impact your state?

Wednesday, December 03, 2008

States around the country are facing billions in budget shortfalls, with cuts to education, health care, and infrastructure already on the books.

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The Takeaway

Gov. Napolitano likely to lead Homeland Security

Friday, November 21, 2008

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The Takeaway

Alaska's Ted Stevens loses Senate seat

Wednesday, November 19, 2008

"A Democrat hasn't come from Alaska to Washington in nearly 30 years."
--Libby Casey on the changing Alaskan political landscape

Current U.S. Senate party affiliation numbers (Nov. 19, 2008):

58 D (56 D + 1 I + 1 ID) | 1 Runoff | 1 R leads | 40 R

» More on the close races for the Senate at vote2008.thetakeaway.org

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The Takeaway

All-Palin TV

Friday, November 14, 2008

"When you're in a village, you really do depend on the wild meat."
--Steve Heimel speaking about Sarah Palin and life in rural Alaska

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The Takeaway

Who gets Obama's Senate seat?

Friday, November 14, 2008

Illinois Democratic governor Rod Blagojevich must find a replacement for President-elect Barack Obama, who will resign his Senate seat Sunday. The first-term Senator was the only black in the Senate and the choice of his successor will be a huge political gift to whomever gets it (for Blagojevich as well — he's become reviled since his election in 2002). But with no choice expected soon, Democrats retain a tenuous majority in the Senate — McCain supporter Senator Joe Lieberman, ID-Conn., is a wild card — as lawmakers consider economic stimulus legislation.

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The Takeaway

California stages earthquake

Thursday, November 13, 2008

"At ten o'clock, the massive, make-believe 7.8-magnitude earthquake rolls along the San Andreas fault."
-- Patricia Nazario

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The Takeaway

Jeff Beresford-Howe: Same-sex marriage and other California propositions

Tuesday, November 11, 2008

By Jeff Beresford-Howe

While the rest of the United States — indeed, the world — was dancing, carousing and toasting VB Day, California voters gave the Obama administration an idea of what the future's going to look like, and a serious reality check: letting go of the brutal, stupid politics of the last 20 years is not going to come easy. With no statewide office races this year — Gov. Schwarzenegger's tenure ends in 2010, neither California senate seat was up, and the legislature is locked into place by gerrymandering that rises to the level of abstract art — this California election was all about ballot propositions.

The Takeaway

On the Ballot: Same-sex marriage

Tuesday, October 28, 2008

Dan Fritz of California's KPFK discusses Proposition 8, the ballot measure that would amend the California constitution and ban same-sex marriage in California.

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The Takeaway

Cleveland councilwoman Fannie M. Lewis, icon of inner-city rebuilding, dies at 82

Tuesday, August 12, 2008

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The Takeaway

A looming fuel crisis leads to a boon for North Dakotans

Friday, August 01, 2008

There’s an oil boom in North Dakota, and the wealth under ground is creating millionaires.

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The Takeaway

The future of American oil could be in a small South Dakota farming community

Tuesday, July 22, 2008

The solution to high gas prices may not be offshore drilling. For a remote community in South Dakota, the future is not farming, it's oil. Plans are underway to make Union County, S.D., home to the nation’s first new oil refinery in 30 years. The company behind the project bills the refinery as a "green energy center" and many local politicians support the plans, but it's a sore point for residents closest to the site.

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The Takeaway

Investigative report: Hastiness in natural gas drilling jeopardizes local water

Tuesday, July 22, 2008

The sharp rise in energy prices has pushed states to speed through legislation that allows companies to drill for gas. The potential for revenue is enormous, but what's the cost? WNYC's Ilya Marritz and ProPublica's Abrahm Lustgarten explain the potential environmental consequences of the rush for new energy as New York presses ahead with its plans to tap gas underneath the Catskill Mountains.

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