Morning Coffee: Daily Brawl with your host, Barney Frank
Morning Edition asks Senator-elect Mark Begich to step out into the frigid Alaska night to talk about his apparent victory over Republican Senator Ted Stevens. Begich is happy to oblige but is less willing to attribute his win mainly to Stevens’ felony conviction. Renee Montagne presses him on this point, but Begich seems to place more blame on Stevens’ lack of focus on Alaska in recent years. Listen
Rep. Barney Frank was on Morning Edition today for an interview with Steve Inskeep. Talking to Rep. Frank is no cakewalk, and we have this morning’s chat on ME and last week’s on The Takeaway as evidence of that. I predict a number of delicate souls will write to NPR sobbing over Inskeep’s “rough treatment” of Frank, but Frank is a brawler, he obviously likes a dustup and sometimes the heat produces light, as was the case in both his morning interviews. Listen
Author Amity Shlaes (she’s written a book about the Depression), tells The Takeaway that one of the ways to get out of the financial crisis is the reduce the capital gains tax to make the US more competitive with countries like Britain. For political reasons, she says, this is an option you’re not going to hear about, but she says that an element that has been largely absent from the hearings on Capitol Hill is a recognition that the US also has to think of itself as a competitor with other economies. Listen
Neville Smith of Lloyd’s List updates John and Adaora on the high seas hijacking saga, and there are now a few of them. He says the state of chaos in Somalia leads men who once made a living from fishing to join criminal gangs. These gangs are using the ransom money for lavish weddings, houses and other forms of conspicuous consumption. Smith says shipping companies basically have no other choice but to pay the ransom, but he adds that the high profile hijacking this past weekend is causing the kind of discussion that could lead to tougher action against pirates. Listen
