Jen Poyant

Florida Gov. Rick Scott has said thanks — but no thanks — to $2 billion in federal funds that were meant to create a high speed line between Orlando and Tampa. Joining us to talk about the implications of this setback for the Obama administration's rail plan is Andrea Bernstein, Director of Transportation Nation, a public radio project produced by our flagship station WNYC Radio says this was the marquee project for the Obama administration's plans for high speed rail.

We have been talking all week about the battle lines being drawn in Washington over the 2012 federal budget proposal. So we asked you how you’d fix the budget. We received a huge response from listeners and we’ve picked a few suggestions to consider on air this morning. David Walker, U.S. Comptroller General from 1998 to 2008 explores the economic viability of your suggestions and Takeaway Washington correspondent Todd Zwillich gives us the chances on whether any of our ideas would pass in Congress.

We all remember the now infamous speech that former Secretary of State Colin Powell gave to the UN on February 5, 2003. He made the case that the U.S. had enough intelligence to conclude that Saddam Hussein had weapons of mass destruction and that he was a threat to countries in the region and to the U.S. Powell was making the case for going to war with Iraq. And part of his argument rested on the word of an Iraqi defector named Rafid Ahmed Alwan al-Janabi. Now al-Janabi has told The Guardian newspaper in London that he was lying and that he would do it again.

Wall Street bankers allegedly profited from the many mortgage loans that began to sour back in 2008, in some cases possibly pocketing money that was collected on the mortgages. Louise Story, Wall Street and finance reporter for  The New York Times, examines this theory, which surfaced in a recently unsealed lawsuit against a mortgage unit at Bear Stearns. She follows a money trail that seems to lead back to some shady action on Wall Street.

Is Egypt’s vice president, Omar Suleiman, ready to implement a swift transition to democracy and is that even possible? Who is Suleiman? Retired Colonel Patrick Lang has known and worked with Omar Suleiman for two decades. He says Suleiman's intention to provide a strong and orderly transition is genuine, but the time table that Egyptians are hoping for is probably unlikely.

The death of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac has been a long time in the making. For the past four decades the way homes have been financed in this country has been dictated by a kind of public-private partnership. Fannie and Freddie bought mortgages from banks and sold them to investors in the form of securities. The system worked because the government implied that if homeowners defaulted, the government would be there to bail those loans out. In 2008 the government essentially did that during the housing crisis. But now the two companies are political untouchable.

Americans have started buying again; this past December, they pulled out their credit cards, and charged their holiday gifts. There's currently $800 billion on credit cards. This may be good for the economy, but it is it good for your wallet?

It’s been fifteen days since the protests in Egypt began and even longer since voices of dissent erupted in Tunisia. Across the Arab world, there have been unrelenting calls for democratic reform. However, some claim that Islam and democracy are too incompatible to function together. Can an Islamic state embrace democracy?

This week we’ve been covering the rise in oil prices during the unrest in Egypt. Yesterday anxiety in the region sent the price of a barrel of oil above $100. Additionally, the combination of high global food prices and high unemployment is making the prospect of these countries returning to some sense of normalcy seem untenable in the near future.

Women have long been on the frontlines of poliltical uprisings in Egypt. We see them now in the streets chanting for Mubarak to step down. Women were also integral in the 919 revolution in Egypt, which pushed out Egypt’s British occupiers. It is a misconception that women are not part of the pro-Democracy demonstrators, says Mona Eltahawy, columnist and speaker on Muslim and Arab issues.

"Mubarak is not a one-man show," says Anwar Sadat professor for peace and development at the University of Maryland, Shibley Telhami. He explains that there is large priveleged class in Egypt that benefits from the status-quo and is not going to be eager to see the change in leadership. He also takes a closer look at what will happen now that Mubarak has pledged not to run again and the constitutional changes that will need to take place in order to ensure a new democratic process.

Egypt has a key role as an ally to both Israel and Gazan Palestinians. It's one of the few countries that has a relationship with both groups. As the political ground shifts yet again in the Middle East, we take a look at one Palestinian doctor and how he came to be an advocate for peace in Gaza.

The United States is performing a difficult balancing act in how to respond to the tumult in Egypt. The Obama administration was quick to show support for protesters who are pushing for democratic reform in the Middle East, but hasn't forcefully called for the end to Mubarak's regime.

Oil prices have been floating around $90 a barrel for weeks, but now, the turmoil in Egypt has pushed the price up. Crude oil jumped close to 4% on Friday and then 3.2% yesterday to settle at $92.19 a barrel. However, the output of crude hasn’t changed in the region, so what exactly explains the sharp rise in prices?

As WikiLeaks has become a household name over the past year, one of the organizations that has most aided the website's rise to prominence is the New York Times. Through many of the leaks that have changed the landscape and called into question the tenants of journalism, the Times often provided Julian Assange and WikiLeaks with an audience by studying, and publishing the documents it was releasing. As questions about Julian Assange's character grow, so do those about his impact on the world and whether it is positive or negative. Bill Keller, executive editor of the New York Times, talks about dealing with Assange behind the scenes.

A dip in housing prices is causing concerns that we might be headed for a double-dip in the market this spring. Louise Story, Wall Street and Finance Reporter for The New York Times, says the latest housing numbers out by the Case-Shiller Index raises more questions than answers about the housing market in the near term.

If President Obama’s weekly YouTube address is any indication, America’s ability to compete globally will be an issue very much on the table during his State of the Union speech tonight. So what are the areas where we’re out-competing other countries? And are jobs and economic growth the most important indications of success in the competitive global market?

Rahm Emanuel’s bid to become the next mayor of Chicago hit another bump in the road yesterday. An Illinois appeals court ruled two to one that the former White House Chief of Staff’s name cannot appear on the ballot for the February 22nd election. Jim Warren, columnist for the Chicago News Coop and former managing editor for the Chicago Tribune. He says the ruling is ridiculous.

This week’s big movie opening is a back-stage country music drama called "Country Strong." It stars Gwyneth Paltrow as hugely popular country singer named Kelly Cantor. Kelly is battling alcoholism, competition from a younger singer, low self esteem, and a fractured relationship with her husband and manager played by Tim McGraw. The big question, of course, is: Does Paltrow give a convincing performance as a country music star? And for that matter, is it ever a good idea for actors to sing in their movies?

New data out by the United Nations shows that world food prices rose by 32 percent in the second half of 2010. Food prices for staples haven’t been this high in two years. The last time they reached these levels, food shortages sparked riots in poor nations. Is another food crisis on the horizon for struggling nations? And what does this mean for Americans?