Gross state product (GSP), or gross regional product (GRP), is a measurement of the economic output of a state or province (i.e., of a subnational entity). It is the sum of all value added by industries within the state and serves as a counterpart to the gross domestic product (GDP).

Conceptually, there is no difficulty in taking the definition of GDP for a nation and applying it to a smaller jurisdiction such as a state, or even a local government area. In practice, however, flows of goods, services, labour and capital across state boundaries (i.e., flows within a nation) are generally not measured with any great accuracy. By contrast, flows across national boundaries are normally recorded as part of the ordinary operations of government. As a result, it is often hard to measure the value added within a state, since this requires netting out 'imports' from other states, and including 'exports' to other states. Similarly, it is difficult to measure the income accruing to factors of production (labour and capital) within a given state.

See also[link]

• List of country subdivisions by GDP over 100 billion US dollars
• List of country subdivisions by GDP (PPP)
• List of Argentine provinces by GSP
• List of Australian states by GSP
• List of Brazilian states by GSP
• List of Canadian provinces by GSP
• List of Chilean regions by GSP per capita
• List of Chinese administrative divisions by GSP
• List of Indian states by GSP and States of India by size of economy
• List of Mexican states by GSP
• List of Spanish autonomous communities by GSP
• List of U.S. states by GSP
• Comparison between U.S. states and countries nominal GDP
• Comparison between U.S. states and countries by GDP (PPP)

References[link]

• STATEMENT : GROSS STATE DOMESTIC PRODUCT AT CURRENT PRICES As on 28.02.08, (Rupee in Crores).

Katie Couric
Couric at the 2012 Tribeca Film Festival
Born	Katherine Anne Couric (1957-01-07) January 7, 1957 (age 55) Arlington, Virginia, U.S.
Education	University of Virginia (B.A.)
Occupation	Television journalist
Years active	1979–present
Notable credit(s)	The Today Show Dateline NBC CBS Evening News 60 Minutes Katie (2012) @katiecouric (on CBS News website) Katie's Take (for Yahoo and ABC News)
Salary	$40,000,000 annually
Spouse	Jay Monahan (1989–1998; his death)
Children	Elinor Tully "Ellie" Monahan Caroline Couric Monahan
Parents	John Martin Couric Jr. Elinor Tullie (née Hene)

Katherine Anne "Katie" Couric (born January 7, 1957) is an American journalist and author. She serves as special correspondent for ABC News, contributing to ABC World News, Nightline, 20/20, Good Morning America, This Week and primetime news specials. Starting on September 6, 2012, she will host Katie, a syndicated daytime talk show produced by Disney-ABC Domestic Television. She has anchored the CBS Evening News, reported for 60 Minutes, and hosted Today and reported for Dateline NBC. She was the first solo female anchor of a weekday evening news program on one of the three traditional USA broadcast networks. Couric's first book, The Best Advice I Ever Got: Lessons from Extraordinary Lives was a New York Times best-seller.

As of May 2012, Couric also has a web show for ABC News, entitled Katie's Take, airing weekly on Yahoo.

Early life and career[link]

Couric was born in Arlington, Virginia, the daughter of Elinor Tullie (née Hene), a homemaker and part-time writer, and John Martin Couric Jr., a public relations executive and news editor at The Atlanta Journal-Constitution and the United Press in Washington, D.C. Her mother was Jewish, but Couric was raised Presbyterian.^[1][2] Couric's maternal grandparents, Bert Hene and Clara L. Froshin, were the children of Jewish immigrants from Germany.^[3] In a report for Today, she traced her paternal ancestry back to a French orphan who immigrated to the U.S. in the nineteenth century and became a broker in the cotton business.

Couric attended Arlington Public Schools: Jamestown Elementary, Williamsburg Middle School, and Yorktown High School^[4] and was a cheerleader.^[5] As a high school student, she was an intern at Washington, D.C. all-news radio station WAVA. She enrolled at her father's alma mater,^[6] the University of Virginia, in 1975 and was a Delta Delta Delta sorority sister. Couric served in several positions at UVA's award-winning daily newspaper, The Cavalier Daily. During her fourth year at UVA, Couric was chosen to live as Head Resident (RA) of The Lawn, the heart of Thomas Jefferson's Academical Village.^[7] She graduated in 1979 with a bachelor's degree in English with a focus on American Studies.^[8]

Television career[link]

Career beginnings[link]

Couric's first job in 1979 was at the ABC News bureau in Washington, D.C., later joining CNN as an assignment editor. Between 1984 and 1986, she worked as a general-assignment reporter for WTVJ in Miami, Florida. During the following two years, she reported for WRC-TV, the NBC owned-and-operated station in Washington, D.C., work which earned her an Associated Press award and an Emmy.

NBC[link]

Couric joined NBC News in 1989 as Deputy Pentagon Correspondent. From 1989 to 1991, Couric was an anchor substitute and filled in for Bryant Gumbel as host of Today, Jane Pauley, and Deborah Norville as co-anchor of Today, Garrick Utley, Mary Alice Williams, and Maria Shriver as co-host of Sunday Today, and John Palmer, Norville, and Faith Daniels as anchor of the former NBC News program NBC News at Sunrise. She also subbed for Daniels, Norville, and John Palmer as the news anchor on Today.

[edit] Today (1991–2006)

In 1989, Couric joined Today as national political correspondent, becoming a substitute co-host in February 1991 when Norville had a baby. Norville did not return and Couric became permanent co-anchor on April 5, 1991.^[9] In 1994, she became co-anchor of Now with Tom Brokaw and Katie Couric—an evening time weekly TV newsmagazine with Tom Brokaw—which was later canceled and folded into part of Dateline NBC, where her reports appeared regularly and she was named contributing anchor. She remained at Today for fifteen years with co-host Matt Lauer and NBC News until May 31, 2006, when she announced that she would be going to CBS to anchor the CBS Evening News, becoming the first solo female anchor of the "big three" weekday nightly news broadcasts.^[8]

While at NBC, Katie Couric occasionally filled in for Tom Brokaw on NBC Nightly News. From 1989-1993, Couric also filled in for Maria Shriver on the Sunday Edition of NBC Nightly News and for Garrick Utley on the Saturday Edition of NBC Nightly News.

Couric hosted or worked on a number of news specials, like Everybody's Business: America's Children in 1995. Similar entertainment specials were Legend to Legend Night: A Celebrity Cavalcade in 1993, and Harry Potter: Behind the Magic in 2001. Couric has also co-hosted the opening ceremonies of the Olympic Games. She has broadcast with Bob Costas, beginning with the 2000 Summer Olympics. She did not co-host the 2006 Winter Olympics opening ceremony in Turin, Italy because of a scheduling conflict with a live taping of Today. Brian Williams co-hosted with Bob Costas instead.

Couric has interviewed many international political figures and celebrities during her career, including Presidents Gerald R. Ford, Jimmy Carter, George H. W. Bush, Bill Clinton and George W. Bush, and First Lady Barbara Bush. John F. Kennedy Jr. gave Couric his first and last interviews. Couric has won multiple television reporting awards through her career, including the prestigious Peabody Award for her series Confronting Colon Cancer. Couric has also interviewed former British Prime Minister Tony Blair, Senator Hillary Clinton (her first television interview), Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling, and Laura Bush.^[9]

On May 28, 2008, Couric made a return visit to Today since leaving almost two years to the very day back on May 31, 2006. She made this appearance alongside her evening counterparts, NBC Nightly News' Brian Williams & ABC World News' Charles Gibson, to promote an organization called Stand Up to Cancer and raise cancer awareness on all three major television networks; ABC, CBS & NBC. Couric, Gibson and Williams made appearances together on all three major network morning shows, first on CBS's Early Show, then on NBC's Today and finally on ABC's Good Morning America.^[8]

CBS[link]

[edit] CBS Evening News (2006–2011)

Couric in 2007

Couric announced on April 5, 2006 that she would be leaving Today.^[10] CBS officially confirmed later the same day that Couric would become the new anchor and managing editor of CBS Evening News with her first broadcast set for September 5, 2006. Couric would also contribute to 60 Minutes and anchor prime time news specials for CBS. Couric earned $15 million per year while at CBS, a salary that made her the highest paid journalist in the world, a salary similar to Matt Lauer's at NBC and Barbara Walter's at ABC.^[11]

Couric made her first broadcast as anchor and managing editor of the CBS Evening News with Katie Couric on September 5, 2006. The program featured a new set, new graphics, and a new theme composed by prolific movie score composer James Horner.^[12] The program also featured a voice-over from Walter Cronkite. It was the first evening newscast to be simulcast live on the internet and local radio stations.

CBS heavily hyped Couric's arrival at the network, hoping to revive the evening news format, but there were suggestions that it backfired.^[13] Although there was much interest during her first week as anchor,^[14] CBS Evening News remained a distant third in viewership, behind ABC World News and NBC Nightly News.^[15][16][17] While Couric's ratings improved over her predecessor, Bob Schieffer, ABC's Charles Gibson widened World News' lead over Evening News.^[18]

The CBS Evening News with Katie Couric won the 2008 and 2009 Edward R. Murrow Award for best newscast. On March 29, 2009, Couric was awarded with the Emmy Governor's Award for her broadcasting career.

She has interviewed presidents, cabinet members, celebrities, and business executives around the world, including President Barack Obama, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, Former President George W. Bush, Former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, John Edwards just after their announcement that Mrs. Edwards' cancer had returned, Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni, Norah Jones and Michael J. Fox.^[19]

Couric led CBS News' coverage of the 2006 midterm elections, the 2008 Presidential election and conventions, and 2010 midterm elections. Couric was the first network anchor on the ground in Port au Prince after the 2010 Haiti Earthquake. After the BP oil spill Couric anchored from the Gulf Coast weekly and brought much attention to the disaster. She reported from Cairo's Tahrir Square during the Egyptian Revolution in 2011. In April 2011, she led CBS News' coverage from London for the Wedding of Prince William, Duke of Cambridge, and Catherine Middleton.

Couric was the only solo female evening news anchor in the United States, until December 21, 2009, when she was joined by Diane Sawyer, who succeeded the retiring Charles Gibson for ABC World News. Couric and Sawyer were previous rivals as the hosts of Today and Good Morning America, respectively.^[20]

On April 26, 2011, Couric confirmed in an interview with People magazine that she would be leaving her anchor post at CBS Evening News, when her contract expired on June 4, 2011.^[21] Katie Couric made her final broadcast in the CBS Evening News chair on Thursday, May 19, 2011.^[22]

[edit] 60 Minutes (2006–2011)

Couric was a 60 Minutes correspondent and contributed six to eight stories a year for the program. Her most famous segment was the first interview with airline pilot Chesley Sullenberger. She also interviewed Valerie Plame, Robert Gates and Michelle Rhee for the program.

The Palin interviews (2008)[link]

The Sarah Palin interviews with Katie Couric were a series of interviews Couric conducted with 2008 U.S. Republican vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin. They were recorded and broadcast on television in several programs before the 2008 U.S. presidential election. Couric received the Walter Cronkite Award for Journalism Excellence for the interview.^[23][24][25] Steve Schmidt, McCain's senior campaign strategist and advisor, later reflected on the interview, saying "I think it was the most consequential interview from a negative perspective that a candidate for national office has gone through..."^[26]

CBS Reports (2009–2011)[link]

Couric was the lead reporter for two CBS Reports series, which aired across all CBS News platforms. The first series, "CBS Reports: Children of the Recession," highlighted the pain suffered by the youngest of the Great Recession's victims. The series won the Columbia School of Journalism's Alfred DuPont Award for Excellence in Journalism.^[27] The second series, which aired in early 2010, was "CBS Reports: Where America Stands'.' which featured veteran CBS News correspondents reporting on major issues facing the United States in the decade ahead with research by the CBS News Polling Unit.

[edit] @katiecouric (2009–2011)

Couric hosted a weekly, one-hour interview program on CBSNews.com. The launch of the webshow signaled that Couric would stay at CBS until her contracted expired in 2011.^[28]

Her first guest was Fox News Channel host Glenn Beck. Subsequent interviews have included former Vice President Al Gore, actor Hugh Jackman, recording artist Shakira, First Lady Michelle Obama, and New York Times columnist Thomas Friedman, teen singer Justin Bieber, actress Jane Lynch, talk show host Ellen DeGeneres, actor Daniel Radcliffe, Bill Gates, former White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emmanuel, national Tea Party movement leader Michael Johns, New Orleans Saints Quarterback Drew Brees, and author Malcolm Gladwell.^[29]

Return to ABC[link]

[edit] ABC News (2011-)

Couric is a Special Correspondent for ABC News, based in New York. She will continue in this role even once her daytime talk show begins. Her first appearance on the network was a Sarah Jessica Parker interview on Nightline. Couric co-anchored coverage of the 10th anniversary of the September 11 attacks, alongside Diane Sawyer, Christiane Amanpour, Barbara Walters, Elizabeth Vargas, George Stephanopoulos, and Robin Roberts. Couric was hosting Today on NBC at the time of the attacks, and led CBS News coverage of the 5th anniversary. Couric also guest co-hosted The View and Live! with Regis and Kelly. Couric interviewed Lady Gaga in primetime on Thanksgiving as part of A Very Gaga Thanksgiving. In November 2011, Couric hosted a special primetime ABC news program highlighting Regis Philbin's retirement, after Philbin's 25-year tenure at ABC.

From April 2–6, 2012, Couric substituted for co-anchor Robin Roberts on ABC's Good Morning America.

Since Couric's week-long stint was such a success, in addition to her duties with the syndicated talk show and her contributions to the ABC News, she will also anchor a special weekly web show for Yahoo, who is a partner of ABC News. The Program, aptly titled Katie's Take, a program that allows Katie Couric to not only give her opinion on trending topics in the realms of medicine, health, family, education, etc., but also allows for intelligent discussions with various members of these fields. Although the show is a web program, it gives Couric an official show for ABC News, solidifying her role as a member of the ABC News Team.

Katie's Take marks the second web show that Couric has been affiliated with, the first being @katiecouric on the CBS Evening News.

[edit] Katie (2012-)

On June 6, 2011, ABC announced that Couric signed a record $40 million contract, and would begin hosting a daytime talk show for its Disney-ABC Domestic Television arm that would debut in September 2012. Couric would also contribute to ABC News programming.^[30]

On August 22, 2011, it was announced that Katie Couric's talk show will be called Katie, airing the first episode on September 10, 2012.^[31][32]

Public image[link]

Couric has been called "America's Sweetheart" largely due to her co-anchor role for 15 years on The Today Show.^[33] On May 12, 2003, Couric guest-hosted The Tonight Show with Jay Leno as part of a swap campaign, and had 45 percent more viewers than on other nights. She has been the only guest host used by Jay Leno on either The Tonight Show or his short lived The Jay Leno Show. Leno filled in for her on Today that same day. CNN and the New York Daily News noted that instead of using Leno's regular solid desk, "workers cut away the front of her desk to expose her legs while she interviewed American Idol judge Simon Cowell and Austin Powers star Mike Myers".^[34]

Other work[link]

Couric in Afghanistan, August 2010

In a media crossover to animated film, she was the voice of news-reporter "Katie Current" in the U.S. version of the film Shark Tale. She also made a cameo appearance as a prison guard at Georgia State Prison in Austin Powers in Goldmember. She guest-starred as herself on the CBS sitcom Murphy Brown in 1992 and in the NBC sitcom Will & Grace in late 2002. On May 12, 2003, she traded places for a day with Tonight Show host Jay Leno. Couric also co-hosted NBC's live coverage of Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade from 1991 until 2005. Katie Couric delivered the graduation speech at her alma mater University of Virginia on May 20, 2012 and at Princeton University on June 1, 2009.^[35][36] She also works with Carmen Marc Valvo to help publicize the deadliness, yet preventability, of colorectal cancer. On May 16, 2010, Katie Couric received an honorary doctor of science degree for her efforts in raising awareness of colorectal cancer and for her commitment to advancing medical research from Case Western Reserve University, and later gave the university's 2010 convocation keynote address.^[37] In 2011, she gave the university commencement speech at Boston University and was awarded another doctoral degree, Doctor of Humane Letters. She gave her speech amongst much fan-fare from the BU community, and her speech was not only touching but also inspirational and funny.^[38] She has also hosted a Sesame Street special, "When Families Grieve." The special, which aired on PBS on April 14, 2010, dealt with the issues that children go through when a parent dies.

On February 6, 2011, Couric guest-starred on the post-Super Bowl episode of Glee, playing herself interviewing Sue Sylvester after the cheer-leading team lost the championship. Sue sarcastically referred to Couric as "Diane Sawyer" during the segment.^[39]

On April 12, 2011, Couric's first book titled The Best Advice I Ever Got: Lessons from Extraordinary Lives was published by Random House.^[40] The book is a collection of essays compiled over the past year by Couric; contributors include New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, Queen Rania of Jordan, and former Today show colleague Matt Lauer. In an interview with The New York Times, Couric said that a 2010 convocation keynote address she gave (refer to preceding paragraph) inspired her to come up with the book.^[41] To this end, all profits of the book will be donated to Scholarship America.

Couric is also heavily featured in The Gregory Brothers' series Auto-Tune The News. They mention this is due to her "outstanding" suitability for auto-tuning.^[42]

She is currently a member of the Council on Foreign Relations.

Personal life[link]

Couric married Jay Monahan in 1989. She gave birth to her first daughter, Elinor Tully "Ellie" Monahan, on July 23, 1991; her second daughter, Caroline "Carrie" Couric Monahan, was born on January 5, 1996. Jay Monahan died of colon cancer in 1998 at the age of 42; as a result, Couric is a spokeswoman for colon cancer awareness. She underwent a colonoscopy on-air in March 2000, and, according to a study published in 2003 in Archives of Internal Medicine, could have inspired many others to get checked as well:

Katie Couric's televised colon cancer awareness campaign was temporarily associated with an increase in colonoscopy use in 2 different data sets. This illustrates the possibility that a well-known individual can draw attention and support to worthwhile causes.^[43]

She also was very active in the National Hockey League's Hockey Fights Cancer campaign, appearing in some public service announcements and doing voice-overs for several others. Couric is currently a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador for the United States.

On October 7, 2005, as part of National Breast Cancer Awareness Month, Couric broadcast her own mammogram on the Today show, in the hopes of recreating the "Couric Effect" around the issue of breast cancer.^[44]

Her sister Emily Couric, a Virginia Democratic state senator, died of pancreatic cancer at the age of 54 on October 18, 2001. Couric gave a eulogy at the funeral. She pointed out that it irritated Emily when people asked her if she was Katie Couric's sister. She told the mourners "I just want you to know I will always be proud to say 'I am Emily Couric's sister'." Couric has two other siblings, Clara Couric Bachelor and John M. Couric Jr.

Couric was the honored guest at the 2004 Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation fall gala.^[45] As the Guest of Honor for the inaugural American Cancer Society Discovery Ball, Couric was recognized for her leadership in increasing cancer awareness and screening.^[46]

In 2011, Couric became the Honorary National Chair of the National Parkinson Foundation's Moving Day campaign, a grassroots campaign to spotlight Parkinson's disease awareness on a national level.^[47] Couric's father died in 2011 at age 90 from complications due to Parkinson's disease.^[48]

News sources have previously romantically linked Katie Couric to television sitcom producer Tom Werner. On December 13, 2011, Couric was reported to be splitting with her boyfriend of five years, financial executive Brooks Perlin, who is 17 years her junior.^[49]

During her tenure as the host of CBS Evening News, Couric was compensated 15 million dollars per year. ^{[50] [51] [52] [53] [54]}

Sources[link]

• Klein, Edward (2007), Katie: The Real Story, New York, N.Y., U.S.: Crown, ISBN 0-307-35351-6, http://books.google.com/books?id=r16sg3luQpkC 
• NBC News April 26, 2011

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Katie Couric

• Katie Couric's Huffington Post Blog Page
• Katie Couric at FameGame.com
• Katie Couric at the Internet Movie Database
• Katie Couric Debuts On CBS
• Katie Couric's CBS News Bio
• Katie Couric on Twitter
• Katie Couric on The Colbert Report from March 22, 2007
• When Families Grieve Sesame Street special hosted by Katie Couric
• Membership Roster at the Council on Foreign Relations

Louis Carl "Lou" Dobbs^[1] (born September 24, 1945) is an American journalist, radio host, television host on the Fox Business Network, and author. He anchored CNN's Lou Dobbs Tonight until November 2009 when he announced on the air that he would leave the 24-hour cable news television network.^[2][3]

He was born in Texas and lived there and in Idaho during his childhood. After graduating from Harvard University, Dobbs worked in government and banking before becoming a news reporter for several local media outlets. He had worked with CNN since its founding in 1980, serving as a reporter and vice president. He was the host and managing editor for CNN's Moneyline, which premiered in 1980 and was renamed Lou Dobbs Tonight in 2003. Dobbs resigned from CNN in 1999, rejoined in 2000, and resigned again in November 2009. He also hosts a syndicated radio show, Lou Dobbs Radio and has written several books since 2001.

Dobbs describes himself as an "independent populist" and is known for his opposition to NAFTA and support for immigration enforcement. For his reporting, he has won Emmy, Peabody, and Cable ACE awards.

After Dobbs left CNN in 2009, he gave an interview where he did not rule out the possibility of running for President of the United States in 2012, saying the final decision would rest with his wife, although former Senator Dean Barkley has encouraged Dobbs to run.^[4][5][6] Dobbs also acknowledged, via a spokesperson, that he is also considering a run for the United States Senate in New Jersey in 2012.^[7]

Background and family life[link]

Born in Childress County, Texas, Dobbs is the son of Frank Dobbs, a co-owner of a propane business, and Lydia Mae (née Hensley), a bookkeeper.^[1] When Dobbs was 12, his father's propane business failed and the family moved to Rupert, Idaho.^[8] He attended Minico High School in Minidoka County, where he played tackle on the football team and served as student body president and played the souzaphone in the band.^[9] Although accepted at the University of Idaho and Idaho State University, he was persuaded by the staff at Minico High to apply to Harvard University, where he was accepted and later graduated from with a Bachelor of Arts degree in economics in 1967.^[9]

After graduating, Dobbs worked for federal anti-poverty programs in Boston and Washington, D.C. He briefly attended law school at the University of Idaho in Moscow, then worked as a cash-management specialist for Union Bank in Los Angeles. He married his high school sweetheart in 1969, and in 1970 their first son was born. Dobbs moved to Yuma, Arizona and got a job as a police and fire reporter for KBLU-AM. By the mid-1970s he was a television anchor and reporter in Phoenix, and he later joined Seattle's KING-TV. In 1979, he was contacted by a recruiter for Ted Turner, who was in the process of forming CNN.^[8] He is married to his second wife, Debi Lee Segura, a Mexican-American who was, at one time, a CNN sports anchor. The couple has had four children together.^[10] Dobbs resides on a 300-acre (1.2 km²) horse farm in Sussex County, New Jersey.^[10]

Career[link]

CNN[link]

Dobbs joined CNN when it launched in 1980, serving as its chief economics correspondent and as host of the business news program Moneyline on CNN. Dobbs also served as a corporate executive for CNN, as its executive vice president and as a member of CNN's executive committee. He founded CNN fn (CNN financial news), serving as its president and anchoring the program Business Unusual, which examined business creativity and leadership.^[11]

Departure and founding of Space.com[link]

Dobbs repeatedly clashed with Rick Kaplan, who became president of CNN in 1997. Dobbs said Kaplan, noted friend of then president Bill Clinton, was "clearly partisan" and "was pushing Clinton stories," while Kaplan said Dobbs was "a very difficult person to work with."^[8]

On April 20, 1999, CNN was covering Clinton's speech in Littleton, Colorado, following the Columbine High School massacre. Dobbs ordered the producer to cut away from the speech and return to broadcast Moneyline.^[8] Dobbs was countermanded by Kaplan, who ordered CNN to return to the speech. Kaplan later said, "Tell me what journalistic reason there was not to cover the president at Columbine soon after the shootings? Everyone else was doing it." Dobbs announced on the air that "CNN President Rick Kaplan wants us to return to Littleton." A few days later, Dobbs announced that he was leaving the network to start Space.com, a website devoted to astronautical news.^[8] Dobbs was subsequently replaced as host of Moneyline by Willow Bay and Stuart Varney.^[12]

Return to CNN[link]

Kaplan left CNN in August 2000, and Dobbs returned the following year, at the behest of his friend and CNN founder Ted Turner, becoming host and managing editor of the new and initially more general news program Lou Dobbs Reporting, which later became CNN News Sunday Morning. He also regained the helm of the newly renamed Lou Dobbs Moneyline (which became Lou Dobbs Tonight in June 2003).^[13]

Radio[link]

From 2009 to 2012, Dobbs hosted Lou Dobbs Radio on United Stations Radio Networks. The three hour daily show had affiliates in several major markets, including its flagship station (WOR) in New York City, Washington D.C. (WHFS), Miami (WZAB-AM) and the San Francisco Bay Area (KDOW), as well as stations such as WGNY-AM in Newburgh, New York. The show was guest-centered and featured political discussion and listener calls. It aired from 2 to 5 p.m. Eastern, directly competing with The Sean Hannity Show and The Dave Ramsey Show. Dobbs also hosts the financially themed Lou Dobbs Minute on the same network.

In June 2008, Dobbs reached an agreement with Business TalkRadio Network to carry a rebroadcast of the show from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. Eastern, displacing Bruce Williams. Dobbs's show is also carried live on CRN Digital Talk Radio Networks, on CRN4.

Dobbs was among the hosts who tried out for the position vacated by the cancellation of Imus in the Morning on WFAN, a position that was eventually filled by Boomer and Carton in the Morning. Dobbs mentioned on his radio show that he is currently seeking a position in the US Department of Treasury during the economic crisis. He stated that he believed he could "do more good than the clowns currently in position."

Dobbs also is a regular columnist in Money magazine, U.S. News & World Report, and the New York Daily News.^[8]

Exit from CNN[link]

On the November 11, 2009 edition of his nightly broadcast Lou Dobbs Tonight, Dobbs announced his immediate departure from CNN, ending a nearly thirty year career at the network, citing plans to "pursue new opportunities."^[2][3] CNN President Jon Klein said that Dobbs' departure was not a result of organized opposition to Dobbs' viewpoints.^[14][15] His departure came less than two weeks after an incident in which a shot was fired at his home.^[16]

In July 2009, controversy around Dobbs began when he was the only mainstream news anchor to give airtime to the birther conspiracy theory.^[17] Several liberal advocacy groups, including Media Matters, and the Southern Poverty Law Center criticized Dobbs for his reporting. The controversy eventually caused CNN President Jon Klein to rein Dobbs in via an internal memorandum.^[18] In September, advocates challenged Dobbs for appearing at a FAIR conference (Federation for American Immigration Reform), a leading anti-illegal immigration group. Multiple campaigns were launched, including Drop Dobbs (NDN, Media Matters), and Basta Dobbs (Presente.org).^[19]

The campaigns also attacked CNN for alleged hypocrisy towards Latinos, citing CNN's "Latino in America" special as incompatible with their continued support of Dobbs. The campaigns generated considerable anti-Dobbs press,^[20] and are credited by some^[who?] as pushing Dobbs out.

Dobbs was reportedly paid $8 million in severance pay when he left CNN prior to his contract being due for renewal.^[21]

Since his resignation from CNN, Dobbs has made regular appearances to discuss issues on other news network programs including CNBC's The Kudlow Report and Fox News Channel's The O'Reilly Factor. Dobbs continues to broadcast his American radio show and publish his syndicated column.

Current show on Fox Business Network[link]

On November 10, 2010, Fox Business Network announced that Dobbs will host a show on the channel.^[22] The network announced on March 3, 2011 the start date, show title, and time slot of Dobbs' new show. The show is titled Lou Dobbs Tonight and began on March 14, 2011, airing at 7 PM Eastern. That is the same title and time slot that Dobbs' old CNN show had.^[23]

Cameo appearances[link]

On October 5, 2010, Dobbs made a guest appearance on an episode of The Good Wife, entitled "Double Jeopardy",^[24] in which he plays himself as a client in search of a new law firm to represent his legal interests.

Political views[link]

In his early career Dobbs was known as a fiscal conservative. He is a critic of the "excesses of capitalism," which he identifies as globalization, offshore outsourcing, runaway film production (the outsourcing of Hollywood jobs),^[25][26] illegal immigration, free trade deals, corporate/big business influence in government and the Bush administration's tax cuts. He describes himself as an advocate of economic populism, warning that outsourcing and the U.S. trade and budget deficits threaten the American middle class. Dobbs tends to oppose long-run trade deficits and outsourcing for the sake of labor arbitrage to obtain cheap labor.

In the 2000s, Dobbs has used CNN programs and columns to express his personal views on several subjects. He has become particularly noted for two positions: Dobbs is a critic of American immigration policy and expanded international trade. He is particularly wary of outsourcing and off-shoring, especially with China.^[27] He was a known political figure in New Jersey, with a Fairleigh Dickinson University PublicMind poll finding that he had a 70% name recognition among New Jersey voters in January 2010. Among these voters, 22% had a favorable view of Dobbs while 22% had an unfavorable view.^[28]

Illegal immigration and border security[link]

Dobbs has been strongly opposed to both illegal immigration and such labor-outsourcing and foreign worker programs as the H-1B visa program and guest-worker programs.^[29][30] He has been a critic of the Mexican government's poverty programs, and of church leaders in Mexico for not criticizing the Mexican government's policies on border security and illegal immigration.

Lou Dobbs Tonight frequently featured themes of "Exporting America," "Broken Borders," and "War on the Middle Class". The newscast often described illegal immigration as an "invasion." Dobbs dismissed concerns about his rhetoric as "political correctness" in the segment billboarded "P.C. Nation".

In his "Broken Borders" segments, Dobbs focused primarily on the southern border with Mexico and the drugs and the people who cross it. Dobbs has lauded the Canadian government for cooperation in securing the border with their American counterparts.

In an interview with Lesley Stahl, Dobbs spoke about his meeting with the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, saying they implied that he was anti-Hispanic by asking him, "if [he had] ever eaten a taco before, for God's sake".^[31] Representative Joe Baca, chairman of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, later wrote to CBS insisting that the group did not meet with Dobbs to discuss whether he'd eaten Hispanic food, "but to respectfully recommend that he cease the negative portrayal of Hispanics...and treat the issue of immigration in a responsible manner."^[32]

Some of the reporting on the show has been criticized including a claim that illegal aliens were responsible for bringing 7,000 new cases of leprosy to the United States in a three year period, but the actual timeframe was over the last thirty years, according to James L. Krahenbuhl, the director of the National Hansen’s Disease Program.^[33]

Dobbs has criticized local officials for their approach to border security. In October 2007 he labeled then New York Governor Eliot Spitzer an "idiot" for advocating the issuance of driver's licenses to illegal immigrants.^[34] Hillary Clinton labeled Dobbs' illegal immigration segments as having "all that hot air."^[35][36]

At about 10:30 a.m. on October 5, 2009, a bullet struck Dobbs's home as Dobbs and his wife stood outside it. ^[37] The bullet struck the vinyl siding of their attic without penetrating the vinyl and fell to the ground.^[38] Dobbs attributed the incident to his stance against amnesty for illegal immigrants.^[39] The New Jersey State Troopers' account of the incident attributed to a stray bullet from a hunter in the vicinity.^[38]

In December 2009, Dobbs stated in an interview with Telemundo that he now supports a plan to legalize undocumented workers.^[40]

Other views[link]

Lou Dobbs is a registered Republican. Though he made a donation of $1,000 to the Bush-Cheney campaign in January 2001,^[41] he often has described the Bush administration and the then Republican-controlled Congress as "disgraceful." He has also argued that both parties are controlled by corporate interests. Dobbs faulted Bush's 2004 presidential election opponent, Democrat John Kerry, for first criticizing outsourcing and then backing off.^[42]

Lou Dobbs is pro-choice, opposes gun control and, though he is a fiscal conservative, supports some government regulations, as revealed in a 60 Minutes interview.^[43] He has been critical of trade policies that he says encourage "sending jobs overseas".^[44]

Dobbs' stance on trade has earned plaudits from some trade union activists on the traditional political left, while his stance on immigration tends to appeal to the right.^[8] In an interview with Larry King, Dobbs revealed that he is now "an unaffiliated independent" owing to dissatisfaction with both the Republican and Democratic parties.

Dobbs has been consistently supportive of LGBT rights in the United States. In June 2006, as the U.S. Senate debated the Federal Marriage Amendment, Dobbs was critical of the action. He asserted that marriage was threatened more by financial crises perpetuated by Bush administration economic policy than by same-sex marriage.^[45]

Dobbs is the author of War on the Middle Class, in which he claims that both Democrats and Republicans are harming the middle class. In it, he comes out strongly against the Bush tax cuts, which he argues favor the wealthy, and argued for raising the U.S. minimum wage from what was then $5.15 an hour.^[46]

Dobbs criticized the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008 begun by President George W. Bush and later continued by President Barack Obama. He called it originally a "Wall Street bailout", a term which became common. Dobbs described the program as the way for U.S. Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson to help corporate interests instead of helping average Americans. He expresses many of his views in the documentary Generation Zero.

Controversies[link]

Dobbs' critics, including columnist James K. Glassman, author of Dow 36,000 and member of the American Enterprise Institute think tank, have accused him of inciting xenophobia.^[47] Others have accused him of Hispanophobia, a charge he denies^[48] and one which he has said offends him deeply, as his wife Debi Segura is a Mexican-American.^[49]

Dobbs has also been criticized for his journalistic ethics by liberal news journalist Amy Goodman. She accused him of flagrant errors in his reporting and his staff's association with disreputable sources, complaining that "he has a special responsibility to rely on facts and to correct misstatements of fact."^[50] According to her, he entered the undocumented immigration debate "invoking populist rhetoric and championing the cause of the middle class", a stance opposed by her Democracy Now! co-host Juan Gonzalez.^[50]

A CNN report, filed by Christine Romans for Dobbs's April 14, 2005 program, reported on the carrying of diseases across the border by illegal immigrants. Romans' report cited an article in the spring 2005 issue of the non-indexed Journal of American Physicians and Surgeons, written by Madeleine Cosman, which made the statement that 7,000 cases of leprosy had emerged in the United States within the previous three years (2002–2005), an increase attributed mostly to an influx of immigrants into the country.^[51][52][53] Critics of the program argued that, in fact, the actual number of leprosy cases had reached 7,000 in the registry over 30 years, not the previous three years, with 137 cases reported in 2006.^[54][55] In addressing the leprosy issue, Dobbs in May 2007 compared his critics from the left and right political spectrums to "commies" and "fascists."^[56] On December 4, 2007, Dobbs rejected Cosman's claims as unsubstantiated, calling her "a wackjob".^[57]

On the May 23, 2006 edition of Lou Dobbs Tonight, Dobbs's program displayed a map of Aztlán sourced to the controversial Council of Conservative Citizens. CNN spokeswoman Christa Robinson apologized for the graphic's use, saying: "A freelance field producer in Los Angeles searched the web for Aztlan maps and grabbed the Council of Conservative Citizens map without knowing the nature of the organization. The graphic was a late inclusion in the script and, regrettably, was missed in the vetting process."^[58] In March 2009, Dobbs thought that there shouldn't be a St. Patricks Day ^[59] In mid-2009, Dobbs was criticized by some in the media for invoking "conspiracy theories" by questioning the constitutionality of Barack Obama's presidency due to his supposedly ambiguous citizenship.^[60] His willingness to raise the "birther" issue repeatedly^[61] even though CNN itself considered it a "discredited rumor",^[62] led the Washington Post's TV critic to remark that this "explains their upcoming documentary: 'The World: Flat. We Report -- You Decide.'"^[63] The issue had come up in 2008 during the Presidential campaign, and had largely disappeared from the media spotlight until Dobbs picked up the issue again.^[64] His statements in support of these investigations were dubbed "racist" and "defamatory" by the Southern Poverty Law Center.^[65][66] The controversy led to Media Matters airing ads critical of Dobbs and of CNN,^[67] and to Jon Stewart mocking Dobbs on the satirical The Daily Show.^[68] The New York Times said that Dobbs had "become a publicity nightmare for CNN, embarrassed his boss and hosted a show that seemed to contradict the network's 'no bias' brand."^[69] As a result, he became a frequent target of MSNBC commentator Keith Olbermann's Worst person in the World.^[70]

Shortly afterwards, Dobbs announced that he would broadcast two episodes of Lou Dobbs Tonight from the "Hold Their Feet to the Fire" conference in Washington, D.C., organized by the Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR), an anti-illegal immigration advocacy group. Media Matters also criticized this move, citing FAIR founder John Tanton's history of making racist remarks and supporting white supremacist organizations. Media Matters president Eric Burns issued an open letter to CNN vice president Jonathan Klein, asking that the network take action against Dobbs. "Mr. Dobbs represents an ongoing threat to CNN's credibility as a serious news organization, in no small part because of his polemical coverage of immigration issues and his continued use of his CNN show to lend prominence to groups such as FAIR", wrote Burns. "The attention and legitimacy he gave to the 'birther' movement — and CNN's condoning of his actions — did real damage to that credibility. His participation in the upcoming FAIR rally would do further, serious damage. We urge you to finally acknowledge that Mr. Dobbs' actions in this and other contexts are inconsistent with the reputation that CNN strives to maintain."^[71]

In October 2010, The Nation published the results of a yearlong investigation detailing undocumented workers who had worked on Dobbs' personal properties. The labor involved upkeep of Dobbs' multimillion-dollar estates in New Jersey and Florida, including the horses belonging to his daughter, Hillary, a champion show jumper. The article featured interviews with five immigrants who had worked without papers on Dobbs' properties. Dobbs and his daughter had declined to comment to The Nation as part of the story.^[72] Speaking to the Associated Press, Dobbs referred to the article as "a political assault," claiming it's a lie that he hired illegal immigrants. He said: "I have never, do not now, and never will."^[73]

Awards[link]

Dobbs has won numerous major awards for his television journalism, most notably a Lifetime Achievement Emmy Award and a Cable Ace Award. He received the George Foster Peabody Award for his coverage of the 1987 stock market crash. He also has received the Luminary Award of the Business Journalism Review in 1990, the Horatio Alger Association Award for Distinguished Americans in 1999 and the National Space Club Media Award in 2000. The Wall Street Journal has named Dobbs "TV's Premier Business News Anchorman". In 2004, Dobbs was awarded the Eugene Katz Award For Excellence in the Coverage of Immigration by the Center for Immigration Studies and in 2005 he received the Alexis de Tocqueville Institution's Statesmanship Award.^[74][75] Dobbs was named "Father of the Year" by the National Father's Day Committee in 1993.^[76]

Books[link]

• Lou Dobbs, Independents Day: Awakening The American Spirit (2007). ISBN 978-0-670-01836-9.
• Lou Dobbs, Exporting America: Why Corporate Greed Is Shipping American Jobs Overseas (2004). ISBN 0-446-57744-8.
• Lou Dobbs, Space: The Next Business Frontier with HP Newquist (2001). ISBN 0-7434-2389-5
• Lou Dobbs, War on the Middle Class: How the Government, Big Business, and Special Interest Groups Are Waging War on the American Dream and How to Fight Back (2006). ISBN 0-670-03792-3.
• Ron Hira and Anil Hira, with foreword by Lou Dobbs, Outsourcing America: What's behind Our National Crisis and how we can reclaim American Jobs. (AMACOM), American Management Association, (May 2005). ISBN 0-8144-0868-0.

References[link]

External links[link]

• Lou Dobbs Tonight website
• Official website
• Lou Dobbs at the Internet Movie Database

Scott Brown
United States Senator from Massachusetts
Incumbent
Assumed office February 4, 2010 Serving with John Kerry
Preceded by	Paul G. Kirk
Member of the Massachusetts Senate from the Norfolk, Bristol & Middlesex district
In office March 25, 2004[1] – February 4, 2010
Preceded by	Cheryl Jacques
Succeeded by	Richard Ross
Member of the Massachusetts House of Representatives from the 9th Norfolk district
In office 1998–2004
Preceded by	Jo Ann Sprague
Succeeded by	Richard Ross
Member of the Wrentham, Massachusetts Board of Selectmen
In office 1995–1998
Member of the Wrentham, Massachusetts Board of Assessors
In office 1987–1990
Personal details
Born	Scott Philip Brown (1959-09-12) September 12, 1959 (age 52) Kittery, Maine
Political party	Republican
Spouse(s)	Gail Huff
Children	Ayla Brown Arianna Brown
Residence	Wrentham, Massachusetts
Alma mater	Tufts University (B.A.) Boston College (J.D.)
Profession	Politician, lawyer, soldier
Religion	Christian Reformed Church in North America
Website	scottbrown.senate.gov
Military service
Service/branch	United States Army National Guard[2]
Years of service	1979 – present
Rank	Colonel
Unit	Judge Advocate General's Corps[2]
Commands	Head defense attorney for the New England States
Awards	Army Commendation Medal for meritorious service in homeland security; Meritorious Service Medal

Scott Philip Brown (born September 12, 1959)^[3] is an American politician and the junior United States Senator from Massachusetts. Brown previously served as a member of the Massachusetts General Court, first in the State House of Representatives (1998–2004) and then in the State Senate (2004–2010).

Brown is a member of the Republican Party, and faced the Democratic candidate, Massachusetts Attorney General Martha Coakley, in the 2010 special election to succeed U.S. Senator Ted Kennedy for the remainder of the term ending January 3, 2013. While initially trailing Coakley in polling by a large margin, Brown won the election and in January 2010 became the first Republican elected to the U.S. Senate from Massachusetts since Edward Brooke in 1972.

Prior to entering the state legislature, he had experience as a town selectman and assessor. He is a practicing attorney, concentrating in real estate law and serving as defense counsel in the Judge Advocate General's Corps of the Massachusetts Army National Guard. Brown is a graduate of Wakefield High School (1977), Tufts University (1981), and Boston College Law School (1985).

Early life and education[link]

Brown was born on September 12, 1959 in Kittery, Maine^[4] and grew up in Wakefield, Massachusetts.^[5] He often spent his summers in Newburyport, Massachusetts, where his father served as a city councilor for 18 years. Brown's father, Claude Bruce Brown, and mother, Judith Ann “Judi” (née Rugg),^[6][7] divorced when he was about a year old. Both his parents have since remarried three times. His father and his grandfather were Republicans. His father has said that young Scott became interested in running for political office in the mid 1960s while accompanying him on a campaign for state office.^[8] Scott Brown recalls holding campaign signs for his father.^[2]

Brown had a difficult childhood; after her divorce his working mother received welfare benefits.^[9] Brown experienced sexual abuse from a camp counselor who threatened to kill the 10-year-old boy if he told anyone—which he did not disclose even to his family until his autobiography Against All Odds (2011)^[10]—and physical abuse from his stepfathers.^[11] During various periods of his childhood, Brown lived with his grandparents and his aunt. He shoplifted many times,^[11] and was arrested for stealing record albums and brought before Judge Samuel Zoll in Salem, Massachusetts at the age of 13 or 14.^[12] Zoll asked Brown if his siblings would like seeing him play basketball in jail and required Brown to write a 1,500-word essay on that question as his punishment. Brown later said, "that was the last time I ever stole.^[5]

He graduated from Wakefield High School in 1977.^[13] He received a Bachelors of Arts in History,^[14] cum laude from Tufts University in 1981 and a Juris Doctor from Boston College Law School in 1985. During his undergraduate career at Tufts, Brown was a member of the Kappa Chapter of Zeta Psi International Fraternity.^[4][15]

Early career[link]

Army National Guard service[link]

Brown has said the rescue efforts of Army National Guard during the Northeastern United States blizzard of 1978 impressed him. He joined the Massachusetts Army National Guard when he was 19, receiving his basic training at Fort Dix, New Jersey,^[5] and attending Reserve Officers' Training Corps (ROTC) classes at the campus of Northeastern University.^[16] He was trained in infantry, quartermaster, and airborne duties, and in 1994 he joined the Judge Advocate General's Corps (JAG).^[16] He has been active in the Guard for about 30 years and has risen to the rank of lieutenant colonel. As the Army Guard's head defense attorney in New England, Brown defended Guard members who had disciplinary difficulties such as positive drug tests,^[2] and provided estate planning and real estate advice to those who are about to deploy to war zones.^[16] He spent ten days to two weeks with the Guard in Kazakhstan and a week in Paraguay.^[2]

He was awarded the Army Commendation Medal for meritorious service in homeland security shortly after the September 11 attacks.^[13] He credits his military experience with causing him to focus on veteran's issues as well as issues of war and peace.^[2] He has served on the Veterans and Federal Affairs Committee, the Hidden Wounds of War Commission, and the Governor's Task Force on Returning Veterans during his career as a legislator.^[2]

On May 2, 2011, Brown announced that he would soon go to Afghanistan for training as part of his Army National Guard service.^[17] When deployed in August 2011 for a week of training, he spent most of his time in Kabul.^[18]

Modeling[link]

In June 1982, Brown, then a 22-year-old law student at Boston College, won Cosmopolitan magazine's "America's Sexiest Man" contest. After two weeks on a crash diet of "three cans of tuna a day" and intensive workouts^[11] he was featured in the magazine's centerfold, posing nude but strategically positioned so that according to Brown, "You don't see anything". In the accompanying interview, he referred to himself as "a bit of a patriot" and stated that he had political ambitions. The Cosmopolitan appearance and its $1,000 fee^[2][19][20] helped pay for law school, and began for Brown a "long, lucrative" part-time catalog and print modeling career in New York and Boston during the 1980s.^[21][22]

State political career[link]

Brown "caught the political bug" in 1992 when he was elected property assessor of Wrentham, Massachusetts.^[2] In 1995, he was elected to the Wrentham Board of Selectmen.

He successfully ran for the Massachusetts House of Representatives in 1998, representing the 9th Norfolk District for three terms. Brown again moved up the ladder of state politics to the state Senate in March 2004 when he won a special election to replace Democrat Cheryl Jacques. Brown was re-elected for a full term in November 2004, and again in November 2006, running without opposition the second time. He won re-election in November 2008, defeating Democratic candidate Sara Orozco by a 59–41 percent margin. Following his re-election, Brown was one of five Republicans in the 40-seat Massachusetts senate. In the Massachusetts Senate, Brown served on committees dealing with consumer protection, professional licensing, education, election laws, public safety, and veterans' affairs.^[15]

In February 2007, a controversy arose after Brown's appearance at King Philip Regional High School in Wrentham, Massachusetts as part of a debate on gay marriage. The high school students had launched a Facebook group attack on Brown and had made a derogatory remark about his daughter, Ayla. During his presentation, Brown defended himself and his daughter by directly quoting several vulgar statements they had made and announcing the names of the students who had written the statements. Critics questioned whether Brown should have quoted the profane comments in front of a high school audience.^[23]

In January 2010, The Boston Globe reported that during six terms in the Legislature, three each in the House and Senate, Brown had a modest record of legislative initiatives, but he had carved out a niche as a leading advocate for veterans. Richard R. Tisei of Wakefield, Massachusetts, the leader of the Republican minority in the state Senate, called Brown "the acknowledged expert on veterans' issues."^[24] State Senator Jack Hart, a Democrat of South Boston, said: "He does his homework, he's comprehensive in his approach, and on veterans' issues, he's one of them and has done a very good job on their behalf."^[24]

Brown lists among his achievements as a legislator his authorship of a 2007 law that created a check-off box on state income tax forms for veterans to indicate whether they served in Iraq or Afghanistan. The state uses the information to notify veterans of available services and benefits, including the Welcome Home Bonus^[25] that provides $1,000 for those returning from active duty in Afghanistan or Iraq.^[24]

U.S. Senate[link]

Elections[link]

2010

Brown on the campaign trail.