msnbc Live is an American news / talk television program on MSNBC hosted by Thomas Roberts.

Focusing on live news coverage, the program also consists of guest analysis and interviews around the stories of the day, in addition to feature-like stories, in-depth special reports, and The Weather Channel forecasts.

The program airs weekdays from 11:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. ET.

History[link]

"MSNBC Live" was the name of several hours of straight news programming on the network (both weekdays and weekends), similar to dayside programming on other cable news channels. Beginning in 2009, MSNBC began to fill in these hours with branded programming during dayside hours. The 11 a.m. program is currently the only hour on the network that still carries the "Live" branding, except on holidays when the name is used once again for generic news coverage.

Anchors/Contributors[link]

• Thomas Roberts - Weekdays 11am ET Anchor
• Jeff Rossen – Contributing Anchor and NBC News correspondent
• Alex Witt – Contributing Anchor
• Craig Melvin - Contributing Anchor
• Milissa Rehberger - Contributing Anchor

International broadcasts[link]

msnbc and NBC News programming is shown for several hours a day on the 24 hour news network Orbit News in Europe and the Middle East. This includes 'msnbc Live and several other msnbc shows.

References[link]

Same-sex marriage in the U.S. state of Iowa became legal on April 3, 2009.^[1]

Iowa's first dealings with same-sex marriage came in 1998, after recent court cases on same-sex unions, starting in Hawaii, found that denying the right to marry to same-sex couples was incompatible with the Equal Protection Clause of the state constitutions of most states. Iowa legislators hurried to pass a local Defense of Marriage Act to prohibit marriage between gay and lesbian couples to avoid a similar court challenge.

In 2005, Lambda Legal filed a lawsuit on behalf of six Polk County same-sex couples and their children who were denied marriage licenses in Iowa, arguing that this denial violated the liberty and equal protection clauses in the state constitution. In 2007, the Polk County District Court ruled in favor of the couples, prompting the county to appeal to the Iowa Supreme Court.^[2] On April 3, 2009, the Iowa Supreme Court unanimously upheld the District Court's ruling holding that there was no important governmental interest in denying citizens marriage licenses based on their sexual orientation. Licenses were originally to be available 21 days after the ruling, on April 24, but the availability of licenses was subsequently postponed until April 27 due to a Furlough day.^[1]

2007 Polk County ruling[link]

Judge Robert Hanson of Polk County District Court ruled in favor of same-sex marriage on August 30, 2007. The next morning, Hanson issued a stay of his decision pending an appeal to the Iowa Supreme Court.^[4][5]

Within two hours after the District Court ruling was published, two men from Des Moines submitted an application for marriage to the county recorder; their application was accepted. The next morning, several other couples applied for marriage licenses before Hanson's stay. Iowa marriage law requires a three-day waiting period between the initial application for a marriage license and the time the marriage becomes official, unless this waiting period is waived by a judge.^[6] Sean Fritz and Tim McQuillan, residents of Ames and students at Iowa State University, were the only couple to receive such a waiver before Hanson issued his stay order. After receiving the waiver and applying for a marriage license on the morning of August 31, the couple was married in a short ceremony that morning by a Unitarian Universalist minister on the minister's front lawn in Des Moines.^[7]

Two other Ames residents who applied for a marriage license before the stay, Terry Lowman and Mark Kassis, were married on September 2 in a ceremony at the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Ames.^[8] Lowman and Kassis' three-day waiting period was waived by a judge, however Hanson's stay occurred before the couple was able to record the marriage license. However, it is legal opinion that the marriage is legal within Iowa.^[6]

Legislative proposals[link]

A state constitutional amendment to ban same-sex marriage has been proposed several times in the state legislature in the wake of the judicial rulings.^[9] To amend the constitution, two consecutive sessions of the legislature will need to approve the amendment, after which it would be placed on the ballot for final approval by the Iowa electorate.^[10]

An amendment was first proposed in 2008 but did not pass.^[9] The Legislature did not vote on a constitutional amendment in 2009, and Senate Majority Leader Michael Gronstal said he would not allow one to be brought to the floor in 2010.^[11] In a joint press release with House Speaker Pat Murphy on April 3, 2009, Gronstal welcomed the court's decision, saying "When all is said and done, we believe the only lasting question about today’s events will be why it took us so long. It is a tough question to answer because treating everyone fairly is really a matter of Iowa common sense and Iowa common decency. Iowa has always been a leader in the area of civil rights."^[12]

Democratic leaders of Iowa Senate and Iowa House of Representatives during the 2009-2010 legislative session opposed a vote on an amendment.^[13]

In the next session, debate on proposed constitutional amendment to ban gay marriage in Iowa attracted national news coverage after Zach Wahls, a college student and son of a lesbian couple, addressed the Iowa House Judiciary Committee in a public hearing on January 31, 2011.^[14] A video of his testimony posted on YouTube went viral.^[15] On February 1, 2011, with Republicans in a majority in the Iowa House, the House passed House Joint Resolution 6 by a vote of 62-37. Democratic leaders promised to block debate in the Senate.^[16]

Same-sex marriage could also be banned via constitutional convention. Iowa voters can initiate a convention once a decade, which opens up the whole constitution for revision. The November 2, 2010, vote on this question failed to win enough votes in favor of calling a convention.^[17]

Economic impact[link]

A UCLA study has analyzed the impact of allowing same-sex couples to marry on Iowa’s state budget. The study concluded that allowing same-sex couples to marry will result in a net gain of approximately $5.3 million each year for the State.^[18] This net impact will be the result of savings in expenditures on state means-tested public benefit programs and an increase in state income and sales tax revenue.

Out-of-state unions[link]

According to the Associated Press, out-of-state marriages of same-sex couples are recognized in Iowa. It is not clear whether or not out-of-state civil unions and registered domestic partnerships are recognized in Iowa.^[19]

Statistics[link]

Between April 2009 and March 2010, 2,020 same-sex couples were married in Iowa, accounting for 10.1% of total marriages conducted in the state during that period. Only 815 couples were from Iowa, with the rest being from out of state, predominantly from neighboring Illinois, Missouri and Nebraska.^[20]

Public opinion[link]

A 2010 survey found that support for same-sex marriage in Iowa was 44%, the only state with same-sex marriage in which support was below 50%.^[21] Support in Iowa has increased from below 30% in 1994-96, and from below 40% in 1997-98.^[22] A January 2010 survey found that greater than 60% of Iowans agreed that same-sex marriage "does not deserve the Legislature's limited time" in the 2010 session, a truncated session in which legislation was introduced to overturn the same-sex marriage decision.^[23] This followed a previous September 2009 poll which found 41% support for and 40% opposition to a constitutional amendment to ban same-sex marriage, and that 92% of respondents said "marriage rights for gay and lesbian couples had led to 'no real change' in their own lives."^[23]

An August 2011 Public Policy Polling survey found that 46% of Iowa voters thought that same-sex marriage should be legal, while 45% thought it should be illegal and 9% were not sure. A separate question on the same survey found that 70% of Iowa voters supported the legal recognition of same-sex couples, with 40% supporting same-sex marriage, 30% supporting civil unions but not marriage, 29% favoring no legal recognition and 2% not sure.^[24]

A February 2012 Des Moines Register poll shows a majority of Iowans oppose passage of a state constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage, by a 56-38 margin.^[25]

2010 Elections[link]

On November 2, 2010, Iowa Supreme Court justices David Baker, Michael Streit, and Marsha Ternus, who participated in the unanimous 2009 ruling that Iowa could not deny marriage licenses based on sexual orientation, were removed from office after judicial retention elections.^[26] Their removal followed campaigning by groups opposed to same-sex marriage including the National Organization for Marriage.^[27] The three judges did no campaigning on their own behalf, but were supported by numerous third parties.^[28]

See also[link]

• LGBT rights in Iowa
• Same-sex marriage in the United States
• Same-sex marriage legislation in the United States
• Same-sex marriage status in the United States by state

References[link]

External links[link]

• Full text of Iowa Supreme Court ruling in Varnum v. Brien Opinion in fast loading form
• Official summary of Supreme Court ruling in Varnum v. Brien
• Full text of Judge Hanson's ruling in Varnum v. Brien
• One year later, gay marriage repeal appears to be on backburner, The Iowa Independent, April 1. 2010.

Peggy Noonan
Noonan meeting with President Ronald Reagan
Born	Margaret Ellen Noonan (1950-09-07) September 7, 1950 (age 61) Brooklyn, New York
Nationality	American
Occupation	Author, columnist, speechwriter
Known for	Presidential Speechwriter

Peggy Noonan (born Margaret Ellen Noonan on September 7, 1950, in Brooklyn, New York) is an American author of seven books on politics, religion, and culture and a weekly columnist for The Wall Street Journal. She was a primary speech writer and Special Assistant to President Ronald Reagan and in her political writings is considered a Republican.

She is a graduate of Rutherford High School in Rutherford, New Jersey, and Fairleigh Dickinson University.^[1]

Five of Noonan's books have been New York Times bestsellers. Noonan is a trustee of the Manhattan Institute. She has been awarded honorary doctorates from Miami University; St. John Fisher College; her alma mater, Fairleigh Dickinson University; Adelphi College; and Saint Francis College. She was nominated for an Emmy Award for her work on America: A Tribute to Heroes. She has also been widely recognized for her regular appearances on ABC's This Week and NBC's Meet The Press.

In her political writings, Noonan frequently cites the political figures she admires, including Ronald Reagan, Abraham Lincoln, and Edmund Burke.

Personal[link]

Noonan married Richard W. Rahn, who was then chief economist at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, in 1985. They lived in Great Falls, Virginia. Their son was born in 1987.^[2]

Noonan and her husband were divorced after five years of marriage. In 1989 she returned with her son to her native New York. In 2004, according to an interview with Crisis Magazine, she lived in a brownstone in Brooklyn Heights with her son, who attended the nearby Saint Ann's School.^[3]

Noonan currently lives in New York City.^[4] In 2010 she bought an apartment on the Upper East Side of Manhattan.^[5] Noonan is Roman Catholic.^[6]

Famous speeches[link]

In 1984, Noonan, as a speechwriter for President Reagan, authored his "Boys of Pointe du Hoc" speech on the 40th anniversary of D-day. She also wrote Reagan's address to the nation after the Challenger explosion, drawing upon the poet John Magee's famous words about aviators who "slipped the surly bonds of earth... and touched the face of God." The latter is ranked as one of the ten best American political speeches of the 20th century according to a list compiled by professors at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and Texas A&M University and based on the opinions of "137 leading scholars of American public address." The "Pointe du Hoc" speech ranks as the 60th best speech of the century.^[7]

She also worked on a tribute Reagan gave to honor John F. Kennedy at a fundraising event held at the McLean, Virginia, home of Senator Edward M. Kennedy in the spring of 1984.

Later, while working for then Vice President George H. W. Bush, Noonan coined the phrase "a kinder, gentler nation" and also popularized "a thousand points of light," two memorable catchphrases used by Bush. Noonan also wrote the speech in which Bush pledged: "Read my lips: no new taxes" during his 1988 presidential nomination acceptance speech in New Orleans (Bush's subsequent reversal of this pledge is often cited as a reason for his defeat in his 1992 re-election campaign).

Career[link]

Before the Reagan years, Noonan worked as the daily CBS Radio commentary writer for anchorman Dan Rather at CBS News, whom she once called "the best boss I ever had." From 1975 through 1977 she worked the overnight shift as a newswriter at WEEI Radio in Boston, where she was later Editorial and Public Affairs Director.

In 1978 and 1979 she was an adjunct professor of journalism at New York University.^[8]

Noonan also worked as a consultant on the American television drama The West Wing.

In mid August 2004, Noonan took a brief unpaid leave from the Wall Street Journal to campaign for George W. Bush's reelection.

Noonan became increasingly critical of the Bush administration after Bush's inaugural address in January 2005.^[9][10]

During the 2008 presidential campaign, Noonan wrote about Sarah Palin's vice presidential candidacy in the Wall Street Journal. In one opinion piece, Noonan expressed her view that Palin did not demonstrate "the tools, the equipment, the knowledge or the philosophical grounding one hopes for, and expects, in a holder of high office," concluding that Palin's candidacy marked a "vulgarization in American Politics" that is "no good... for conservatism... [or] the country."^[11] Such commentary resulted in a backlash from many conservatives.^[12]

Noonan is now an author, a columnist for The Wall Street Journal, and a commentator on several news shows. She is a member of the Manhattan Institute's board of trustees and one of the founding members, along with Liz Smith, Lesley Stahl, Mary Wells Lawrence and Joni Evans.

Books[link]

• 1990: What I Saw at the Revolution: A Political Life in the Reagan Era (ISBN 0-8129-6989-8)
• 1994: Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness (ISBN 1-55850-509-1)
• 1998: Simply Speaking: How to Communicate Your Ideas With Style, Substance, and Clarity (ISBN 0-7881-6775-8)
• 1999: On Speaking Well (ISBN 0-06-098740-5) (A Paperback edition of "Simply Speaking")
• 1999: Character Above All (ISBN 0-684-82709-3) (One Chapter in an anthology)
• 2000: The Case Against Hillary Clinton (ISBN 0-06-039340-8)
• 2001: When Character Was King: A Story of Ronald Reagan (ISBN 0-14-200168-6)
• 2003: A Heart, A Cross And A Flag (ISBN 0-7432-5005-2)
• 2005: John Paul The Great: Remembering a Spiritual Father (ISBN 0-670-03748-6)
• 2008: Patriotic Grace: What It Is and Why We Need It Now (ISBN 0-061-73582-0)

References[link]

External links[link]

	United States portal
	Biography portal

Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: Peggy Noonan

• Peggy Noonan official website
• Column archive at The Wall Street Journal
• Appearances on C-SPAN
  • Booknotes interview with Noonan on What I Saw at the Revolution, February 18, 1990.
  • In Depth interview with Noonan, March 3, 2002
• Peggy Noonan on Charlie Rose
• Peggy Noonan at the Internet Movie Database
• Works by or about Peggy Noonan in libraries (WorldCat catalog)
• Peggy Noonan collected news and commentary at The New York Times
• Peggy Noonan at the Notable Names Database

Joe Scarborough
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Florida's 1st district
In office January 3, 1995 – September 5, 2001
Preceded by	Earl Hutto
Succeeded by	Jeff Miller
Personal details
Born	Charles Joseph Scarborough (1963-04-09) April 9, 1963 (age 49) Atlanta, Georgia, United States
Political party	Republican
Spouse(s)	Melanie Hinton (div.) Susan Waren
Alma mater	University of Alabama, University of Florida Levin College of Law
Profession	Attorney, currently television host
Religion	Baptist

Charles Joseph "Joe" Scarborough ( /ˈskɑrbɔroʊ/; born April 9, 1963) is an American cable news and talk radio host, lawyer, author, and former politician. He is currently the host of Morning Joe on MSNBC, and previously hosted Scarborough Country on the same channel. Scarborough served in the United States House of Representatives from 1995 to 2001 as a Republican from the 1st district of Florida. He has been named to the TIME 100 as one of the most influential people in the world. ^[1]

Early life, education and early legal career[link]

Born in Atlanta, Georgia, he was born to George F. Scarborough, a businessman, with two other siblings. When his father died in May 2011, his life story appeared in the Congressional Record and in Politico's Playbook. Scarborough even wrote an eulogy op-ed online.^[2]

Joe Scarborough graduated from Pensacola Catholic High School in Pensacola, Florida (although he is not a Catholic). He received a B.A. from the University of Alabama in 1985 and a J.D. from the University of Florida College of Law in 1990.^[3] During this time he wrote and produced CDs with his band, Dixon Mills,^[4] and taught high school. He was admitted to the The Florida Bar in 1991,^[3] and practiced law in Pensacola.^[5]

Scarborough's most famous case was representing Michael F. Griffin, the accused killer of abortion doctor David Gunn, in early to mid 1993. He made several court appearances for Griffin.^[6] "There was 'no way in hell I could sit in at a civil trial, let alone a capital trial,' he claims now, referring to the prospect of prosecutors seeking the death penalty against Griffin."^[7] Scarborough assisted Griffin in choosing a trial lawyer from the many who offered their services, and he also shielded the family from the media exposure, pro bono.^[8]

Scarborough also helped to raise his political profile and made numerous contacts by assisting with a petition drive in late 1993 to oppose a 65 percent increase in the City of Pensacola's property taxes.^[5]

Political career[link]

Congress[link]

Joe Scarborough's official Congressional portrait

In 1994, Scarborough won a tough Republican Party primary for Florida's 1st congressional district, which came open after eight-term Democrat Earl Hutto announced his retirement. In the general election, he defeated the Democratic candidate, Pensacola attorney Vinnie Whibbs, (the son of well respected former Pensacola mayor Vince Whibbs), with 61 percent of the vote. This win wasn't considered an upset since the 1st has always been a rather conservative district; it hasn't supported a Democrat for president since 1960 and, while Democrats continued to win most local offices well into the 1990s, they tended to be very conservative even by Southern Democratic standards. It had been considered very likely that Hutto would be succeeded by a Republican once he retired.

Scarborough was reelected with 72 percent of the vote in 1996. In 1998 and 2000, he was opposed by only a write-in candidate.

Like most freshmen Republicans elected during the 1994 Republican takeover of the House led by Newt Gingrich, Scarborough was regarded as a reliable conservative. He was a part of a small group of Republican congressmen the National Journal said possessed a surprising amount of power given their youth and lack of experience in Congress. He received a 95 percent lifetime rating from the American Conservative Union.^[9] He signed the Contract with America. Scarborough served on the Armed Services, Judiciary, Government Reform, and Education committees. In 1998, he was named Chairman of the Civil Service Committee.

Scarborough was one of a group of about 40 freshmen Republican legislators who dubbed themselves the "New Federalists" after the Federalist Papers. Scarborough was elected Political Director of the incoming legislators. The New Federalists called for sweeping cuts in the U.S. government, including plans to "privatize, localize, consolidate, [or] eliminate"^[10] the Departments of Commerce, Education, Energy and Housing and Urban Development, but were largely unsuccessful in their goals. Gingrich tapped Scarborough to head a Republican task force on education, and Scarborough declared, "Our goal is to get as much money, power and authority out of Washington and get as much money, power and authority into the classroom as possible."^[5]

Scarborough supported a number of pro-life positions while in Congress including legislation (H.R.2436, Unborn Victims of Violence Act of 1999) that made it a crime to harm a fetus during the commission of other crimes, though he did not vote for the passage of the final bill.^[11][12]

Scarborough sponsored a bill to force the U.S. to withdraw from the United Nations after a four-year transition^[10] and voted to make the Corporation for Public Broadcasting "self-sufficient"^[13] by eliminating federal funding. He also voted for the "Medicare Preservation act of 1995,"^[14] which cut the projected growth of Medicare by $270 billion over ten years, and against the "Small Business Job Protection Act of 1996,"^[15] which raised the minimum wage to $5.15. Scarborough had a conservative voting record on economic, social, and foreign policy issues, but was seen as moderate on environmental issues and human rights causes (including closing the School of the Americas and Lori Berenson).^[5]

[US Congressman Joe Scarborough] heard about Lori Berenson on an NPR broadcast. He went to Peru and spent a day at her second trial. He watched the prosecutors and the judges working together, heard the evidence and decided that she had done nothing that would have convicted her in a U.S. court. Even a repentant terrorist, who was to have been the strongest witness, said Berenson was not a member of MRTA and gave no help at all. Scarborough thought the court had to conclude she was not a terrorist leader.^[16]

While in Congress, Scarborough received a number of awards, including the "Friend of the Taxpayer Award" from Americans for Tax Reform; the "Guardian of Small Business Award" from the National Federation of Independent Business; the "Spirit of Enterprise Award" from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce; the "Taxpayer's Hero Award" from the Citizens Against Government Waste; and the "Guardian of Seniors' Rights Award" from the 60 Plus Association.

Committee memberships[link]

• 104th Congress^[17] --Committee on Government Reform and Oversight --Committee on National Security (formerly Committee on Armed Services)
• 105th Congress^[18]--Committee on National Security—Committee on Government Reform and Oversight--Committee on Education and the Workforce
• 106th Congress^[19]-- Committee on Armed Services--Committee on Government Reform-- Committee on the Judiciary
• 107th Congress^[20]--Committee on Government Reform-- Committee on the Judiciary

Electoral history[link]

Resignation and controversy[link]

Scarborough announced his intent to resign to spend more time with his children five months into his fourth term in Congress. "The realization has come home to me that they're at a critical stage of their lives and I would rather be judged at the end of my life as a father than as a congressman," Scarborough said.^[22] A special election was held to replace him.

On July 20, 2001, one of Scarborough's aides died after hitting her head on a desk when she fainted while alone in Scarborough's Fort Walton Beach, Florida, office.^[23] According to Scarborough, soon after her death, allegations "spread all over the Internet" that he had been involved,^[23][24] although there was no evidence of foul play. In 2003, he joked about the incident with Don Imus on Imus's radio program.^[25] In 2004, it was the subject of a public spat between Scarborough and filmmaker Michael Moore.^[26]

Post-Congressional politics[link]

After leaving Congress, he joined the law firm of prominent Florida attorney Fred Levin. He practiced law with the firm Beggs and Lane,^[27] the oldest firm in Florida. He was appointed to the President's Council on the 21st Century Workforce in 2002.^[28]

In August 2005, Scarborough confirmed reports that he had been asked to consider a challenge to U.S. Rep. Katherine Harris for the Republican nomination to challenge Senator Bill Nelson's reelection bid. However, he announced later that month that he was renewing his contract with NBC.^[29]

In July 2006, former aides to Harris's 2006 Senate campaign claimed that Harris had called potential Scarborough supporters and raised the death of an aide in his home district office as a means to prevent his entry into the race.^[30] Scarborough, who had never intended to enter the race, initially considered suing Harris but decided to let the incident pass. He later told Nelson that drawing Harris as an opponent in the race made Nelson "the luckiest man in Washington."^[31]

In early 2009, Scarborough confirmed reports that he had been approached by Florida Republicans who wanted him to run for the Senate seat vacated by Republican Mel Martinez. Scarborough said he was not likely to run as he believes he can have more influence over public policy as the host of Morning Joe, than he would as a U.S. Senator. However, he has not ruled out a political career in the future.^[32]

In October 2010, Scarborough called former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich "cartoonish" and said that Gingrich engages in "hate speech."^[33]

Media career[link]

Joe Scarborough

Scarborough is the host of MSNBC’s Morning Joe, which features interviews with top newsmakers and politicians and analysis of the day’s biggest stories. Previously, he hosted Scarborough Country, a primetime news show. He and Mika Brzezinski also briefly hosted a syndicated talk radio show called the Joe Scarborough Show on ABC Radio Network.

While still serving in Congress, Scarborough founded the free weekly Pensacola-area newspaper The Florida Sun in 1999. The paper later merged in 2001 and is now known as the "Independent News."^[34]

In April 2003, he embarked upon a television career with the launch of Scarborough Country on MSNBC, until he began hosting Morning Joe full-time.

Scarborough briefly hosted a three-hour radio show in 2005. The show aired in a competitive time slot (10am–1pm US ET) and struggled to gain affiliates; those few that did carry the show usually carried it in the noon–3pm US ET slot or in late nights instead. After a few months, Scarborough left the show to focus his time on other priorities. (After being vacant for over a year, the slot was filled by Dennis Miller's radio show in 2007.)

[edit] Morning Joe

In May, 2007, Scarborough became one of the rotating hosts auditioning for the slot vacated by Imus in the Morning on MSNBC. Scarborough, with his morning show, won the slot permanently in July 2007. According to Nielsen Ratings, Morning Joe consistently beats CNN and Headline News in total viewers. Morning Joe has beaten CNN in total viewers every month since April 2011 and for 9 consecutive quarters. Morning Joe has also beaten Headline News in total viewers for 27 straight months. This is the first time in MSNBC history that its morning show has consistently out-rated both CNN and Headline News.^[35] Scarborough also is a regular guest on NBC news programs, MSNBC news programs, and has appeared on Meet the Press numerous times. In April 2012, Scarborough guest hosted Meet the Press.^[36]

On November 10, 2008, Scarborough made headlines when he said the 'f' word live on his show. In discussing Barack Obama's transition team, Scarborough contrasted the reputation of Clinton-era staffers with Obama Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel by saying "These were decent steady men who don't go around flipping people off or screaming 'fuck you' at the top of their lungs." The comment was not bleeped out, and while Scarborough's guests and cohosts reacted with amusement, he continued with his point, apparently oblivious to what he had said, until co-host Mika Brzezinski broke in and informed him of his mistake. Scarborough apologized, saying that he thought he had only "said the letter, not the word" and commented that "my wife's going to kill me."^[37] Morning Joe has subsequently been broadcast with a 7-second broadcast delay.^[38]

MSNBC suspended Scarborough without pay for two days on November 19, 2010, for violating NBC News' policy against making contributions to political candidates without prior notification and approval, two weeks after NBC suspended then MSNBC host Keith Olbermann for the same offense. Scarborough had donated $4,000 to Republican candidates in Florida.^[39]

Radio[link]

On December 8, 2008, Scarborough and Morning Joe co-host Mika Brzezinski began hosting a two-hour late-morning radio show on WABC (770 AM) in New York City, replacing 12-year veteran host John Gambling.^[40][41][42] As of April 26, 2010, the radio show has been put on "hiatus" to redevelop its format into a new three hour show.^[43] Many, including Don Imus, have speculated that the show has actually been canceled by Citadel Media. It has been noted that the schedule of WABC would not allow for the program to be expanded an additional hour.

Books[link]

In his book The Last Best Hope, released on June 9, 2009, Scarborough outlines a plan to help guide conservatives back to a political majority after their defeats in the 2006 midterm elections and the 2008 Presidential election.

He is also the author of Rome Wasn’t Burnt in a Day: the Real Deal on how Politicians, Bureaucrats, and other Washington Barbarians are Bankrupting America (New York : HarperCollins, 2004).

Personal life[link]

In 1986, Scarborough married Melanie Hinton. They had two sons, Joey and Andrew,^[44] and divorced in 1999. His younger child was diagnosed with juvenile diabetes. While interviewing Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., in June 2005, Scarborough expressed concerns about the possibility that one of his sons may have suffered vaccine damage, perhaps attributable to the sharp increase during the 1980s in the amount of thimerosal injected into infants: "My son, born in 1991, has a slight form of autism called Asperger's. When I was practicing law and also when I was in Congress, parents would constantly come to me and they would bring me videotapes of their children, and they were all around the age of my son or younger. So, something happened in 1989."^[45]

In October 2001, Scarborough married Susan Waren, a former aide to Florida Governor Jeb Bush and a former congressional committee staffer. He currently rents a home in Washington, D.C.

Scarborough's love for the University of Alabama Crimson Tide football team and head coach, Nick Saban is well known to his viewers. He often talks about the Crimson Tide and will show video clips of Alabama games on his television show. His show has even been broadcast from the University's campus in Tuscaloosa on numerous occasions. On his January 10, 2012, telecast on MSNBC, the show's opening began with the playing of the famous Lynyrd Skynyrd song 'Sweet Home Alabama', as well as highlights of Alabama's 21-0 victory in the national title game over Louisiana State University from the previous evening.

Scarborough is an avid soccer fan. As mentioned on ESPN's "Off The Ball" podcast, Scarborough details his dedication to Liverpool FC, a soccer team that competes in the English Premier League.

References[link]

External links[link]

• Official Site
• Morning Joe — MSNBC

• Biography at the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
• Voting record maintained by The Washington Post
• Campaign contributions made by Joe Scarborough
• OnTheIssues page for Congressional terms
• American Politics Journal
• Chris Matthews Interviews Joe Scarborough on Hardball 06/09/09
• Matt Lauer interviews Joe Scarborough on The Today Show 06/09/09

Dylan Ratigan
Host of MSNBC's The Dylan Ratigan Show
Born	Dylan Jason Ratigan (1972-04-19) April 19, 1972 (age 40) Saranac Lake, New York
Occupation	Television journalist and show host
Notable credit(s)	Host of MSNBC's The Dylan Ratigan Show
Website
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/31510813/

Dylan Jason Ratigan (born (1972-04-19)April 19, 1972) is a New York Times Best-Selling author and host of MSNBC's The Dylan Ratigan Show, the highest-rated, non-prime time show on the network, aimed at critiquing what Ratigan sees as an unholy alliance between big business and government.^[1] He is also a frequent contributor to The Huffington Post.

The former Global Managing Editor for Corporate Finance at Bloomberg L.P., Ratigan has developed and launched more than half a dozen broadcast and new media properties. They include CNBC’s Fast Money and Closing Bell, as well as DylanRatigan.com, which is home to his podcast, “Greedy Bastards Antidote.”

His first book, Greedy Bastards, was released on January 10, 2012 and spent five consecutive weeks on the New York Times Best-Sellers List.^[2]

Early life[link]

Ratigan was born in the village of Saranac Lake in upstate New York. He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in political economics from Union College in Schenectady, where he was a member of the crew team.^[3]

Journalism career[link]

Ratigan served as the Global Managing Editor for Corporate Finance at Bloomberg News Service, and before that had covered Mergers and Acquisitions, the U.S. Stock Market and IPOs. At Bloomberg, he co-created and hosted Morning Call for Bloomberg's cable network and the USA Network.^[3] He has served as a contributor to ABC News and his articles have appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Miami Herald and Chicago Tribune.^[3]

Ratigan was the host of Fast Money (co-created with Susan Krakower^[3] and launching on June 21, 2006). Previously, he was the first anchor of CNBC's On the Money. He also anchored the CNBC TV program Bullseye for about a year and a half. In addition to his former duties as co-anchor on Closing Bell, Ratigan was a rotating co-anchor of The Call.

Ratigan left as host of Fast Money in 2009, provoked by outrage over the government’s handling of the 2008 financial crisis. Since then, he has dedicated his work to launching platforms that engage and debate the U.S. government on policy, while opening the door for millions to learn more about money’s often poisonous role in democracy. The New York Times reported he was considering all options but quoted him as saying he was dedicated to covering the economy, "the story that is affecting every American in every setting."^[4]

Morning Meeting launched June 29, 2009.^[5] Ratigan also contributes to other NBC News programs. Ratigan described the show's imperative as "to discuss any and all political issues with no directive other than to provide compelling content."^[6] The show was the second ever on the network to air in HD, as the network launched their programming in that format.^[7]

On May 27, 2010, Ratigan appeared as a guest host on the daily internet news and opinion show, The Young Turks. Cenk Uygur, regular host of The Young Turks is a frequent guest on The Dylan Ratigan Show.

On January 9, 2012, he appeared as a guest on The Rachel Maddow Show on MSNBC,^[8] discussing the premise of his book, Greedy Bastards, viz. the swindling and robbing of America by "government corruption and corporate communism, incensed by banksters shaking down taxpayers, and despairing of an ailing health care system, an age-old dependency on foreign oil, and a failing educational system".^[9] He stated that he has gained weight and started smoking due to his frustration.

Reporting[link]

Ratigan reported on NASCAR for the program NASCAR Gold and about Las Vegas for Las Vegas, Inc on CNBC on Assignment.

Ratigan won the Gerald Loeb Award for 2004 coverage of the Enron scandal.^[3]

In Ratigan's final CNBC broadcast from the floor of the NYSE he reported on what he called "an important story developing" that Goldman Sachs and "a variety of European banks," in his assessment and that of his guests, essentially "perpetrated securities fraud" and an "insurance fraud scam" against AIG — and, by extension, the government and taxpayers funding that insurance company's "bailout" — by insuring their questionable investment vehicles and, upon their devaluation, making claims on them to be paid by AIG "at 100 cents on the dollar" despite all of the markdowns "being forced upon every other" entity including the government, banks, shareholders, bond holders, taxpayers and homeowners.^[10]

"I think that it should be a bigger political issue than whether somebody bought an airplane ... Forget the private jets, forget who got a million dollar bonus. Fifty billion dollars," he said, minimizing what he saw as populist side issues to "the real question" of how "government policy makers" are to deal with the "problems of contract law" inherent in the agreements of businesses receiving government assistance during the financial crisis.^[10]

"The banks are being asked to take 'haircuts' on their toxic assets, why are the Goldmans and the Deutsche Banks of the world not being asked to take haircuts on their toxic credit default swaps? It's a real question. I will continue to pursue it for sure, I hope others will as well." Ratigan praised New York Attorney General Andrew Cuomo's subpoena of AIG to determine the bank payouts as "legitimate inquiry" and looked forward to "a body of lawmakers in Washington, D.C., who are going to ask, it appears, some of the same questions that I'm asking." ^[10]

2011 rant[link]

On the August 10, 2011, broadcast of The Dylan Ratigan Show, in a round table discussion of the market meltdown following the Budget Control Act of 2011, Ratigan went on a two-minute-long rant against what he perceived to be the state of politics in the United States government, saying:

"We've got a real problem! This is a mathematical fact! Tens of trillions of dollars are being extracted from the United States of America. Democrats aren't doing it, Republicans aren't doing it. An entire integrated system, financial system, trading system, taxing system, that was created by both parties over a period of two decades is at work on our entire country right now. And we're sitting here arguing about whether we should do the $4 trillion plan that kicks the can down the road for the president for 2017, or burn the place to the ground, both of which are reckless, irresponsible, and stupid."^[11]

The video of his impassioned speech went viral^[12] and was praised by other media sources. TV Newser wrote that it was "a powerful, emotional editorial on the economy and Washington".^[13] On a followup post on his website the day after he wrote that he had received a lot of positive mail from viewers, writing "I’m mad as hell. And according to the piles and piles of responses I got after my rant, so are you."^[14]

Appearances[link]

Ratigan appeared on The Oprah Winfrey Show in 2008 to discuss the financial crisis.^[15] He has also appeared on The Colbert Report with Stephen Colbert^[16] and Late Night with Conan O'Brien.^[17]

References[link]

External links[link]

• Dylan Ratigan biography on MSNBC
• Daily Beast profile of Dylan Ratigan
• From CNBC Business Journalist to Critic of Bankers on MSNBC from The New York Times