Legal Affairs Correspondent Jay Goodman Tamboli will be covering the release of opinions at the Supreme Court and the confirmation hearings of Elena Kagan at the Senate Judiciary Committee. The Washington Bureau will be covering: The Second Amendment Foundation is holding a media availability following the release of the Supreme…

By Ellen Ratner, Bureau Chief – Talk Radio News Service There have been only two times that I have seen the press act out of character. The first was in the mid-’90s and six of us were touring one of Mother Teresa’s facilities in Africa. After a tour arranged by…

By Miles Wolf Tamboli
Talk Radio News Service
Like so many Gulf Coast businesses, the Heritage Motor Coach Resort and Marina was doing great until April 20th. Now, in the wake of the disastrous oil spill, its owner is struggling to make ends meet.
“Our phones are not ringing and we’re not getting reservations because of the oil spill in general and … how the media has portrayed it,” Duke Gibbs told Talk Radio News Friday. “Nine out of ten days on our resort there’s not hint of oil, there’s no smell of oil, but the spill in general has just killed our activity.”
Gibbs’ message was clear; the entire Gulf Coast is struggling from a misleading reputation stemming from the spill’s impact. In fact, he said, the beaches where he is are clean, and the area is open for business.
“Over the last week I’ve seen a big difference in the amount of organization and cleanup effort … our beaches look great … they’re responding quickly, and I also believe they’re doing a much better job of containment out in the Gulf,” said Gibbs.
The Country Music Channel will be hosting a free concert featuring Jimmy Buffett and Kenny Chesney in Orange Beach, Alabama on July 1st to raise awareness and demonstrate support for the Gulf Coast region. To commemorate the event, Gibbs’ resort will be holding a “4 for 2″ night special, to encourage tourists to visit the area.
Gibbs told Talk Radio News Service that the Alabama Gulf Coast has the same white sand beaches, shopping, and dining of bigger Gulf Coast resorts like Destin and Panama City, Florida, but without the crowds. Because of this, Gibbs considers it “the perfect destination.”
“Our only hope is to try to remain positive and promote our businesses … and at the same time hope that BP will do their part,” said Gibbs.
Still, Gibbs is aware that the economic future of the Gulf Coast is still uncertain. When asked about his stance on the six-month moratorium imposed by the Obama administration in response to the spill, Gibbs explained that up to 50 percent of his clients’ businesses are somehow tied to the oil industry, and “they believe [the moratorium] will do nothing but absolutely kill the entire Gulf Coast economy over in the Louisiana and Texas area.”
Gibbs said he has filed a claim with BP, but because he opened his resort just in the past year, he cannot provide the oil giant with the three to four years’ of documents it requested. Gibbs filed his request two and a half weeks ago, and has not yet received any sort of compensation.

The Washington Bureau will be covering the following today:
President Obama will deliver remarks in the White House Rose Garden regarding Wall Street reform.
TRNS will be conducting an exclusive interview with a small business owner on the Gulf of Mexico concerning the effects of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill on the Gulf coast economy.
Author and former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, R-Ga. will deliver remarks at a signing of his book, “To Save America: Stopping Obama’s Secular-Socialist Machine.”

Defense Secretary Robert Gates told reporters Thursday that the withdrawal timeline for U.S. troops in Afghanistan will remain in place following the departure of General Stanley McChrystal, but will be subject to review by the Afghan Commander’s recently named replacement General David Petraeus.
“When [Petraeus] gets on the ground he will assess the situation for himself, and at some point he will make recommendations to the President,” Gates said during a briefing at the Pentagon. “That’s what any military commander should do.”
When President Obama announced last December that the U.S. would escalate troop levels by 30,000, he also outlined a goal to begin a steady withdrawal from Afghanistan in the summer of 2011.
During a joint press conference with Russian President Dmitry Medvedev at the White House on Thursday, Mr. Obama assured reporters that replacing McChrystal with Petraeus in Afghanistan would not alter that plan.
“The short answer is that what we saw yesterday was a change in personnel but not a change in policy,” he said. Referencing the troop drawdown, he added, “We didn’t say we’d be switching off the light and closing the door behind us.”
Gates stressed Thursday that the war’s main architects, including General Petraeus, continue to support the July timeline. However, during an appearance before the Senate Armed Services last week, Petraeus told Chairman Carl Levin, “In a perfect world … we have to be very careful with timelines.”
McChrystal was relieved of his command position Wednesday after controversial comments from the General and his staff made it into an upcoming issue of Rolling Stone magazine. Mr. Obama quickly named Petraeus, the head of U.S. Central Command, as McChrystal’s successor.

General Stanley McChrystal will be replaced as U.S. Commander in Afghanistan by General David Petraeus, after comments from McChrystal and his staff mocking administration officials made it into an upcoming issue of Rolling Stone magazine.
President Barack Obama announced the change during a statement Wednesday afternoon from the White House Rose Garden.
“Today I accepted General Stanley McChrystal’s resignation as commander of the International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan,” he said. “I did so with considerable regret, but also with certainty that it is the right thing for our mission in Afghanistan, for our military and for our country.
As the head of U.S. Central Command, Petraeus is currently McChrystal’s boss. He must be confirmed by the Senate before he can assume his new role. Mr. Obama did not say who will fill Petraeus’ position.
The decision to appoint Petraeus will likely shield the President from the political fallout of relieving a current commander. Petraeus garners immense respect from both Democrats and Republicans, a factor that will prove important as U.S. and Afghan security forces prepare for a major offensive in Kandahar province this summer. Perhaps more importantly, Petraeus is reportedly liked by Afghan President Hamid Karzai, who notably possessed a fond view of Petraeus’ predecessor.
The Rolling Stone article was not the first instance in which the four-star General had frustrated the White House. Last October, McChrystal gave a speech in which he publicly shot down a counter-insurgency approach to the Afghan war promoted by Vice President Joe Biden. The President reportedly scolded the commander for the remarks during a private meeting aboard Air Force One, but McChrystal’s call for additional troops was implemented soon after.
However, the Rolling Stone article seemed to be the last straw for the White House. Press Secretary Robert Gibbs told reporters Tuesday that the President was visibly angry when shown excerpts and the General was summoned from the Afghan capital of Kabul for a face-to-face meeting.
“The conduct does not meet the standard that should be met by a commanding general,” Mr. Obama said.
McChrystal assumed the role of Afghan Commander last summer. He replaced General David Mckiernan.
Talk Radio News Service Correspondent Geoff Holtzman contributed to this report.

The Washington Bureau will be covering:
-The House Democratic Caucus holds a closed meeting, beginning at 9:30 a.m, on party matters. There will be a stakeout at 9:15. -The House Republican Conference holds a closed meeting, beginning at 9 a.m., on party matters. There will be a stakeout at 10am. -Rep. Tim Murphy, R-Pa.; and Rep. Timothy Ryan, D-Ohio hold a news conference on China’s currency manipulation.
-Senate Appropriations Committee Interior, Environment and Related Agencies Subcommittee hearing on Minerals Management Service reorganization, Interior Secretary Ken Salazar will testify.
-The Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) holds a dsicussion on “Securing the Border: A Smarter Law Enforcement Approach.” Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano; Assistant Homeland Security Secretary for Immigration and Customs Enforcement John Morton; Deputy Cusoms and Border Protection Commissioner David Aguilar; Office of National Drug Control Policy Director Gil Kerlikowske; and San Jose, Calif. Chief of Police Rob Davis will testify.
-Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, will hold a news conference following the White House bipartisan energy meeting.
-Senators Leahy, Schumer, and Durbin will hold a news conference on SCOTUS nominee Kagan.
-Elena Kagan’s fellow Supreme Court law clerks from 1987-88 – Harry Litman, Teresa Wynn Roseborough, and Peter D. Keisler will hold a conference call to discuss their support for her Supreme Court nomination.

By Linn Grubbstrom
Talk Radio News Service
The G8 and G20 summits taking place in Toronto, Canada later this week will mark the fourth G20 meeting held in less than two years. However, at this summit, the 20 nations that comprise the group should focus more on big-picture issues than just trying to bring their economies back from recession, said economic expert David Shorr on Monday.
“When they had their first summit meeting it was right in the middle of the financial meltdown and that was sort of an emergency meeting,” Shorr told Talk Radio News Service. “What will be interesting is to see how they make the transition from emergency response to dealing with things not immediately in crisis, but dealing with more of the structural problems.”
The main focus during this summer’s G20 summit will be solving the debt crisis in Europe, and the global financial crisis in general. Meanwhile, the G8 summit figures to center on security issues, economic development in less developed countries and the nuclear situation in Iran. According to Shorr, an official with the Stanley Foundation, a nonpartisan think tank based in Iowa, the security issue is something that should be addressed by the G20 as well.
“I think that it is important for the larger group that brings together the old and new powers to deal not just with the economy but also with political and security matters. Because the logic that pushes the old and new powers together on the global economy is in someway no different from the need for them to be together on these other challenges of international security,” he said.

Rep. Joe Barton (R-Texas), the ranking Republican member on the House Energy and Commerce Committee, now says he is sorry for apologizing to BP CEO Tony Hayward during an intensely-watched hearing this morning.
Before Hayward began his prepared remarks to the committee, Barton told him “I’m ashamed of what happened in the White House yesterday,” referring to an agreement reached between BP and the White House to establish a $20 billion independently-managed escrow account to handle the claims filed against the company. He added, “I do not want to live in a country where any time a citizen or a corporation does something that is legitimately wrong is subject to some sort of political pressure that…amounts to a shakedown. So I apologize.”
Democrats pounced on Barton as soon as the news of his comments broke. “House Republicans continue to side with Big Oil over the needs of the American people,” said House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.). Vice President Joe Biden told White House reporters he found Barton’s remarks “incredibly insensitive, incredibly out of touch.” Press Secretary Robert Gibbs later said the President had been made aware of the comments, and replied that he could not “understand why anyone would say that.”
In all likelihood, it was such blow-back that prompted Barton to issue the following statement:
“I apologize for using the term ‘shakedown’ with regard to yesterday’s actions at the White House in my opening statement this morning, and I retract my apology to BP. As I told my colleagues yesterday and said again this morning, BP should bear the full financial responsibility for the accident on their lease in the Gulf of Mexico. BP should fully compensate those families and businesses that have been hurt by this accident. BP and the federal government need to stop the leak, clean up the damage, and take whatever steps necessary to prevent a similar accident in the future. “I regret the impact that my statement this morning implied that BP should not pay for the consequences of their decisions and actions in this incident.”

Rep. Joe Barton (R-Texas.) apologized to BP CEO Tony Hayward during his Capitol Hill appearance Thursday for what the Texas Republican described as the White House’s “shakedown” of the oil giant.
“I’m ashamed of what happened in the White House yesterday,” Barton said, referring to an agreement reached between the company and the administration to establish a $20 billion independently-managed escrow account to handle the claims filed against BP. During the course of his remarks, Barton described the account as a “slush fund.”
Added Barton, “I do not want to live in a country where any time a citizen or a corporation does something that is legitimately wrong is subject to some sort of political pressure that … amounts to a shakedown. So I apologize.”
Rep. Edward Markey (D-Mass.), who along with Rep. Peter Welch (D-Vt.) spearheaded the call for the escrow account in the House, rejected Barton’s description of the account.
“The compensation fund … [is] not a slush fund and not a shakedown,” Markey said.
Markey added that the account is a move from the federal government to protect the nation’s “most vulnerable citizens.”
Barton’s remarks also drew scorn from the White House.
“Joe Barton seems to have more concern for big corporations that caused this disaster than the fishermen, small business owners and communities whose lives have been devastated by the destruction,” White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs said in a written statement. “Members from both parties should repudiate his comments.”