Inside the Beltway

New approach

Stay tuned today to learn what Sen. John W. Warner, Virginia Republican, and Sen. Joe Lieberman, Connecticut independent, have up their respective sleeves to combat climate change — that is, if man can even tangle with Mother Nature.

The pair of politicians has called a morning press conference on Capitol Hill to reveal particulars of an agreement they’ve reached on climate legislation.

The agreement, which will be introduced as a bill after the August congressional recess, incorporates “new thinking” to ideas contained in other climate-change proposals.

Balancing act

Suffice it to say, Democrats were not happy to read that conservative publisher and broadcast mogul RupertMurdoch’s long pursuit of Dow Jones & Co. — and more specifically its prized Wall Street Journal — has finally paid off.

Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Christopher J. Dodd was among the first to respond, fearing the sale “poses a serious threat to our democracy.”

Without naming Mr. Murdoch, the Connecticut senator said the “power of the media is swiftly being limited to a few controlling hands.”

Then, he actually stole the “fair and balanced” slogan of the Fox News Channel, also owned by Mr. Murdoch, stating: “I am concerned that it will be very difficult for the Journal to offer fair and balanced reporting under the pressures of a giant media conglomerate.”

Bigger than Fox

Republican presidential hopeful Sen. John McCain of Arizona is the latest 2008 candidate to announce that he will participate in the Univision Network Presidential Forum, to be held Sunday, Sept. 16, at the University of Miami in Coral Gables, Fla.

This first-of-its-kind forum will be broadcast on the Univision Network in Spanish.

It’s worth noting that Univision is the fifth most-viewed network in the United States, and is actually ahead of English-language cable giants like Fox News, CNN and MSNBC. Indeed, Univision at times beats the big three networks in various ratings categories.

Four more years

Good news and bad news surrounding U.S. passports, reports the Government Accountability Office.

Story Continues →