Kids, Guns & Politics: Join the Live Chat
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Child safety experts say doctors should ask kids and their parents about whether they have a gun in the house. So why do some Florida state lawmakers want to throw doctors in jail for doing just that? We're Keeping Them Honest. Plus, tonight's other headlines.
Scroll down to join the live chat during the program. It's your chance to share your thoughts on tonight's headlines. Keep in mind, you have a better chance of having your comment get past our moderators if you follow our rules.
Here are some of them:
1) Keep it short (we don't have time to read a "book")
2) Don't write in ALL CAPS (there's no need to yell)
3) Use your real name (first name only is fine)
4) No links
5) Watch your language (keep it G-rated; PG at worst - and that includes $#&*)
Charges filed against 'Baby Doc' Duvalier in Haiti
CNN Wire Staff
Port-Au-Prince, Haiti (CNN) - Extraordinary drama unfolded Tuesday in Port-au-Prince as charges were filed against former Haitian dictator Jean-Claude "Baby Doc" Duvalier, government sources told CNN.
It was not immediately clear what the charges were.
A judge will have 30 days to investigate and decide whether the charges merit moving forward with a case against Duvalier.
Earlier in the day, the former leader was taken into custody at his hotel and transported to a downtown courthouse for a hearing.
Reality check: Repealing health care reform
Ed Hornick
CNN
Washington (CNN) - Republicans have put the wheels in motion to try to repeal President Obama's health care reform law. CNN breaks down the issue and the efforts' future.
What's behind the push for repeal?
Simple: It's a campaign promise that House Republicans are trying to honor.
During the runup to the midterm elections, Republicans campaigned heavily on repealing and replacing the law. They cited the "will of the people" - noting that voters, especially members of the Tea Party movement, overwhelmingly rejected the Democrats' policies.
After their historic gains in the midterms, Republicans now control the House and hold a large number of seats in the Senate, and they are living up to that promise. The GOP has been saying that the law as currently written will hamper prospects for long-term economic growth while doing little to slow spiraling medical costs.
House Speaker John Boehner, who used to refer to the bill as a "jobs killer," now says that repealing the "job-crushing" health care law is critical to boosting small business job creation and growing the economy, reflecting sensitivities in the wake of the mass shooting this month in Tucson, Arizona, that critically injured a Democratic colleague, Rep. Gabrielle Giffords.
What are the chances of repeal?
Nearly nil.
Beat 360° 1/18/11
Ready for today's Beat 360°? Everyday we post a picture you provide the caption and our staff will join in too. Tune in tonight at 10pm to see if you are our favorite! Here is the 'Beat 360°' pic:
Former President Bill Clinton addresses a crowd gathered for a campaign rally for Rahm Emanuel, former White House Chief of Staff for President Barack Obama, on January 18, 2011 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo credit: Scott Olson/Getty Images)
Have fun with it. We're looking forward to your captions! Make sure to include your name, city, state (or country) so we can post your comment.
Update: Beat 360° Winners:
Staff
Joey Gardner
“And I shall call him…Mini Me.”
Viewer
Mike Wishnowski
“Okay, no one moves until I find out who got gravy on my copy of Eat Pray Love”
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Palin needs to 'be more careful,' Gingrich says
Alexander Mooney
CNN Ticker Producer
(CNN) – Sarah Palin is getting more advice from fellow Republicans – this time from former House Speaker Newt Gingrich who says the former Alaska governor needs to "slow down."
Speaking on ABC's Good Morning America Tuesday, Gingrich said a string of Palin's recent statements indicate she needs to "be more careful and think through what she's saying and how she's saying it."
"There's no question that she has become more controversial," added Gingrich who may face off against Palin later in the year for the GOP presidential nomination.
But Gingrich was quick to add he believes Palin remains a "phenomenon and "very formidable in her own right."
Letters to the President: #729 'A win is a win…sometimes'
Tom Foreman | BIO
AC360° Correspondent
Reporter's Note: The president and his party passed historic health care reforms, but are being pressed into a new battle to convince the public that their win was really a win for us all. That’s what I’m writing about in today’s letter to the White House.
Dear Mr. President,
So after some delays, it seems as if the House Republicans are finally ready to take the hack saw to your health care reform program with an eye toward, if not outright repealing it, at least sending it to the emergency room. Politically it looks like their chances of producing any real result are about as slim of my hopes for being called up to play in the Super Bowl. Even if they can drive it through the House, your party still has enough numbers in the Senate to beat back the revolution.
But, just as it is with so much in Washington, that doesn’t mean it might not hurt. Truth be told, if they make a hard enough stand on this issue they could not only force you to re-defend your victory, but they could also build up a belief among at least some voters that health care reform was never such a good idea to begin with.
FULL POST
CNN Poll: No change on gun law opinions after Arizona shootings
CNN Political Unit
Washington (CNN) – Americans' overall attitudes toward gun laws have not budged an inch in the wake of the shootings in Arizona, according to a new national poll.
But a CNN/Opinion Research Corporation survey released Monday also indicates that majority of the public favors restrictions on semi-automatic guns and high-capacity ammunition clips, as well as background checks and limits on the number of guns that can be purchased.
The poll indicates that the two sides of the gun debate are evenly balanced, with one in seven Americans opposing any restrictions on guns at all and one in seven saying that all guns should be illegal except for police and other authorized personnel. Roughly a third support minor restrictions and roughly a third support major restrictions.
Palin: 'I am not going to shut up'
Alexander Mooney
CNN Ticker Producer
(CNN) – In her first interview since the Arizona shootings, Sarah Palin Monday sharply beat back critics who have suggested her at-times charged political rhetoric and use of a graphic featuring crosshairs may have contributed to the shooter’s motivations.
"The graphic that was used was crosshairs. That's not original. Democrats have been using them for years," Palin said in the interview with Sean Hannity on Fox News, where Palin is a paid contributor.
"For many years maps in political races have been used to target certain districts that people would feel that they can get into those districts and find someone to whom they believe would represent the constituents' will better than the incumbent," she added.
The map in question – created by Palin's political action committee last spring – featured the crosshairs of a gun over the congressional districts of 20 Democratic candidates – including that of Gabrielle Giffords, the congresswoman who was shot in Tucson nine days ago. Last week, Palin aide Rebecca Monsour defended the graphic, saying the crosshairs were not those of a gun but rather "a surveyor symbol."
But Palin's PAC quickly scrubbed the graphic from its website after the shootings, a move Palin said she found appropriate.
"The contract graphic artist did take it down and I don't think that was inappropriate," said Palin. "If it was going to cause much heartburn and even more controversy I didn’t have a problem with it taken down."
In the 30 minute interview, Palin also addressed the criticism she has faced for her video response to the shootings posted last week on Facebook. Critics particularly took issue with the former governor's use of the term "blood libel," a phrase that for many conjures anti-semetic connotations.
"Blood libel obviously means being falsely accused of having blood on your hands. In this case, that's exactly what was going on," she said, adding later, "Just two days before an op-ed in the Wall Street Journal had that term in its title. And that term has been used for eons."
