Hey there MySpace! As most of you know, I'm Gwen Ifill. I'm the host and moderator of the PBS program Washington Week, which airs on PBS Fridays, Saturdays, and sometimes Sundays. I really enjoy talking it up about politics with my great panel of journalists.
Washington Week is the longest running public affairs program on PBS! The show first aired on February 23, 1967. Since then, it has turned into quite a phenomenon!
This Week
January 13, 2006Moderator: Gwen IfillThe news out of Washington this week was centered on Capitol Hill even though Congress was out of session. It was a political bombshell that fell with the announcement that in the wake of the developments surrounding lobbyist Jack Abramoff, Republican Tom DeLay would not try to reassert himself as Majority Leader in the House of Representatives. This has set off a fierce scramble to fill not only that position but also for Republicans to take up the issue of lobbying reform. Time Magazine Political Correspondent Karen Tumulty updates the GOP political leadership battle while Washington Post Feature Writer and Columnist Jeffrey Birnbaum has the latest on how Republican leaders are hoping to turn the issue of reform in their favor.Also on the Hill, it was the President’s second Supreme Court Nominee Samuel Alito who spent 18-hours in the witness chair before the Senate Judiciary Committee. But when all was said and done, on the controversial issues of preserving Roe v. Wade, character, and Judge Alito’s views toward civil rights, critics didn’t seem to raise enough questions to slow down his confirmation. USA Today Supreme Court Correspondent Joan Biskupic will set the stage for the upcoming Senate vote and how Samuel Alito might fit in on the new Roberts court.The action on the Hill overshadowed much of what President Bush was doing this week, including his trip to the Gulf region today to see how recovery efforts following the hurricane season are going. ABC News Senior White House Correspondent Martha Raddatz has the latest on how the administration is handling a series of subjects including continued controversy over domestic surveillance.We hope you'll join us.
