7:00am Phones
7:15am On the Phone: John Fritze, Baltimore Sun Washington Correspondent
Topic: Guest is the official White House pool reporter for Saturday night’s Gridiron Club Dinner. President Obama is attending this year’s dinner but due to the Club’s rules, it is closed to TV cameras.
7:45am Peter Cook, Bloomberg TV Chief Washington Correspondent and Rachel Smolkin, Politico Deputy Managing Editor
Topic: Guests will share a roundup of news of the week, including President Obama’s attempts to reach out to Congressional Republicans, the potential for a “grand bargain,” economic news including the latest jobs report, Sen. Rand Paul’s (R-KY) filibuster and resulting friction with Sen. John McCain (R-AZ), and prospects for immigration and gun control legislation.
8:30am Joseph Henchman, Tax Foundation Legal & State Projects Vice President
Topic: According to new analysis by the Tax Foundation, the average resident in the U.S paid 9.9% of their income on state and local taxes during 2010. Guest will discuss states with the highest and lowest tax rates, what goes into determining how states calculate their tax rate and the impact of the rate upon household finances.
9:15am Mona Yacoubian, Stimson Center Senior Middle East Adviser
Topic: Secretary of State John Kerry last week announced the U.S. will provide financial, medical and food aid to the Syrian opposition. Guest joins us to discuss the shift in U.S. policy toward Syria.