Congress, Politics, Books
and American History

Reporters:

TIM STARKS
CQ Roll Call, Homeland Security
& Intelligence Reporter

JONATHAN ALLEN
Politico
Senior Washington Correspondent

TOPIC: The Chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee talks about border security, immigration, government surveillance of Americans and his belief that the National Security Agency needs to be more transparent with all members of Congress to let them them know about data collection programs.

This week on Q & A, our guest is NASA Administrator and retired Marine Corps General, Charles Bolden. He talks about his experiences as an astronaut and his current duties as administrator of the world’s largest space agency. He also comments on one hundred or more missions he flew over North Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia during his career as a Marine pilot flying the A-6 Intruder. He defends the two hundred billion dollar, thirty year NASA shuttle program and says it, “brought diversity to an incredibly technical program.” Bolden also recounts how improbable it was for an African American, like himself, to get accepted into the United States Naval Academy in a time of racial segregation in his home state of South Carolina. He details the mission of the international space station and comments on several videos posted on NASA’s website including an astronaut shaving his head in the zero gravity environment. He speaks about his final mission into space and the unlikely friendships that he developed with the two Russian astronauts who flew with him. Mr. Bolden discusses the space agency’s budget for the coming year and addresses the challenges of securing continued funding for specific projects in a shrinking budget environment.

Charles Bolden graduated from the US Naval Academy in 1968 with a B.S. in electrical science. He obtained a Master’s degree in systems management from the University of Southern California in 1977. He was a Marine pilot flying A-6 missions in North Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia. In 1980 he joined NASA and served in a variety of positions while still a marine. In 1994 he rejoined active duty in the US Marines ultimately serving in Iraq in 1998. He became the NASA administrator in July, 2009. He is married and has two children.

BEN PHILPOTT
KUT’s Agenda Texas
Host
Twitter: @BenPhilpottKUT
KUTnews.org

Topic: Guest will talk about the Texas legislature’s special 30-day session, which begins today. Gov. Rick Perry called for it after state Senator Wendy Davis filibustered for hours on the regular session’s last day against a law that would restrict abortions.

JULIE ROVNER
National Public Radio
Health Policy Correspondent
Twitter: @jrovner
npr.org

Topic: In three months on October 1st Americans can begin signing up for new health insurance coverage under the federal health care law. Our guest will talk about the ramp-up to the launch of the insurance exchanges or marketplaces.

Lynn Addington
American University
Justice, Law & Society Professor

Delilah Rumburg
Pennsylvania Coalition Against Rape
CEO

Department of Defense
From June 27, 2013.

Carly Fiorina
Good360 Chairman
Former CEO and Chairman of Hewlett-Packard
2010 U.S. Senate Candidate
R-California

Angela Greiling Keane
National Press Club
President

National Press Club

President Obama travelled to Tanzania today to meet with Tanzanian President Jakaya Kikwete. The two leaders spoke to reporters after their meeting.

Rebuilding Iraq: Lessons Going Forward

Stuart Bowen will discuss his work in Iraq and lessons learned during his more than nine years as SIGIR.

Featured Speaker:
• Stuart Bowen, Special Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction (SIGIR)
Host/Moderator:
• Kimberly Kagan, Founder and President, The Institute for the Study of War

Tonight – a discussion on the influence of women in politics. Journalists Leslie Stahl Cokie Roberts, and Law Professor Akhil Reed Amar talk about First Ladies from Martha Washington to Michelle Obama, and attitudes toward politically powerful First Ladies. Hosted by the New York Historical Society, it’s an hour.

Lynn Addington
American University
Justice, Law & Society Professor

Delilah Rumburg
Pennsylvania Coalition Against Rape
CEO

Department of Defense
From June 27, 2013.