Lou Dobbs - CNN:
Close Ties
Questions are being raised about the ties between government and big business. Many White House insiders and Congressmen become industry lobbyists. Nearly 500 of the drug lobbyists are former federal officials. More than 40 are former members of Congress. Critics are concerned that close ties are influencing American policy on such issues as energy, pharmaceuticals and insurance. After all, they say, these companies wouldn't be spending so much money if they didn't get something in return. Among those interviwed is David Doniger of the Natural Resources Defense Council.   Aired 5/6/15.

  Lou Dobbs - CNN:
'Soft on China
American companies are aiding and abetting the communist Chinese regime in their effort to repress the ideas of freedom and democracy on the Internet in China. Microsoft is the latest American company to be found cooperating with the Chinese government in censuring the content available to Chinese Internet users. Among those interviewed is John Tkacik of the Heritage Foundation.   Aired 5/6/14.

  Lou Dobbs - CNN:
Vote on WTO
A resolution calling on the United States to withdraw from the World Trade Organization (WTO) failed in the House by 338 votes to 86. Rep. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) who introduced the legislation declared, "WTO rules have failed the American worker, the American standard of living and the American dream. WTO rules have made American jobs our No. 1 export." The resolution's co-sponsor, Rep. Ron Paul (R-TX) said, "for the United States to give up any bit of its sovreignty to these unelected and unaccountable organizations, including the WTO, is economic suicide."   Aired 5/6/9.

  Lou Dobbs - CNN:
Red Star Rising
China is relentlessly using its cheap labor to lure American companies into its factories. And with labor costs some 90 percent lower in China, that cheap labor is too attractive for many American companies to resist. Among them is California t-shirt maker Michael White, co-owner of Sundog International, who will do business in China because he likes the idea of paying laborers there only 50 cents an hour instead of paying Americans up to 17 dollars an hour...   Aired 5/6/9.

  Lou Dobbs - CNN:
Broken Borders
Since the federal government has failed to deal with the issue of illegal immigration and border security, Robert Vasquez, Commissioner of Canyon County, Idaho, has devised his own plan to handle what he calls the imminent invasion from Mexico. He wants to sue the people who hire illegal aliens. That plan would make Canyon County, Idaho, the only local government in this country to use federal racketeering statutes against people who employ illegal aliens...   Aired 5/6/9.

  Lou Dobbs - CNN:
Ripping Off America
China and its unfair trade practices are stealing American innovation. One U.S. company saw its business plunge after China ripped off its designs. The company sued and won a record-setting reward. But it has yet to receive any of the money that China was ordered to pay. Among those interviewed is Pat Choate, author of Hot Property...   Aired 5/6/09.

  Brian Williams - NBC News:
Retirement Crisis - Underfunded Pension Plans
Corporate America has taken advantage of rules passed by Congress a few years ago which loosened pension fund reporting requirements. This has now resulted in underfunded retirement plans that millions of middle class Americans were counting on. The pension funds of airlines are drawing the most attention, particularly United Airlines, which recently defaulted on its plan and offloaded funding responsibility to the federal government. Employees will only see a fraction of their pension when they retire. According to Duane Woerth of the Airline Pilots Association, other airlines are considering dumping their pension plans as well. Can the rest of Corporate America be far behind?   Aired 5/6/07.

  Lou Dobbs - CNN:
GM Massive Job Cuts
General Motors has announced plans to cut 25,000 jobs over the next three years. Seventeen percent of its American workforce will lose their jobs. While foreign carmakers continue to increase their market share, the second oldest U.S. carmaker is slashing jobs and cutting back production. According to Peter Morici of the University of Maryland, GM's strategy is to move its car-making capabilities to China...   Aired 5/6/07.

  Lou Dobbs - CNN:
Tough Talk
Violence and the threat of violence are rising in the American workplace. A new study finds the loss of millions of American jobs to cheap foreign labor markets is behind much of the rage. Doug Kane (above) from Risk Control Strategies says a lot of companies that are turning to offshoring and outsourcing are also creating somewhat of a hostile work environment in which employees are tasked with training their replacements...   Aired 5/6/06.

  Lou Dobbs - CNN:
Tough Talk
Vigorous debate continues over the flood of Chinese textiles into the United States since the quotas were lifted in January. Thirty-five percent, 374,000 textile workers, have lost their jobs in this country since 2001; 16,000 since January when the quotas were lifted. The reason: U.S. textile and apparel workers make between $8 and $13 an hour; the same jobs in China pay between 35 cents and 80 cents per hour. Among those interviewed is Auggie Tantillo, executive director of American Manufacturing Trade Action Coalition (AMTAC).   Aired 5/6/03.

  Lou Dobbs - CNN:
Illegal Alien Crisis
Fresno Mayor Allen Autry is calling for a two-year moratorium on immigration in California. That's to give local governments time to address the illegal alien crisis. He says border security may officially be a federal issue, but there are consequences that are 100 percent local.   Aired 5/6/02.

  Lou Dobbs - CNN:
Assault on the Middle Class
A rising number of American cities are lifting their minimum wage and paying workers what's called a living wage. The programs are partly designed to counteract the effects of low-pay, low-skilled illegal aliens. A new study finds a four-year-old living wage in Los Angeles is greatly benefiting workers. Among those interviewed is David Fairiss, Economics Professor at the University of California at Riverside.  Aired 5/6/02.

  Lou Dobbs - CNN:
Operation Vanguard
Supporters of tough immigration laws say we can learn important lessons from previous crackdowns. In the late 1990s an INS program known as Operation Vanguard checked the Social Security numbers of workers in a meat packing industry. About 26,000 meat packing employees were reviewed, 4,500 discrepancies were found and 3,500 workers left their jobs rather than be interviewed. And 50 illegal aliens were found and deported. Despite this success, the operation was shut down in a storm of controversy. Among those interviewed is Mark Krikorian of the Center for Immigration Studies.  Aired 5/6/01.

  Lou Dobbs - CNN:
Border Security - Plan of Action
Senator Jon Kyl of Arizona and Senator John Cornyn of Texas are working on a plan to overhaul border security and reform our national immigration policies. The senators' plan would include adding 10,000 new Border Patrol agents and 1,000 new immigration inspectors. The measure would also provide for the training of state and local officials to enforce immigration laws, and it would raise penalties for employers who hire illegal aliens.  Aired 5/5/27.

  Lou Dobbs - CNN:
Rising Border Violence
Violence against our Border Patrol agents is rising dramatically. The stretch of the Arizona border that is the busiest crossing for illegal aliens has been the scene of violent incidents that are rising nearly 40 percent from last year. And yet groups who defend illegal aliens and advocate open borders accuse the U.S. Border Patrol and peaceful citizen volunteers, such as the Minutemen, of the potential of violence. Among those interviewed is T.J Bonner of the National Border Patrol Council.  Aired 5/5/27.

  Lou Dobbs - CNN:
CAFTA -- Dead Deal?
One year ago, President Bush signed CAFTA, the Central American Free Trade Agreement. That signing didn't mean much because the Congress has still not approved it. And opponents in the House of Representatives say they now have the votes to defeat it. Many lawmakers say these trade agreements cost manufacturing jobs in this country and pull the rug out from our family farmers. Among those interviewed is Rep. Xavier Becerra (D-CA).   Aired 5/5/27.

  Lou Dobbs - CNN:
Homeland Insecurity
Security at our nation's ports is dangerously lax. According to two new reports, only a small fraction of shipping containers coming into American ports are properly inspected. A weapon of mass destruction smuggled into the country in a cargo container a frighteningly plausible scenario say the experts. Now word that two Department of Homeland Security programs designed to prevent it from happening have holes. Sen. Frank Lautenberg (D-NJ) says the administration has failed.   Aired 5/5/26.

  Lou Dobbs - CNN:
Homeland Insecurity
Janet Murguia, head of the nation's largest Latino right's group, La Raza, discusses a bipartisan, but highly controversial immigration proposal. It's really about illegal immigration and how to make illegals "legal." The plan, sponsored by Republican Senator John McCain, Democratic Senator Ted Kennedy, among other things, would allow illegal aliens now working in the country to apply for temporary work permits for up to six years, much like the president has asked for.   Aired 5/5/25.

 Jack Speer - National Public Radio:
GM Faces Uncertain Future, But Won't Seek Bailout
General Motors is still the world's largest car manufacturer, despite losses of more than $1 billion in the first quarter of 2005. GM is unlikely to declare bankruptcy anytime soon. But it still has to turn itself around -- and it can't depend on Washington to bail it out...  Aired 5/5/25.

  Lou Dobbs - CNN:
Homeland Insecurity
The Social Security Administration says hundreds of Department of Defense employees are using invalid Social Security numbers, and the majority of the invalid identification numbers are being used by active duty or reserve members of the military. The audit found more than 6,400 Department of Defense employees between 1997 and 2002 were working with bogus Social Security numbers. Among those interviewed is Michael O'Hanlon of the Brookings Institution.   Aired 5/5/24.

 Brian Williams - NBC News:
Checks & Balances
The assault on the middle class and small businesses continues from all directions, this time with criminals engaged in a new twist on the age-old scam of check fraud. Anyone with an Internet connection can now empty your bank account with "electronic" checks called demand drafts that do not require your signature...  Aired 5/5/24.

  Lou Dobbs - CNN:
Not the Party Line
The governor of the state of Montana, the first Democratic governor to be elected in that state in 16 years, is a lifelong farmer and rancher. Governor Brian Schweitzer explains why the people's business is not the priority concern among politicians in the nation's Capitol. Among his obervations: "The Republicans are in power right now and the Democrats aren't. That seems to be the biggest difference between the two."   Aired 5/5/24.

  Lou Dobbs - CNN:
Homeland Insecurity
The flood of cheap Chinese imports into this country is threatening our national security as well as our economic security. The deluge of imports, labor leaders now say, is making it all but impossible for workers to keep up with the flood of goods and strict security standards. Labor leaders met to discuss these and related issues. Richard Trumka, Secretary Treasurer, AFL-CIO, noted, "We need trade agreements that will help workers, and not just bloat the already bloated profits of multinational corporations."  Aired 5/5/23.

  Lou Dobbs - CNN:
Border Troops?
A new congressional draft report says sending thousands of National Guard troops or state militia to our border with Mexico would stop the flood of illegal aliens into this country. The report says the Arizona minutemen should be a model for the government to protect our borders...  Aired 5/5/23.

 Lou Dobbs - CNN:
Illegal Alien Bust
Alarming news from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement about illegal aliens with access to sensitive and critical locations in this country... ICE announced the arrest of 60 illegal aliens, all working at key sites. Those sites included seven petrochemical refineries, three power plants, and a national air cargo facility...   Aired 5/5/20.   [More details are available from ICE.]

 Bill Whitaker - CBS News:
Ag Entertainment - It's Show Business or No Business
Farmers in California have been hit hard by rains and losses from increased foreign competition. It's enough to inspire farmers to go into a whole new field...  Aired 5/5/20.

 Lou Dobbs - CNN:
Outrage at Fox
Among the many who are outraged by comments by Mexican President Vicente Fox is John Boyd, founder and the president of the 66,000-member National Black Farmers Association. Fox's comments are a slap in the face of all who work in agriculture, who work jobs that are tough, for long hours and low pay. Despite this, Fox has yet to apologize for his remarks...   Aired 5/5/20.

 Lou Dobbs - CNN:
 Lou Dobbs - CNN:
Too Little, Too Late
China tonight says it will fight new U.S. quotas designed to limit the flood of cheap Chinese clothing into this country. China calls the U.S. quotas unfair and says it might protest its case to the World Trade Organization. The White House says the new quotas are vital to saving jobs in this country. Critics, however, say they are simple too little and far too late...   Aired 5/5/19.

 Lou Dobbs - CNN:
Stealing America
China is the biggest single source of counterfeit and pirated products worldwide. And that theft is all too evident for one American shoe company, New Balance. The Boston-based firm is running into a problem that many multinational companies face when operating in China, copies of their trademarks and copyrighted goods. New Balance says its entire stores are being copied. Among those interviwed is Joe Preston, Vice President, International, New Balance...   Aired 5/5/19.

 Lou Dobbs - CNN:
America for Sale
Foreign corporations spending hundreds of millions of dollars in Washington, D.C. Foreign lobbying ranks third out of more than 100 special interest groups vying for attention on Capitol Hill right behind the pharmaceutical and insurance industries. Lobbyists on K Street in Washington have spent $624 million lobbying for foreign companies since 1998. Among those interviewed is Roberta Baskin from the Center for Public Integrity, which issued the report...   Aired 5/5/18.

 Lou Dobbs - CNN:
New China Limits
The United States will impose new quotas against clothing from China. The new quotas are in addition to the limits announced last week when the Commerce Department restricted other textile imports from China...   Aired 5/5/18.

 Adam Davidson - National Public Radio:
U.S. Treasury Issues Strong Warning to China on Currency
Treasury Secretary John Snow issues a strongly worded report that urges China to revalue its currency, the yuan. For 10 years, the Chinese currency has been kept at a fixed rate, making it cheaper to export items -- and more difficult for U.S. manufacturers to compete...  Aired 5/5/18.

 Lou Dobbs - CNN:
Looming Crisis
The U.S. government has been borrowing record amounts of money to fund ever-growing deficit and debt. We have borrowed so much and accumulated so many IOUs, that an increasing number of foreign investors are saying the United States has become too risky. Among those interviewed is Pete Sepp of the National Taxpayers Union, who sees the possibility that America could lose its fiscal sovereignty...   Aired 5/5/17.

 Lou Dobbs - CNN:
Paper Tiger
The Treasury Department today in a report about a month late finally called on China to relax its 10-year-long policy of pegging its currency, the yuan, to the dollar. That policy gives Chinese firms an unfair advantage, of course, over U.S. competitors and, in fact, other exporters as well. The report stops short of citing China for currency manipulation...   Aired 5/5/17.

 Lou Dobbs - CNN:
Fighting CAFTA
The nation's biggest labor union opposes CAFTA. Secretary- Treasurer of the AFL-CIO Richard Trumka says CAFTA is not the answer to the challenges facing the Central-American countries, nor certainly to the United States and working men and women in this country. He says the deal will protect big business while wiping out jobs and adding to poverty in Central America...  Aired 5/5/16.

 Lou Dobbs - CNN:
Fighting CAFTA
The White House has been aggressively pushing CAFTA, even though recent polls show most Americans and most workers in the six countries of CAFTA, including the Dominican Republic, are skeptical of the trade deal. Protesters say the trade deal was written by multinational corporations for their benefit and that workers in Central America will become worse off if it goes into effect, just like workers in Mexico became worse off under NAFTA. Among those in Congress who agree is Rep. Xavier Becerra (D-CA)...  Aired 5/5/13.

 Brian Williams - NBC News:
Base Closings
The Pentagon has released the names of 33 large military bases and some 150 smaller facilities from Maine to Hawaii that it wants to close to save money and to better suit defense needs. But lawmakers and officials representing the affected communities vowed to fight to get off the list, saying their areas would be crippled and national security would be damaged. Among those who object to the closings is Portsmouth, New Hampshire Mayor Evelyn Sirrell....  Aired 5/5/13.

 Wolf Blitzer - CNN:
Card Controversy
Republican Rep. David Dreier of California is pushing legislation that would upgrade the security of Social Security cards with digitized photos and electronic signature strips on the back. The bill would bring much tougher penalties for employers who knowingly hire illegal immigrants or fail to verify their work-eligibility and would add 10,000 new agents to the Department of Homeland Security to enforce those rules...  Aired 5/5/13.

 Lou Dobbs - CNN:
Fighting Unfair Trade
In a stunning reversal, the Bush administration said it will reimpose quotas on three categories of Chinese textile imports that have flooded the U.S. market. Imports of cotton shirts, trousers and underwear from China have surged since quotas limiting those imports were lifted in December. Shirt and trouser imports rose by about 1,500 percent each. The new safeguards will limit the growth of those Chinese textiles to imports in the United States to 7.5 percent each year...  Aired 5/5/13.

 Lou Dobbs - CNN:
Border Breakdown
Lawmakers on Capitol Hill criticized the head of the border agency for its failure to enforce those borders, and they questioned why the Minuteman Project involving thousands of ordinary citizen volunteers was so successful. Among those participating at the hearing was Chris Simcox, one of the organizers of the Minuteman Project...  Aired 5/5/12.

 Lou Dobbs - CNN:
CAFTA Controversy
One of the most outspoken critics of CAFTA in Congress is Rep. Hilda Solis (D-CA) who says you just have to take one look at the 750,000 jobs lost under NAFTA to understand why this so called "free trade" agreement won't work. She has also seen firsthand the effects of NAFTA across the border in Mexico, visiting the maquillas there where people work long hours, maybe 12 to 14 hours, for $27 a week...  Aired 5/5/11.

 Wolf Blitzer - CNN:
Broken Promise
Thousands of United Airlines workers are being forced to rethink their retirement plans. Employees and retirees will suffer reductions in their pensions as part of the latest plan to save the bankrupt airline...  Aired 5/5/11.

 Lou Dobbs - CNN:
Real ID
President Bush tonight signed the Real I.D. Act into law. The legislation will make it much harder for illegal aliens and potential terrors to obtain U.S. driver's licenses. It will also tighten our border security. Some states, however, are resisting Real I.D. Some of those state officials say they should have the right to regulate their own state driver's licenses...  Aired 5/5/11.

 Kathy Schalch - National Public Radio:
CAFTA Encounters Opposition from Labor
The Bush administration faces obstacles on a proposed trade deal with Central American nations. Labor groups say it would link the U.S. economy to developing countries where worker's rights are routinely abused...  Aired 5/5/10.

 Lou Dobbs - CNN:
Billion Dollar Giveaway
The millions of illegal aliens in this country are putting an enormous strain on our nation's hospitals. Finally, the federal government is now taking some responsibility for its failure to enforce our immigration laws. The federal government will pay a total of $1 billion to help reimburse some states for the hospital costs of caring for illegal aliens...  Aired 5/5/10.

 Lou Dobbs - CNN:
CAFTA Controversy
A group of engineers and technology workers released a report that warns CAFTA will only encourage more intellectual piracy all around the world. Among those interviewed in Marcus Courtney of Washtech, who notes, "One of the things we found out is that 10 years after the passage of NAFTA, intellectual piracy in Mexico has tripled between 1992 and 2004. So clearly, if NAFTA didn't do anything to protect intellectual property in Mexico, why do we think CAFTA is going to do any better?"   Aired 5/5/10.

 Lou Dobbs - CNN:
Identity Crisis
A legal setback for efforts to stop illegal aliens and potential terrorists from obtaing U.S. driver's licenses... The Supreme Court of New York has ruled that immigration status should not be used to deny licenses to illegal aliens...  Aired 5/5/10.

 Lou Dobbs - CNN:
Criminal Illegal Aliens
A stunning loophole in our nation's immigration laws is allowing hundreds of dangerous criminal illegal aliens to be set free in neighborhoods all across this country. Immigration officials say illegal aliens who can't be deported are instead released on to the streets of America only to commit violent crimes, including murder and rape, again. ...  Aired 5/5/10.