Today on Kresta - January 20, 2010

Talking about the "things that matter most" on Jan. 20

4:00 – Great Scott! MA Turns Red – What Does This Mean for Catholics in the Bay State?
Democrats are being forced to re-evaluate their plans for health care reform after Republican Scott Brown's victory for the U.S. Senate seat in Massachusetts made clear that independent and even many Democratic voters are concerned about health insurance reforms being debated in Washington. Brown's win is a colossal hit to Democrats, since it will break the party's 60-vote, filibuster-proof majority in the Senate at a time when health care reform is in its final stages. Brown has vowed to vote against the bill if he gets the chance. Though Democrats have discussed ways to fast-track the legislation so as to send it to President Obama's desk before Brown gets sworn in, cracks in the Democrats' resolve have already started to show. We talk to Phil Lawler about how this election will impact Catholic concerns both in MA and nationwide.

4:20 – “Reflections on Communism Twenty Years after the Fall of the Berlin Wall” Twenty years ago the Berlin Wall fell, marking the collapse of Soviet communism. The failure of the communist system was not merely economic and political; it was a moral failure as well. Over time communism created a deep disillusionment and revulsion among those who lived under it. The diminished sense of legitimacy of the ruling elite in the Soviet Union and Soviet bloc countries contributed to the unraveling of those systems as well. Paul Hollander was born in Hungary and escaped following the crushing of the 1956 Revolution by Soviet forces. He has some reflections on Communism 20 years after the fall of the Berlin Wall.

4:40 - TBA

5:00 – A Report from MA: Scott Brown and his Impact on Catholic Concerns
At 9.20 p.m. last night, the era of Obamamania abruptly ended. The euphoria surrounding the elevation of Barack Obama to the American presidency was brought to a crashing end. It didn't even last a year. Today is the first anniversary of Obama's inauguration as President of the United States. On the eve of that anniversary, the people of Massachusetts, the bluest of blue Democratic states, delivered a thunderous rejection of the Democratic Party and, by implication, the President. We analyze how the Scott Brown election will affect Catholics in MA and nationwide. Hadley Arkes is our guest.

5:20 - TBA

5:40 – Religion and Science: A Conflict or a Complimentarity?
In our regular semi-monthly segment with Fr. Robert Barron, we talk about religion and science. It comes up all the time. Science and religion are incompatible. They are at odds with each other. Fr. Robert Barron has recently met with Fr. George Coyne, former Vatican astronomer, and has some thoughts on the topic.