Another day - another credit rating agency warning about our debt. On the heels of Moody’s threatening to downgrade our nation’s debt rating on Wednesday - the S&P rating agency fired a warning shot too - putting our nation’s triple AAA rating on negative watch. In a statement released yesterday - S&P said, “owing to the dynamics of the political debate on the debt ceiling, there is at least a one-in-two likelihood that we could lower the long-term rating on the U.S. within the next 90 days."

That’s right - there’s a 50-50 chance the United State will be downgraded to a nation with a spotty record of paying our bills. Even if a deal is made - S&P warns - our credit rating could still be downgraded if the agency doesn’t feel enough has been done to solve the problem for the long term which puts Republicans short-term solutions off the table. Meanwhile - another round of talks at the White House pushed the President into laying down a deadline for a deal. “It’s decision time,” the President said issuing a 24 to 36 hour deadline for Congress to make a deal on the debt-limit. The house of cards that our economy is built on thanks to 30 years of Reaganomics and so-called Free Trade is now starting to crumble. And last night - lawmakers took to the diamond to play their annual Congressional softball game.

Does anyone else hear the fiddle playing as the nation burns?

-Thom

(And what tune is it playing? Tell us here.)

The Daily Stack

Quote: "Experience demands that man is the only animal which devours his own kind, for I can apply no milder term to the general prey of the rich on the poor." -- Thomas Jefferson.

Article: "Obama: Americans back me on debt deal" by Brian Montopoli.

Transcript: "The Third Kennedy-Nixon Presidential Debate", October 13, 1960.

Article: "Reid and McConnell work on a fail-safe debt limit plan" by Libby Leist.

The good: "Blue Dog Rep. Jim Cooper Chides Republicans For Rudeness And Partisan Attacks On Elizabeth Warren" by Susie Madrak.

The bad: "Sarah Palin’s PAC Pays $7K To ‘Republican Presidential Travel’" by Ryan J. Reilly.

The very, very ugly: "Herman Cain Strikes Again: Says TN Mosque Project Is ‘Not Innocent’" by Evan McMorris-Santoro.

Article: "Debt Limit: Boehner Says Cut, Cap and Balance 'Solid Plan for Moving Forward'" by John R. Parkinson.

Article: "Foreclosure fraud investigators forced out at attorney general's office" by Kimberly Miller.

Hour Two: Economic recovery Ravi Batra, Economist, Professor of Economics (SMU), author.

Book: "The New Golden Age: A Revolution against Political Corruption and Economic Chaos" by Ravi Batra.

Book: "Greenspan's Fraud: How Two Decades of His Policies Have Undermined the Global Economy" by Ravi Batra.

Article: "When will the recession be over?" by unlawflcombatnt.

Article: "When will the recession be over?" by New York Times, February 28, 2009.

Article: "Weapons of Mass Exploitation" by Ravi Batra.

Book: "The Great Depression of 1990" by Ravi Batra.

Talk Radio News Segment: Bob Ney

Article: "Obama: Americans Sold On Balanced Debt Deal" by TRNS.

Article: "'Obama lies'" by Maggie Haberman (Sarah Palin tweet).

Hour Three: If it's Friday, it's "Brunch With Bernie"... the honorable Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT) joins Thom with all the news from our nation's capitol and as always he'll be spending the hour taking your calls and answering your questions too...
Follow Bernie: campaign site.

Plus, joining Thom and Bernie: Senator Sherrod Brown (D-OH)

Book: "The Speech: A Historic Filibuster on Corporate Greed and the Decline of Our Middle Class" by Bernie Sanders.

Quote: "The very soundness of our democratic institutions depends on the determination of our government to give employment to idle men." - Franklin D. Roosevelt.

Article: "Constitution of the United States", article 3 section 2. "... the supreme Court shall have appellate Jurisdiction, both as to Law and Fact, with such Exceptions, and under such Regulations as the Congress shall make..."

Article: "Gingrich Leaps On The Court Stripping Bandwagon, Claiming ‘There Is No Supreme Court In The American Constitution’" by Ian Millhiser and Scott Keyes.

Article: "Washington Post Op-Ed : How Medicare can be saved" by Senator Joe Lieberman.

Article: "S&P says it may downgrade the US's triple-A debt rating".

Article: "Obama presses on debt deal: "It's decision time"" by Brian Montopoli.

Article: "News Corp. Phone-Hacking Accusations Probed by the FBI" by Justin Blum, Bob Van Voris and Andrew Harris.

Article: "Poll: Americans blame Bush for bad economy by wide margin" by Stephen C. Webster.

Article: "Medicare Shortfall Over Next 75 Years Is Only One-Fourth Cost Of Wars In Afghanistan And Iraq" by Zaid Jilani.

Article: "Gov. Dayton Agrees to Republican Budget to End Minnesota Shutdown" by Jeff Goldberg and Mike Durkin.

Crazy alert: "Florida Men Face Animal Cruelty Charges For Loading Truck Roosters, Pigeons, Ducks And A Dead Goat".

Coming up Monday on The Thom Hartmann Program

Hour Two: should parents lose custody of their obese children? Is obesity neglect or even child abuse? Thom challenges Dr. Kalyani Gopal who says yes...

Hour Three: conservatives are again pushing a "balanced budget" amendment to the Constitution... Thom confronts Ken Blackwell, the former Mayor of Cincinnati.

And, the best of the rest of the news and your calls right here on...

The Thom Hartmann Program... your media support group for we the people.

Read an excerpt here, and buy the book!