Friday, January 27, 2012

Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke takes part in a news conference at the William McChesney Martin Federal Reserve Board Building in Washington, Wednesday, Jan. 25, 2012, following the January Federal Open Market Committee meeting.  - (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)

Friday News Roundup - Domestic

10 a.m. (ET)

The Obama Administration announced the first cuts in the Defense Department budget since 1998; Republican presidential candidates squared off in the second Florida debate as polls showed a dead-heat between Mitt Romney and Newt Gingrich; and the Federal Reserve announced it would keep interest rates at near zero until late 2014. Doyle McManus of the Los Angeles Times, Clarence Page of the Chicago Tribune and Ron Elving of NPR join Diane for analysis of the week's top national news stories.

An anti-Syrian regime protester colors his fingers with the revolutionary flag colors during a protest outside the Arab League headquarters in Cairo, Egypt Sunday, Jan. 22, 2012. Arab League foreign ministers, meeting in Cairo, extended the much-criticized observers mission for another month, officials from the 22-member organization said. The League decided to add more observers and provide them with additional resources, the officials said.  - (AP Photo/Nasser Nasser)

Friday News Roundup - International

11 a.m. (ET)

Syrian troops stormed a Damascus suburb in an ongoing government effort to crackdown on protesters; the European Union approved an oil embargo on new contracts from Iran; and Navy SEALS parachuted into Somalia on Wednesday to rescue two kidnapped aid workers. Yochi Dreazen of National Journal, Indira Lakshmanan of Bloomberg News and Mark Mardell of BBC News join Diane for analysis of the week's top international news stories.

The Diane Rehm Show is produced by member-supported WAMU 88.5 in Washington DC.