Two websites are offering fake references for the truly desperate job seeker. It's actually not illegal to do that, but is it ethical to do something like that? If you're an HR person, do you stop making those reference calls at some point?

Police in Florida set up a sting opperation where they lured criminals with the promise of stimulus checks. 76 were arrested. Is this an example of creative cops or just dumb criminals?

Gun of the Day Update: A man who was trying to shoot at dragonflies with a rifle accidentally shot his friend.

Senator Kennedy's funeral over the weekend seemed to be orchestrated as a press event for the healthcare plan. Was that drawing attention to Kennedy's pet issue or was it just taking advantage of the attention?

Robert "Prince Mongo" Hodges is running for Mayor in the city of Memphis. He may make you feel better about Mayor Daley. He believes that he is 333 years old and says that he is the ambassador from the planet Zambodia.

Former Vice President Cheney was on Fox News Sunday and said that the enhanced interrogation techniques have been vital in the war on terror. John McCain on the other hand thinks that the damage to the US reputation is too great.

Congressman Peter Roskam joined John and Cisco to talk about the continuing debate over Obamacare, plus the Lynn Sweet piece in the Sun-Times that talked about the difference between Obama's rhetoric in 2004 and what he is saying now.

Big Brother Update: Could all new cars soon come with “breathalyzer” locking devices? Could President Obama soon control the internet. Both are possibilities, but there is actually legislation out there that could give President Obama emergency control of the internet.

Bob Adams is the executive director of the League of American Voters, they have created an ad against ObamaCare that both NBC and ABC have refused to run.

• A knife-wielding homeless man shot dead by police in front of the ABC building on State Street.
• A Florida dad wanted his son to make an impression on the first day of school, so he took him to school in a helicopter. Would that make the kid look cool or turn him into a total outcast?
• Mike Huckabee is headlining a conference on Electromagnetic Pulse attacks. Is that too fringe or is he just building his foreign policy chops for a future White House run.
• Buried in the ObamaCare bill is a clause that allows the government to access your IRS records to see if your income makes you inelligable for any free care. Does the government comparing notes with the IRS make you worried?
• Peggy Luther from Fern Creek, Kentucky tried to buy a brand new Ford Focus in the Cash for Clunkers program, but there was a hold up with the government rebate and the dealership won't give her the new car. She has had to buy insurance and make payments on the car, but they won't give it to her.
• CBS 2 had a story about a viral video that warns about the dangers of texting while driving. The only problem is that they were shouting at motorists on the expressway. Isn't that just as much of a distraction?
• Some democrats are trying to capitalize on the death of Ted Kennedy by attaching his name to the health care bill. Are they in danger of creating another situation like the Wellstone memorial? John and Cisco talked to David Mark, Senior Editor for Politico.com.
• Despite the fact that they ran an hour long special about the health care plan, ABC along with NBC are refusing to run an ad that is critical of ObamaCare.
• Michael Medved also joined John and Cisco to review , and he also weighed in the health care debate in the wake of the death of Sen. Ted Kennedy.

CBS 2 ran a story on the dangers of texting last night. In addition to yelling at people on the expressway, perhaps causing more distractions than texting, they referenced this British PSA:

• South Carolina Lt. Governor Andre Bauer is calling for Mark Sanford to resign. Sanford held a press conference to say that he is sticking around. Are you able to look past a politicians personal foibles and focus just on their on the job work?
• Loyola University criminal justice student Darrius Whitehorn got an unwelcome lesson in the workings of the legal system by spending a week behind bars for a crime he didn't commit. It turned out that he was a victim of identity theft.
• Congressman Willie Herger held a health care townhall meeting yesterday. The right-wingers are now coming armed with material worthy of a late night talk show.
• Some are telling the state gaming board that installing 45,000 video gambling machines across the state is a bad move. John and Cisco talked to Andy Shaw from the Better Government Association.
• Gun of the Day Update: Concealed Carry Works in Detroit.
• School is starting and that means parents are having to wrestle with dress codes. Parents in Richmond, Indiana believe their schools dress code is too restrictive. It prohibits students from wearing clothes with any distinguishing marks on them, including logos, stripes, plaid or floral prints.
• Sen. Robert Byrd has called for the health care bill to be renamed in honor of the late Sen. Ted Kennedy.Will Ted Kennedy's death be enough to push blue dog democrats into voting for ObamaCare? John and Cisco talked to Brad Blakeman, a GOP strategist and former Deputy Assistant to President George W. Bush.
• Cops in Tinley Park are in a bit of hot water for writing tickets for cars that don't have Tinley Park stickers. The problem is that the cars aren't from Tinley Park to begin with.
• With Attorney General Eric Holder investigating the CIA, is the Obama administration declaring war on our own spies? John and Cisco talked to Jed Babbin of Human Events.

Some highly suspect photo editing judgment is landing Microsoft in hot water. In a photo on its U.S. Web site, an apparent stock photograph features three businesspeople--one white, one black, and one Asian. Microsoft's Polish subsidiary uses the same photo--except a white head is superimposed in place of the black person's head that appears on the U.S. site. The hand in both photos is the same.

• Mass. Senator Ted Kennedy died overnight at the age of 77. What do you think Kennedy will be remembered for the most?
• John McCain held a townhall meeting on health care yesterday. While it was more civilized than some of the others, there were some heated moments and McCain even got booed for saying that President Obama respects the Constitution.
• The Arkansas mom who was trying to sell naming rights to her baby has lost out for a fifth time. It turned out that the winner was a morning radio producer and it was just a stunt.
• The death of Mass. Senator Ted Kennedy creates a problem in the Senate. The Dems no longer have 60 votes, and there is some question about the rules for picking a replacement. John and Cisco talked about the implications with Jeff Birnbaum, political analyst from the Washington Times.
• The CIA is being investigated by the Attorney General Holder. Brian Ross with ABC had a report on the portions of the CIA reports that are still being kept classified.
• The Obama administration raised their 2010 deficit estimate to $1.5 trillion. How long can this deficit spending continue? John and Cisco crunched the numbers with Fox Business Network stocks editor Liz MacDonald.
• Cicero Update: The employee who filed a lawsuit alleging Town President Larry Dominick sexually harassed and assaulted her was arrested by Cicero police Tuesday morning after getting into an altercation with another town employee.
• Mayor Daley acknowledged Tuesday what Chicago alderman and motorists have known for months: City Hall botched the privatization of Chicago's parking meters.
• Governor Quinn has a campaign finance bill on his desk that he has to act on this week. Illinois House Minority Leader Tom Cross believes that the bill is not strict enough, and Quinn should veto it.

• Moments of Racial Insensitivity: Down in Springfield plans are in the works to require city workers to take diversity and sensitivity training after two nooses were found hanging at city facilities. Plus, Northern Ireland has banned racially insensitive phrases such as "gentlemen's agreement", "black mark" and "whiter than white" have been banned by dozens of quangos over fears they may cause offence.
• There were rumors yesterday that Bernie Madoff may have terminal cancer, would it be fair to release him the way they did the Lockerbie bomber?
• Attorney General Eric Holder is going to investigate abuses at the CIA. Are you worried that this may demoralize the intelligence community?
• Former United Nations Ambassador John Bolton believes that releasing the Lockerbie bomber was a big mistake. John and Cisco also asked him to weigh in on the announcement about the CIA investigation.
• Gun of the Day Update: A store owner traded shots with a would-be robber, not surprisingly he dropped the money. Plus, an Illinois Hummer dealership was having some problems making money, so now they are selling guns along with their cars.
• Michael Jackson's doctor now faces charges because he kept giving him drugs. Has the doctor/patient relationship changed to the point where they will prescribe anything the patient wants as long as they pay for it? John and Cisco talked to Fox News Medical Contributor Dr. Marc Siegel about the changing relationship between doctors and patients.
• Since Cash for Clunkers was successful, now the feds are releasing $300 million for new kitchen appliances. What industry will be up for a bailout next?
• Congressman Mark Kirk had the first townhall meeting on healthcare in the Chicago area yesterday.

• Senator Arlen Specter tried out his comedy routine over the weekend. It turned out that he told exactly the same material from two years ago, except he changed all of the Dems to Repubs.
• Congressman Mark Kirk will be holding the first townhall meeting on health care later this afternoon in Arlington Heights. What question would you want to ask?
• Opposition for ObamaCare has come up with a unique way of courting the younger vote: Free food and beer.
• Cash for Clunkers is coming to a close at the end of the day today. So how did it do? John and Cisco talked to David Silver, research analyst with Wall Street Strategies.
• The White House took time over the weekend to explain the President's use of the phrase "Wee-weed up" to describe ObamaCare opponents. Do you think that the President should be using that sort of immature language?
• On Fox News Sunday, Chris Wallace had a copy of the list that they use to council patients at VA hospitals. Is it philosophically dangerous for the government to council people on how they want to end their lives?
• Former Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge has ruffled some feathers among former Bush officials by suggesting that he as pressured to raise the terror threat level for political reasons. John and Cisco got the latest on the story from Andy Barr, a reporter with The Politico.
• President Obama is taking a vacation in Martha's Vineyard this week. It's costing somewhere in the neighborhood of $50,000 for the week. John and Cisco checked in with Rich Johnson from Fox News Radio who is traveling with the first family.Do you think that President Obama's trip to Martha's Vineyard makes him look a little elitist rather than the man of the people he portrays himself to be? 

If you couldn't make it out to the townhall meeting outisde of Dick Durbin's office in Federal Plaza on Saturday, here's what you missed.


 

• The Lockerbie bomber returned to a heroes welcome in Lybia. Does it anger you that he was released from jail?
• A new study suggests that contrary to popular belief, short people do not get picked on more than anyone else.
• Chris Wallace joined John and Cisco to preview Fox News Sunday, and also talked about the death of CBS news pioneer Don Hewitt this week.
• Sometimes TV interviews just go terribly wrong. Former Sopranos star Jamie Lynn Seigler had to answer an awkward question on her boyfriend. Plus President Obama had to answer questions about NASCAR, when he has never seen a race.
• The feds announced yesterday that the Cash for Clunkers program will end on Monday. Liz Claman from the Fox Business Network joined John and Cisco to talk about how the program has worked out.
• Former Homeland Security chief Tom Ridge has a new book coming out that says that some officials in the Bush administration asked for the terrorist threat level to be raised close to the 2004 election, but President Bush vetoed it.
• In a speech yesterday, President Obama said that the angst over the health care issue is just people getting "all wee-weed up." What do you think the President meant by that?
• Michael Medved joined John and Cisco to preview his show, and also give a review of Inglorious Basterds.

• Sen. Durbin won't hold any townhall meetings, so we're holding our own outside his Chicago office on 8/22 details here: http://bit.ly/pNL38
• Two would-be robbers were shot in Milwaukee. The crooks were shot by customers in the store who just happened to be armed at the time.
• Oprah Winfrey has a bit of a drug problem. A drug dealer was buster in the area around her studio.
• A man in New York may have paid an Israeli man $20,000 for a kidney. Selling organs is illegal in the United States. If you can sell things like your life experience, why shouldn't you be able to sell your organs?
• Jesse Jackson Jr. was interviewed yesterday and compared the Obama health care plan to the US post office. Is that a comparison that you really want to make?
• Gun of the Day Update: Chris Matthews invited a gun advocate on the show to talk about protestors bringing guns to health care townhalls.
• Fox News Judicial Analyst Judge Andrew Napolitano joined John and Cisco to talk about the White House email debacle. Napolitano believes that we should be worried about how tech savvy the Obama White House is.
• The Libyan convicted of the 1988 Lockerbie bombing is to be freed on compassionate grounds. Do you think it was right let him go because he only has three months to live?
• What question would you like us to ask at our townhall meeting at Senator Durbin's office.
• Tom Bevan with Real Clear Politics joined John and Cisco to talk about the Illinois Senate race. The most recent polling shows Mark Kirk up by a couple of points. Could there be a GOP tsunami in 2010?

Cook County Forest Preserve police and agents with the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration on Wednesday destroyed an elaborate marijuana-growing operation tucked away in a patch of woods in Palos Township.

• End of the World Update: Times are tough out there, Exhibit a) A woman is selling off her grave site to make enough money to pay the bills. Exhibit b) An Arkansas woman is auctioning the naming rights to her baby on eBay.
• PETA is in hot water for a new ad that seems to be targeting overweight people.
• The White House and Democrats in Congress keep going back and forth about the life and death of the public option. Cisco thinks this is all just a ploy to get the liberal base to show up to townhall meetings too.
• The city of Naperville is trying to oust homeless man Scott Huber. He says that he's protesting, they say that he has literally set up a home on the town square. John and Cisco talked about the situation with Naperville City Councilman Richard Furstenau.
• A bill making its way through the House would allow people to deduct up to $3,500 for pet-related expenses. People love their pets, but is this a good idea?
• Congressman Tom Price the GOP point man on health care joined John and Cisco to talk about the latest on the health care debate, and also the possiblity of partially government-owned health co-ops.
• Careerbuilder has compiled a list of the oddest employee complaints.
• Officials in Canada are hunting for a father who let his seven year old child drive a car. Is this bad parenting or is it perfectly normal to allow your kids to do things like this?
• A family is suing St. Ignatious after their child was paralyzed when he dove into a shallow pool and hit his head. The family says that he was bullied and egged on to do it. Should the school be held accountable?

Dick Durbin says he's not going to face the voters in a townhall meeting so we're taking the townhall meeting to him.  Join us Saturday, August 22 for a townhall meeting outside Dick Durbin's Chicago office.  Click HERE for all of the details.  Be sure to tell your friends, family, and neighbors to join us in a show of force!