This event has been scheduled in place of our Friday Forum with The Honorable Gina K. Abercrombie-Winstanley, US Ambassador to Malta, which had to be canceled due to the government shutdown.
We're going to get the dirt on what's really driving the current government shutdown, as well as what could bring it to an end and when that will happen. The panel discussion will include Retired Congressman Steven LaTourette (R-Oh); David Cohen, Professor of Political Science, University of Akron; and Tamara Keith, NPR Congressional Correspondent on the Washington Desk.
Steven C. "Steve" LaTourette was the U.S. Representative for Ohio's 19th congressional district and then Ohio's 14th congressional district, serving from 1995-2013. He is a member of the Republican Party. On July 30, 2012, it was reported that he would retire at the end of his term and not seek re-election. He subsequently co-founded a lobbying firm.
David B. Cohen is a professor of political science and fellow in the Ray C. Bliss Institute of Applied Politics at The University of Akron. Professor Cohen earned a B.A. in political science and international relations at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, an M.A. in political science at the University of Tennessee, and a Ph.D. in political science at the University of South Carolina. Among others, he teaches courses on the American Presidency, Congress, Homeland Security, and Weapons of Mass Destruction and has published on the topics of executive politics and homeland security.
Tamara Keith is a radio reporter, host and producer who joined NPR as a business reporter in 2009. She is a congressional correspondent on the Washington desk of NPR radio. In this role she covers Congress with an emphasis on the budget, taxes and the ongoing fiscal fights. In addition to business and economics, she has covered a range of other major news events, including the earthquake in Haiti. In addition, she also hosts “B-side Radio", a public radio podcast.