PBS NewsHour Marks Tax Week with a Series Examining American Attitudes Toward Government Spending

Beginning Monday, April 12 the PBS NEWSHOUR will launch a five-night series of reports and discussions from Tampa, Florida exploring what people think about government and its stewardship of their tax dollars. The series continues each night through Friday, April 16. There will also be extensive coverage via the PBS NEWSHOUR website www.pbs.org/newshour .

The series is the latest in the PBS NEWSHOUR’S Spotlight City initiative, reporting on national issues through a local lens. Previous Spotlight cities include: Pittsburgh, Albuquerque, St. Louis and Kansas City. NewsHour studio discussions will originate from the studios of WEDU in Tampa, Florida. The series will examine a variety of issues including the economy, health care reform and the rise of a new politics of anger. PBS NewsHour Spotlight Cities initiative is made possible through funding from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting and PBS.

Monday, April 12 – ECONOMICS
NewsHour Business and Economics Correspondent Paul Solman reports from Cape Coral/Ft. Myers; a community with the distinction of having among the largest number of residential foreclosures in the country. For more, Gwen Ifill looks at what happens when a boom goes bust.

ONLINE – the Newshour web site will feature an interview with Sean Snaith, director of the Institute for Economic Competitiveness at the University of Central Florida in Tampa, on the demographics and economics of Florida and the NewsHour’s Patchwork Nation Site and map will let viewers explore what the foreclosure crisis looks like county by county. We’ll also explore attitudes toward growth and development in the aging community of Clermont.

Tuesday, April 13 – HEALTH CARE
NewsHour Health Correspondent Betty Ann Bowser reports on how the health care system is working or not for four Tampa Bay residents: a small business owner, a doctor, a senior on MedicCare and an underinsured woman with pre-existing conditions. Gwen Ifill will then explore what the new law means to them.

Wednesday, April 14 – FEDERAL MONEY
Judy Woodruff zeroes in on just what do we get for our taxes-she follows the federal money trail in Florida.

ONLINE – The NewsHour’s Patchwork Nation site will let viewers see where Federal dollars and stimulus dollars go county by county and look at how residents of the aging community of Clermont view government spending and debt.

Thursday, April 15 – TOWN HALL MEETING
The PBS NEWSHOUR will broadcast excerpts of a town hall meeting moderated by Judy Woodruff. Central Florida residents will get to question political leaders on what the role of government should be.

ONLINE – We will solicit questions from residents and people around the country not able to attend via YouTube and run a live blog of the town hall.

Friday, April 16 – GOP POLITICS (Crist vs. Rubio) 
Judy Woodruff reports on the resurgent right wing as illustrated by the battle for the GOP nomination in the Florida Senate race where Gov. Charlie Crist, the establishment candidate, is being outflanked on the right by former Florida House Speaker Marco Rubio. The report will include the impact of the Tea Party movement which is hosting a large rally in Tampa on April 15th, Tax Day.

Jim Lehrer will discuss the political situation in Florida and across the country with the Newshour’s regular analysts, syndicated columnist Mark Shields and New York Times columnist David Brooks.

ONLINE – A primer on Florida politics by the political editor of the St. Petersburg Times. Profile of Florida Tea Party activist.

PBS NEWSHOUR is seen five nights a week on more than 315 PBS stations across the country and is also available online, via public radio in select markets and via podcast. The program is produced by MacNeil/Lehrer Productions, in association with WETA Washington, DC, and THIRTEEN in New York. Major corporate funding for The NewsHour is provided by Chevron, Bank of America and Intel, with additional support from the William & Flora Hewlett Foundation, the Corporation for Public Broadcasting and public television viewers.