Sunday at 9AM & NOON ET
SOTU Crib Sheet for April 15th
State of the Union Highlights
It was a big morning of breaking news today on State of the Union. After deadly tornadoes swept through the Midwest overnight, Kansas Governor Sam Brownback gave Candy an update on the damage done in his state.
Meanwhile, in Afghanistan the Taliban launched a coordinated series of attacks in Kabul and across the country. First on CNN, ISAF Spokesman Jimmie Cummings praised the response of Afghan National Security Forces to the attacks.
Also first on CNN, Ambassador to Afghanistan Ryan Crocker spoke to Candy while his embassy in Kabul was on lockdown. He said that the attacks showed that the US still needed a military presence in Afghanistan.
After a week in which the “War on Women” was at the forefront of political discourse, Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers and Rep. Carolyn Maloney discussed the politics of gender.
RNC Chairman Reince Priebus downplayed the potential impact of the so-called Buffett Rule and questioned President Obama’s priorities in promoting it.
Finally, legendary actor and comedian Bill Cosby gave Candy his take on President Obama’s job performance and on the Trayvon Martin case.
Candy's post-show analysis
Candy's wrap up of news made on today's State of Union including breaking news that the U.S. Embassy in Afghanistan is on lockdown after a series of explosions in what appears to be a wave of coordinated attacks across the country and updates on tornadoes that tore through the Midwest overnight. As well as her interviews with RNC Chair Reince Priebus, Reps. Maloney and McMorris Rodgers, and the outspoken comedian and actor Bill Cosby.
Plus she takes a behind the scenes peek at the first week in our brand new control room.
Gov. Brownback: 97 tornadoes in Kansas
Kansas Gov. Sam Brownback tells CNN he is amazed there are no fatalities in Kansas after tornadoes swept through the state.
"Ninety-seven tornadoes touched down at various times throughout the state. About 40 percent of the state at one time or another had a tornado warning. But people heeded it, no fatalities that we know of as of now. There is quite a bit of damage. But god was merciful. It looks like we had made it through the initial look without a fatality."
Amb. Ryan Crocker: U.S. embassy in Kabul on lockdown
Amb. Crocker: "The Afghan national security forces pretty much have the situation under control in Kabul now. Still some reports of a couple of terrorists out there, but I think this one is clearly winding down."
U.S. Ambassador Ryan Crocker talks to CNN from the Kabul Embassy after it's forced to lock down due to Taliban violence.
Amb. Crocker: "Attacks like this demonstrate why we need to be here. ... It also shows there's a very dangerous enemy out there with capabilities and with safe havens in Pakistan. To get out before the Afghans have a full grip on security, which is a couple of years out, would be to invite the Taliban, Haqqani, and al Qaeda back in and set the stage for another 9/11. And that, I think, is an unacceptable risk for any American."
FULL STORYCosby weighs in on President Obama's presidency
Legendary actor/comedian Bill Cosby talks about his support for President Obama in 2008 and now in 2012.
"I'm disappointed at people who don't look at the woes and the trouble given to this man. People blatantly speaking out against his color, wasting time, starting up new stories about whether or not he was born here, saying things that they can't prove. ... People want to make [his job] as difficult as the one that Sisyphus had. And then when you see that he made promises and said things and the people who were supposed to be working with him didn't. The people who were supposed to be working, even for another party, didn't care about the American people. They wanted to get him. When people make statements like "I hope he fails," you can't color that any other way except the way it's said."
Cosby on the Trayvon Martin killing
Legendary actor/comedian Bill Cosby talks to Candy about gun violence, and the Trayvon Martin case.
"I'm a person who believes that that gun, the gun, all around this United States, when a person has a gun, sometimes their mind clicks that this thing is - it will win arguments and straighten people out. And then in the wrong hands, in the wrong mind, it's death."
When asked if he saw it more as a gun issue than a race issue, Cosby said. "How are you going to solve a race issue when it becomes he-said-she-said or he said-he said? And the other question is what is solved by saying he is a racist, that's why he shot the boy? What solves that? ... It doesn't make any difference if he's a racist or not racist. If he is scared to death and not a racist, it's still a confrontational provoking of something."
Previewing the general election
A preview of the general election with Matt Bai from the New York Times Magazine and Dan Balz from the Washington Post.
The politics of gender
Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D-NY), and Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA), discuss the battle for women voters in the 2012 campaign and the politics of the gender debate.
Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA): "The policies that Governor Romney is promoting. They are the policies that are going to help women succeed in this country... President Obama's policies are the ones that are failing Americans, failing women."
Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D-NY): "I believe that women will turn out in droves to vote for President Obama in this election because they realize how much is at stake."
Priebus on the "Buffett Rule" and 2012 politics
Reince Priebus RNC Chairman on Mitt Romney, Newt Gingrich, Ron Paul, the Buffett rule, and the 2012 race.
On the Buffett Rule, Priebus said "This is Obama's strategy. Look over here at this shiny object here. Don't look at the big picture, an economy on the brink that I didn't do a thing about and made things worse. That's what this is about."
On the presumptive GOP nominee, Preibus said "Mitt Romney had a great month and he's clearly on a pathway to be the presumptive nominee and we're going to have a unified party when this is all said and done. ... I think people around this country know that this election is about the future of America, and we want to be able to tell people that you can work hard, you can play by the rules and you can still live the American dream, but we need to have a Republican in the White House."
Early Bird morning research for Sunday, April 15
Good Sunday morning. We're up early preparing for today's program. Prepare along with us – read what we're reading this morning.
On our radar: A tornado outbreak in the midwest spawns deadly twisters that have left at least five people, including two children, dead in Oklahoma. As the sun rises, we'll get a better idea of the damage that likely spreads across four states. We'll have the very latest live pictures. Then, with an eye on November we talk politics with the chairman of the Republican Party, Reince Priebus. And courting female voters with powerful congressional women - Republican Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers and Democratic Rep. Carolyn Maloney.
Oh, and Bill Cosby on politics, the Trayvon Martin case and plenty more.
Check out what we're reading, and be sure to watch our exclusive interview with chairman Priebus and our other fantastic guests. State of the Union airs today at 9am/12pm ET.
About This Show
From the country’s major political and policy issues to diplomacy on the global stage, State of the Union with Candy Crowley brings in the world’s top newsmakers and analysts to deliver the smartest, most comprehensive look at what matters most to you. Sundays at 9am and Noon ET.
Send Feedback | Subscribe 
| About Candy Crowley
Finally…
