On today’s Newsmakers at Noon, Denise and Hunter celebrate St. Patrick’s Day with a look at the holiday’s history—from the death of St. Patrick in 461 to the first St. Patrick’s Day parade held in 1601 in what is now St. Augustine, Florida. The hosts also share other historical milestones from March 17, including the British evacuation of Boston in 1776, the Dalai Lama fleeing Tibet in 1959, and South Africa ending apartheid in 1992.
The show features a conversation with Ambassador Francis Rooney (former U.S. Ambassador to the Holy See and former Florida Congressman). Rooney discusses global issues ranging from NATO relations and European alliances to trade, China, Venezuela, Iran, and the ongoing Russia–Ukraine war. His diplomatic perspective draws on years of experience in international affairs and insights he detailed in his book The Global Vatican, which explores the role of the Holy See in global diplomacy and politics.
Follow Ambassador Rooney: https://x.com/RepRooney
Ambassador Rooney also discussed the resignation of Joe Kent as Director of the National Counterterrorism Center, what the move could mean for U.S. national security strategy, and the ongoing debate in the Senate surrounding the SAVE Act.
Later in the program, Nick Smith, Public Affairs Director for the American Forest Resource Council, joins the show to discuss the Department of the Interior’s decision to revisit Bureau of Land Management (BLM) plans for more than two million acres of O&C timberlands in western Oregon. The revisions could significantly change forest management, wildfire mitigation, and economic opportunities in timber-dependent communities.
Listeners are encouraged to learn more and submit comments before March 23:
https://www.HealthyForests.org
A wide-ranging St. Patrick’s Day episode covering history, global diplomacy, national policy debates, and the future of Oregon’s forests and rural economies.
