Join the debate
Jump in the Crossfire by using #Crossfire
on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
Where are 'compassionate conservatives'?
Van Jones asks where the "compassionate conservatives" have gone. William Kristol and Cornel West debate.
In the Crossfire: Cornel West and Bill Kristol
JOIN THE LIVE BLOG
A week out from the government shutdown deadline, the debate over Obamacare, the President’s signature health care reform law, continues to rage. After the Republican-led House passed a bill that would shut down the government and defund Obamacare, the next move rests with the Senate, where Majority Leader Harry Reid plans to remove the provision that defunds the law.
At the center of this debate: does the government have a responsibility to provide health care for its citizens? Author and professor Cornel West, who believes the law doesn’t go far enough, and The Weekly Standard’s Bill Kristol, who would repeal the entire law, join hosts S.E. Cupp and Van Jones to debate Obamacare.
We want you to weigh in. Do you think the government has a responsibility to provide health care for its citizens? You can also join the conversation by tweeting with #Crossfire.
Van Jones: A father first
With the return of "Crossfire" to CNN, we are taking a closer look into the hosts' lives with a series of Web videos.
In this video, Van Jones, a former special adviser to President Obama for green jobs, shares what comes first in his busy life: his children.
“Like probably most dads, my main thing, 80% of my brain is taken up thinking about my kids,” Jones says. “We can argue back and forth about politics but at the end of the day I’m worrying about my boys and how they’re doing and how they’re getting along in the world.”
Jones’ kids, ages 5 and 9, are on both sides of the talent spectrum. “I’ve got an older boy that’s an incredible athlete; the kid can play any sport imaginable,” Jones continues, “and I’ve got another son who is very introverted, he seems to be more like an artist like me.”
Jones, who commutes from Los Angeles to host Crossfire in Washington, says he prefers seeing his kids rather than the D.C. politics scene. “I think a lot of people are either real political animals. They’re here in Washington, D.C. they’re going to every event they can, they’re networking… when I’m here I’m reading books. I’m Skyping with my kids.”
Jones’ time is split; yet, he persists for his perspective to be heard. “I want to be heard on some of these topical issues but my roots are back in the grassroots heartland of America, not in Washington, D.C.”
“Crossfire" airs on CNN weekdays at 6:30pm ET.
S.E. Cupp on ballet and hunting
With the return of "Crossfire" to CNN, we are taking a closer look into the hosts' lives with a series of Web videos.
In this video, host S.E. Cupp discusses her past as a childhood ballet dancer and her passion for hunting.
Cupp, a ballet dancer since age six, performed with prestigious dance companies until her late teens. “Our Christmases were oriented around when my ‘Nutcracker’ performances were,” Cupp explains. "It was a full time job."
Now, Cupp says she spends much of her free time hunting and fishing. "I guess you wouldn’t know it by looking at me, but that’s what I love doing," Cupp explains. She says these activities have allowed her to combine her love of the outdoors with charity work. During one hunting expedition with female military veterans in Alaska, Cupp described her most memorable catch: “I got to bag a 200-pound black bear. It was awesome.”
"Crossfire" airs on CNN weekdays at 6:30pm ET.
Meet the Hosts
Author, documentary filmmaker, historian, Speaker of the House (1995-1999), and 2012 Republican presidential candidate
Fmr. Obama Deputy Campaign Mgr. and W.H. Sr. Adviser, founder of Precision Strategies, fmr. Sr. Adviser to Maj. Leader Reid and Sen. Kennedy
Conservative columnist for New York Daily News, contributing editor at Townhall Magazine, commentator and author
Former Special Adviser for Green Jobs under President Obama, co-founder of Rebuild the Dream, author and attorney
