Week In The News: Speaker Ryan, GOP Debate, Blimp On The Loose

A violent classroom arrest. Hello, Speaker Paul D. Ryan. GOP debate. The US and a combat role against ISIS. Our weekly news roundtable goes behind the headlines.

Debate fireworks this week with the GOP in Colorado. Economy talk.  Tax talk. A lot of heat about the questions. And a field in play. In the House, a new Speaker. Paul Ryan. And a budget deal on the Hill through 2017. That’s different. We had a massive Army blimp on the loose. More frank talk about new US operations – some call it combat – on the ground in Iraq. We’ve got Syria talks, Iran included. A US warship challenging Chinese claims in the South China Sea. A girl down in a South Carolina classroom. And bacon issues. This hour On Point — our weekly news roundtable goes behind the headlines.
-- Tom Ashbrook

John Harwood, chief Washington correspondent for CNBC and political writer for the New York Times. (@JohnJHarwood)

Nancy Youssef, senior national security correspondent for the Daily Beast. (@nancyayoussef)

Jack Beatty, On Point news analyst. (@JackBeattyNPR)

Producer Note: This program was taped before the Republican National Committee announced it was pulling out of a planned February 2016 debate on NBC, in part due to candidate complaints about the CNBC moderators.

POLITICO: Paul Ryan elected 54th House speaker — "Paul Davis Ryan, the 45-year-old policy wonk from Wisconsin, is now speaker of the House. The 16-year veteran of Congress received the support of all but nine of his colleagues in an election to replace John Boehner on Thursday, ending a tumultuous monthlong period for the Republican Party and the House of Representatives."

New York Times: Republican Candidates Take Sharp Tone in Third Debate — "Senator Marco Rubio of Florida coolly rebuffed attacks from his onetime mentor, Jeb Bush, and Senator Ted Cruz of Texas emerged as a champion of social conservatives at Wednesday’s Republican presidential debate, as both men found their voices after months of lower-key performances. Testiness and sharpened jabs infused the night as struggling candidates like Mr. Bush, the former governor of Florida, and Gov. John R. Kasich of Ohio ripped into their less experienced rivals and tried to portray them as unqualified for the White House."

The Daily Beast: Army Blimp Goes Out of Control, Menacing Towns and Thrilling America — "Two armed F-16 fighter jets pursued a massive, out-of-control U.S. Army blimp across Maryland and Pennsylvania on Wednesday, the North American Aerospace Defense Command said Wednesday.  NORAD spokesman Capt. Scott Miller says the blimp was 'grounded' in Montour County, Pennsylvania, at 3:40 p.m. after it came untethered around 12:20 p.m. at Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland. The blimp, a Joint Land Attack Cruise Missile Defense Elevated Netted Sensor System (JLENS), flew more than 160 miles, reaching heights of 16,000 feet."