The question seems straightforward enough: in the midst of a massive economic downturn, are America’s poor faring worse…or not? On Fox Business’ Freedom Watch, Judge Andrew Napolitano asked economics professor Steve Horwitz to debunk “the myth” of the poor getting poorer. Rattling off a series of statistics (the bottom fifth of U.S. households in 1975 earned $28,000 more in 1991), Professor Horwitz argued the poor are, in fact, doing far better today than they were thirty years ago. That led Napolitano to offer the “electronic appliance” argument:

Jared Lougher has entered a not guilty plea on charges the he attempted to kill Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords and two of her aides.

A total of six people – including Judge John Roll and nine-year-old Christina Taylor Green – died during Loughner’s shooting rampage outside a Tuscon, Arizona Safeway, where Giffords was conducting a meet-and-greet with her constituents.

Fox News legal analyst Andrew Napolitano visited Studio B to discuss how Jared Loughner‘s case may unfold as lawyers, doctors and a grand jury attempt to determine whether the 22-year-old who put a bullet into Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords‘ head before turning his gun on John Roll and a nine-year-old child, among others, had the presence of mind to know what he was doing.

As a fierce libertarian, Judge Andrew Napolitano often takes positions that seem contrarian to the conservative and traditional points-of-view espoused by hosts of Fox News prime time shows. But now that he hosts his own show on the Fox Business Network, he can take the show in directions one might normally expect. Case in point: his recent interview with the former sex worker and published author of Diary of a Manhattan Call Girl Tracy Quan over the legalization of prostitution.

Republican Congressman Ron Paul may be Julian Assange‘s most loyal supporter in Congress. Visiting Fox Business’ Freedom Watch– a program on which Assange has been welcome several times– Rep. Paul went to bat for the Wikileaker in the middle of condemning the secrecy of the Federal Reserve, and made a little request of his own: “every conversation of the last ten years with the Federal Reserve people.” Chop, chop, Assange!

Back in June, a Fox Business Network promo featured only Fox News stars, touting the new financial channel.

Now there’s a new marketing strategy out, in ads playing on News Corp. cable news networks but also across the dial, that features Fox News talent tag-teaming with Fox Business hosts – including one with Glenn Beck and somtime-fill-in Andrew Napolitano.

Fans of libertarian-focused Fox Business Network show Freedom Watch and host Judge Andrew Napolitano will be glad to see the weekend show get a weekday run next week, at 9pmET.

“Freedom Week” let’s Napolitano expand his program, and expand his reach, to the FBN audience – and also could serve as a try-out for a regular spot in the line-up.

What’s the top show on Fox Business Network?

Well the nearly three-year-old business network still doesn’t release ratings publicly, but a recent claim about a new program, Freedom Watch, got us to investigate – and we found out what #1 really is.

This weekend Fox Business host (and frequent Fox News contributor) Judge Andrew Napolitano sat down with Ralph Nader to discuss, among other things, allegations that, under the Bush Administration detainees civil rights were violated. In the interview that aired on C-Span, Napolitano said of former President Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney that they “should have been indicted” for torture.

After a debut focusing on the variety of right-of-center opinions circulating in the Tea Party movement, Judge Andrew Napolitano‘s Fox Business program Freedom Watch outdid its star power last week with an A-list class of libertarian thinkers headlined by Glenn Beck. Beck, who was on to promote both his show and his new novel, The Overton Window, and to warn about the possibility that an emergency can fundamentally transform America.

It’s been almost two years of outrageous comments, ill-advised reality show appearances, and bearable anticipation, but finally, the trial of former Illinois governor Rod Blagojevich is on the way, and the governor is getting his one wish with a slow trickle of FBI wiretaps leaking out of the courtroom. So far, twenty new conversations have been released, and they show the governor trading laws for dollars and judging potential donors by how much they love his hair.

There are the cable news shows that lean left (Countdown with Keith Olbermann) and shows that lean right (Sean Hannity‘s).

Now there’s a show that leans hard, but neither direction – Judge Andrew Napolitano‘s Freedom Watch on FBN, which is profiled today by the New York Times. But what is the relationship to the tea parties?

Beginning this morning, Fox & Friends anchor Brian Kilmeade will host a new syndicated radio show, Kilmeade and Friends, on FOX News radio.

This replaces Kilmeade’s former radio show, Brian and the Judge, that he co-hosted with Andrew Napolitano. But the Judge has a new gig too.

Judge Andrew Napolitano is apparently filling in for Glenn Beck today because Beck is suffering from appendicitis, and expected to make a full recovery we are told. Maybe last night’s NY-23 results were too much for Glenn? It must have been a fairly quick last minute replacement, Neil Cavuto seemed unaware when he threw it ‘Glenn.’