Charles Bowden on “The War Next Door”16 Mar 2010In the Mexican border city of Ciudad Jurez, a US consular employee and her husband were shot dead on Saturday while driving in their SUV. In a separate incident nearby, the husband of a Mexican employee at the US consulate was shot dead. The shootings are believed to be the first deadly attacks on US officials and their families by Mexico?s powerful drug organizations. We go to the US-Mexico border to speak with reporter Charles Bowden. “There is no serious War on Drugs,” Bowden writes. “Rather, there is violence, nourished by the money to be made from drugs. And there are U.S. industries whose primary lifeblood comes from fighting a war on drugs.” [includes rush transcript]
Dem Leadership in Final Push on Healthcare Reform, House Considers Passing Bill Without Direct Vote16 Mar 2010The Democrat-led push for healthcare reform is in its final stages as lawmakers prepare for a congressional vote as early as this weekend. On Monday, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said she is considering using a tactic that would avoid a direct House vote on the less popular Senate version of the healthcare bill. We speak with Ryan Grim, senior congressional correspondent for the Huffington Post.
Federal Panel Finds NY Dept. of Education Discriminated Against Arabic School Principal16 Mar 2010The federal Equal Employment Opportunity Commission has ruled the New York City Department of Education discriminated against the founding principal of an Arabic-language school in Brooklyn by forcing her to resign in 2007. In a non-binding ruling, the commission said the city had discriminated against the principal, Debbie Almontaser, ?on account of her race, religion and national origin.? We speak with Almontaser and her attorney, Alan Levine.
Headlines for March 16, 201016 Mar 2010US Raid Kills Two Pregnant Women and Teenage Girl in Afghanistan, Federal Auditors Block New Blackwater Contract, House Might Pass Healthcare Bill Without Direct Vote, Dodd Unveils Financial Reform Legislation, Mitchell Delays Trips to Israel over Settlement Dispute, Israel to Close Off Palestinian Village on Days of Wall Protests, UN Munitions Team Finds 84 Unexploded White Phosphorus Shells in Gaza, UN: More Money Needed for Haiti Humanitarian Aid Fund, Thai Protesters Plan to Splatter Blood on Thai Gov’t HQ, Ex-Sri Lankan Military Chief Faces Court-Martial, Six More Iranian Protesters to be Executed, German and Irish Churches Face Sexual Abuse Scandals, Study: Black and Latinos Face Longer Prison Sentences, Officials Urge Participation in 2010 Census, Hundreds of Students Protest Cuts in Atlanta, 23,000 California Teachers Receive Layoff Notices
Noam Chomsky on Obama’s Foreign Policy, His Own History of Activism, and the Importance of Speaking Out15 Mar 2010We spend the hour with world-renowned linguist and dissident, Noam Chomsky. In a wide-ranging public conversation at the Harvard Memorial Church in Cambridge, Massachusetts, Chomsky talks about President Obama’s foreign and national security policies, the lessons of Vietnam, and his own activism. “You just can?t become involved part-time in these things,” Chomsky says. “It?s either serious and you?re seriously involved, or you go to a demonstration and go home and forget about it and go back to work, and nothing happens. Things only happen by really dedicated, diligent work.” [includes rush transcript]
Headlines for March 15, 201015 Mar 2010White House Predicts Passage of Healthcare Bill, Ambassador: US-Israeli Relations Face Worst Crisis in 35 Years, Report: Contractors Tied to Effort to Track and Kill Militants, 35 Die in Kandahar Bombings, 3 with Ties to US Consulate Killed in Mexico, FCC to Unveil High-Speed Internet Plan, Unemployment Rate for Young Veterans Reaches 21.1 Percent, Wife of Justice Clarence Thomas Creates Tea Party-Linked Lobbying Group, Texas Conservatives Approve Changes to School Curriculum, Fed Panel: NY Discriminated Against Arab Principal, Study Finds Link Between Childhood Obesity and School Lunch, Air Force Sergeant Discharged After Being Outed by Local Police
Study: Median Wealth for Single Black Women: $100, Single Hispanic Women: $120, Single White Women: $41,00012 Mar 2010The Insight Center for Community Economic Development released a report on the gender wealth gap to mark International Women’s Day. The report found nearly half of all single black and Hispanic women have zero or negative wealth, meaning their debts exceed all of their assets. The median wealth for single black women is only $100; for single Hispanic women, $120. This compares to just over $41,000 for single white women. We speak with the chief author of the report, Mariko Lin Chang and C. Nicole Mason, Executive Director of the Women of Color Policy Network. [includes rush transcript]
Part II: Michelle Alexander on ?The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness?12 Mar 2010Part II of our interview with legal scholar, civil rights advocate and author Michelle Alexander. Her book is The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness. Alexander argues that although Jim Crow laws have been eliminated, the racial caste system it set up was not eradicated. It?s simply been redesigned, and now racial control functions through the criminal justice system.
Judge Instructs Fed Agencies to Resume ACORN Funding12 Mar 2010A federal judge has reaffirmed her earlier ruling blocking the congressional effort to de-fund the anti-poverty group ACORN. On Wednesday, Judge Nina Gershon cemented a decision from last year that such action amounted to an unconstitutional ?bill of attainder.? Judge Gershon has asked all federal agencies to allow ACORN funding without delay. We speak with National Housing Institute president John Atlas, author of Seeds of Change: The Story of ACORN, America’s Most Controversial Anti-Poverty Community Group.
Headlines for March 12, 201012 Mar 2010Ground Zero Workers, NYC Reach Settlement on Toxic Exposure, 39 Killed in Pakistan Bombings, Israel Imposes West Bank Closure Hours After Biden Departure, British Journalist Freed in Gaza, UN: Millions Face Starvation in Yemen, Scores Killed in Somalia Clashes, Greeks Hold National Strike Against Austerity Program, Aftershock Hits Chile as New President Sworn In, Ex-Wife Criticizes Nelson Mandela for Deal Ending Apartheid, Reid Informs GOP of Healthcare Reconciliation Plans, House Dems Shun Anti-Abortion Provisions, Dodd to Unveil Regulatory Overhaul Without GOP, Obama Unveils Trade, Export Plan, Senate Panel OKs Weakened Drug Sentencing Proposal, Second NOLA Officer Pleads Guilty in Bridge Shooting Cover-up, Mississippi School Cancels Prom over Lesbian Student
Rep. Dennis Kucinich Takes on Democratic Leaders with Insistence on Public Option, Call for Afghan Withdrawal11 Mar 2010Democratic Rep. Dennis Kucinich joins us to discuss two House debates in which he’s played a central role this week. The Ohio Democrat is threatening to vote against his party’s healthcare reform package because it does not contain a robust public option. Meanwhile, Kucinich’s bill to force the withdrawal of all US troops from Afghanistan was taken up on Wednesday. After a rare three-and-a-half-hour debate on the war, the majority of House Democrats joined with Republicans to defeat the measure. [includes rush transcript]
Doris “Granny D” Haddock (1910-2010): Remembering Legendary Campaign Finance Reform Activist11 Mar 2010Doris “Granny D” Haddock, one of the leading fighters for campaign finance reform in the United States, died on Tuesday at the age of 100. In 1999, just shy of her ninetieth birthday, Granny D walked 3,200 miles across the country to promote campaign finance reform. She is widely credited for galvanizing the public support that helped pass the McCain-Feingold Campaign Finance Reform Act in 2002. We replay an excerpt of a 2004 interview with Granny D in the midst of her campaign for the US Senate against New Hampshire incumbent Judd Gregg. [includes rush transcript]
Headlines for March 11, 201011 Mar 2010PA Rejects Talks with Israel in Settlement Row, Report: Israel Plans 50,000 New Units in West Bank, Civil Trial Begins over Israeli Army Killing of Rachel Corrie, Gates Pledges Weapons Aid to Saudi Arabia, Prval: US Lawmakers Rejecting Direct Aid to Haitian Gov’t, Burma Bars Political Opponents from Elections, Labor Dept: Unemployment Increases in 30 States, Senate OKs $138B Jobs Measure, Proposed Consumer Agency Won’t Regulate Major Lenders, White House Faces Opposition to Overhauling Student Loans, Dems to Bar Federal Earmarks for Corporations, Judge Instructs Fed Agencies to Resume ACORN Funding, Kansas City Announces Major School Closures, Layoffs, UN Rapporteur: Obama Admin Should Probe Torture, State Dept. Awards 10 with International Women of Courage Award
7 Years After Killing, Family of Slain US Peace Activist Rachel Corrie Heads to Israel for Wrongful Death Suit Against Israeli Gov’t10 Mar 2010Rachel Corrie, a twenty-three-year-old student from Evergreen College in Olympia, Washington, was crushed to death by an Israeli army bulldozer in Gaza seven years ago as she stood before a Palestinian home facing demolition. Today, a trial opens in Israel in a lawsuit brought by Corrie’s family against the Israeli government. The eyewitness testimony is expected to challenge Israel’s version of events with evidence that she was clearly visible to the soldiers, standing before the bulldozer in her florescent orange jacket. We spend the hour with Rachel Corrie’s family: her father Craig, her mother Cindy, and her sister Sarah. [includes rush transcript]
Headlines for March 10, 201010 Mar 2010Israel Announces Major Settlement Expansion Amid Biden Visit, NY Activists Protest Israeli Military Chief, Prval in US Ahead of Aid Request, EU: Climate Proposals Could Increase Emissions, India Advances Historic Measure on Women Lawmakers, Ex-UK Intel Chief: US Misled Allies on Treatment of Prisoners, Thousands Protest Insurers in DC , Utah Gov. Signs Anti-Abortion Measure, Study: Number of US Millionaires Increased 16% in 2009, Bank of America to End Overdraft Fees on Debit Purchases, 1st Gay Marriages Performed in DC, Veteran Activist Doris “Granny D” Haddock Dies at 100
The Real Climategate: Conservation Groups Align with World’s Worst Polluters9 Mar 2010Major environmental groups are coming under criticism from within their own ranks for taking positions that some say are antithetical to their stated missions of saving the planet. In the latest issue of The Nation magazine, the British journalist Johann Hari writes, “As we confront the biggest ecological crisis in human history, many of the green organizations meant to be leading the fight are busy shoveling up hard cash from the world’s worst polluters—and burying science-based environmentalism in return?In the middle of a swirl of bogus climate scandals trumped up by deniers, here is the real Climategate.” [includes rush transcript – partial]
105,000 Tattoos: Iraqi Artist Wafaa Bilal Turns His Own Body into a Canvas to Commemorate Dead Iraqis & Americans9 Mar 2010The official death toll from the war is 100,000, but it is widely estimated to be much higher, perhaps even as high as one million. In his latest piece of artwork, Iraqi American artist Wafaa Bilal tries to grapple with the enormity of these numbers. It’s a twenty-four-hour live tattooing performance called ”...and Counting” that began at the Elizabeth Foundation for the Arts gallery in New York Monday night. By tonight Bilal’s back will be tattooed with the names of Iraqi cities, 5,000 red dots representing dead American soldiers and 100,000 dots in invisible ink representing the official death toll for Iraqis. The dots representing the Iraqi death toll will only be visible under ultraviolet light.
Headlines for March 9, 20109 Mar 2010Obama Campaigns for Healthcare Reform, Former Rep. Massa Claims He Was Forced Out over Healthcare Bill, Protests Planned Outside Health Insurance Company Meeting, Gates: ?More Dark Days? Ahead in Afghanistan, Claim: Pentagon Pedaled Misinformation about Attack on Marjah, Nigerians Bury Dead After Massacre, Greek PM Calls for Crackdown on Financial Speculators, Biden: US Ties to Israel Are ?Unshakable?, Burmese Refugees in Bangladesh Face Starvation, UN Official Warns Against Full Body Airport Scanners, Midwestern Towns Sue Manufacturer of Atrazine Weedkiller, Interior Dept. Puts Off Listing Sage Grouse as Endangered Species, Obama Criticized for Adding Just Two Species to Endangered List, Conservationist Edgar Wayburn, 103, Dies
Bloody Sunday: Thousands Mark Anniversary of 1965 Selma-Montgomery March8 Mar 2010On Sunday March 7th, 1965 Alabama state troopers and local police attacked a peaceful march by 600 civil rights demonstrators from Selma to Montgomery. The day would be remembered as Bloody Sunday. The marchers were just a few blocks into their planned route when they were tear-gassed and beaten by police on the Edmund Pettus bridge over the Alabama River. Bloody Sunday was the first of three attempted marches from Selma to Montgomery, which was finally completed under federal protection and led by Dr. Martin Luther King Junior. It is widely credited with helping pass the 1965 Voting Rights Act.
During Oscar Acceptance Speech, Mo’Nique Cites Hattie McDaniel, First African American Academy Award Winner8 Mar 2010Sunday was an historic day in Hollywood. Kathryn Bigelow became the first woman in history to win the best director award at the Oscars. Bigelow’s film The Hurt Locker won a total of six Oscars, including best picture and best screenplay. And Geoffrey Fletcher became the first African American to win an Oscar for best writing. He won best adapted screenplay for the film Precious. Meanwhile, Mo’Nique won the best supporting actress Oscar for her role as Mary Jones in Precious. Mo’Nique is only the fifth black woman to win an acting Oscar. In her acceptance speech, she cited Hattie McDaniel, who won the same honor for Gone with the Wind seventy years ago. Hattie McDaniel was the first Academy Award ever given to a black performer. [includes rush transcript]
Iranian Nobel Peace Prize Winner Shirin Ebadi Presses Iran on Human Rights and Warns Against International Sanctions8 Mar 2010The Obama administration is working to gather international backing for a fourth round of UN sanctions against Iran over its nuclear program. While the United States has circulated proposals on further sanctions, it has yet to present a draft resolution, and a vote at the Security Council is thought to be months away. This comes amidst a new report by the New York Times that reveals the US government has given more than $107 billion to companies which are also doing business with Iran despite a ban on US companies trading with Iran. Leading Iranian human rights lawyer Shirin Ebadi argues the UN should focus on pressing the Iranian government to restore democracy and human rights, rather than imposing economic sanctions. [includes rush transcript]
International Women’s Day Marked Around the World8 Mar 2010Thousands of events are being held around the world to celebrate International Women’s Day, an idea that was launched 100 years ago when a group of women from seventeen countries gathered in Copenhagen, Denmark to champion the rights of women. Activists across the globe are drawing attention to a variety of concerns, including discriminatory laws, the high rate of pregnancy-related deaths in many parts of the world, the skewed sex ratio in China and India, the disproportionately high number of women who are killed and victimized by wars, the comparatively heavier burden of poverty on women, and the continuing disparity between men and women in terms of the quality of available employment and wages received. [includes rush transcript]
Headlines for March 8, 20108 Mar 2010Vote Counting Begins in Iraq; 38 Killed on Election Day, British War Resister Sentenced to Nine Months in Jail, US-Backed Somali Troops Prepare Major Offensive, Hundreds Killed in Nigerian City of Jos, Biden Heads to Israel as Palestinians Agree to Indirect Talks, Protests Set to Mark US Visit by Israeli Military Official, Report: US Gives $107B in Contracts to Firms Busting Iran Sanctions, Voters in Iceland Reject Payment of $5.3 Billion Foreign Debt, Unemployment Rate Remains at 9.7%; 36,000 Jobs Lost in February, Rep. Massa to Resign; Rep. Delahunt Not to Seek Reelection, Pentagon Shooter Railed About Property Rights and the Monetary System, Texas Judge: Death Penalty Unconstitutional, Seven Muslims Detained in Nevada for Praying Outside, Video Shows Police Beating Student Protesters in California, Historic Night at Academy Awards
Leading Education Scholar Diane Ravitch: No Child Left Behind Has Left US Schools with Legacy of “Institutionalized Fraud”5 Mar 2010As the Obama administration touts No Child Left Behind and the “Race to the Top” competition for school grants, we speak to leading education scholar and former Assistant Secretary of Education Diane Ravitch. She’s long been known as an advocate of No Child Left Behind, charter schools, standardized testing, and using the free market to improve schools. But she’s had a radical change of heart, as chronicled in her latest book, The Death and Life of the Great American School System: How Testing and Choice Are Undermining Education. Ravitch says, “The evidence says No Child Left Behind was a failure, and charter schools aren’t going to be any better.”
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