“We Are Not Terrorists”: Activists with the RNC Welcoming Committee Speak Out Against Police Crackdown & Terrorism Charges
5 Sep 2008
Ramsey County prosecutors formally charged eight members of the RNC Welcoming Committee with conspiracy to riot in furtherance of terrorism. On Thursday, other members of the anarchist group held their first press conference. One local activist accused the police of beating and torturing him in jail. [includes rush transcript]

Iraqi American Sami Rasouli Says McCain Should Have Invited an Iraqi to Talk at RNC About the Effect of the Surge
5 Sep 2008
We speak with Sami Rasouli, an Iraqi American who grew up in Najaf. He left in the late 1970s and eventually moved to the United States and settled down in Minneapolis. In November 2004, nearly thirty years after leaving Iraq, Sami returned home to help rebuild his country as director of the Muslim Peacemakers Team in Najaf. He is back in Minneapolis now on a visit from Iraq and joins us in St. Paul. [includes rush transcript]

Ramsey County Sheriff Admits Local Police Used Paid Infiltrators and Spied on Activists Including RNC Welcoming Committee
5 Sep 2008
In an interview on Democracy Now!, Ramsey County Sheriff Bob Fletcher blamed a group of 400 to 500 alleged anarchists for creating unrest in St. Paul over the past week. Fletcher also admitted local police authorities had infiltrated and spied on local activists including members of the RNC Welcoming Committee for over a year. We play his remarks and an excerpt of a press conference where members of the RNC Welcoming Committee spoke to the media for the first time.

Nearly 400 Arrested on Last Day of RNC, Including Over a Dozen Media Workers
5 Sep 2008
As John McCain accepted the Republican presidential nomination inside the Xcel Center last night, nearly 400 people were being arrested on the streets of St. Paul, including more than a dozen media workers. Among them were Rick Rowley of Big Noise Films and Democracy Now producer Sharif Abdel Kouddous who had been arrested on Monday while covering another protest. They were handcuffed and detained for about an hour and a half before being released and issued a citation for unlawful assembly.

Abramoff Sentenced to Four Years in Jail for Corruption and Tax Offenses
5 Sep 2008
Republican lobbyist Jack Abramoff was sentenced Thursday to four years in jail for corruption and tax offenses. Abramoff is already serving a nearly six-year term on unrelated charges. The new sentence will be served at the same time, meaning he will not spend any extra time behind bars once his original sentence ends in 2012. We speak with journalist Peter Stone, author of ?Heist: Superlobbyist Jack Abramoff, His Republican Allies, and the Buying of Washington.?

McCain: “We Have to Catch Up to History”
5 Sep 2008
Democracy Now! is broadcasting from Saint Paul Neighborhood Network, here in St. Paul, Minnesota, where Arizona Senator John McCain accepted the Republican presidential nomination last night at the Xcel Center. We play an excerpt of his address.

Crashing the Party: Suites, Corporate-Sponsored Events Gather the Money Behind the Conventions
5 Sep 2008
The Republican National Convention in the Twin Cities, like last week?s Democratic convention in Denver, is largely funded by big corporations. We try to go inside the suites at both conventions, and speak to Colorado Senator Ken Salazar and MSNBC pundit Tucker Carlson.

Convention Cash: Journalist Peter Stone on the RNC’s Sponsors
5 Sep 2008
Peter Stone covers lobbying, campaign finance and other issues for the National Journal. We ask him the inner workings of the Republican Party and the key players and financiers behind the scenes.

Maverick? Author Paul Waldman on “Free Ride: John McCain and the Media”
5 Sep 2008
Media Matters fellow and American Prospect columnist Paul Waldman says Sen. McCain’s image as an independent maverick able to take on powerful interests is enabled by a complacent media that overlooks the facts. [includes rush transcript]

Promising “Change” in Washington, McCain Accepts GOP Nomination
5 Sep 2008
Arizona Senator John McCain accepted the Republican presidential nomination last night, promising an agenda for change and taking on entrenched interests Washington. [includes rush transcript]

Headlines for September 5, 2008
5 Sep 2008
McCain Accepts RNC Nomination, Peace Activists Interrupt McCain Address, Up to 400 Arrested on RNC?s Last Day, Obama Finds Common Ground with O?Reilly in Fox News Appearance, Abramoff Sentenced to 4-Year Term, Book: Admin Conducting Extensive Spying on Iraqi Gov?t, Pentagon Urges Delay of Iraq Troop Reductions; Afghan Occupation to Increase, US Arrests Iraqi Journalist, Family, Army Suicide Rate on Record-Setting Pace, Karzai Visits Site of Deadly US Strike, Anger Grows in Pakistan over US Attack, Tropical Storm Hanna Kills 90 in Haiti, Detroit Mayor Pleads Guilty, Resigns in Perjury Case, Citing Alleged US Torture, Attorney Seeks Mental Evaluation for Pakistani Prisoner, Cheney Pushes Georgia Membership in NATO, UN: Aid to Poor Nations Lags

Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin Accepts GOP Nomination
4 Sep 2008
Alaska Governor Sarah Palin accepted the Republican vice-presidential nomination last night in front of a roaring crowd at the Xcel Center. Many view McCain?s selection of Palin as a nod to the evangelical right. We speak to Shannyn Moore, an Anchorage-based radio talk show host who closely follows Alaska politics. [includes rush transcript – partial]

Libertarian Presidential Candidate and Ex-Republican Rep. Bob Barr on Impeachment, Opening Up the Debates, and Why He Left the GOP
4 Sep 2008
A decade ago, Libertarian presidential candidate Bob Barr was serving as a Republican congressman from Georgia and led the Republican drive to impeach President Bill Clinton. Since then he has become a vocal critic of the Republican Party, the war in Iraq and the erosion of civil liberties. Barr joins us in St. Paul.

Hundreds of Jailed Protesters Held for 2+ Days Following Mass RNC Arrests
4 Sep 2008
The Ramsey County Court has begun to slowly process and release some of the nearly 300 people detained over the past few days. Democracy Now! producer Anjali Kamat reports.

Amy Goodman Questions Ramsey County Prosecutors on Jailing, Charges of Journalists
4 Sep 2008
Two days after several journalists were arrested covering the RNC protests, including three staffers at Democracy Now!, county and city prosecutors held a press conference in St. Paul. Amy Goodman was there to question them about the crackdown on journalists.

Voices of the Delegates: Jeremy Scahill Goes Inside the RNC
4 Sep 2008
Democracy Now! correspondent Jeremy Scahill goes inside the RNC to take the pulse of what delegates think and how Sarah Palin has spiced up an otherwise sedated affair.

I-Witness Video Collective Forced Out of Living Space After Second Raid by St. Paul Police in Five Days
4 Sep 2008
Police in St. Paul are being accused of continuing to intimidate a group of video makers that traveled to the Twin Cities to document police misconduct during the Republican National Convention. On Saturday, police raided a home where members of the I-Witness Video collective were staying. Members of the group were detained for over two hours. The building’s landlord forced the group to move out yesterday after police armed with batons and a battering ram entered their living space for a second time.

Eight Members of RNC Activist Group Lodged with Terrorism Charges
4 Sep 2008
Ramsey County prosecutors have formally charged eight members of a prominent activist group with conspiracy to riot in furtherance of terrorism. The eight members of the RNC Welcoming Committee are believed to be the first persons ever charged under the 2002 Minnesota version of the federal PATRIOT Act. The activists face up to seven-and-a-half years in prison. We speak with the father of one of those charged and the president of the Minnesota chapter of the National Lawyers Guild. [includes rush transcript]

Headlines for September 4, 2008
4 Sep 2008
Pakistan Chides US on Deadly Ground Raid, US Mistakenly Kills 7 Iraqi Troops, Iraqi Journalist Detained by US, Palin Accepts GOP Nomination, Giuliani Mocks Obama?s Background as Community Organizer, Biden Won?t Rule Out Prosecuting Bush Officials, 8 RNC Protesters Get Terror Charges Under PATRIOT Act, 2 Journalists Swept Up in RNC Protests Released, US to Aid Georgia, Cheney Meets Oil Companies on Caspian Pipeline, Bush Cites Improved Government Response in Gustav Aftermath, Judge Orders Admin Response on Waterboarding Docs

Freed from Jail, Fmr. Alabama Governor Don Siegelman Accuses Karl Rove of Orchestrating Political Witch Hunt
3 Sep 2008
We speak to former Alabama Governor Don Siegelman, currently free on bond while he appeals a conviction on corruption charges. Siegelman says he’s the target of a political witch hunt directed by former White House Deputy Karl Rove. More than sixty former state attorneys general have called for a congressional investigation into Siegelman?s case. [includes rush transcript]

Fmr. UN Weapons Inspector Scott Ritter on the RNC, Joe Biden and the Possibility of an Attack on Iran
3 Sep 2008
In these last few months of the Bush administration, as we continue to discuss the war in Iraq and the possibility of an attack on Iran, we turn to a man who was a UN weapons inspector inside Iraq in the 1990s: Scott Ritter.We speak with Ritter about Iran, Joe Biden’s role in the lead up to the Iraq invasion and much more. Despite being a registered Republican, Ritter is backing Barack Obama.

Poor People’s Economic Human Rights Campaign Takes Cause to Streets Outside RNC
3 Sep 2008
One day after the historic Poor People’s march in St. Paul, we speak to the group’s national organizer, Cheri Honkala. She’s a long time organizer and director of the Kensington Welfare Rights Union in Philadelphia.

Thousands Gather in Minneapolis for Ron Paul Counter-Convention
3 Sep 2008
Thousands of supporters of former Republican presidential candidate Ron Paul gathered last night in Minneapolis for a counter-convention to show support for the Libertarian-leaning Texan congressman. During the primary season, Paul placed second or third in twenty states, but he was barred from speaking at the Republican National Convention, reportedly because he would not change his position on the war in Iraq. During his speech in Minneapolis, Paul refused to endorse his fellow Republican, John McCain. [includes rush transcript]

Thousands Join Poor People’s March Outside RNC
3 Sep 2008
Outside the Excel Energy Center, thousands of people filled the streets of St. Paul for a rally and march organized by the Poor People’s Economic Human Rights Campaign. Rick Rowley of Big Noise Films reports.

Amy Goodman Grills St. Paul Police Chief About Her Arrest and Two Democracy Now! Producers
3 Sep 2008
On Tuesday morning, St. Paul Police Chief John Harrington held a news conference where he spoke about the nearly 300 people arrested in a police crackdown on protesters a day earlier. Among them were several journalists covering the protests in the streets, including three of us at Democracy Now!—Amy Goodman, Sharif Abdel Kouddous and Nicole Salazar. Amy Goodman questions Harrington about the arrests. [includes rush transcript]