US-Led Forces Accused of Executing Schoolchildren in Afghanistan
6 Jan 2010
In Afghanistan, hundreds have taken to the streets of Kabul and elsewhere to protest the US killing of civilians. The incident that has sparked the most outrage took place in eastern Kunar on December 27th, when ten Afghans, eight of them schoolchildren, were killed. According to the Times of London, US-led troops dragged innocent children from their beds and shot them during a nighttime raid. Afghan government investigators said the eight students were aged from eleven to seventeen, all but one of them from the same family. [includes rush transcript]

“Obama Has Kept the Machine Set on Kill” – Journalist and Activist Allan Nairn Reviews Obama’s First Year in Office
6 Jan 2010
In an extended interview, award-winning journalist and activist Allan Nairn looks back over the Obama administration’s foreign policy and national security decisions over the last twelve months. “I think Obama should be remembered as a great man because of the blow he struck against white racism,” Nairn says. “But once he became president…Obama became a murderer and a terrorist, because the US has a machine that spans the globe, that has the capacity to kill, and Obama has kept it set on kill. He could have flipped the switch and turned it off…but he chose not to do so.” He continues, “In fact, as far as one can tell, Obama seems to have killed more civilians during his first year than Bush did in his first year, and maybe even than Bush killed in his final year.” [includes rush transcript – partial]

Headlines for January 6, 2010
6 Jan 2010
Obama: US Intel Could Have Prevented Failed Jetliner Attack, US Won’t Release Cleared Yemeni Prisoners from Gitmo, Dozens Wounded as Egypt Blocks Gaza Aid Convoy, McCain Calls for Appeal of Blackwater Ruling, 1M Somalis Face Starvation as WFP Suspends Food Aid, Bolivia to Hold Indigenous Climate Conference, Dem. Sens Dorgan, Dodd Won’t Seek Re-Election, Dems Begin Closed-Door Healthcare Talks, Court Upholds Sweeping Authority to Jail Terror Suspects, 10 Arrested at Protest for Jailed Immigrant Rights Leader Jean Montrevil

Dr. Atul Gawande on Real Healthcare Reform, Why Solitary Confinement Is Torture, and His New Book, “The Checklist Manifesto”
5 Jan 2010
We spend the hour with one of the most influential health policy writers in the country, Dr. Atul Gawande. He is an associate professor at the Harvard School of Public Health, a practicing surgeon at the Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston and a staff writer at The New Yorker magazine. We speak with him about an influential article on healthcare costs that was cited by President Obama and became “required reading” at the White House, healthcare systems in other industrialized countries, the effect of solitary confinement on prisoners, and his new book, The Checklist Manifesto: How to Get Things Right. [includes rush transcript – partial]

Headlines for January 5, 2010
5 Jan 2010
Jordanian Double Agent Blamed for CIA Base Bombing, General Criticizes State of US Intelligence in Afghanistan, Clinton: Situation in Yemen Threatens Global Stability, Senate and House Democrats to Forgo Committee Process to Reconcile Health Bill, Number of Bankruptcies Increases by 32 Percent, Maliki Threatens to Sue Blackwater over Killings, Germany Knew Nothing of Alleged CIA/Blackwater Murder Plot, Israel to Build New Israeli-Only Highway in West Bank, Israeli Military Officers Cancel Trip to Britain Fearing Arrest, Pentagon Resisting Obama’s Plan to Reduce Nuclear Arsenal, New York Lawmakers Rally to Oppose Natural Gas Drilling, Greenpeace Activists Sentenced for Mt. Rushmore Action, Chilean Copper Miners Go On Strike, Annise Parker Becomes First Lesbian to Head Major City, President Obama Appoints Transgender Woman as Commerce Adviser

Patrick Cockburn: Threats to Yemen Prove America Hasn’t Learned the Lesson of History
4 Jan 2010
The United States and Britain have closed their embassies in the Yemeni capital city of Sana’a, citing security threats from an al-Qaeda group. On Saturday, President Obama connected the foiled Christmas Day attack on the Detroit-bound flight to al-Qaeda in Yemen. Meanwhile, British Prime Minister Gordon Brown described Yemen as a “regional and global threat.” We speak with Patrick Cockburn, Middle East correspondent for the London Independent, and Michael Horton, a freelance journalist based in Yemen. [includes rush transcript]

Move Your Money: Project Urges People to Transfer Money Out of Nation’s Largest Banks Into Local Community Banks
4 Jan 2010
Economist Robert Johnson, columnist Arianna Huffington and filmmaker Eugene Jarecki, among others, have come up with a new proposal that would allow ordinary people in this country to channel their anger over the Wall Street bailout while also helping invigorate community banking. We speak with Rob Johnson about Move Your Money.

Judge Dismisses All Charges Against Blackwater Guards in Nisoor Square Massacre
4 Jan 2010
A federal judge in Washington, DC has thrown out all charges against the five Blackwater operatives involved in the 2007 Nisoor Square massacre that killed seventeen Iraqi civilians. Judge Ricardo Urbina handed down his ruling late in the afternoon on New Year’s Eve. Urbina accused the Justice Department of building its case on sworn statements that the guards had given under a promise of immunity. We speak with attorney Scott Horton. [includes rush transcript]

Greek PM George Papandreou on Global Warming, Socialism and Democracy
4 Jan 2010
We interview Greek Prime Minister George Papandreou about climate change and greenhouse gas emission, socialism, democracy and much more. As the head of Greece’s Socialist Party, Papandreou became prime minister in October after the Socialists trounced the center-right government in national elections, winning 44 percent of the vote, their largest victory ever. Papandreou is also the president of Socialist International, a coalition of national Socialist parties.

Headlines for January 4, 2010
4 Jan 2010
14 Nations to Face Stricter Airport Screening, Federal Judge Tosses Charges Against Blackwater Operatives, Two Blackwater Operatives & Jordanian Spy Among Dead at CIA Base, US Closes Embassy in Yemen Citing Threat, Afghan Parliament Rejects Most of Karzai’s Cabinet Picks, Afghan Students Protest Killing of Civilians by US Forces, 101 Died in Pakistani Bombing at Volleyball Match, Report: The 00s Was a Lost Decade for American Workers, Food Stamps Now Only Source of Income for 6 Million Americans, 25-Year Sentence for Ex-Peruvian President Fujimori Upheld, Somali Man Charged with Attacking Danish Cartoonist, University of Indiana Professor Don Belton Murdered, US Lifts 22-Year Ban on Visitors with HIV or AIDS, Effigy of Obama Found Hanging in Georgia Town, Gaza Freedom Marchers Call for Divestment Against Israel

Hope, War and Resistance: 2009 in Review
1 Jan 2010
Democracy Now! looks back at 2009, including the Israeli assault on Gaza, Barack Obama’s presidential inauguration, the economic crisis, Goldman Sachs and the AIG bonus scandal, the escalation of the war in Afghanistan, drone attacks on Pakistan, the coup in Honduras, healthcare reform, the release of the Bush administration torture memos, the murder of abortion provider Dr. George Tiller, the protests in Iran, the nomination of Sonia Sotomayor to the Supreme Court, Blackwater and other private military contractors, the firing of White House environmental adviser Van Jones, the gay rights movement, the global food crisis, the ongoing occupation of Iraq, the Copenhagen climate summit and the growth of the climate justice movement, plus our exclusive interviews with former jailed activist Jeff “Free” Luers, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist David Barstow, Bolivian President Evo Morales, death row prisoner Mumia Abu-Jamal and many more. [includes rush transcript]

“The Era of Tolerance Is Over” – Iran Warns over Opposition Protests
31 Dec 2009
Iran’s police chief has warned anti-government protesters to stay off the streets and threatened, “The era of tolerance is over. Anyone attending such rallies will be crushed.” Hundreds of prominent activists have been arrested since Sunday’s mass street protests, and between eight to thirty-seven people have been killed. Meanwhile, tens of thousands of government supporters turned out Wednesday for state-sponsored rallies in cities across the country. We speak with Iranian-Canadian journalist, Maziar Bahari, and Baruch College professor, Ervand Abrahamian. [includes rush transcript]

Haitian Community Activist Jean Montrevil Faces Deportation
31 Dec 2009
On Wednesday morning, Jean Montrevil was attending a regular immigration check-in when he was detained by agents of the Immigration and Customs Enforcement Agency, or ICE. He now faces deportation to Haiti for a twenty-year-old drug conviction, for which he has already served eleven years in prison. He has not broken any laws since then. Montrevil is married to an American citizen and is the father of four US citizen children. Montrevil is a longtime community leader in New York City and active in a number of immigrant rights groups, including Families for Freedom, the NYC New Sanctuary Movement, and Detention Watch Network.

2009 in Perspective: Glenn Greenwald on the Five Wars US Is Fighting in Muslim Countries
31 Dec 2009
As 2009 comes to a close, today we begin by taking a step back and putting this year of war in perspective. Salon.com blogger Glenn Greenwald discusses US foreign policy, including the escalation of the war in Afghanistan, drone strikes on Pakistan, cruise missile attacks on Yemen, operations in Somalia, the ongoing operation in Iraq, and much more. [includes rush transcript]

Headlines for December 31, 2009
31 Dec 2009
Suicide Bomber Hits CIA Base in Afghanistan, 8 Dead, Roadside Bombing Kills Four Canadian Troops and Canadian Journalist, Afghan Investigators Accused Int’l Forces of Killing Schoolboys, Canadian PM Harper Accused of Shutting Down Torture Probe, Dutch Court OKs Nigerian Suit Against Shell, Egyptian Police Beat Protesters from Gaza Freedom March, Treasury Announces Another Bailout of GMAC, Memphis Sues Wells Fargo over Mortgage Lending Practices, Report: Malaria Risk to Increase in Kenya Due to Climate Change, EPA Criticizes New York State Plan for Natural Gas Drilling

“Christmas Presents for Bankers”
30 Dec 2009
As 2009 comes to a close, we take a look at the state of the U.S. economy with economist dean Baker and the Reverend Jesse Jackson. “After throwing the economy into the worst downturn since the Great Depression and bringing the whole sector to the edge of collapse, the financial industry has used its political power to succor itself back to life,” Baker writes. “It is now stronger than ever.”

Flashback: ICRC Spokesman in Gaza Describes Glaring Lack of Medical Access During Israeli Assault
30 Dec 2009
We look back at the glaring lack of access to emergency care for the thousands of people seeking urgent medical help during Israel’s three-week military operation one year ago. Iyad Nasr, the spokesperson for the International Committee of the Red Cross in the bombed-out Tel al-Hawa neighborhood of Gaza City, describes the ICRC’s operations. [includes rush transcript]

EXCLUSIVE…Pink Floyd’s Roger Waters Speaks Out in Support of Gaza Freedom March, Blasts Israeli-Egyptian “Siege” of Gaza
30 Dec 2009
In a Democracy Now! exclusive interview, British musician Roger Waters of the iconic rock band Pink Floyd speaks out about the Gaza Freedom March. “I actually would be very interested to hear what the President of the United States has to say about this nonviolent, democratic demonstration of ordinary people from forty-two countries all over the world,” says Waters. “They feel solidarity with their brothers and sisters, other human beings who are living in conditions that none of us would stand for, for a single second, in any of our countries.” [includes rush transcript]

Gaza Freedom March Protests Continue in Cairo, Organizers Say Egypt Offer to Allow 100 into Gaza Not Sufficient
30 Dec 2009
Hundreds of activists with the Gaza Freedom March are staging continued demonstrations and sit-ins in Cairo to protest the Egyptian government’s refusal to allow them to cross the border into Gaza. Organizers say an offer by Egyptian authorities this morning to allow just 100 members of the group to go to Gaza was not sufficient. More than 1,300 people from over forty countries are in Cairo as part of the Gaza Freedom March. We go to Cairo to speak with Ali Abunimah of Electronic Intifada.

Botched Christmas Airline Bombing: A Look at Obama’s Handling of the Case and the Media’s Coverage
30 Dec 2009
President Obama has acknowledged that a “systemic failure” of the nation’s intelligence and security measures paved the way for last week’s aborted bomb attack on a Northwest Airlines flight from Amsterdam to Detroit. We take a look at the Obama administration’s handling of the case and the media’s coverage of it all with Spencer Ackerman of the Washington Independent. [includes rush transcript]

Headlines for December 30, 2009
30 Dec 2009
Report: US Reviewing Targets for Possible Strike in Yemen, Obama: “Systemic Failure? Occurred in Nation’s Security System, 1,500 Reportedly Arrested in Iran, Suicide Bombs Kill 23 in Anbar, Iraq, Israeli Court Rules Palestinians Can Drive on ?Apartheid Road?, Mordechai Vanunu Placed Under House Arrest, Morgan Stanley Sued over Mortgage-Related Investments, Penn. Police Officers Resign After Indictments in Immigrant Killing, California Court Issues Major Ruling on Police Use of Tasers, World Urged to Do More to Fight Maternal Mortality, Gay Couple Jailed in Malawi After Holding Marriage Ceremony, Chilean Copper Miners Vote to Go on Strike, Four Anti-Mining Activists Arrested in Virginia

Report: Venture Capitalists, Food Companies Among 1,160 Businesses Lobbying on Climate Change
29 Dec 2009
We take a look at some of the more unusual businesses and interest groups lobbying Congress on climate change issues. A new Center of Public Integrity analysis of federal records shows that the 140 companies that joined the fray for the first time late this year include venture capitalists, the natural gas lobby, and America’s most iconic soup maker, Campbell Soup.

Kill the Bill or Support Passage? A Debate on Healthcare Legislation Between Insurance Industry Critics
29 Dec 2009
The progressive community is split over the $871 billion healthcare reform bill that passed the Senate last week. Some have lambasted the Senate for removing language that would have created a government-run health insurance program to compete with private insurers. Others believe the Senate bill is the biggest expansion of federal healthcare guarantees since the enactment of Medicare and Medicaid over four decades ago and should be supported as a first step toward reform. We host a debate.

Egypt Denies Gaza Freedom March Access to Border, Hundreds Protest in Cairo
29 Dec 2009
In Egypt, hundreds of solidarity activists from around the world are being prevented by the Egyptian government from entering Gaza. Dubbed the Gaza Freedom March, organizers were planning to cross the border last Sunday to commemorate the first anniversary of Israel’s assault on Gaza that killed 1,400 Palestinians and thirteen Israelis. We get a report. [includes rush transcript]

Anti-Mining Activists Killed in El Salvador
29 Dec 2009
For the second time in a week, a prominent anti-mining activist has been assassinated in El Salvador. On Saturday, thirty-two-year-old Dora ?Alicia? Recinos Sorto was shot dead near her home. One of her children was also injured in the shooting. Sorto was an active member of the Cabaas Environment Committee, which has campaigned against the reopening of a gold mine owned by the Vancouver-based Pacific Rim Mining Company. [includes rush transcript]