Headlines for August 18, 2008
18 Aug 2008
Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf Resigns, Justice Dept Proposes New Domestic Spying Measure, Russian Troops Remain in Georgian City, Russia Threatens Poland Over US Missile Base, Prosecutors Send Target Letters to Six Blackwater Guards Involved in Iraq Shooting, Top CEOs Give 10x More Money to John McCain, Fernando Lugo Inaugurated as Paraguay’s New President, Leader of Nepal’s Maoist Rebellion Becomes Prime Minister, Chadian Court Sentences Former Dictator in Abstentia, Hawaiian Pro-Independence Activists Occupy Former Palace, US Military Funds Mind Reading Researching, Louisiana Teenager Sentenced for Hanging Noose

Naomi Klein and Christian Parenti on How Beijing Olympics Highlight Globalization of Police State, Inequality
15 Aug 2008
The equipment and integrated security systems used to detain Olympic protesters will remain long after the Olympics, to be used, many fear, on China?s own population. And some of the biggest beneficiaries of this surveillance boom are US hedge funds and corporations, including Cisco, General Electric and Google. We speak to journalists Naomi Klein and Christian Parenti, both of whom have recently reported from China.

Russia-Georgia Conflict Fueled by Rush to Control Caspian Energy Resources
15 Aug 2008
Human Rights Watch has accused both Russian and Georgian forces of killing and injuring civilians through indiscriminate attacks over the past week of fighting. Professor and author Michael Klare joins us to talk about how the Russian-Georgian conflict is largely an energy war over who has access to the vast oil and natural gas reserves in the Caspian region. [includes rush transcript]

Alfred Zappala, Peace Activist Who Lost Son in Iraq, Dies at 68
15 Aug 2008
The peace activist Alfred Zappala has died at the age of sixty-eight after a battle with lung cancer. Zappala became a vocal critic of the war in Iraq in 2004 after his son, Sgt. Sherwood Baker, was killed in Baghdad. [includes rush transcript]

Facing Years in US Prison, Iraq War Resister Jeremy Hinzman Ordered Deported from Canada
15 Aug 2008
In 2004, Jeremy Hinzman became the first war resister to seek asylum in Canada instead of going to fight in Iraq. On Wednesday, Canada’s Border Services Agency ordered the twenty-nine-year-old Hinzman, his wife, son and baby daughter to leave the country by Sept. 23. We speak to Jeremy Hinzman from Toronto. [includes rush transcript]

Headlines for August 15, 2008
15 Aug 2008
19 Killed in Iraq Double Suicide Bombing, US Sailors Charged for Prisoner Abuse at Iraq Jail, US, Poland Sign Ballistic Missile Deal, Fears Grow of Georgia Humanitarian Crisis, Musharraf Resignation Rumored Imminent, Exoneration of Israeli Troops in Fatal Shootings Raises Fears of Further Attacks, Protesters Injured in West Bank Demonstration, IRC Suspends Aid Work in Afghanistan Following Killings, British Journalist Arrested in Beijing, US Troop Donations Favor Obama over McCain, Jackson Browne Sues McCain for Campaign Ad, Nader to Hold ?Super Rallies? at DNC, RNC, La. Officer Indicted in Tasing Death

After Ron Suskind Reveals Bush Admin Ordered Iraq-9/11 Fakery, House Judiciary Chair John Conyers Opens Congressional Probe
14 Aug 2008
Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Ron Suskind joins us for part two of an interview on his new book, The Way of the World: A Story of Truth and Hope in an Age of Extremism. Suskind reports that in 2003 the White House ordered the CIA to forge and disseminate false intelligence documents linking al-Qaeda and Iraq. While much of the attention on the book has focused on the forged letter, Suskind also reveals that the Bush administration and the British government knew prior to the war that Iraq had no weapons of mass destruction. We also speak to Rep. John Conyers, chair of the House Judiciary Committee, which is investigating some of the explosive findings in Suskind’s book. [includes rush transcript – partial]

Headlines for August 14, 2008
14 Aug 2008
Russian-Georgian Fighting Continues in Gori, US Sends Aid to Georgia, Adviser Briefed McCain on Georgia After Inking Lobbying Deal, McCain: ?Nations Don?t Invade Other Nations?, Israel Clears Soldiers in Killing of Palestinian Journalist, Youths, Canada Orders Deportation of Iraq War Resister, Alleged KBR Rape Victim Sues US Gov?t, Gun Control Lobby Group Expels NRA Spy, Denver Police Set Up Cages for DNC Protesters, New York Loses Bid to Hide RNC Spying Docs, Murder Charges Dismissed Against 7 Officers in Post-Katrina Shootings, Arkansas Democratic Party Chair Fatally Shot, Palestinians Honor Mahmoud Darwish

The Way of the World: Ron Suskind on How the Bush Admin Deliberately Faked an Iraq-al-Qaeda Connection and Undermined Diplomacy, Democracy in Pakistan and Iran
13 Aug 2008
The Senate Select Committee on Intelligence and the House Judiciary Committee say they will review allegations the White House ordered the CIA to forge and disseminate false intelligence documents linking al-Qaeda and Iraq. The revelation is among several in Pulitzer Prize-winning author Ron Suskind?s explosive new book, The Way of the World: A Story of Truth and Hope in an Age of Extremism. Suskind joins us for the hour to talk about the letter controversy and the thin denials that have followed its disclosure. He also reveals details of his lengthy conversations with the late Pakistani politician Benazir Bhutto and her frustrations with the Bush administration in the months before her assassination, and discloses the previously unknown case of an interrogation “cell” beneath the White House. [includes rush transcript – partial]

Headlines for August 13, 2008
13 Aug 2008
Georgia Accuses Russia of Violating Ceasefire, Ethnic Cleansing, Report: US Rejects Israeli Aid Request for Iran Attack, Darwish Honored with Palestinian State Funeral, 12 Killed, 40 Wounded in Lebanon Bombing, 3 Aid Workers Slain in Afghanistan, Morales Opponent Resigns After Recall Loss, Lawyers: US Guards Threatened Gitmo Prisoner with Death, Cancer-Stricken Chinese National Dies in US Immigration Jail, Family of Taser Victim Sues La. City for Wrongful Death, Study: Most Corporations Avoid Income Taxes, Minneapolis Activists Challenge RNC Restrictions

Chinese American Writer & Activist Helen Zia on the Olympic Games, the Role of Protest and President Bush’s Visit to Beijing
12 Aug 2008
In a piece called “Why I Will Carry the Olympic Torch,” Helen Zia wrote earlier this year, “A peaceful and better world is possible through friendly engagement and mutual understanding, not violent confrontation and polarization. It’s an Olympic message, a possible dream that our global civilization and everyone who is a part of it can aspire to—and for which I am proud to carry a torch.”

China Deports 28 Members of Students for a Free Tibet for Staging Protests in Beijing
12 Aug 2008
We speak to John Hocevar, founder of Students for a Free Tibet, and the citizen journalist Noel Hidalgo, aka noneck, both of whom were just deported by China. Hidalgo used his cell phone to film most of the footage of the protests shown across the world.

Federal Judge Rules US Government Owes Group of Native Americans $455 Million for Unpaid Royalties on Drilling for Oil and Gas
12 Aug 2008
We speak to Elouise Cobell, the lead plaintiff in what was the largest class-action lawsuit against the US government. The Native American plaintiffs were seeking $47 billion, the total amount of lost royalties since 1887. [includes rush transcript – partial]

Bolivian President Evo Morales Wins Critical Referendum on His Presidency
12 Aug 2008
More than 63 percent voted to back Morales’ government—nearly ten points more than the 54 percent that elected him in December 2005. The recall pitted Morales against governors who have pushed for autonomy for their resource-rich provinces. [includes rush transcript]

Headlines for August 12, 2008
12 Aug 2008
Russia Orders End to Georgia Fighting, Bush Administration Proposes Gutting Endangered Species Act, CBO Report: US Spends $100 Billion on Private Contractors in Iraq, McCain to Hold Fundraiser with Abramoff Associate, Colorado National Guard to Operate 24-Hour Camp in Denver During DNC, Indian Security Forces Kill Protesters in Kashmir, Humanitarian Activists to Sail Boats to Gaza, FBI Admits Obtaining Records of Reporters, 13 Peace Activists Arrested at Wisconsin National Guard Base, Longtime Foreign Correspondent John Cooley Dies

Up to 2,000 Killed as Russia-Georgia Fighting Enters Fourth Day
11 Aug 2008
After four days of heavy fighting, Russian tanks are now approaching central Georgian cities away from the separatist regions of South Ossetia and Abkhazia. Russian officials say Georgia provoked the assault by attacking South Ossetia late last week, causing heavy civilian casualties. NATO’s Secretary General and President Bush have both condemned Russia’s ?disproportionate? use of force in Georgia.

Mahmoud Darwish, Poet Laureate of the Palestinians, 1941-2008
11 Aug 2008
Three days of mourning have been declared in the West Bank and Gaza to mark the death of Mahmoud Darwish, the Poet Laureate of the Palestinians. Darwish was considered one of the most important Arab poets, a towering literary figure for over four decades. The poetry of Mahmoud Darwish is well known and loved across the Arab world by people from all walks of life.

Headlines for August 11, 2008
11 Aug 2008
Russia-Georgia Fighting Enters Fourth Day, Fighting Occurs One Month After US Military Exercise in Georgia, Iraqi FM: ?Very Clear Timeline? of US Troop Withdrawal Needed, Clinton Adviser Urged Attacks on Obama as Being Un-American, Bolivia’s Evo Morales Victorious in Recall Election, Two Pro-Tibet Protesters Arrested at Olympics, NBC Hires Kissinger Associate as China Analyst for Olympic Games, 48 Arrested in Burma Marking 20th Anniversary of Uprising, India Agrees to Help Bhopal Survivors, Negotiator: Palestinians May Demand One-State Solution, Edwards Admits to Affair with Campaign Aide, McCain Obtained Marriage License with Cindy While Still Married to First Wife, Verizon & Unions Reach Agreement, Nagasaki Mayor Calls for Abolition of Nuclear Weapons, Save the Peaks Condemn Court Ruling on Ski Resort on Sacred Mountain in Arizona, Cindy Sheehan to Appear on November Ballot vs. Nancy Pelosi, Palestinian Poet Mahmoud Darwish, 67, Dies, Anthony Russo of Pentagon Papers Fame, 71, Dies, Soul Singer Isaac Hayes, 65, Dies

The Wrecking Crew: Thomas Frank on How Conservatives Rule
8 Aug 2008
Columnist and author Thomas Frank joins us to talk about his latest book, The Wrecking Crew. Frank writes, ?Fantastic misgovernment of the kind we have seen is not an accident, nor is it the work of a few bad individuals. It is the consequence of triumph by a particular philosophy of government, by a movement that understands the liberal state as a perversion and considers the market the ideal nexus of human society. This movement is friendly to industry not just by force of campaign contributions but by conviction.?

“This is the Olympics the West Wanted” – Dave Zirin on US Corporations Entering China, Athletes Speaking Out and the Games from ‘68 to Today
8 Aug 2008
As the 2008 Summer Olympic Games open in Beijing, we speak with sportswriter Dave Zirin. “This is the Olympics the West wanted: games where the grandest prize is not a gold medal but a glittering entree to China’s seemingly endless army of potential consumers,” writes Zirin. “This is the reason that George W. Bush will attend the opening ceremonies, the first U.S. President to do so on foreign soil.” [includes rush transcript – partial]

Summer Olympic Games Open in Beijing, Pro-Tibet Protester Deported to US
8 Aug 2008
The eyes of the world are focused on China today as the Summer Olympic Games open in Beijing. One big question centers on whether the Olympic Committee and the Chinese government will allow any public protests during the Games. We speak with an activist who was arrested in China and deported after unfurling a Tibet independence banner close to the main Olympic stadium. [includes rush transcript]

Headlines for August 8, 2008
8 Aug 2008
Bin Laden Driver Given Lenient Sentence, Iraqi Officials: Agreement Reached on US Withdrawal, China Policies Draw Scrutiny as Olympic Games Begin, US Admits Nuclear Submarine Leak, Pakistan Lawmakers to Impeach Musharraf, Rep. Green Calls on Pentagon to Explain Promotion of Threat-Wielding Recruiter, Mukasey Appoints Torture Backer as Chief of Staff, Anthrax Suspect Supported Anti-Gay Group, Texas Executes Another Foreign National, Judge Upholds Denver DNC Protest Restrictions, Daschle in Talks with Ethanol Lobby, Oxfam: Stop Criminalizing HIV, Court Rules US Owes Native Americans $455M for Land Drilling, Report: Sleep Deprivation Continued Despite Gitmo Ban, 20th Anniversary of ?8-8-88? Uprising in Burma

South Korea Commission Probes Civilian Massacres by US in Korean War
7 Aug 2008
South Korea’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission is concluding the US military indiscriminately killed large groups of South Korean civilians during the Korean War in the early 1950s. The Commission has more than 200 cases on its docket, based on hundreds of citizens’ petitions recounting US bombing and strafing runs on South Korean refugee gatherings in 1950 and ‘51. We speak with Pulitzer Prize-winning Associated Press reporter Charles Hanley, co-author of The Bridge at No Gun Ri: A Hidden Nightmare from the Korean War.

South Koreans Fill Streets of Seoul to Continue Protest Against US Beef Imports
7 Aug 2008
For the past two months, protesters have been filling the streets of Seoul condemning a decision to lift a ban on imported beef from the United States. We speak with Michael Hansen, senior scientist for Consumers Union. He is in Seoul, where he is testifying before the South Korean National Assembly at a special committee hearing on mad cow disease.

Salim Hamdan Found Guilty in First US War Crimes Tribunal since WWII
7 Aug 2008
In the first US war crimes tribunal since World War II, a jury of six senior military officers has convicted Osama bin Laden’s former driver of two charges of material support for terrorism but acquitted him of the most serious charges. Salim Hamdan is the first prisoner held at Guantanamo to be tried before a tribunal. He has been in custody since November 2001. We speak with Sahr MuhammedAlly, an attorney with Human Rights First. She was at Guantanamo last week observing part of the Hamdan war crimes tribunal. [includes rush transcript]