Report: 40 Years After King, Little Progress in Closing Economic Inequality Gap Between African Americans and Whites9 Apr 2008In the late 1960?s, Dr. Martin Luther King recognized that the next phase in the quest for civil rights and equality would focus on the economic divide. A new report from the Institute for Policy Studies titled, ?40 Years Later: The Unrealized American Dream? lays out key elements of the inequality that African-Americans still experience in the United States around education, employment and wealth accumulation. We speak with the co-author of the report, Dedrick Muhammad.
Justice Department Increasingly Avoiding Corporate Prosecutions9 Apr 2008The Justice Department has put off prosecuting more than fifty companies suspected of wrongdoing over the last three years. The decline in prosecutions is seen as a deliberate and dramatic shift in policy. While the news reported in a front-page article in the New York Times surprised many, the Justice Department’s use of so called “deferred prosecution agreements” is nothing new. Back in 2005, a report released by the Corporate Crime Reporter profiled dozens of these cases and warned against their use. We speak with Russell Mokhiber, editor of the Corporate Crime Reporter.
China’s Great Leap: Human Rights Watch on the Beijing Games and Olympian Human Rights Challenges9 Apr 2008Thousands of protesters turned out in San Francisco to protest the Olympic torch relay and this year’s Beijing Games. Similar protests condemning China”s human rights abuses have attempted to disrupt the torch along its earlier stops in Athens, Istanbul, Paris, and London. We speak with Human RIghts Watch’s Minky Worden, who is editor of a new book, “China’s Great Leap: The Beijing Games and Olympian Human Rights Challenges.”
Headlines for April 10, 20089 Apr 2008Report: Top Admin Officials Approved Assault, Waterboarding of CIA Prisoners, 4 Killed in U.S. Attack on Sadr City, Baghdad Under Curfew on 5th Anniversary of U.S. Seizure, Iraqi Judiciary Calls for Release of Bilal Hussein from U.S. Military Jail, Dems Seek Delay of Colombia Trade Pact, Fighting Renews in Gaza, Jimmy Carter to Meet Exiled Hamas Leader, Haiti Food Protests Enter 2nd Week, IMF: U.S. Mortgage Crisis Worse Shock Since Great Depression, Clinton, Wal-Mart Founder Trade Praise in 1991 Video, Lawmakers Urge Probe of Alleged Cover-up on Halloween Photos
As Petraeus Urges Delay of Troop Withdrawal, a Debate on Iraq and Iran’s Role in the War8 Apr 2008The top US military commander in Iraq, General David Petraeus, has recommended a suspension of troop withdrawals from Iraq after July. His recommendation would leave just under 140,000 American troops in Iraq well into the fall, more troops deployed in Iraq than before the so-called “surge.” Petraeus testified before two Senate committees on Tuesday alongside Ambassador Ryan Crocker. We play highlights of the hearing and host a debate with Arun Gupta of The Indypendent, Eli Lake of the New York Sun and Gareth Porter of Inter Press Service. [includes rush transcript – partial]
Headlines for April 9, 20088 Apr 2008Petraeus Urges Freezes on US Troop Withdrawals from Iraq, Sadr Cancels Million-Man March Against US Occupation, Study: Lawmakers Invest $196M in Pentagon Contractors, Protesters Storm National Palace in Haiti over Food Prices, Thousands Rally for Tibet in San Francisco, Study: American West Warming Outpaces Global Rise, White House Rejects Senate Housing Proposal, Justice Dept. Avoiding Corporate Prosecutions with Questionable, Secretive Deals
As Petraeus Urges Delay of Troop Withdrawal, A Debate on Iraq, and Iran’s Role in the War8 Apr 2008The top US military commander in Iraq, General David Petraeus, has recommended a suspension of troop withdrawals from Iraq after July. His recommendation would leave just under 140,000 American troops in Iraq well into the fall – more troops deployed in Iraq than before the so-called “surge.” Petraeus testified before two Senate committees on Tuesday alongside Ambassador Ryan Crocker. We play highlights of the hearing and host a debate with Arun Gupta of the Indypendent, Eli Lake of the New York Sun and Gareth Porter of Inter Press Service.
Headlines for April 9, 20088 Apr 2008Petraeus Urges Freezes on U.S. Troop Withdrawals From Iraq, Sadr Cancels Million-Man March Against U.S. Occupation, Study: Lawmakers Invest $196M in Pentagon Contractors, Protesters Storm National Palace in Haiti over Food Prices, Thousands Rally for Tibet in San Francisco, Study: American West Warming Outpaces Global Rise, White House Rejects Senate Housing Proposal, Justice Dept. Avoiding Corporate Prosecutions With Questionable, Secretive Deals
Stuffed and Starved: As Food Riots Break Out Across the Globe, Raj Patel Details “The Hidden Battle for the World Food System”7 Apr 2008Global food prices have risen dramatically, adding a new level of danger to the crisis of world hunger. In Africa, food riots have swept across the continent, with recent protests in Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Ivory Coast, Mauritania and Senegal. In most of West Africa, the price of food has risen by 50 percent—in Sierra Leone, 300 percent. In the United States there has been a 41 percent surge in prices for wheat, corn, rice and other cereals over the past six months. We speak with Raj Patel, author of Stuffed and Starved: The Hidden Battle for the World Food System. [includes rush transcript]
EXCLUSIVE…In Their First Joint Interview, Two Ex-KBR Employees Say They Were Raped by Co-Workers in Iraq7 Apr 2008Another female employee of the military contractor KBR has come forward with allegations of rape in Iraq. The woman, identified by the pseudonym “Lisa Smith,” says two colleagues raped her at a southern Iraqi military base in January. She says a supervisor told her to ?keep quiet? or face danger. “Lisa Smith” will be testifying publicly tomorrow before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. Last year, former KBR employee Jamie Leigh Jones sued KBR and its former parent company Halliburton after she says she was drugged and gang-raped by employees of the company in Baghdad. Today, in their first joint interview, we speak to both of these women, who have bravely come forward with their stories. We also speak with journalist Karen Houppert, who broke the story of “Lisa Smith” in The Nation magazine. [includes rush transcript]
Headlines for April 8, 20087 Apr 2008Petraeus & Crocker to Testify on Capitol Hill, Heavy Fighting in Baghdad Kills More than 30 Iraqis, US Air Strike in Basra Kills Eight Iraqis, US Drafts Document for Open-Ended Military Presence in Iraq, State Dept. Defends Renewing Blackwater Contract in Iraq, President Bush Urges Congress to Approve Colombian Trade Deal, Questions Raised Over New Domestic Satellite Surveillance System, Report: US Sent 14 Prisoners to Jordan, Report: Israel Is Secretly Importing Iranian Oil, Israel Shuts Radio Station Set Up to Bring Together Israelis & Palestinians, Spy Caught Infiltrating UK Environmental Group, Olympics Consider Scrapping Torch Rally Due to Protests, San Francisco Police Prepare for Olympic Protests, Rwanda Commemorates 1994 Genocide, Abe Osheroff, 92, Veteran of Abraham Lincoln Brigades, Dies
Stuffed and Starved: As Food Riots Break Out Across the Globe, Raj Patel Details “The Hidden Battle for the World Food System”7 Apr 2008Global food prices have risen dramatically, adding a new level of danger to the crisis of world hunger. In Africa, food riots have swept across the continent, with recent protests in Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Ivory Coast, Mauritania and Senegal. In most of West Africa, the price of food has risen by 50 percent——in Sierra Leone, 300 percent. In the United States there has been a 41 percent surge in prices for wheat, corn, rice and other cereals over the past six months. We speak with Raj Patel, author of “Stuffed and Starved: The Hidden Battle for the World Food System.?
EXCLUSIVE…In Their First Joint Interview, Two Ex-KBR Employees Say They Were Raped by Co-Workers in Iraq7 Apr 2008Another female employee of the military contractor KBR has come forward with allegations of rape in Iraq. The woman, identified by the pseudonym “Lisa Smith” says two colleagues raped her at a southern Iraqi military base in January. She says a supervisor told her to ?keep quiet? or face danger. “Lisa Smith” will be testifying publicly tomorrow before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. Last year, former KBR employee Jamie Leigh Jones sued KBR and its former parent company Halliburton after she says she was drugged and gang-raped by employees of the company in Baghdad. Today, in their first joint interview, we speak to both of these women who have bravely come forward with their stories. We also speak with journalist Karen Houppert who broke the story of “Lisa Smith” in The Nation magazine.
Headlines for April 8, 20087 Apr 2008Petraeus & Crocker To Testify on Capitol Hill, Heavy Fighting in Baghdad Kills More Than 30 Iraqis, U.S. Air Strike in Basra Kills Eight Iraqis, U.S. Drafts Document For Open-Ended Military Presence in Iraq, State Dept. Defends Renewing Blackwater Contract in Iraq, President Bush Urges Congress to Approve Colombian Trade Deal, Questions Raised Over New Domestic Satellite Surveillance System, Report: U.S. Sent 14 Prisoners to Jordan, Report: Israel Is Secretly Importing Iranian Oil, Israel Shuts Radio Station Set Up To Bring Together Israelis & Palestinians, Spy Caught Infiltrating UK Environmental Group, Olympics Consider Scrapping Torch Rally Due To Protests, San Francisco Police Prepare For Olympic Protests, Rwanda Commemorates 1994 Genocide, Abe Osheroff, 92, Veteran of Abraham Lincoln Brigades, Dies
State Dept. Renews Blackwater Contract in Iraq Despite Pentagon Labeling Sept. Baghdad Killing of 17 Civilians “A Criminal Event”6 Apr 2008The State Department has announced it is extending the private military firm Blackwater’s contract in Baghdad for another year. The news comes despite an ongoing FBI investigation into the September 16th shooting in Baghdad where Blackwater guards were accused of killing seventeen Iraqi civilians. An earlier investigation by the Pentagon found that all seventeen Iraqis were killed as a result of unprovoked and unjustified fire by Blackwater operatives. We speak with journalist Jeremy Scahill, author of the bestselling book, Blackwater: The Rise of the World’s most Powerful Mercenary Army. Scahill recently confronted the vice president of Blackwater about the September 16th shootings. [includes rush transcript]
Chilean Writer Isabel Allende on Her Memoir, Her Family, Michelle Bachelet, Torture and Immigration6 Apr 2008Bestselling Chilean writer Isabel Allende is world-renowned for her narrative craft and gripping stories that blend the mythical with the personal. She has written over a dozen books that have sold fifty-one million copies. Her debut novel in 1982, The House of the Spirits, chronicled four generations of a Chilean family through the tumult of that country?s political history. It is a history that is intertwined with Allende?s own. Her latest book is a memoir titled The Sum of Our Days. Allende joins us in our firehouse studio for an extended conversation about her writing, her family, Chilean President Michelle Bachelet, the treatment of immigrants in the United States and much more. [includes rush transcript]
Headlines for April 7, 20086 Apr 2008Report: US No Closer to Achieving Its Goals in Iraq, 22 Iraqis & 5 US Troops Killed, Clinton’s Top Strategist Steps Down After Trade Dispute, Obama Adviser: Keep 80,000 Troops in Iraq ‘Til Late 2010, McCain Jeered for Opposing MLK Holiday in 1980s, Clinton & Obama Commemorate Death of Dr. King, Bob Barr & Mike Gravel Consider Run for Libertarian Nomination, Four Die in Food Riots in Haiti, World Food Program: World is Facing “Perfect Storm”, 200 Arrested in Egypt Ahead of General Strike, Food Pantries in NYC Report Major Shortages, US Economy Loses 80,000 Jobs, Zimbabwe Opposition Leader Insists Mugabe Has Been Defeated, Anti-Torture Psychoanalyst Campaigns for APA Presidency, Olympic Committee Warns Athletes Against Political Protests, UK Police Arrest 35 Pro-Tibet Activists at Olympic Torch Ceremony, Irish Peace Activist Blocked from Entering US, International Campaign Against Gentrification Launched, Tom Lewis of Catonsville Nine, 69, Dies, Food Riots Spread in Africa
State Dept. Renews Blackwater Contract in Iraq Despite Pentagon Labeling Sept. Baghdad Killing of 17 Civilians “A Criminal Event”6 Apr 2008The State Department has announced it is extending the private military firm Blackwater’s contract in Baghdad for another year. The news comes despite an ongoing FBI investigation into the Sept. 16th shooting in Baghdad where Blackwater guards were accused of killing 17 Iraqi civilians. An earlier investigation by the Pentagon found that all 17 Iraqis were killed as a result of unprovoked and unjustified fire by Blackwater operatives. We speak with journalist Jeremy Scahill, author of the bestselling book, “Blackwater: The Rise of the World’s most Powerful Mercenary Army.” Scahill recently confronted the vice president of Blackwater about the Sept. 16th shootings.
Chilean Writer Isabel Allende on Her Memoir, Her Family, Michelle Bachelet, Torture and Immigration6 Apr 2008Bestselling Chilean writer Isabel Allende is world-renowned for her narrative craft and gripping stories that blend the mythical with the personal. She has written over a dozen books that have sold fifty-one million copies. Her debut novel in 1982, The House of the Spirits, chronicled four generations of a Chilean family through the tumult of that country?s political history. It is a history that is intertwined with Allende?s own. Her latest book is a memoir titled The Sum of Our Days. Allende joins us in our firehouse studio for an extended conversation about her writing, her family, Chilean President Michelle Bachelet, the treatment of immigrants in the United States and much more. [includes rush transcript]
Headlines for April 7, 20086 Apr 2008Report: US No Closer to Achieving Its Goals in Iraq, 22 Iraqis & 5 US Troops Killed, Clinton’s Top Strategist Steps Down After Trade Dispute, Obama Adviser: Keep 80,000 Troops in Iraq ‘Til Late 2010, McCain Jeered for Opposing MLK Holiday in 1980s, Clinton & Obama Commemorate Death of Dr. King, Bob Barr & Mike Gravel Consider Run for Libertarian Nomination, Four Die in Food Riots in Haiti, World Food Program: World is Facing “Perfect Storm”, 200 Arrested in Egypt Ahead of General Strike, Food Pantries in NYC Report Major Shortages, US Economy Loses 80,000 Jobs, Zimbabwe Opposition Leader Insists Mugabe Has Been Defeated, Anti-Torture Psychoanalyst Campaigns for APA Presidency, Olympic Committee Warns Athletes Against Political Protests, UK Police Arrest 35 Pro-Tibet Activists at Olympic Torch Ceremony, Irish Peace Activist Blocked From Entering U.S., International Campaign Against Gentrification Launched, Tom Lewis of Catonsville Nine, 69, Dies, Food Riots Spread in Africa
Democracy Now! Special: Martin Luther King’s Life and Legacy 40 Years After His Assassination3 Apr 2008The Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was assassinated forty years ago today. He was in Memphis, Tennessee to march with sanitation workers demanding a better wage. We spend the hour on his life and legacy. We hear from the Rev. Jesse Jackson, who was with King at the Lorraine Motel, where he was killed; Harry Belafonte, who was with Coretta Scott King at the King home in Atlanta on April 4, 1968; Dr. Vincent Harding, a close friend and colleague of King’s who wrote King’s major antiwar speech, “Beyond Vietnam;” Taylor Rogers, a former sanitation worker in Memphis; Charles Cabbage, a longtime activist and community organizer in Memphis who met with King hours before he died; Jerry Williams, one of the only African American detectives in the Memphis Police Department in 1968; Judge D?Army Bailey, a circuit court judge in Memphis and co-founder of the National Civil Rights Museum; and we hear King in his own words, giving his major speech against the war in Vietnam and his last public address given the night before his death in Memphis, Tennessee. [includes rush transcript]
Headlines for April 4, 20083 Apr 2008NATO Backs US Missile System in Eastern Europe, Iraqi PM Halts Raids on Shia Forces, Official: 1,000 Iraqis Deserted Anti-Shia Crackdown, KBR Faces New Rape Allegations in Iraq, Zimbabwe Police Raid Opposition Party, Journalists, Chinese Human Rights Activist Jailed for Government Criticism, Venezuelan Parliament OKs Oil Profits Tax, Officials, Execs Defend Bear Stearns Bailout, Poll: 81% Believe US on Wrong Track, Lawsuit Challenges Legality of Immigration Raids, Carter Suggests He Backs Obama
Democracy Now! Special: Martin Luther King’s Life and Legacy 40 Years After His Assassination3 Apr 2008The Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was assassinated forty years ago today. He was in Memphis, Tennessee to march with sanitation workers demanding a better wage. We spend the hour on his life and legacy. We hear from the Rev. Jesse Jackson, who was with King at the Lorraine Motel, where he was killed; Harry Belafonte, who was with Coretta Scott King at the King home in Atlanta on April 4, 1968; Dr. Vincent Harding, a close friend and colleague of King’s who wrote King’s major antiwar speech, “Beyond Vietnam;” Taylor Rogers, a former sanitation worker in Memphis; Charles Cabbage, a longtime activist and community organizer in Memphis who met with King hours before he died; Jerry Williams, one of the only African American detectives in the Memphis Police Department in 1968; Judge D?Army Bailey, a circuit court judge in Memphis and co-founder of the National Civil Rights Museum; and we hear King in his own words, giving his major speech against the war in Vietnam and his last public address given the night before his death in Memphis, Tennessee. [includes rush transcript]
Headlines for April 4, 20083 Apr 2008NATO Backs US Missile System in Eastern Europe, Iraqi PM Halts Raids on Shia Forces, Official: 1,000 Iraqis Deserted Anti-Shia Crackdown, KBR Faces New Rape Allegations in Iraq, Zimbabwe Police Raid Opposition Party, Journalists, Chinese Human Rights Activist Jailed for Government Criticism, Venezuelan Parliament OKs Oil Profits Tax, Officials, Execs Defend Bear Stearns Bailout, Poll: 81% Believe US on Wrong Track, Lawsuit Challenges Legality of Immigration Raids, Carter Suggests He Backs Obama
Democracy Now