Headlines for December 2, 20092 Dec 2009Obama Announces Afghan War Escalation, 6 Peace Activists Arrested Outside Obama Speech, Honduran Congress to Vote on Zelaya Return, U.S.: Landmine Policy Review “Ongoing”, UN Human Rights Office Criticizes Swiss Minaret Ban, Iran Releases Detained British Sailors, UK Scientist Resigns Pending Email Probe, South Africa Boosts AIDS Treatment for Pregnant Women, CBC Seeks Inclusion of People of Color in Overhaul of Financial Regulation, Nelson to Introduce Anti-Abortion Amendment in Senate Health Bill, Leahy to Seek Repeal of Insurance Anti-Trust Exemption, DC Council Votes to Legalize Same-Sex Marriage, Students Protest Arizona Sherrif at Public Forum, GM CEO Henderson Resigns
Study: In Afghan Debate, Few Antiwar Op-Eds in Nation’s Two Leading Newspapers1 Dec 2009President Obama has issued orders for a major escalation of the U.S. occupation of Afghanistan by sending 34,000 additional troops. Has the media helped beat the drum for war? A new study by Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting reveals pro-war voices outnumbered anti-war ones by a huge margin in the OpEd pages of the nation’s two leading newspapers, The New York Times and the Washington Post.
In Third Week of Hunger Strike, Ailing Western Saharan Human Rights Activist Aminatou Haidar Demands Moroccan Authorities Allow Her Return to Occupied Homeland1 Dec 2009A Western Saharan human rights activist is in the third week of a hunger strike after being deported against her will by Moroccan authorities occupying her homeland. Aminatou Haidar, known as the “Sahrawi Gandhi,” is at the airport on the Canary Islands and is demanding that she be allowed to return to home. Morocco has occupied most of Western Sahara since 1975. We go to the Lanzarote airport to speak with Spanish actor Guillermo “Willie” Toledo, who is at Haider’s side, we also speak with Mouloud Said, the Washington DC representative of the Sahrawi independence movement, the Polisario Front, and with University of San Francisco Professor Stephen Zunes, co-author of the forthcoming book “Western Sahara: Nationalism, Conflict, and International Accountability.”
Hondurans Divided After Coup Backer Wins Presidential Election Boycotted by Zelaya Supporters1 Dec 2009The Obama administration is moving further away from its stated support for the reinstatement of the ousted President Manuel Zelaya. On Monday, the State Department praised this weekend’s Honduran elections, which saw coup backer and wealthy landowner Porfirio Lobo emerge victorious with 55 percent of the vote. Zelaya’s supporters boycotted the election, and many Latin American countries have refused to recognize its outcome.
Headlines for December 1, 20091 Dec 2009Obama Issues Orders to Escalate War in Afghanistan, Britain to Send 500 More Troops to Afghanistan, Afghan Civilian: U.S. Escalation Will Be a ?Bad Disaster? , Rise of Cancer and Deformed Babies Reported in Iraq, Comcast Moves Closer to Purchasing NBC Universal, Dozens Arrested in Climate Justice Actions Across Nation, Senate Begins Debate on Healthcare Reform, Supreme Court Overturns Ruling on Torture Photos, Iran Detains Five British Men On Yacht, Susan Rice Warns of More Sanctions Against Iran, U.S. To Host 2012 International AIDS Conference, Obama Receives D+ in Report Card From AIDS Groups, HIV Infections Down 17 Percent Over Past Eight Years, World March For Peace Arrives in New York, Keith Olbermann Reports on Amy Goodman’s Canadian Border Detention
The Battle of Seattle 10 Years Later: Organizers Reflect on 1999 Shutdown of WTO Talks and the Birth of a Movement30 Nov 2009Ten years ago, on November 30, 1999, tens of thousands of people from across the country and the world shut down the World Trade Organization talks in Seattle. Police responded by firing teargas and rubber bullets. Hundreds were arrested. On this 10th anniversary, we speak with two organizers of the protests: David Solnit, co-author of “The Battle of the Story of the Battle of Seattle” and Ananda Tan, of the Global Alliance for Incinerator Alternatives.
Amy Goodman Detained at Canadian Border, Questioned About Speech…and 2010 Olympics30 Nov 2009While traveling to Vancouver, Canada to speak at the Vancouver Public Library at a benefit for community radio stations, Democracy Now! host Amy Goodman and her two colleagues were detained by Canadian authorities. Amy was questioned extensively about the speech she intended to give; their car was gone through by armed border guards, and their papers and laptop computers were scoured. The armed interrogators were particularly interested in whether she would be speaking about the upcoming Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics.
Headlines for November 30, 200930 Nov 20099,000 More Marines Prepare to Head To Afghanistan, Supporter of Coup Wins Election in Honduras, Iran Plans to Build Ten New Uranium Enrichment Plants, Switzerland Votes to Ban Construction of Minarets, Obama to Attend Copenhagen Climate Talks; U.S. & China Outline Emissions Cuts, 18 Anti-Deforestation Activists Arrested in Indonesia, Israel Orders Partial Settlement Freeze, Dubai World Default on Debt Payments, Ex-UK Ambassador: Bush and Blair Agreed on Iraq War in April 2002, Senate Report: U.S. Missed Chance to Capture/Kill Bin Laden in 2001, Ex-Rebel Leader Wins Election in Uruguay, Iran Accused of Confiscating Ebadi’s Nobel Peace Prize Medal, More Americans Depending on Food Stamps and Food Banks, Four Police Officers Shot Dead Near Tacoma, Washington
Studs Terkel 1912-2008: A Democracy Now! Special Tribute to the Beloved Oral Historian and Broadcaster27 Nov 2009The legendary radio broadcaster, writer, oral historian, raconteur and chronicler of our times, Studs Terkel, died last month at the age of ninety-six in his hometown of Chicago. Today, a Democracy Now! special tribute: We spend the hour on Studs Terkel. Over the years, Terkel has been a regular guest on Democracy Now! We play a wide-ranging interview we did with him in 2005. We also feature a rare recording of Terkel interviewing the Rev. Martin Luther King at the bedside of the gospel singer Mahalia Jackson. ?My curiosity is what saw me through,? Terkel said in 2005. “What would the world be like, or will there be a world? And so, that?s my epitaph. I have it all set. Curiosity did not kill this cat. And it?s curiosity, I think, that has saved me thus far.? [includes rush transcript]
Democracy Now! Special: An Hour of Music and Conversation with Legendary Native American Singer-Songwriter Buffy Sainte-Marie26 Nov 2009In a Democracy Now! special, an hour of conversation and music with Cree Indian singer-songwriter Buffy Sainte-Marie. In the turbulent 1960s, she was just out of college but already famous for her beautiful voice and moving lyrics in songs like ?Universal Soldier? and ?Now that the Buffalo?s Gone.? Over the years, Buffy Sainte-Marie has worked with the American Indian Movement, but also with Sesame Street, and even Hollywood, winning an Academy Award for the song ?Up Where We Belong? in 1982. She?s won international recognition for her music, has a PhD in fine arts, and began a foundation for American Indian Education that she remains closely involved with. We speak with the folk icon about her life, her music, censorship, and her singing and speaking out about the struggles of Native American peoples for the past four decades. She also performs live in the firehouse studio.
Obama to Announce Afghan Escalation Plan Dec. 1st25 Nov 2009Administration officials say President Obama will unveil his decision on sending tens of thousands of additional troops to Afghanistan next week. Obama is expected to announce the plan in a prime-time address next Tuesday night. At the White House yesterday, Obama said he intends to “finish the job” in Afghanistan.
Ahead of Key Global Conference, U.S. Announces Continued Rejection of Land Mine Ban25 Nov 2009The Obama administration has announced it won’t sign an international convention banning land mines. This is the first time the Obama administration has publicly disclosed its position on the Mine Ban Treaty, which bans the use, stockpiling, production or transfer of antipersonnel mines. We speak to Stephen Goose of Human Rights Watch’s arms division and a co-founder of the International Campaign to Ban Landmines, which received the 1997 Nobel Peace Prize.
Philippines Declares State of Emergency After 57 People Killed in Politically-Linked Massacre25 Nov 2009The death toll from the Philippines’ worst politically-linked massacre has risen to fifty-seven. The victims were abducted as they were travelling to nominate an opposition candidate for governor in upcoming elections.The dead include 18 Filipino journalists from regional newspapers. It’s believed to be the highest number of reporters killed in a single attack anywhere in the world. We speak with Walden Bello, an Akbayan Representative in the Filipino Congress.
Headlines for November 25, 200925 Nov 2009Scientists: Climate Change “Accelerating Beyond Expectations”, Poll: Less Americans Believe in Global Warming, U.S. Won’t Sign Land Mine Treaty, Obama to Announce Afghan Escalation Plan , Report: Afghan Army Has 25% Turnover Rate, Kashmiri Protesters Rally Outside White House, Admin Official Involved in Gitmo Closure Resigns, Fed: High Unemployment Expected Through 2012, Bank Loans Fall to 25-Year Low, Japan to Probe Secret U.S. Nuclear Deal, UK Officials: Iraq War Planning Predated 9/11 Attacks, Hague Trial Begins for Congolese Warlords, Washington Post Shutters Remaining U.S. Bureaus, Appeals Court Affirms Eminent Domain for Proposed Brooklyn Stadium
Two Former Bagram Detainees Held Without Charge Describe Torture and Wrongful Imprisonment24 Nov 2009The Obama administration has promised to begin moving the 700 odd men held in the Bagram prison in Afghanistan into a new 60 million dollar facility by next month. But in a video released by Brave New Films, two men who were held in the notorious detention center ask how much of a difference this will make when its unclear why people were arrested in the first place. The two brothers Abdel and Noor Raqeeb, say they were held without formal charges, tortured, only to be released with an apology for being mistaken for Taliban spokesperson.
Portland’s Cannabis Cafe is the First Marijuana Coffee Shop of Its Kind in the Country24 Nov 2009The Cannabis Cafe, which opened this month in Portland, Oregon is the first marijuana cafe of its kind in the country. Although it doesn’t sell marijuana on the premises, the Cannabis Caf allows any of Portland’s estimated 21,000 licensed medical-marijuana users a space to consume marijuana in a social setting. We speak with Madeline Martinez, executive-Director of the Oregon chapter of NORML —The National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws—which runs the Cannabis Caf.
As UC Berkeley Investigates Police Brutality Against Students Protesting Fee Hikes, a Report From Inside the Takeover of Wheeler Hall24 Nov 2009The University of California, Berkeley is investigating allegations of police brutality against students and workers protesting fee hikes and budget cuts last week. 40 students were arrested Friday night after campus police entered Wheeler Hall, which the students had taken over earlier in the day. The students were part of a statewide movement protesting the UC Board of Regents decision to raise tuition by 32 percent. Independent journalist Brandon Jourdan, who was embedded with the students inside the occupied building on Friday, files a report for Democracy Now!
Blackwater’s Secret War in Pakistan: Jeremy Scahill Reveals Private Military Firm Operating in Pakistan Under Covert Assassination and Kidnapping Program24 Nov 2009In an explosive new article in The Nation magazine, investigative journalist and Democracy Now! correspondent Jeremy Scahill reveals the private military firm Blackwater is part of a covert program in Pakistan that includes planning the assassination and kidnapping of Taliban and Al-Qaeda suspects. Blackwater is also said to be involved in a previously undisclosed U.S. military drone campaign that has killed scores of people inside Pakistan. The article says the program has become so secretive that top Obama administration and military officials have likely been unaware of its existence. In a Democracy Now! exclusive, Scahill joins us for his first interview since the story broke.
Headlines for November 24, 200924 Nov 2009Death Toll in Philippines Massacre Rises to 46, Including 12 Journalists, Report: Obama To Announce Plans to Send 34,000 More Troops, Rep. Obey Calls For War Surtax, Israel and Hamas Prepare to Exchange Prisoners, Study: Climate Change Will Result In More Civil Wars in Africa, 130 Climate Justice Activists Arrested At Australian Parliament, Britain Launches Iraq War Inquiry, D.C. to Pay Nearly $14 Million in Record Settlement to IMF Protesters, Obama Addresses Unemployment Crisis, 2.1 Million Cribs Recalled, FBI Releases New Hate Crime Data, California Man Jailed For Illegally Housing the Homeless, Train Station Glass Shattered As Officer Shoves Passenger Into Window, Lou Dobbs Considers a Presidential Run in 2012, Women of Zimbabwe Arise Honored At White Hosue
Naomi Klein on Climate Debt: Why Rich Countries Should Pay Reparations To Poor Countries For The Climate Crisis.23 Nov 2009With the Copenhagen climate summit two weeks ago, best-selling journalist Naomi Klein examines the grass-roots movement behind the climate debate proposal that argues all the costs associated with adapting to a more hostile ecology?everything from building stronger sea walls to switching to cleaner, more expensive technologies?are the responsibility of the countries that created the crisis. Klein also discusses the 10th anniversary of the Seattle WTO protests and the 10th anniversary of her first book, “No Logo.” [includes rush transcript-partial]
By 60-39 Vote, Senate Agrees to Open Debate on Healthcare Bill23 Nov 2009Health care reform cleared its first hurdle in the Senate this weekend. In a party line vote of 60-39, the Senate voted Saturday evening to open debate on the bill put forward by Senate Majority leader Harry Reid. All 58 Democrats and both Independents voted in favor of the motion while 39 out of 40 Republicans voted against it. At a news conference immediately following the vote, Reid said “The road ahead is a long stretch but we can see the finish line.” We speak to Ryan Grim of the Huffington Post about the vote and the House Finance Committee’s vote to audit the Federal Reserve.
Headlines for November 23, 200923 Nov 2009Senate Votes To Open Debate on Healthcare Bill, Unemployment Rate Rises in 29 States, Vulture Funds Make Millions Off Gov’t-Backed Home Loans, UC Students End Occupations in Berkeley and Santa Cruz, U.S. To Finance Anti-Taliban Militias in Afghanistan, 21 People Killed in Election Violence in the Philippines, Mubarak and Peres Discuss Israeli Settlements, B’tselem: 8,900 Lives Lost Over Past Two Decades in Israel-Palestine Conflict, Former Iranian VP Sentenced to Six Years in Jail, 65 World Leaders to Attend Copenhagen Climate Talks, Hackers Break Into Servers of UK Climate Research Unit, Radiation Leak At Three Mile Island Investigated, Philip Morris Ordered to Pay $300 Million to Ex-Smoker, Penn. Judges in Juvenile Prison Case Given Immunity From Civil Liability, Thousands Protest At Fort Benning; Four Arrested, Four Arrested in WV At Coal River Mountain Action, Bill Moyers To Retire; PBS Cancels ?Now?
Israel Under Widespread International Criticism for Settlement Expansion Plan20 Nov 2009Israel is coming under widespread international criticism for its plan to engage in a new round of illegal settlement expansion on occupied Palestinian land. Israel says it will build 900 new housing units in the East Jerusalem settlement of Gilo. Meanwhile, Palestinian Authority leaders began a renewed effort last week to win international support for formal Security Council endorsement of a Palestinian state based on 1967 borders. We speak with UCLA professor Saree Makdisi, author of Palestine Inside Out: An Everyday Occupation. [includes rush transcript]
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