Headlines for November 19, 200919 Nov 2009Reid Unveils Senate Healthcare Reform Bill, Study: House Measure Will Reduce Abortion Availability, Obama: US Won’t Meet Deadline for Gitmo Closure, Report: Blackwater Could Avoid Criminal Charges with Fines, CIA Prison Uncovered in Lithuania, Karzai Sworn In to New Term, 17 Killed in Pakistan Bombing, US Observes International Criminal Court Session, Food Summit Ends with Vague Pledge on Hunger, GOPers Block Debate on Credit Card Rate Freeze, UC Regents to Approve 32% Tuition Hike, Charges Filed in Slaying of Gay P.R. Teen, Funeral Held for Gay Teen in Baltimore
As Wall Street Posts Record Profits and US Hunger Rate Grows, Robert Scheer Asks: “Where Is the Community Organizer We Elected?”19 Nov 2009A pair of new government reports released this week paint a startling picture more than a year after the economic meltdown. On Tuesday, the New York Comptroller Office said Wall Street profits are set to exceed the record set three years ago. The four largest firms took in $22.5 billion in profits through September. Meanwhile, far more people are going hungry in the United States than previously thought. The Department of Agriculture estimates 50 million Americans, including a quarter of all children, struggled to get enough to eat last year. We speak to veteran journalist Robert Scheer.
Iraq Vote in Limbo with Veto of Election Law19 Nov 2009Plans for Iraq to hold elections in January are up in the air after Iraq’s vice president vetoed part of an election law over the allocation of seats to Iraqis displaced by the US invasion and occupation. Vice President Tareq al-Hashemi, who is Sunni, said he objected to Article One of the election law approved by parliament this month because it did not give a voice to Iraqis abroad. We speak to Iraqi political analyst Raed Jarrar.
Shunning Dissidents, Obama Leaves China Without Firm Pledges on Trade, Climate19 Nov 2009President Barack Obama’s first official trip to China resulted in no firm agreements and has been criticized as being tightly scripted by Beijing. We discuss Obama’s visit and the future of US-Chinese relations with British author and journalist Martin Jacques, author of When China Rules the World: The End of the Western World and the Birth of a New Global Order. [includes rush transcript]
Headlines for November 19, 200919 Nov 2009Reid Unveils Senate Healthcare Reform Bill, Study: House Measure Will Reduce Abortion Availability, Obama: US Won’t Meet Deadline for Gitmo Closure, Report: Blackwater Could Avoid Criminal Charges with Fines, CIA Prison Uncovered in Lithuania, Karzai Sworn In to New Term, 17 Killed in Pakistan Bombing, US Observes International Criminal Court Session, Food Summit Ends with Vague Pledge on Hunger, GOPers Block Debate on Credit Card Rate Freeze, UC Regents to Approve 32% Tuition Hike, Charges Filed in Slaying of Gay P.R. Teen, Funeral Held for Gay Teen in Baltimore
“The Card Game” – New Doc Investigates History of Credit Card Industry and Proposals for Reform18 Nov 2009We take a look at how the consumer loan industry continues to squeeze customers. Last year the Federal Reserve Board announced new rules for banks to remove unfair credit card practices, and in May of this year Congress passed the Credit Card Accountability, Responsibility and Disclosure Act of 2009. In a joint FRONTLINE/New York Times investigation, The Card Game, longtime investigative journalist and FRONTLINE correspondent Lowell Bergman talked to industry insiders, lobbyists, politicians and consumer advocates about how to reform the way the consumer loan industry has done business for decades. [includes rush transcript]
EXCLUSIVE: Civil Rights Attorney Lynne Stewart Responds to Court Ruling Upholding Conviction and Ordering Her to Prison18 Nov 2009Civil rights attorney Lynne Stewart has been ordered to prison to begin serving a two-and-a-half-year sentence after a federal appeals court upheld her conviction on Tuesday. Lynne Stewart was found guilty in 2005 of distributing press releases on behalf of her jailed client, Sheikh Omar Abdel-Rahman, also known as the “Blind Sheikh,” who is serving a life sentence on terror-related charges. The panel also described Stewart’s twenty-eight-month sentence as “strikingly low” and sent the case back to the trial judge to determine whether she deserved a longer prison term. In a Democracy Now! national broadcast exclusive, Lynne Stewart joins us from New York. [includes rush transcript]
Headlines for November 18, 200918 Nov 2009Wall Street Headed for Record Profits in 2009, US, China Could Back Emissions Targets, Senate Delays Climate Bill Vote Until 2010, African Union Calls for Global Warming Reparations, NATO Head: “Substantially More Forces” Headed to Afghanistan, US Military Suicides at Record Level, Israel to Build 900 New Homes in E. Jerusalem Settlement, In Landmark Ceremony, El Salvador Honors Slain Jesuit Priests, Honduran Congress Delays Vote on Zelaya’s Return, 5 Sentenced to Death in Iran Protests Trial, In Shift, Senate Preserves Funding for Gitmo Transfers, Public Campaign Forces Apparel Giant to Rehire Unionized Workers, UIUC Grad Students End Strike
“The Card Game” – New Doc Investigates History of Credit Card Industry and Proposals for Reform18 Nov 2009We take a look at how the consumer loan industry continues to squeeze customers. Last year the Federal Reserve Board announced new rules for banks to remove unfair credit card practices, and in May of this year Congress passed the Credit Card Accountability, Responsibility and Disclosure Act of 2009. In a joint Frontline/New York Times investigation, “The Card Game,” longtime investigative journalist and Frontline correspondent Lowell Bergman talked to industry insiders, lobbyists, politicians and consumer advocates about how to reform the way the consumer loan industry has done business for decades.
EXCLUSIVE: Civil Rights Attorney Lynne Stewart Responds to Court Ruling Upholding Conviction and Ordering Her to Prison18 Nov 2009Civil rights attorney Lynne Stewart has been ordered to prison to begin serving a two-and-a-half-year sentence after a federal appeals court upheld her conviction on Tuesday. Lynne Stewart was found guilty in 2005 of distributing press releases on behalf of her jailed client, Sheikh Omar Abdel-Rahman, also known as the “Blind Sheikh,” who is serving a life sentence on terror-related charges. The panel also described Stewart’s twenty-eight-month sentence as “strikingly low” and sent the case back to the trial judge to determine whether she deserved a longer prison term. In a Democracy Now! national broadcast exclusive, Lynne Stewart joins us from New York. [includes rush transcript]
Headlines for November 18, 200918 Nov 2009Wall Street Headed for Record Profits in 2009, US, China Could Back Emissions Targets, Senate Delays Climate Bill Vote Until 2010, African Union Calls for Global Warming Reparations, NATO Head: “Substantially More Forces” Headed to Afghanistan, US Military Suicides at Record Level, Israel to Build 900 New Homes in E. Jerusalem Settlement, In Landmark Ceremony, El Salvador Honors Slain Jesuit Priests, Honduran Congress Delays Vote on Zelaya’s Return, 5 Sentenced to Death in Iran Protests Trial, In Shift, Senate Preserves Funding for Gitmo Transfers, Public Campaign Forces Apparel Giant to Rehire Unionized Workers, UIUC Grad Students End Strike
Raj Patel on America’s Growing Hunger Crisis and the UN Summit to Fight Hunger in Rome17 Nov 2009More than 49 million Americans—or one in seven—struggled to find enough to eat last year, according to a report from the US Department of Agriculture released Monday. That’s the highest total since the federal government began keeping track of food insecurity. Meanwhile, leaders from most of the world are gathered in Rome to tackle hunger on a global scale at the UN World Food Summit, but leaders of the world’s richest countries were largely absent from the summit. We speak with Raj Patel, author of Stuffed and Starved: Markets, Power and the Hidden Battle for the World’s Food System. [includes rush transcript]
Raj Patel on America’s Growing Hunger Crisis and the UN Summit to Fight Hunger in Rome17 Nov 2009More than 49 million Americans—or one in seven—struggled to find enough to eat last year, according to a report from the US Department of Agriculture released Monday. That’s the highest total since the federal government began keeping track of food insecurity. Meanwhile, leaders from most of the world are gathered in Rome to tackle hunger on a global scale at the UN World Food Summit, but leaders of the world’s richest countries were largely absent from the summit. We speak with Raj Patel, author of Stuffed and Starved: Markets, Power and the Hidden Battle for the World’s Food System. [includes rush transcript]
Obama Nominates Pesticide Executive to Be Chief Agricultural Negotiator in the Office of the US Trade Representative17 Nov 2009President Obama’s nominee for the Chief Agricultural Negotiator in the office of the US Trade Representative, Islam Siddiqui is currently a vice president at CropLife America, a coalition of the major industrial players in the pesticide industry, including Syngenta, Monsanto, and Dow Chemical. He was previously a lobbyist for CropLife and also served in the US Department of Agriculture under President Clinton and the California Department of Food and Agriculture. A coalition of over eighty environmental, family farm and consumer advocacy organizations have sent a letter to the Senate Finance Committee urging them to reject his nomination.
Why Are We Destroying Public Education? University of California Students and Staff Prepare for System-Wide Strike to Protest Cuts17 Nov 2009The governing body of the University of California system, the Board of Regents, is preparing to vote on a major tuition hike for both undergraduate and graduate students. Undergraduate tuition would rise an average 32 percent, while some graduate schools would begin charging thousands of dollars for programs that are currently tuition-free. The Regents are meeting Thursday at UCLA, where students from across the state are converging for what organizers have dubbed a “Crisis Fest,” including mass protests, civil disobedience and teach-ins.
Headlines for November 17, 200917 Nov 2009World Leaders: No Binding Deal on Climate Change Until 2010, Gov’t Report: Quarter of All US Children Went Hungry Last Year, Percentage of Delinquent Mortgages Reach New High, NAACP, AFL-CIO Call on Obama to Do More to Create Jobs, Gov’t Audit Criticizes Handing of AIG Bailout, Palestinians Threaten to Form Independent State, US to Attend ICC Meeting as Observer, Gates Blocks Release of Torture Photos, Five Arrested at Fort Huachuca, Biotech Lobbyists Write Statements for Dozens of Lawmakers, Drug Industry Raises Prescription Drug Prices, Nation’s Oldest Gay and Lesbian Newspaper Shuts Down, Holder Urged to Probe Possible Puerto Rican Hate Crime, FBI Tracked Studs Terkel for 45 Years, KPFA Programmer Andrea Lewis, 52, Dies
A Tribute to Yip Harburg: The Man Who Put the Rainbow in The Wizard of Oz16 Nov 2009His name might not be familiar to many, but his songs are sung by millions around the world. Today, a journey through the life and work of Yip Harburg, the Broadway lyricist who wrote such hits as ?Brother, Can You Spare a Dime?? and who put the music into The Wizard of Oz. Born into poverty on the Lower East Side of Manhattan, Yip always included a strong social and political component to his work, fighting racism and poverty. A lifelong socialist, Yip was blacklisted and hounded throughout much of his life. Taking us on today?s trip through the music and politics of Yip is his son, Ernie Harburg. First, we?re going to go through Yip?s early life, his collaboration with the Gershwin?s, through ?Brother, Can You Spare a Dime?? Then we?re going to take an in-depth look at The Wizard of Oz. And finally, we?ll hear a medley of Yip Harburg?s Broadway songs and the politics of the times in which they were created. [includes rush transcript]
Alleging Unconstitutional Targeting, ACORN Sues US Gov’t Over Defunding Vote13 Nov 2009The anti-poverty group ACORN has filed a lawsuit against the US government that accuses Congress of punitively targeting the organization. In September, the Senate and the House voted on legislation to strip ACORN of federal funding following the release of a video in which employees of ACORN were secretly recorded giving tax advice to two conservative activists dressed up as a pimp and a prostitute. ACORN has long been a target of right-wing scorn for its work helping poor people fight foreclosures, fix tax problems, and register to vote. We speak with Bill Quigley, legal director of the Center for Constitutional Rights, who filed the lawsuit on ACORN’s behalf. [includes rush transcript]
CAIR: US Seizure of 4 Mosques over Alleged Iran Ties Threatens Religious Freedom13 Nov 2009Federal prosecutors have moved to seize four mosques and a New York skyscraper belonging to a non-profit foundation with alleged financial ties to Iran. The Council on American-Islamic Relations warns that the seizure of places of worship may have First Amendment implications for the American Muslim community.
Farewell to the Firehouse: After 8 Years at Downtown Community Television Landmark, Democracy Now! Moves to New Home13 Nov 2009After eight years of broadcasting out of Downtown Community Television’s historic firehouse, Democracy Now! is moving to new studios. DCTV’s Keiko Tsuno and Jon Alpert took us in shortly before the 9/11 attacks, giving us a beloved home in one of the country’s leading community television centers. We will be on the road for two weeks and then begin broadcasting from our new studios in an old graphic arts building occupied for years by printing presses. [includes rush transcript]
Alleged 9/11 Mastermind and 4 Other Gitmo Prisoners to Stand Trial in NY Federal Court13 Nov 2009Attorney General Eric Holder is expected to announce today that five men accused of plotting the September 11, 2001 attacks, including alleged mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, will be tried in a criminal court in New York instead of a military commission. The move marks one of the first major steps by the Obama administration to close the prison at Guantanamo. To assess the future of Guantanamo Bay and the more than 200 men still in detention there, we speak with British journalist and historian Andy Worthington, author of The Guantnamo Files: The Stories of the 774 Detainees in America?s Illegal Prison.
Eminent Domain Outrage in Connecticut: Pharmaceutical Giant Pfizer to Leave New London, Site of Major Housing Battle13 Nov 2009Homeowners in New London, Connecticut took on the city’s leaders after they announced plans to condemn all of the homes in one neighborhood to make way for a private development project for pharmaceutical giant Pfizer. The city said it would bring in thousands of jobs. After a 2005 Supreme Court ruling against the homeowners, the entire neighborhood was bulldozed. This week Pfizer announced it is shutting down its research center. [includes rush transcript]
Headlines for November 13, 200913 Nov 2009Alleged 9/11 Conspirators to Be Tried in NY, US Seizes Mosques, Buildings for Alleged Iran Ties, Gates “Appalled” by Admin Leaks on Afghan War, British PM: US Allies Could Send 5,000 Troops to Afghanistan, Obama Rejects Visit to Hiroshima, Nagasaki, Ft. Hood Suspect Charged, Faces Death Penalty, On 10th Anniversary of Glass-Steagall Repeal, Watchdog Says Bailout “Almost Certainly” Will Result in Taxpayer Loss, Fed to Bar Overdraft Fees, Reid Mulls Medicare Payroll Tax for Top Earners, Insurance Giant Recruits Employees to Oppose Public Option, RNC Orders Insurance Plan to Stop Covering Abortions, Ex-Manager of Postville Plant Convicted of Financial Fraud, Pakistan Denies Report of China Nuclear Ties, Group: Colombian Gov’t, Paramilitaries Responsible for Vast Majority of Abuses, Obama to Hold Unemployment Summit, Report: Admin Considers Short-Term Climate Pact
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