Headlines for May 12, 2010
12 May 2010
Senate Votes to Audit Federal Reserve, Goldman Sachs and Other Banks Report ?Perfect? First Quarters, Agency Overseeing Offshore Drilling to Be Split Up, Cameron to Lead Coalition British Government, Link Between Times Sq. Bomber and Pakistani Taliban Questioned, Clinton Meets with Karzai in Washington, Hersh: US Carrying Out ?Battlefield Executions? in Afghanistan, 103 Die in Libyan Plane Crash, Environmental Groups Criticize Kerry-Lieberman Climate Bill, EU Climate Commissioner Proposes 30% Emissions Cuts, Arizona Bans Ethnic Studies in Public Schools, UN Human Rights Experts Criticize Arizona Law, Massachusetts Town Bans Sale of All Bottled Water, 40 Years Ago: KKK Bombs Transmitter of Pacifica’s KPFT in Houston

“The People of Greece Are Fighting for the Whole of Europe”: Tariq Ali and Mark Weisbrot Discuss Greece’s Economic Crisis and Popular Uprising
11 May 2010
The European Union and the International Monetary Fund have approved a nearly $1 trillion package to stop Greece’s debt crisis from spilling beyond its borders into the rest of the eurozone. Stocks surged in Europe, Asia and the United States Monday after EU leaders agreed to a $960 billion package to contain Greece’s financial troubles. Meanwhile, the austerity measures demanded by the IMF and the European Union as a condition of their loan are continuing to exact their toll. Greece’s two main unions have continued to hold protests against the reforms. In a statement, one of the unions said, “The crisis should be paid by…all those who looted public finances.” Last week nearly 100,000 people participated in a mass demonstration and a twenty-four-hour general strike against the austerity measures.

Tariq Ali on Britain’s Political Deadlock, Gordon Brown’s Resignation and Pakistan’s Role in the Times Square Bombing Attempt
11 May 2010
In Britain, the unfolding political drama following last week’s inconclusive elections has taken a new twist. On Monday, Prime Minister Gordon Brown offered to resign as head of the Labor Party later this year. He announced the opening of formal negotiations with the rival Liberal Democratic Party to form a progressive alliance and block the Conservative Party from retaking power. The Conservatives, led by David Cameron, won most seats in Parliament in last week’s elections but fell short of a majority. We speak with longtime political commentator and writer Tariq Ali in London. [includes rush transcript – partial]

Pioneering African American Actress, Singer and Civil Rights Activist Lena Horne, 92, Dies
11 May 2010
Lena Horne enjoyed a six-decade singing career on stage, television and in film. She was the first black woman to be signed to a long-term contract by a major Hollywood studio. She helped break racial boundaries by acting alongside white entertainers, but she was segregated on screen so producers could clip out her singing when the movies ran in the South. In the 1950s, she was blacklisted in part because of her friendship with Paul Robeson and W.E.B. Du Bois. In 1963, Lena Horne took part in the March on Washington alongside Harry Belafonte and Dick Gregory and was part of a group, which included authors James Baldwin and Lorraine Hansberry, that met with Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy to urge a more active approach to desegregation. We air a rare 1966 interview with Lena Horne from the Pacifica Radio Archives and speak to her biographer, James Gavin. [includes rush transcript]

Headlines for May 11, 2010
11 May 2010
Obama: Elana Kagan Is One of Nation’s ?Foremost Legal Minds?, Leahy: Glad to See Nominee ?From Outside the Judicial Monastery?, Friend: Kagan’s Judicial Views Remain ?Something of a Mystery?, Report: Kagan Backed Ban on Late-Term Abortions, Kagan’s Record on Diversity at Harvard Scrutinized, Patches of Oil Wash Ashore in Louisiana, BP Resumes Using Chemical Dispersants in Gulf, Tests Show High High Levels of Airborne Chemicals in Area, 119 Die as Bombs Hit 10 Iraqi Cities, Red Cross: US Is Running Secret Prison at Bagram, Karzai in Washington for High-Level Talks, 14 Die in US Drone Strike in Pakistan, 47 Russian Coal Miners Die in Explosion, Palestinians: Expansion of Israeli Settlements Jeopardize Peace Talks, Iran Issues Visas to Mothers of Detained US Hikers, Egypt to Extend State of Emergency, Bolivian Workers Begin Strike, Hip-Hop Group Cypress Hill Cancels Arizona Concert, Sen. Menendez Calls for Boycott of 2011 All-Star Game in Arizona

Court Orders Documentary Filmmaker to Hand Ecuador Footage to Chevron
10 May 2010
Last week a federal court in Manhattan ordered a documentary filmmaker to hand over to Chevron hundreds of hours of footage. Joseph Berlinger?s award-winning film, Crude: The Real Price of Oil, chronicles the struggle of indigenous Ecuadorians against ChevronTexaco?s oil contamination of their land. It focuses on the seventeen-year legal battle between Chevron and 30,000 Ecuadorians who say their land, rivers, wells, livestock and bodies were poisoned by decades of reckless oil drilling in the rainforest. Chevron has sought Berlinger?s outtakes to help defend itself against an Ecuadorian lawsuit seeking $27 billion in environmental damages.

Peter Maass on “Crude World: The Violent Twilight of Oil”
10 May 2010
Author Peter Maass writes about how oil has resulted in devastation around the world in his new book, Crude World: The Violent Twilight of Oil. Maass spent eight years traveling the globe to discover the costs of oil production to the planet. Peter Maass is an award-winning investigative journalist and author and a contributing writer to the New York Times Magazine. He joins us now from Boston.

Progressives Divided over Obama’s Nomination of Elena Kagan to Supreme Court
10 May 2010
President Obama is nominating Solicitor General Elena Kagan to the Supreme Court. He is scheduled to make the announcement this morning at the White House. Kagan would replace retiring Justice John Paul Stevens on the bench. If confirmed, the fifty-year-old Kagan would be the Court’s youngest member. She would become the fourth female Supreme Court justice in US history and the third on the Court’s current bench. She would also be the first justice in nearly four decades without any prior judicial experience. Legal blogger Glenn Greenwald and law professor Jamin Raskin debate the nomination of Elena Kagan.

Headlines for May 10, 2010
10 May 2010
Obama to Pick Kagan for Supreme Court, Holder Backs Limiting Miranda Rights for Terror Suspects, US: Pakistani Taliban Directed Times Square Bombing, Civilian Deaths Spike at US Checkpoints in Afghanistan, BP Attempt to Stop Oil Spill Fails, Obama Administration Approves 27 New Offshore Drilling Permits, Holder Expresses Concern over Arizona’s Anti-Immigrant Law, EU & IMF OK $1 Trillion Rescue Package, Record 40 Million Americans Receive Food Stamps, Evo Morales Discusses Climate Change with Ban Ki-Moon, Senators Urge Obama to Sign Land Mine Ban Treaty, IAEA to Discuss Israel’s Secret Nuclear Weapons Arsenal, Mary Kay Henry Named New SEIU President, Pioneering Black Singer and Actor Lena Horne, 92, Dies, Human Rights Attorney Rhonda Copelon, 65, Dies

“Mom: A Celebration of Mothers from StoryCorps”
7 May 2010
It’s mother’s day on Sunday. We pay tribute to mom’s everywhere with award-winning radio producer Dave Isay, editor of the new book, “Mom: A Celebration of Mothers from StoryCorps.” Isay is the founder of StoryCorps, one of the largest oral history projects in US history.

Lieberman, Brown Proposal to Strip Terror Suspects of U.S. Citizenship is “Constitutional Buffoonery,” Says Attorney
7 May 2010
Independent Senator Joseph Lieberman of Connecticut and Republican Senator Scott Brown of Massachusetts introduced a measure Thursday to strip Americans charged with terrorism of their U.S. citizenship. We speak with Shayana Kadidal, senior attorney at the Center for Constitutional Rights who says the proposal is “constitutional buffoonery.”

Juan Gonzalez: Big Banks Making a Bundle On New Construction as Schools Bear the Cost
7 May 2010
“Wealthy investors and major banks have been making windfall profits by using a little-known federal tax break to finance new charter-school construction,” Democracy Now! co-host Juan Gonzalez write in the New York Daily News. “The program, the New Markets Tax Credit, is so lucrative that a lender who uses it can almost double his money in seven years.”

Government Exempted BP from Environmental Review
7 May 2010
Newly-released documents show government regulators exempted BP from a comprehensive environmental review of the project that resulted in the spill. The Minerals Management Service granted BP a ?categorical exclusion? from a full review before approving the project just over a year ago. We speak with Kieran Suckling, executive director of the Center for Biological Diversity.

Headlines for May 7, 2010
7 May 2010
BP Oil Slick Reaches La. Shores, U.S. Imposes 3-Week Freeze on New Offshore Drilling Permits, Labor, Civil Rights Groups Urge Arizona Boycott, Senate Defeats Amendment to Break Up Banks, Sen. Sanders Withdraws Fed Oversight Measure, Study: Americans “Bombarded” With Cancer Causes, Fmr. Interrogator: Khadr Was Told of Gang-Rape After Capture, Pentagon Bans 4 Reporters from Gitmo Trials, Fmr. Guatemalan Soldier Involved in 1982 Massacre Arrested in Florida, Greek Lawmakers Approve New Austerity Measures, Burmese Opposition Party Dissolves, 2 Palestinian Civil Rights Activists Jailed, Biden Urges EU to Provide Passenger, Financial Data, Filmmaker Ordered to Hand Ecuador Footage to Chevron, Ohio Police Raid Home of Foreclosure Activist

Pima County Sheriff Refuses to Enforce “Unconstitutional” Controversial AZ Anti-Immigrant Law
6 May 2010
Protests continue across the country to denounce Arizona’s controversial new anti-immigrant law, which allows police officers to stop and interrogate anyone they suspect is an undocumented immigrant. We go to Arizona to speak with Pima County Sheriff Clarence Dupnik, who calls the law “unconstitutional” and says he won’t enforce it. [Includes rush transcript]

Muslim Vendor Gets No Credit in Helping to Foil Times Square Bomb Plot
6 May 2010
As the media focuses on the fact that the suspect in the failed Times Square bomb plot is a Pakistani Muslim. What about the man who first noticed the smoke rising from the SUV? A street vendor, a Muslim immigrant from Senegal, says he first sounded the alarm and helped stop the plot.

House Vote On Puerto Rico’s Status Divides Hispanic Lawmakers
6 May 2010
The House last week approved a measure that would allow a referendum on Puerto Rico?s political future. The bill provides for a two-step process in which Puerto Ricans would first vote on whether they wish to maintain the island?s current status as a U.S. commonwealth or change direction. If the latter choice prevails, Puerto Rico could then hold a second vote presenting four options: statehood, independence, the current status or sovereignty linked to the United States. We speak with Rep. Jose Serrano, who backed the measure.

History of BP Includes Role in 1953 Iran Coup After Nationalization of Oil
6 May 2010
As tens of thousands of gallons of oil continue to spew into the Gulf of Mexico from the BP oil spill we continue our series on BP. Sixty years ago, BP was called the Anglo-Iranian Oil Company. We look at the story of the company’s role in the 1953 CIA coup against Iran’s popular progressive Prime Minister Mohamed Mossadegh.

From Basketball to Baseball, Professional Athletes Speak Out in Opposition to AZ Immigration Law
6 May 2010
Opposition to Arizona’s new anti-immigrant law has extended into the world of sports. Over the past week, numerous professional athletes have publicly criticized the law and even threatened to boycott games in Arizona. We speak with sportswriter, Dave Zirin. [Includes rush transcript – partial]

Headlines for May 6, 2010
6 May 2010
BP to Attempt Spill Containment With Giant Dome, U.S. Exempted BP from Environmental Review, Pakistani FM: Attempted Bombing “Retaliation” for CIA Drone Strikes, Sens. Lieberman, Brown to Propose Stripping Terror Suspects of U.S. Citizenship, CIA Received Expanded Authority for Drone Strikes, 3 Killed in Greek Protests, Nigerian President Umaru Yar’Adua Dies, FCC to Unveil New Broadband Regulations, House Appropriations Chair Obey Announces Retirement, Anti-Gay Scholar Hired Gay Male Escort for Overseas Trip, 6 Protesters Arrested at Cargill HQ

Amy Goodman and Democracy Now! Producers File Lawsuit Over RNC Arrests
5 May 2010
Democracy Now! host and executive producer Amy Goodman along with producers Sharif Abdel Kouddous and Nicole Salazar are filing a federal lawsuit today that challenges the police crackdown on journalists at the Republican National Convention in 2008.

U.S. Says Suspect Admits to Failed Times Square Bombing
5 May 2010
The US government says the suspect in Saturday’s failed Times Square car bombing has admitted to carrying out the attempted attack. 30-year old Faisal Shahzad was charged Tuesday in a federal court in Manhattan with five counts including attempting to use a weapon of mass destruction and transporting an explosive device with the intent to kill. [Includes rush transcript – partial]

BP Oil Spill Highlights Poor Safety Record, the Worst of Any Oil Company in America
5 May 2010
“BP is a London-based oil company with one of the worst safety records of any oil company operating in America,” says Tyson Slocum of Public Citizen. “In just the last few years,BP has paid $485 million in fines and settlements to the US government for environmental crimes, willful neglect of worker safety rules, and penalties for manipulating energy markets.” We speak with Slocum and with an attorney representing several workers who survived the blast that sank BP’s Deepwater Horizon rig. He’s also representing the wife of one of the 11 workers now presumed dead who is filing a lawsuit accusing BP of negligence. [Includes rush transcript – partial]

BP Funnels Millions into Lobbying to Influence Regulation and Re-Brand Image
5 May 2010
We speak with Antonia Juhasz, author of The Tyranny of Oil: The World’s Most Powerful Industry ? and What We Must Do To Stop It. “The entire oil industry, will continue to use its vast wealth ? unequaled by any global industry ? to escape regulation, restriction, oversight and enforcement,” Juhasz writes. “BP, now the source of the last two great deadly US oil industry explosions, has shown us that this simply cannot be permitted.” [Includes rush transcript – partial]

Headlines for May 5, 2010
5 May 2010
BP: Spill Could Be 10 Times Current Estimate, U.S.: Suspect Admits to Failed Times Square Bombing, N.Y. Officials Push for Expanded Surveillance, Greeks Protest Austerity Measures With National Strike, Ahmadinejad: Sanctions Would Hurt U.S. More Than Iran, Israeli Settlers Accused of Burning West Bank Mosque, EPA Delays Move on Classifying Coal Ash as Hazardous Waste, Phoenix Suns to Protest Arizona Anti-Immigrant Law, Arizona Measure Could Ban Ethnic Studies Program, Plant Overlooked Contaminated Materials in Children’s Medicines, Democracy Now! Files Lawsuit Over RNC Arrests