Colleague of NYC Taxi Driver Stabbed in Anti-Muslim Attack Describes What Happened26 Aug 2010A New York City taxi driver was stabbed multiple times Tuesday after a drunken passenger determined he is a Muslim. The victim, Ahmed Sharif, was slashed across his face, neck and hands. Sharif says the suspect, Michael Enright, had asked him several questions about his religion, including whether he’s a Muslim and observing Ramadan. Bhairavi Desai of the New York Taxi Workers Alliance spoke with Sharif at his hospital bed. She describes what he said happened. [includes rush transcript]
Headlines for August 26, 201026 Aug 2010Over 50 Killed in Iraq Violence, Report: Corruption-Linked Afghan Official on CIA Payroll, New York Taxi Driver Stabbed in Anti-Muslim Attack, Religious, Civic Groups Form NY Coalition to Back Islamic Center, Islamic Center Vandalized in California; Kentucky Board Rejects Mosque, Top Obama Environmental Advisers Sidelined During Drilling Talks, 72 Killed in Mexico Drug Killings, Pakistani Towns Evacuated; 800,000 Cut Off from Aid, Scores Killed in Somali Clashes, Zelaya: US Subverting Honduran Democracy, Honduran Journalist Found Dead with Gunshot Wounds, Sweden Continues Probe of WikiLeaks Founder, WikiLeaks Releases CIA Report, Ex-RNC Chair Reveals He’s Gay, Study: More Than Half of Poor Infants Raised by Mothers Suffering from Depression, Deficit Commission Co-Chair Urged to Resign over Social Security Comments
UN Slow to Respond to Gang Rape of Almost 200 Women in the Congo26 Aug 2010Aid groups reported last week that Rwandan and Congolese rebels took over villages in the eastern part of the Democratic Republic of Congo and gang-raped almost 200 women and five young boys. The rapes occurred between July 30 and August 3, within miles of a United Nations peacekeeping base. A joint UN human rights team has now confirmed the rapes of 154 women.
Eve Ensler Reads “Congo Cancer: My Cancer Is Arbitrary. Congo’s Atrocities Are Very Deliberate”26 Aug 2010Earlier this year, award-winning playwright and bestselling author Eve Ensler was diagnosed with uterine cancer. In a widely read article in The Guardian newspaper of London titled “Congo Cancer,” Ensler writes about her illness and relates it to the widespread violence against women in Congo. “The atrocities committed against the people of Congo are not arbitrary, like my cancer. They are systematic, strategic and intentional,” she writes. [includes rush transcript]
Swimming Upstream: Eve Ensler Marks Fifth Anniversary of Hurricane Katrina with Performances of New Play26 Aug 2010The award-winning playwright Eve Ensler plans to mark the fifth anniversary of Hurricane Katrina by staging performances of her new work Swimming Upstream in New Orleans and New York City. The piece was written by sixteen women from New Orleans who describe surviving the flood and living through the aftermath of the storm, which permanently changed their city and many of their lives. [includes rush transcript]
Colleague of NYC Taxi Driver Stabbed in Anti-Muslim Attack Describes What Happened26 Aug 2010A New York City taxi driver was stabbed multiple times Tuesday after a drunken passenger determined he is a Muslim. The victim, Ahmed Sharif, was slashed across his face, neck and hands. Sharif says the suspect, Michael Enright, had asked him several questions about his religion, including whether he’s a Muslim and observing Ramadan. Bhairavi Desai of the New York Taxi Workers Alliance spoke with Sharif at his hospital bed. She describes what he said happened. [includes rush transcript]
Headlines for August 26, 201026 Aug 2010Over 50 Killed in Iraq Violence, Report: Corruption-Linked Afghan Official on CIA Payroll, New York Taxi Driver Stabbed in Anti-Muslim Attack, Religious, Civic Groups Form NY Coalition to Back Islamic Center, Islamic Center Vandalized in California; Kentucky Board Rejects Mosque, Top Obama Environmental Advisers Sidelined During Drilling Talks, 72 Killed in Mexico Drug Killings, Pakistani Towns Evacuated; 800,000 Cut Off from Aid, Scores Killed in Somali Clashes, Zelaya: US Subverting Honduran Democracy, Honduran Journalist Found Dead with Gunshot Wounds, Sweden Continues Probe of WikiLeaks Founder, WikiLeaks Releases CIA Report, Ex-RNC Chair Reveals He’s Gay, Study: More Than Half of Poor Infants Raised by Mothers Suffering from Depression, Deficit Commission Co-Chair Urged to Resign over Social Security Comments
Shirley Sherrod, Ousted from Agriculture Department, Rejects Offer to Return25 Aug 2010Shirley Sherrod, ousted from her job at the Agriculture Department last month, has rejected an offer to return to the USDA. Sherrod was forced out shortly after a right-wing website ran a video clip that was deceptively edited to make it appear that she was racist toward white farmers. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack forced Sherrod to resign shortly after the video was posted. Vilsack met with Sherrod Tuesday morning to try and convince her to return to the department. The two also discussed a settlement pending in the Senate for black farmers who have been victims of racism. We speak with John Boyd, the founder and president of the National Black Farmers Association. [includes rush transcript]
The New Yorker: Billionaire Brothers Charles & David Koch Have Quietly Given More Than $100 Million to Right-Wing Causes25 Aug 2010An article in the latest issue of The New Yorker magazine by Jane Mayer profiles billionaire brothers Charles and David Koch, two of the richest men in America who have quietly given more than a hundred million dollars to right-wing causes. Mayer writes, “The [Koch] brothers have funded opposition campaigns against so many Obama Administration policies—from health-care reform to the economic-stimulus program—that, in political circles, their ideological network is known as the Kochtopus.” [includes rush transcript]
As Five States Hold Primaries, a Look at the Role of Money in Politics25 Aug 2010Voters headed to the polls in Alaska, Arizona, Florida, Oklahoma and Vermont yesterday in a big day of state primaries. Florida Rep. Kendrick Meek defeated billionaire real estate mogul Jeff Greene in the state’s Democratic Senate primary. But billionaire businessman Rick Scott pulled off an upset over Attorney General Bill McCollum in the Florida gubernatorial primary after spending $30 million on the race. We take a look at the role of money in those and other primary races with Charles Lewis, founder of the Center for Public Integrity. [includes rush transcript]
Judge Rejects Death Row Prisoner Troy Davis’s Innocence Claim25 Aug 2010A federal judge in Georgia has rejected death row prisoner Troy Anthony Davis’s claims of innocence. Last year the Supreme Court took the unusual step of ordering a district court in Georgia to hold a special evidentiary hearing to consider evidence that surfaced after Davis’s conviction and might establish his innocence. Davis was convicted for the 1989 killing of an off-duty white police officer, Mark MacPhail. Since then, seven of the nine non-police witnesses have recanted their testimony, and there is no physical evidence tying him to the crime scene. [includes rush transcript]
Headlines for August 25, 201025 Aug 201033 Killed, Dozens Wounded in Iraq Violence, Witnesses: 8 Afghan Civilians Killed in US Attack, Top US Marine: Withdrawal Deadline Boosting Taliban Morale, WikiLeaks Announces Release of CIA Paper, Study: Microbes Eating Up Oil in Gulf of Mexico, McCain Holds Off Challenger; Murkowski Trails in Alaska GOP Race, Rep. Meek Defeats Billionaire Challenger in Fla. Dem Senate, MSHA Fines Safety Violations at 4 Mines, Admin to Appeal Blocking of Stem Cell Funding, Report: NOLA Officers Ordered to Shoot Looters After Katrina, Carter Lands in North Korea to Free US Prisoner, Israeli FM: Settlement Construction to Resume Next Month, Texas School Rejects Admission for Daughter of Lesbian Couple
Shirley Sherrod, Ousted from Agriculture Department, Rejects Offer to Return25 Aug 2010Shirley Sherrod, ousted from her job at the Agriculture Department last month, has rejected an offer to return to the USDA. Sherrod was forced out shortly after a right-wing website ran a video clip that was deceptively edited to make it appear that she was racist toward white farmers. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack forced Sherrod to resign shortly after the video was posted. Vilsack met with Sherrod Tuesday morning to try and convince her to return to the department. The two also discussed a settlement pending in the Senate for black farmers who have been victims of racism. We speak with John Boyd, the founder and president of the National Black Farmers Association.
The New Yorker: Billionaire Brothers Charles & David Koch Have Quietly Given More Than $100 Million to Right-Wing Causes25 Aug 2010An article in the latest issue of The New Yorker Magazine by Jane Mayer profiles billionaire brothers Charles and David Koch, two of the richest men in America who have quietly given more than a hundred million dollars to right-wing causes. Mayer writes, “The [Koch] brothers have funded opposition campaigns against so many Obama Administration policies – from health-care reform to the economic-stimulus program – that, in political circles, their ideological network is known as the Kochtopus.”
As Five States Hold Primaries, a Look at the Role of Money in Politics25 Aug 2010Voters headed to the polls in Alaska, Arizona, Florida, Oklahoma and Vermont yesterday in a big day of state primaries. Florida Rep. Kendrick Meek defeated billionaire real estate mogul Jeff Greene in the state’s Democratic Senate primary. But billionaire businessman Rick Scott pulled off an upset over Attorney General Bill McCollum in the Florida gubernatorial primary after spending $30 million on the race. We take a look at the role of money in those and other primary races with Charles Lewis, founder of the Center for Public Integrity. [includes rush transcript]
Judge Rejects Death Row Prisoner Troy Davis’s Innocence Claim25 Aug 2010A federal judge in Georgia has rejected death row prisoner Troy Anthony Davis’s claims of innocence. Last year the Supreme Court took the unusual step of ordering a district court in Georgia to hold a special evidentiary hearing to consider evidence that surfaced after Davis’s conviction and might establish his innocence. Davis was convicted for the 1989 killing of an off-duty white police officer, Mark MacPhail. Since then, seven of the nine non-police witnesses have recanted their testimony, and there is no physical evidence tying him to the crime scene. [includes rush transcript]
Headlines for August 25, 201025 Aug 201033 Killed, Dozens Wounded in Iraq Violence, Witnesses: 8 Afghan Civilians Killed in US Attack, Top US Marine: Withdrawal Deadline Boosting Taliban Morale, WikiLeaks Announces Release of CIA Paper, Study: Microbes Eating Up Oil in Gulf of Mexico, McCain Holds Off Challenger; Murkowski Trails in Alaska GOP Race, Rep. Meek Defeats Billionaire Challenger in Fla. Dem Senate, MSHA Fines Safety Violations at 4 Mines, Admin to Appeal Blocking of Stem Cell Funding, Report: NOLA Officers Ordered to Shoot Looters After Katrina, Carter Lands in North Korea to Free US Prisoner, Israeli FM: Settlement Construction to Resume Next Month, Texas School Rejects Admission for Daughter of Lesbian Couple
Judge Blocks Federal Funding for Embryonic Stem Cell Research24 Aug 2010A federal judge has blocked President Obama’s executive order restoring funding for embryonic stem cell research. On Monday, US District Judge Royce Lamberth said the funding violates a 1996 law prohibiting federal money for any research that destroys or threatens human embryos. Obama’s order had overturned a move by his predecessor George W. Bush to further restrict stem cell funding. [includes rush transcript]
Judge Blocks Federal Funding for Embryonic Stem Cell Research24 Aug 2010A federal judge has blocked President Obama’s executive order restoring funding for embryonic stem cell research. On Monday, US District Judge Royce Lamberth said the funding violates a 1996 law prohibiting federal money for any research that destroys or threatens human embryos. Obama’s order had overturned a move by his predecessor George W. Bush to further restrict stem cell funding.
Largest Egg Recall in US History Brings Renewed Attention to Dangers of Industrial Farming24 Aug 2010The largest egg recall in US history is bringing renewed attention to the dangers of factory farming and to growing consolidation in the industries responsible for the food many Americans eat. Over half a billion eggs have been pulled off US shelves in the past two weeks following an outbreak of salmonella in the Midwest. Nearly 1,300 cases of people sickened by the eggs have been reported. Despite the size of the recall, responsibility falls on just two factory farms: Hillandale Farms and Wright County Egg, both from Iowa. [includes rush transcript]
Headlines for August 24, 201024 Aug 2010Senators McCain, Murkowski Face Primary Challenges, Judge Blocks Federal Funding for Embryonic Stem Cell Research, One Million Pakistanis Face Starvation in Balochistan, Relief Agencies Blocked from Using Pakistani Air Base Tied to US, US Drone Strike in Pakistan Kills 4 Women, 3 Children, NATO Troops Accused of Killing Eight Afghan Civilians, Imam Feisal Defends Islam as a Peaceful Religion, Thousands of Dead Fish Found in Mississippi River, Almost 200 Women Gang-Raped in the Congo, Suicide Bomber and Gunmen Attack Somali Hotel, 100,000 Left Homeless by Floods in Niger, Eight Tourists Killed in the Philippines, Report: 8.4 Million Californians Lack Health Insurance, US Submits First Ever Human Rights Report to the UN, Charges Dropped for 100 G20 Protesters, Protesters Block Buses Carrying Soldiers at Fort Hood
Scientist Accuses Obama Administration and BP of Underestimating Amount of Oil Left in Gulf of Mexico23 Aug 2010New evidence has badly shaken the Obama administration’s rosy narrative about the alleged disappearance of most of the oil that gushed into the Gulf of Mexico from BP’s blown-out well. Early this month a report by government scientists declared that three-quarters of the oil had vanished, either collected or dispersed. But numerous reports contradict the administration’s sanguine picture of the cleanup effort. We speak to Ian MacDonald, an oceanographer and expert on measuring oil spills from Florida State University. He testified at a congressional hearing last week and said the actual amount of oil removed from the Gulf is only around ten percent and predicted the spill will likely remain harmful for decades. [includes rush transcript – partial]
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