In Worst-Ever Shooting of Its Kind, 13 Dead, 30 Wounded at Ft. Hood Military Base; Suspect Had Reportedly Complained of Anti-Muslim Bias
6 Nov 2009
In the worst mass killing at a military base in the nation’s history, thirteen people have been killed and another thirty wounded at Fort Hood, Texas. The suspect, Army psychiatrist Major Nidal Malik Hasan, had reportedly complained of being harassed for being a Muslim and had tried to leave the military. It was the second such attack in the past six months, following the May shooting deaths of five US soldiers at Camp Liberty in Iraq. We speak to Qaseem Uqdah of American Muslim Armed Forces and Veterans Affairs Council and independent journalist Aaron Glantz, author of The War Comes Home: Washington’s Battle Against America’s Veterans. [includes rush transcript]

Headlines for November 6, 2009
6 Nov 2009
13 Killed, 30 Wounded in Texas Military Base Shooting, House to Vote on Healthcare Bill, Right-Wing Groups Protest Healthcare Reform, Obama Hails AARP, AMA Endorsements, 9 Arrested at Lieberman Office Sit-in, House OKs Extension of Jobless Benefits, Senate Panel Approves Climate Measure, 9 Afghans Killed in NATO Attack, UN to Relocate Hundreds of Staffers in Afghanistan, Zelaya: Honduran Unity Deal Collapses, General Assembly Endorses UN Gaza Inquiry, Abbas Won’t Seek Re-Election as Palestinian Leader, Washington Voters Expand Rights for Gay Couples, Kerik Pleads Guilty Under Plea Deal, Mass. Town Votes to Welcome Cleared Gitmo Prisoners, CDC Criticized for Distributing Scarce Flu Vaccines to Wall St. Firms

As Massey Energy Blasts West Virginia’s Coal River Mountain, a Debate on Mountaintop Removal Mining
5 Nov 2009
There have been a number of recent developments around the controversial practice of mountaintop removal coal mining, wherein coal companies remove the tops of mountains with explosives. Last week, the Obama administration indicated it will not immediately cancel Bush-era changes to a rule protecting streams from mountaintop removal mining. The move came as groups opposed to mountaintop removal mining organized nationwide sit-ins demanding EPA intervention to stop the blasting of Coal River Mountain in West Virginia, which Massey Energy began dynamiting last week. We host a debate between journalist and mountaintop removal critic Jeff Biggers and Carol Raulston of the National Mining Association.

Italian Prosecutor in Case Against CIA Operatives Hails Convictions for ‘03 Kidnapping of Egyptian Cleric
5 Nov 2009
In a landmark case, twenty-three Americans, mostly CIA operatives, have been convicted in Italy for kidnapping a Muslim cleric from the streets of Milan in 2003. They were all tried in absentia after the United States refused to hand them over. The convictions turn them into international fugitives who risk arrest abroad. The case marks the first time any American has been convicted for taking part in a so-called “extraordinary rendition.” We go to Rome to speak with the Italian prosecutor who brought the case, Armando Spataro, and get comment from international law and human rights attorney Scott Horton. [includes rush transcript]

“GM’s Money Trees”: Displacement of Rural Brazilians Highlights Consequences of “Cap and Trade” System
5 Nov 2009
With the Copenhagen climate summit just a month away, a new investigative series looks at how rural Brazilians are being displaced so their forest can be turned into carbon offsets for some of the world’s biggest polluters, including General Motors and Chevron. With deforestation amounting to a fifth of the world’s emissions, planting and preserving trees are seen as key elements to offset pollution. We speak to Mark Schapiro of the Center for Investigative Reporting. After traveling to Brazil, Schapiro writes, “People with some of the smallest carbon footprints on earth are being displaced by companies with some of the biggest.”

Headlines for November 5, 2009
5 Nov 2009
Italian Court Convicts CIA Operatives for ‘03 Kidnapping, Admin to Request Additional War Funds, US Downplays Likelihood of Climate Deal in Copenhagen, General Assembly to Endorse Goldstone Report, Palestinian Negotiator: Time to Rethink Two-State Solution, Exxon, Shell Awarded Iraqi Oil Deal, Zelaya Seeks US Clarification on Elections, Restoration, Prosecutors Drop Charges over Twitter Use at G-20 Protests, Gay Rights Advocates Urge Speedy NJ Marriage Bill, Obama to Host Tribal Leaders, Correction

Blueberry Farming Giant Found to Use Child Labor at Michigan Fields
4 Nov 2009
An ABC News investigation has exposed how one of the country’s largest blueberry growers uses child labor on its fields. Adkin Blue Ribbon Packing Company in South Haven, Michigan is at the center of this scandal. Wal-Mart and the Kroger supermarket chain were among Adkin’s high-profile customers that have now cut ties with the blueberry grower. We speak to ABC News chief investigative correspondent Brian Ross and Teresa Hendricks of Michigan Migrant Legal Aid.

Low Road to High Finance: McClatchy Expose Reveals How Goldman Sachs Sold Off Billions in Mortgage Securities After Anticipating Housing Collapse
4 Nov 2009
A five-month investigation by McClatchy Newspapers has revealed that Goldman Sachs made secret bets against the housing market while simultaneously selling off billions in soon-to-be worthless securities. In 2006 and 2007, the bank reportedly peddled more than $40 billion in securities backed by at least 200,000 risky home mortgages, but never told the buyers it was secretly betting that a sharp drop in US housing prices would send the value of those securities plummeting. We speak to McClatchy reporter Greg Gordon.

Election Day 2009: GOPers Sweep Governor Races; Bloomberg Wins Tight NYC Mayoral Race; Dems Take House Seats; Maine Repeals Gay Marriage
4 Nov 2009
Republicans have won the governorships in New Jersey and Virginia, while New York’s billionaire mayor Michael Bloomberg survived a stunningly close race against William Thompson. Bloomberg spent an estimated $100 million, making this the most expensive race in history outside the presidency. Meanwhile, Maine voters repealed a state law that would have allowed same-sex couples to wed.

Headlines for November 4, 2009
4 Nov 2009
GOPers Win NJ, VA Gov. Races; Bloomberg Retains Mayoral Seat with Slim Margin, GOP Boycott Delays Senate Climate Bill, House Denounces Goldstone Report on Gaza Assault, Iranian Forces Beat Protesters, US Official Meets Suu Kyi in Burma, Honduran Lawmakers Delay Vote on Restoring Zelaya, Iraq Awards Largest Oil Deal Since ‘03 Invasion, 12 Single-Payer Advocates Arrested at Pelosi Offices, Louisiana Justice of Peace Who Shunned Interracial Marriage Resigns, Colorado Public TV Station Launches Non-Profit Investigative News Division, Claude Levi-Strauss Dies at 100

“By the People: The Election of Barack Obama”: New Documentary on Barack Obama’s Historic Presidential Run
3 Nov 2009
Tomorrow will mark one year since President Obama’s historic election as the nation’s first African American president. A new documentary tracks Obama’s seemingly improbable road to the White House with an unprecedented look at his campaign. Filmmakers Amy Rice and Alicia Sams began following Obama in May 2006, eight months before he announced his candidacy for the Democratic nomination. Their film is as much a look at the campaign behind the scenes as it is at the grassroots movement of supporters that propelled Obama to victory. [includes rush transcript]

Israeli Activists Criticize US House for Considering Resolution Condemning Goldstone Report on Israeli War Crimes in Gaza
3 Nov 2009
The House is expected to overwhelmingly vote today to condemn a UN inquiry that found Israel committed scores of war crimes in its three-week assault on the Gaza Strip. Headed by the South African jurist Richard Goldstone, the inquiry also accused Hamas of war crimes and said both sides should investigate the allegations or face international prosecution. Over 1,300 Palestinians were killed in the Israeli attack, a majority of them civilians. Nine Israelis were killed by Palestinians and another four by so-called friendly fire. The bipartisan, non-binding House measure calls the Goldstone inquiry “irredeemably biased and unworthy of further consideration or legitimacy.” The vote comes one day before the United Nations General Assembly is expected to take up the inquiry’s findings.

Appeals Court Rules in Maher Arar Case: Innocent Victims of Extraordinary Rendition Cannot Sue in US Courts
3 Nov 2009
On Monday, a federal court of appeals dismissed Canadian citizen Maher Arar’s case against US officials for their role in sending him to Syria to be tortured. The Second Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that victims of extraordinary rendition cannot sue Washington for torture suffered overseas, because Congress has not authorized such lawsuits. In 2002, Syrian-born Maher Arar was held in New York on his way back to Canada from a family vacation in Tunisia. A subsequent Canadian public inquiry has shown Arar was held on erroneous advice from Canadian officials who accused him of ties to Islamic militants. US authorities then flew Arar to Syria, where he was imprisoned and tortured for a year. Canadian authorities exonerated Arar in 2007, apologized for their role in his torture, and awarded him a multi-million-dollar settlement. [includes rush transcript]

Headlines for November 3, 2009
3 Nov 2009
Afghan President Karzai Vows to Form Inclusive Government, Report: Goldman Sachs Secretly Bet on the US Housing Crash, Study: Half of All US Children Will Get Food Stamps, Appeals Court Dismisses Lawsuit from Canadian Rendition Victim, All Active House Ethics Probes Focus on Black Lawmakers, US Diplomats in Burma for Talks, Sri Lanka Opposes US Efforts to Question Military Commander, No Date Set for Honduran Lawmakers to Vote on Reinstating Zelaya, Climate Negotiators Grow Impatient at Lack of Leadership from America, Snow Cap Melting Away Atop Mount Kilimanjaro, Nuke Watchdog Criticizes US for Using ?False Pretext? to Attack Iraq, Post-9/11 Detainees to Receive $1.2 Million, GOP Lawmaker: Healthcare Bill Is Greater Threat to US Than Terrorists, Sen. Vitter Defends Vote on Rape Amendment, East Valley Tribune in Arizona to Close Down, Five Plowshare Activists Arrested at Naval Base in Maine, Election Day in Virginia, New Jersey and New York

Exclusive: Friend of American Hikers Detained in Iran Speaks Out
2 Nov 2009
Earlier this summer, Shon Meckfessel traveled with Shane Bauer, Sarah Shourd and Joshua Fattal from Damascus, Syria to Iraqi Kurdistan for a short vacation. Shon stayed behind at the hotel nursing a cold, while his three friends left for the hike. On the morning of July 31st, he set out to join them near a waterfall, when Shane telephoned him to say they had been detained. The three American hikers are now in Evin prison in Iran. Shon Meckfessel is sending a letter today to the Iranian president, urging him to release his friends and to consider that each of them has a “long and public record of contesting injustice in the world.” [includes rush transcript]

Shannon Brownlee: Does the Vaccine Matter?
2 Nov 2009
In a new article in The Atlantic, Shannon Brownlee examines how some flu experts are challenging the medical orthodoxy and arguing that for those most in need of protection, flu shots and antiviral drugs may provide little to none. So where does that leave us if a bad pandemic strikes? Shannon Brownlee is the author of the bestselling book Overtreated: Why Too Much Medicine Is Making Us Sicker and Poorer.

How Wall Street and Its Backers on Capitol Hill Silenced a Critic Calling for Greater Regulation of Derivatives
2 Nov 2009
Last month, when the a subcommittee of the House Financial Services Committee held a hearing on the derivatives market, Robert Johnson was the only non-industry expert invited to speak. The former economist at the Senate Banking Committee and the Senate Budget Committee was invited just sixteen hours before the hearing. His testimony was cut short after five minutes by Congresswoman Melissa Bean, and the committee has since refused to post online his full testimony along with the statements of the other panelists. Robert Johnson comes on Democracy Now! to explain what he tried to tell Congress.

Headlines for November 2, 2009
2 Nov 2009
Karzai Declared Winner of Afghan Poll After Runoff Canceled, CIT Group Declares Bankruptcy, US Reverses Policy on Israeli Settlements, Israel Detains Settler Who Killed Two Palestinians, CBO Report Estimates Few Americans Will Use Public Option, Senate Republicans to Boycott Climate Change Work Session, Republican Endorses Democrat After Exiting NY Congressional Race, Zelaya Hopes to Return to Office by Thursday, US & Colombia Sign Military Base Agreement, Justice Dept Invokes State Secrets in Wiretapping Case, FBI: 1,600 Names Suggested Daily for Terrorist Watch List, Classified Photographs Suggest Omar Khadr May Be Innocent, White House Releases Visitors Log, Vermont Slaughterhouse Shut Down After Undercover Probe, Investigation Uncovers Child Labor at Michigan Blueberry Farm

Rep. Raul Grijalva, Co-Chair of Progressive Caucus, Vows to Bring “Robust” Public Option to House Floor
30 Oct 2009
We speak to Democratic Congressman Raul Grijalva of Arizona, co-chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus. On Thursday, Grijalva said he was deeply disappointed at the healthcare bill unveiled by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. He has pledged to fight for a floor vote on including a robust public option in the bill. [includes rush transcript]

Leading Political, Legal Blogger Glenn Greenwald on Afghanistan, State Secrets, Healthcare and the Media
30 Oct 2009
One of the leading political and legal bloggers in the country, Glenn Greenwald, joins us to talk about about the war in Afghanistan, the Obama administration’s use of state secrets, the healthcare debate, the renewed military commissions at Guantanamo, and the coverage of it all by the corporate media. Greenwald is a constitutional law attorney who writes for Salon.com and is the author of three books. [includes rush transcript]

Deal Reached in Honduran Coup Crisis; Zelaya Restoration Would Depend on Vote by Honduran Congress
30 Oct 2009
The Honduran coup regime and representatives of the ousted President Manuel Zelaya reached an agreement late Thursday that would pave the way for Congress to restore Zelaya to office and allow him to serve out the remaining three months of his term. We go to the Brazilian embassy in Tegucigalpa to speak with Andrs Conteris, who has been holed up at the embassy since Zelaya took refuge there last month. [includes rush transcript]

Is the Recession Over? Author, Democratic Senate Hopeful Jonathan Tasini on “The Audacity of Greed: Free Markets, Corporate Thieves and the Looting of America”
30 Oct 2009
With the US economy snapping a record streak of four straight quarterly declines and expanding 3.5 percent in the third quarter, many economists are claiming the nation’s worst recession since World War II may now be over. We speak to Jonathan Tasini, author of the new book The Audacity of Greed: Free Markets, Corporate Thieves, and the Looting of America. Tasini is challenging Senator Kirsten Gillibrand in the Democratic primary for the 2010 US Senate special election in New York. [includes rush transcript]

Headlines for October 30, 2009
30 Oct 2009
Coup Regime, Zelaya Reach Tentative Deal, Progressive Dems Criticize Pelosi Health Reform Bill, Study Links Deaths of 17,000 Children to Lack of Insurance, 4 Arrested at Baltimore Single-Payer Protest, Report: 7 Members of House Defense Panel Under Ethics Inquiry, US Awards $1.2B in Stimulus Contracts to Scandal-Linked Firms, Obama Witnesses Return of US War Dead, Ft. Carson Soldier Shoots Himself to Avoid Afghan Redeployment, Marri Sentenced to 8-Year Term, Stimulus Fuels 3.5% GDP Growth, Key Figure in Chevron-Ecuador Case Has Criminal Past, Penn. Court Tosses Thousands of Juvenile Cases Tried by Bribed Judge

Russian Journalist Elena Milashina Speaks Out on Alarming Rise in Murders, Threats Against Critics of Government Abuses in North Caucasus
29 Oct 2009
Russia has seen an alarming rise in the murders of journalists and activists speaking out about government abuses in the embattled North Caucasus region. We speak to Elena Milashina, a Russian investigative journalist who has just won the 2009 Alison Des Forges Award for Extraordinary Activism from Human Rights Watch. She was friends with both the activist and journalist Natalya Estemirova, who was killed in July, and the internationally renowned Anna Politkovskaya, who was killed in October 2006.

Healthcare Roundtable: With Exclusion of Single Payer, What Opportunities Remain for Meaningful Reform?
29 Oct 2009
While much of the healthcare debate in Washington and the media has focused on the proposal to create a government-run insurance program, the legislation being considered includes many other provisions that could change how healthcare is delivered in this country. We host a roundtable with three guests who have been closely following the debate: Lois Uttley, co-founder of Raising Women’s Voices for the Health Care We Need; Elisabeth Benjamin, vice president of Health Initiatives at Community Service Society of New York; and Dr. Oliver Fein, president of Physicians for a National Health Program.