Headlines for June 5, 20085 Jun 2008Sen. Clinton to Suspend Campaign & Endorse Obama, Jimmy Carter Warns Against “Dream Ticket”, Obama to AIPAC: Jerusalem “Must Remain Undivided”, Palestinians Appalled by Obama’s Comments, Obama and McCain Clash on Iran, Obama Fundraiser Convicted of Corruption Charges, Revealed: Secret Plan to Keep Iraq Under US Control, Judge OKs Blackwater Facility at US-Mexican Border, ICC Implicates Top Sudanese Officials, US Food Policy Criticized at Emergency Food Summit, Four Nations Attempt to Become Carbon Neutral, California in Drought After Driest Spring in 88 Years, Court Upholds Conviction of Cuban Five, Ex-Sandinista Elected President UN General Assembly, Abbas Criticizes Israeli Settlement Expansion, Massachusetts Sues H&R Block Over Lending Practices, Ex-Bush Health Official Wins $11 Million 9/11 Workers Contract, Hong Kong Protesters Hold Tiananmen Square Vigil
“America, This Is Our Moment”: Sen. Barack Obama Clinches Democratic Nomination4 Jun 2008Barack Obama made history last night by sealing the Democratic presidential nomination to become the first African American nominee of a major party in the United States. Obama clinched the win after a wave of more than seventy uncommitted superdelegates announced their support on Tuesday, pushing his total over the threshold of the 2,118 delegates needed to secure the Democratic nomination at the party?s convention in August. We speak to Ron Walters.
Headlines for June 4, 20084 Jun 2008Sen. Obama Clinches Democratic Nomination, Clinton Praises Obama, Does Not Concede, McCain: I’m Not Running for Bush’s Third Term, Obama & McCain Accused of Exaggerating Iran’s Nuclear Program, Canadian House Urges Gov’t to Allow War Resisters to Stay, Australian PM Accuses Predecessor of Abusing Iraq Intelligence, UN: Israeli Settlement Expansion Violates Int’l Law, UN Food Summit Tackles Global Crisis, Report: US Forces Believe Omar Khadr Is “Good Kid”, Deforestation of Amazon Rainforest Worsens, GM Closes Four Truck & SUV Plants, Thousands Mark Tiananmen Square Massacre, Waxman Requests FBI Documents Over CIA Leak Case
Anti-Torture Activists Convicted, Jailed for Protesting Gitmo Outside Supreme Court3 Jun 2008Thirty-four anti-torture activists have been convicted for protesting the Guantanamo Bay prison outside the Supreme Court. Twelve are now serving jail sentences. During the trial, protesters gave their names as those of Guantanamo prisoners and dressed in orange jumpsuits and black hoods. We speak to Matt Daloisio of Witness Against Torture, who gave the opening statement at the trial.
“The Uprising: An Unauthorized Tour of the Populist Revolt Scaring Wall Street and Washington”3 Jun 2008As we continue to look at issues regarding the 2008 presidential race, we turn to political journalist and nationally syndicated columnist, David Sirota. His first book, Hostile Takeover, was a New York Times bestseller. His latest book, just published, is The Uprising: An Unauthorized Tour of the Populist Revolt Scaring Wall Street and Washington. [includes rush transcript]
Juan Gonzalez on Puerto Rico?s Overlooked Primary and a Bitter Divide Within the SEIU3 Jun 2008Back from Puerto Rico, Juan Gonzalez reports on two stories coming out of the island over the past week: the Democratic primary, won by Sen. Hillary Clinton and overlooked by Sen. Barack Obama, and a bitter divide within the SEIU. Puerto Rican residents could vote in the primary contest, yet are not allowed to vote in the November elections for president. As the Democratic primary took place, the Service Employees International Union held its national convention in San Juan. The SEIU is embroiled in an internal battle over allegations its leadership is seeking to increase the union?s size and influence at the expense of rank-and-file members. [includes rush transcript]
Headlines for June 3, 20083 Jun 2008UN Calls for 50% Rise in Food Production by 2030, US Shuns Rivals at Food Conference, South Dakota, Montana Primaries Close Out Dem. Nomination Race, Senate Begins Debate on Climate Change Bill, Probe: Routine Interference on NASA Climate Change Research, Cheney Backtracks on Dismissal of Antiwar Public Opinion, IAEA Chides US, Iran on Nuclear Disclosures, Morales Vows Reform Push Amidst Autonomy Moves, Kennedy Recovering from Brain Surgery, Byrd Hospitalized with Fever, Correction
Blackwater: From the Nisour Square Massacre to the Future of the Mercenary Industry2 Jun 2008The private military firm Blackwater has gone from being a relatively unknown contractor working in Iraq to a household name and the subject of multiple investigations, lawsuits and congressional inquiries. In the meantime, the company continues to reap millions of dollars in profits and was recently awarded a new contract from the State Department. Last year, Democracy Now! correspondent and Nation Fellow, Jeremy Scahill, published his book Blackwater: The Rise of the World’s Most Powerful Mercenary Army. The book quickly landed on the New York Times bestseller list and helped frame the debate that was to come. With the book’s paperback release in a thoroughly revised and updated edition, Jeremy Scahill joins us for the hour. [includes rush transcript – partial]
Headlines for June 2, 20082 Jun 2008Iraqis Protest Looming Pact with US, US Tenders New Iraq Contracts, Australia Begins Withdrawing Troops from Iraq, Clinton Wins Puerto Rico Primary, Montana, South Dakota to Host Final Primaries, Obama Breaks Ties with Chicago Church, US State Dept. Reverses Denial of Fulbright Grants to Palestinian Students, Activists, Farmers Hold Parallel Food Summit in Rome, Group: US Holding Foreign Prisoners on Naval Vessels, Gitmo Judge Removed from Khadr Trial, Crimical Charges in Immigration Cases at Record High, DNC Rules on Seating Florida, Michigan Delegates, Israel Starts New Settlement Construction in Occupied Territories
Three Former Gitmo Prisoners to Address US Audience in Historic Event29 May 2008This weekend, three former Guantanamo prisoners will talk for the first time to a US audience about their prison experiences. We speak to Almerindo Ojeda, UC Davis professor and principal investigator with the Guantanamo Testimonials Project, a UC Davis-based effort to catalog accounts of prisoner abuse. [includes rush transcript]
Headlines for May 30, 200829 May 2008Experts: No Slowdown to Rising Food Prices, McClellan: Bush Admitted Authorizing Plame Leak, 10,000 South Koreans Protest U.S. Beef Imports, Lawyers: U.S. Rushing 9/11 Trial to Coincide With ?08 Election, 34 Activists Convicted for Protesting Gitmo, Army Suicides Rise to 115, U.S. Withdraws Fulbright Grants to Palestinian Students in Gaza, Mathematician Donates Prize Money to Promote Palestinian Rights, Mosque Surveillance Prompts Calls for Congressional Probe
Israel Bars One of its Most Prominent Critics, Norman Finkelstein, for Ten Years28 May 2008Norman Finkelstein was arrested and deported from Israel last week and told he’s barred for ten years. Finkelstein is known as one of the most prominent academic critics of Israel?s occupation of the West Bank and Gaza Strip. We speak to Finkelstein and the human rights worker he was on his way to visit, Musa Abu Hashhash. [includes rush transcript]
1968, Forty Years Later: Tariq Ali Looks Back on a Pivotal Year in the Global Struggle for Social Justice28 May 2008We continue our series “1968, Forty Years Later” with the political activist, novelist and historian, Tariq Ali. Back in the 1960s, with the Vietnam War at its height, Tariq Ali earned a national reputation through debates with figures like Henry Kissinger and then-British Foreign Secretary Michael Stewart. He protested against the Vietnam War, led the now-infamous march on the American embassy in London in 1968, and edited the revolutionary paper Black Dwarf, where he became friends with numerous influential figures, such as Stokely Carmichael, Malcolm X, John Lennon and Yoko Ono. Forty years later, Tariq Ali continues his lifelong struggle against US foreign policy across the globe. [includes rush transcript – partial]
Headlines for May 29, 200828 May 2008Global Cluster Bomb Ban Approved Over US Objection, White House: McClellan ?Disgruntled? Ex-Employee, DNC Attorneys Rule Against Clinton on Michigan, Florida Delegates, South African Immigrants Displaced in Xenophobic Violence, Israeli PM Pressured on Bribery Scandal, Report: US Troops Trying to Convert Iraqis to Christianity, New York to Recognize Same-Sex Marriage
Dr. Paul Farmer Challenges Profit-Driven Medical System While Bringing Healthcare to Poor Communities Worldwide27 May 2008Paul Farmer is not your ordinary doctor. In going to the poorest places on earth, he is not only treating patients, but challenging whole healthcare systems. More than twenty year ago, Dr. Farmer co-founded the charity Partners in Health to provide free medical care in central Haiti. Today, Partners In Health provides healthcare for people with HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, malaria and other conditions in Haiti and eight other countries around the world. We spend the hour with Dr. Farmer on his work, his remarkable background and the challenges of pursuing healthcare with a social justice perspective. [includes rush transcript – partial]
Headlines for May 28, 200827 May 2008Nepal to Abolish Monarchy, Declare Republic, Ex-Press Secretary: White House Manipulated Public on Iraq, Grand Jury Hears Iraqi Witnesses in Blackwater Case, 20 Burmese Arrested Protesting Suu Kyi Detention, Group: Children in Conflict Zones Face Sexual Abuse from Peacekeepers, Aid Workers, McCain Distances from Bush on Policy, Joins Him at Fundraiser, Obama Accepts Clinton Explanation on RFK Comment, Archbishop Tutu Visits Gaza to Begin Killing Probe, Palestinians, Israelis Protest Expansion of Separation Wall, Ex-Diplomat: US Planning Iran Strike, Trial Begins for Ex-Argentine Army Chief, PTSD Rises 46% Among US Troops
The “Golden Voice of the Great Southwest”: Legendary Folk Musician, Activist Utah Phillips, 1935-200826 May 2008Utah Phillips, the legendary folk musician and peace and labor activist, has died at the age of 73. Over the span of nearly four decades, Utah Phillips worked in what he referred to as “the Trade,” performing tirelessly throughout the United States, Canada, and Europe. The son of labor organizers, Phillips was a lifelong member of the Industrial Workers of the World, known as the Wobblies. As a teenager, he ran away from home and started living as a hobo who rode the rails and wrote songs about his experiences. In 1956, he joined the Army and served in the Korean War, an experience he would later refer to as the turning point of his life. In 1968, he ran for the U.S. Senate on the Peace and Freedom Party ticket. For the past 21 years he lived in Nevada City where he started a nationally syndicated folk-music radio show. He also helped found the Hospitality House homeless shelter and the Peace and Justice Center. We spend the hour with an interview with Phillips from January 2004.
Headlines for May 27, 200826 May 2008IAEA Criticizes Iran on Nuclear Disclosure, Carter: Israel Has 150 Nukes, Pentagon, House to Investigate Propaganda Program, Top Military Commander Warns Troops on Political Speech, Officers Won?t Be Charged in Marine Killings of Afghan Civilians, South American Leaders Form Regional Bloc, Leader of Colombian Rebel Group FARC Dies, Chile Cracks Down on Ex-Dictatorship Forces, Oaxacan Teachers Press Strike With New Protest, Castro Criticizes Obama on Embargo Pledge, Harsh Sentences for Immigrant Workers Jailed in Iowa Crackdown, UN: Burmese Junta Blocking Relief Effort, China Could See Mass Evacuation to Evade Flooding, House Arrest Extended for Burmese Pro-Democracy Leader Suu Kyi, South Koreans Protest Easing of U.S. Beef Ban, Director Sydney Pollack Dies at 73
Memorial Day Special…Winter Soldier on the Hill: War Vets Testify Before Congress25 May 2008War veterans from Iraq and Afghanistan came to Capitol Hill this month to testify before Congress and give an eyewitness account about the horrors of war. Like the Winter Soldier hearings in March, when more than 200 service members gathered for four days in Silver Spring, Maryland to give their eyewitness accounts of the injustices occurring in Iraq and Afghanistan, “Winter Soldier on the Hill” was designed to drive home the human cost of the war and occupation—this time, to the very people in charge of doing something about it.
“War, Inc.”: John Cusack’s New Film Satirizes the Corruption, Profiteering and Hubris Behind the Iraq War22 May 2008John Cusack joins us to talk about “War, Inc.”, his new film taking on issues few in Hollywood today would dare to: war profiteering, mercenaries, political corruption and embedded journalism. A political satire, the film stars Cusack as Brand Hauser, a hit-man for hire who is deployed to the fictional country of Turaqistan to kill a Middle Eastern oil baron. Hauser’s employer is Tamerlane, a secretive for-profit military corporation headed by a former US vice president played by Dan Aykroyd. We also speak to Democracy Now! correspondent Jeremy Scahill, author of the bestselling book “Blackwater: The Rise of the World?s Most Powerful Mercenary Army.”
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