Supreme Court Considers Voter ID Law that Could Disenfranchise Thousands of Poor and Minority Voters
9 Jan 2008
The Supreme Court heard arguments Wednesday on a case that many describe as the most important voting rights case since the decision that sealed the 2000 presidential election. It’s over a challenge to a 2005 law in Indiana that requires voters to show government-issued photo identification when voting. We speak with Justin Levitt, counsel at the Brennan Center for Justice at NYU Law School. [includes rush transcript]

Study: Of Over 2,000 Sunday Talk Show Questions to Candidates, Only Three on Global Warming
9 Jan 2008
A new study by the League of Conservation Voters found that the five major Sunday morning political shows asked the presidential candidates well over 2,000 questions in 2007. Just three of the questions mentioned global warming. We speak with the president of the League of Conservation Voters, Gene Karpinski. [includes rush transcript]

FBI Issues Subpoenas in Investigation of Machetero Puerto Rican Independence Group
9 Jan 2008
At least three Puerto Ricans in New York City have been subpoenaed to appear before a Brooklyn federal grand jury investigating local links to the Macheteros, the three-decade-old violent Puerto Rican independence group. Democracy Now! co-host Juan Gonzalez, who writes about the case in his latest column in the Daily News, discusses the story. [includes rush transcript]

Headlines for January 10, 2008
9 Jan 2008
Study Estimates 151,000 Civilian Deaths in Iraq, U.S. Launches Massive Air Raids in Iraq, Lone Officer Charged in Abu Ghraib Scandal Has Conviction Dismissed, Report: Blackwater Dropped Toxin on Crowded Checkpoint, Pentagon Wants 3,000 More U.S. Troops in Afghanistan, In Mideast Visit, Bush Affirms Support for Israeli Settlement Blocs, Bush Warns Iran on Naval Dispute, Ex-CIA Official Demands Immunity for Videotape Testimony, NSA: ?No Attack Happened? in Gulf of Tonkin, Cuba Marks 49th Anniversary of Cuban Revolution, Richardson to Withdraw from Democratic Presidential Race, New Principal Hired at N.Y. Arabic-Language School Following Founder?s Ouster, Chicago Approves $20M Settlement in Torture Case

Barack Obama and the African American Community: A Debate with Michael Eric Dyson and Glen Ford
8 Jan 2008
Does Barack Obama present a hope for dealing with African American issues? Or has he watered down his platform to appeal to white voters? Georgetown University Professor Michael Eric Dyson and veteran journalist Glen Ford debate. [includes rush transcript]

New Hampshire Primary Results Fuel Talk of Most Unpredictable Presidential Race in Decades
8 Jan 2008
We go to New Hampshire for a discussion on last night’s primary results with University of New Hampshire professor Dante Scale and longtime TV and radio host Arnie Arnesen.

In Upset Victories, Clinton and McCain Win New Hampshire Primaries
8 Jan 2008
Defying the pundits and the polls, Senator Senator Hillary Clinton narrowly beat Senator Barack Obama in New Hampshire’s Democratic primary. Meanwhile Senator John McCain’s faltering campaign was given new life with a win over second-place finisher Mitt Romney. We play excerpts of the post-vote speeches.

Headlines for January 9, 2008
8 Jan 2008
Defying Predictions, Clinton Beats Obama in New Hampshire, McCain Beats Romney in Upset Win, Bush Calls Iran Naval Incident a ?Provocation?, Bush Arrives in Israel to Begin Mideast Tour, Peace Group: Israel Seeking to Bar Release of Settlement Report, Kenyan Opposition Rejects New Cabinet, Marine Testifies in Afghan Mass-Shooting Inquiry, Morales, Governors Agree to Seek Unity Deal, Pentagon Won?t Probe KBR Rape Charges, U.S. Reconsidering Amnesty for Immigrants With Abusive Spouses, U.S. Last in Avoiding Deaths by Preventable Disease, Peace Activists Win Challenge to New York Ban on Central Park Gatherings, CIA Whistleblower Philip Agee Dies at 72

Student Volunteers for McCain, Paul Campaigns Voice Support for Candidates
7 Jan 2008
In New Hampshire, voters have begun casting their ballots in the country’s first primary of the 2008 election. State election officials have predicted a record turnout of more than 500,000 voters. Student volunteers have flooded the state to campaign for their candidates. We speak two students from St. Olaf College who are campaigning for John McCain and Ron Paul. [includes rush transcript]

How to Rig an Election: Convicted Former GOP Operative Details 2002 New Hampshire Phone Jamming Scheme
7 Jan 2008
We speak with former Republican operative Allen Raymond, who served time in federal prison for jamming phone lines of the New Hampshire Democratic Party in 2002 to block a Democratic get-out-the-vote campaign. Raymond has come out with a tell-all book called How to Rig an Election: Confessions of a Republican Operative. In addition to the phone-jamming scheme, Raymond details other Republican tactics such as the use of scripted, phony automated phone messages to try to play on white voters? racial prejudices in a 2000 New Jersey congressional race. [includes rush transcript]

How Do Front-Loading the Primary Calendar and Record Campaign Spending Affect the 2008 Race?
7 Jan 2008
As candidates make their last-minute push in New Hampshire in the first primary of the 2008 election, we take a look at the “front-loading” of the primary calendar with the New Hampshire and Iowa contests only five days apart and campaign financing—a staggering $400 million spent by the candidates so far. Where’s the money coming from? We speak with Rob Richie of FairVote and Sheila Krumholz of the Center for Responsive Politics. [includes rush transcript]

Headlines for January 8, 2008
7 Jan 2008
New Hampshire Voters Head To Polls, Sen. Clinton: “This Is Very Personal For Me. It’s Not Just Political”, Obama Set To Win Major Nevada Union Endorsement, Romney Paints Himself as Agent of Change, Iran Accused of Harassing U.S. Warships, 10,000 Israeli Police Officers On Duty For Bush’s Visit, PPP Party Calls For UN Inquiry Into Bhutto Assassination, Kenya’s President & Opposition Leader to Begin Negotiations, Supreme Court To Decide Legality of Lethal Injection, New Jersey Officially Apologizes For Slavery, Baltimore Sues Wells Fargo For Predatory Lending, FDA To Approve Sale of Meat & Milk From Cloned Animals, Golden Globes Cancelled Due to Writers Strike, Stephen Colbert: “There’s Nothing In The Prompters? What the Hell’s Going On”

The Youth Vote in 2008: Students Flood New Hampshire on Eve of Primary
6 Jan 2008
Students from across the country have flooded New Hampshire on the eve of the nation’s first primary there. We speak with three Princeton University students who are campaigning for different Democratic candidates and the teacher who brought them there.

“I Respect the Distance He is Trying to Create” – Jesse Jackson on Why He Supports But Hasn’t Been Asked to Campaign for Obama
6 Jan 2008
The Reverend Jesse Jackson and his son, Rep. Jesse Jackson, Jr., support Barack Obama, but his other son, Yusuf, is a fundraiser for Hillary Clinton, and his wife has just cut a radio ad for her. Why isn’t Jesse Jackson out stumping for his man? He hasn’t been asked. “I respect the distance [Obama] is trying to create for his own strategic purposes,” Jackson tells Democracy Now! [includes rush transcript]

“The Overwhelming Majority of the Pakistani People Feel Dismayed and Disappointed at the Bush Administration’s Policy” – Fmr. Pakistani PM Nawaz Sharif
6 Jan 2008
We speak with Nawaz Sharif, the deposed twice-elected Pakistani Prime Minister and onetime arch-rival of Benazir Bhutto. Sharif heads the Pakistan Muslim League – Nawaz party and is now the leading opposition candidate in Pakistan following Bhutto’s assassination. Amy Goodman interviewed Sharif with Reverend Jesse Jackson Sunday on his “Keep Hope Alive” radio show.

Headlines for January 7, 2008
6 Jan 2008
Obama’s Surges In NH Polls Following Iowa Victory, Obama Advocates U. S. Unilateral Military Action In Pakistan, Edwards & Clinton Clash During Democratic Debate, Kucinich Files FCC Complaint After Being Barred From Debate, McCain: “Fine With Me” If U. S. Is In Iraq For 100 Years, Bill Bradley Endorses Sen. Obama, Bloomberg May Be Urged to Run Independent Campaign, U. S. Considers Expanding Covert Operations in Pakistan, Jose Padilla Sues Torture Memo Author John Yoo, Israel Vows To Escalate Attacks in Gaza, Death Toll in Kenya Reaches 486 Following Disputed Election, Dow Jones Index Suffers Worst Start to New Year Since 1904, President Bush: “This Economy Of Ours Is On A Solid Foundation”, Sen. McGovern Calls For Impeachment Of Bush & Cheney, Trent Lott Confirms He Will Start D. C. Lobbying Firm, Red Cross: U. S. Held Dozens Incommunicado at Bagram Prison in Afghanistan

Peace Activists Take Action to Keep Focus on War During Presidential Campaign
3 Jan 2008
Over a dozen anti-war activists were arrested this week at the Iowa offices of Mike Huckabee, Barack Obama and Mitt Romney. The protests were part of a campaign called Seasons of Discontent: A Presidential Occupation Project. We speak to Frank Cordero, a Des Moines Catholic Worker member who took part in the protests.

After Iowa: A Roundtable Discussion on the Democratic Race with Danny Glover, Wayne Ford and Ellen Chesler
3 Jan 2008
Sen. Barack Obama and John Edwards placed ahead of Sen. Hillary Clinton just months after polls showed Clinton enjoying a wide lead. We host a roundtable discussion with supporters of each of the three frontrunners: the actor Danny Glover, who is backing Edwards; Iowa state legislator and Black and Brown Forum co-chair Wayne Ford, an Obama supporter; and Professor Ellen Chesler, a longtime friend and fundraiser for Hillary Clinton. [includes rush transcript – partial]

Obama, Huckabee Score Victories in Iowa Caucus
3 Jan 2008
Senator Barack Obama and former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee have won the Iowa caucuses, the first of the 2008 campaign. Obama won 37 percent of the delegate support in the Democratic caucus easily beating his top rivals. He is the first African American presidential candidate to ever win in Iowa, a state that is 95 percent white. We play excerpts of Obama and Huckabee’s victory speeches, and also hear from second-place Democratic hopeful John Edwards and third-place Democratic Senator Hillary Clinton. [includes rush transcript]

Headlines for January 4, 2008
3 Jan 2008
Obama, Huckabee Win Iowa Caucuses, Admin Limiting State Efforts to Expand Medicaid, No Murder Charges for Marines in Haditha Massacre, U.S. Lagging on Admitting Iraqi Refugees, Rep. Warned CIA on Destroying Interrogation Tapes in 2003, Kenya Police Block Opposition Rally for Consecutive Day, 4 Killed and 50 Injured in Turkish Bombing, French Farmer-Activist Launches Hunger Strike Against GMOs, 9 Palestinians Killed in Israeli Attack on Gaza, Texas Prisoner Freed by DNA Evidence

One Week After Bhutto Killing, Pakistan Delays Parliamentary Elections
2 Jan 2008
Pakistan’s parliamentary elections have now been officially delayed by six weeks. We discuss the latest with nuclear scientist and peace activist Pervez Hoodbhoy and NYU Professor Barnett Rubin.

Vote for Change? Atrocity-Linked U.S. Officials Advising Democratic, GOP Presidential Frontrunners
2 Jan 2008
Independent journalist Allan Nairn and American Conservative correspondent Kelley Beaucar Vlahos discuss a little-addressed facet of the 2008 campaign: many of the top advisers to leading presidential candidates are ex-U.S. officials involved in atrocities around the world. [includes rush transcript]

Headlines for January 3, 2008
2 Jan 2008
Justice Dept. Opens Criminal Probe of CIA Tape Destruction, California Sues EPA for Blocking Emissions Cuts, Kenyan Police Fire on Protesters, UN Refugee Head: Rich Nations Failing Congo, Mexican Farm Activists End Anti-NAFTA Border Blockade, Uruguay Legalizes Same-Sex Civil Unions, U.S. Approves Fighter Jet Sale to Pakistan, Jailed Iranian Women?s Rights Activists Reportedly Released, Kucinich Endorses Obama, Nader Praises Edwards, Jailed Jena 6 Teen Moved to Foster Care

Chair of Kenya’s National Human Rights Commission Condemns Kenya’s Handling of Disputed Election & Outbreak of Violence
1 Jan 2008
In Kenya, at least 300 people have died in ethnic fighting following last week’s disputed presidential election. Police estimated that 75,000 Kenyans have fled their homes due to the worst violence in Kenya since 1982. On Sunday, Kenya’s Election Commission declared President Mwai Kibaki the winner of Thursday’s election, but immediately questions were raised about the fairness of the vote. We speak with Maina Kiai in Nairobi. [includes rush transcript]

Robert Parry: Hillary Clinton Signals Free Pass for Bush
1 Jan 2008
“Former President Bill Clinton’s comment that his wife’s ‘first thing’ as President would be to send him and former President George H.W. Bush on a worldwide fence-mending tour has a political subtext,” reports investigative journalist Robert Parry. “It signals that a second Clinton administration would give a free pass to the second Bush administration on its abuses.” [includes rush transcript]