As McCain Wins Florida Primary, Ex-Frontrunner Giuliani Expected to Quit GOP Race29 Jan 2008McCain’s win positions him as the Republican frontrunner heading into “Super Tuesday” next week with contests in more than 20 states. At third place, former frontrunner Rudolph Giuliani is widely expected to drop out of the race today and endorse Senator McCain. We speak with Florida radio host and television reporter Jim DeFede and Village Voice senior editor Wayne Barrett, author of two books on Giuliani.
Headlines for January 30, 200829 Jan 2008After Promised Withdrawals, U.S. Occupation of Iraq Could Be Larger Than Before ?Surge?, Bush Asserts Right to Ignore Law Barring Funds for Permanent U.S. Bases in Iraq, U.S. to Increase Baghdad Checkpoints, McCain Wins Florida Primary, Giuliani to Drop Out of GOP Race, Clinton Wins Delegate-Less Florida Contest, Gitmo Lawyers Endorse Obama; Rep. Waters Backs Clinton, House Approves Economic Stimulus Plan, House, Senate Extend Surveillance Law to Continue Immunity Debate, Annan Opens Mediation Efforts in Kenya, Afghan Women Gather for Release of U.S. Aid Worker, Latinos Hold HIV/AIDS Summit in D.C., Methodists Want Delegates to Vote on Bush Presidential Library, Vermont Lawmakers Seek National Guard Withdrawal from Iraq, UN Security Council Drops Gaza Resolution After U.S. Opposition
Bush Touts Outcome of Iraq Troop “Surge,” Repeats Threats Against Iran28 Jan 2008In his final state of the union, President Bush once again defended the Iraq invasion and claimed the so-called troop surge a success. Bush also repeated his threatening rhetoric against Iran. We speak with unembedded journalist Dahr Jamail and Iraqi blogger Raed Jarrar.
Headlines for January 29, 200828 Jan 2008Bush Defends Iraq Surge and Issues New Warning to Iran, As Housing Crisis Worsens, Bush Calls For Tax Cuts For The Rich, Bush Urges Approval of New Spying Bill & Telecom Immunity, Bush Administration Seeks $70 Billion For Wars, Sen. Kennedy Compares Barack Obama to JFK, Former Obama Fundraiser Antoin Rezko Jailed in Illinois, Republican Voters in Florida Head to Polls, Bush OKs Spy Agencies to Some Monitor Internet Traffic, Israel Blocks Aid Convoy From Reaching Gaza, Protesters Rally in London As Musharraf Meets Gordon Brown, Report: Deaths of 19 Veterans Link to Mistreatment in VA Hospital, Vermont Town To Vote on Indicting Bush & Cheney, Prep School Cancels Rove Commencement Address, Eleven Jailed For Protesting At School of the Americas
Massacre: The Story of East Timor27 Jan 2008An excerpt from Amy Goodman and Allan Nairn’s award-winning documentary on the Santa Cruz massacre, in which the Indonesian military gunned down more than 270 Timorese, and the history of Indonesian and US involvement in East Timor.
Former Indonesian Dictator, U.S. Ally & Mass Murderer, Suharto, 86, Dies27 Jan 2008Today a Democracy Now! special ? an in-depth look at Suharto’s brutal 30-year reign and the role of the United States in shoring him up. Suharto rose to power in 1965 killing up to a million Indonesians. Hundreds of thousands of more people died during the U.S.-supported Indonesian invasion and occupation of East Timor. Tens of thousands also died in West Papua and Aceh. On Sunday, Cameron Hume, U.S. Ambassador to Indonesia, said “Though there may be some controversy over his legacy, President Suharto was a historic figure who left a lasting imprint on Indonesia and the region of Southeast Asia.”
Headlines for January 28, 200827 Jan 2008Obama Wins S.C. Primary; Picks Up Sen. Kennedy Endorsement, Democrats Focus on Super Tuesday; Republicans Campaign in Florida, Asian Stock Prices Plummet, Bush To Focus on Economy in State of the Union, Median Price of U.S. Homes Drops For First Time in Decades, Joseph Stiglitz: U.S. Economy Has “Deep Structural Problems”, Former Indonesian Dictator Suharto, 86, Dies, Bush’s Plan For Compact With Iraq May Be Unconstitutional, U.S. Intel Chiefs Secretly Meet With Pervez Musharraf, Afghan Journalist Sentenced to Death For Mocking Islam, Afghan Gunmen Abduct U.S. Aid Worker, Eight Protesters Killed in Beirut, Egypt Attempts to Reseal Gaza Border, PFLP Leader George Habash, 82, Dies, Mukasey Rules Out Special Counsel Probe of Destroyed CIA Tapes, Protests Call on Canada to Allow U.S. War Resisters to Stay, Post-Election Death Toll in Kenya Tops 800
Broadcast Exclusive: Abu Ghraib Whistleblower Samuel Provance Speaks Out on Torture and Cover-Up24 Jan 2008In a national TV broadcast exclusive, we spend the hour with Abu Ghraib whistleblower and former Army sergeant, Samuel Provance. From September 2003 to the spring of 2004, Provance ran the top-secret computer network used by Military Intelligence at Abu Ghraib. He was the first intelligence specialist to speak openly about abuse at the prison and is the only Military Intelligence soldier listed as a witness in the Taguba report. Among the abuses he lists is the torture of a sixteen-year-old Iraqi boy in order to make his father talk. After Provance spoke out, the Army stripped him of his security clearance, demoted him and threatened him with ten years in jail. [includes rush transcript]
Headlines for January 25, 200824 Jan 2008Bush, Dems Agree on Economic Stimulus Deal, Egypt Cracks Down on Palestinian Border-Crossing, 10 Killed in Lebanon Bombing, U.S. Pushes Iraq on Extending Troop, Contractor Immunity, Admin Not ?Prepared to Address? Contractor Dependence, Kucinich to Drop Out of Democratic Race, Obama Up 13% in South Carolina Polls, New York Times Endorses Clinton, McCain, Senate Backs Telecom Spying Immunity
Curveball: Reporter Bob Drogin on “Spies, Lies, and the Con Man Who Caused a War”23 Jan 2008We speak with Los Angeles Times reporter Bob Drogin about his new book, “Curveball: Spies, Lies, and the Con Man Who Caused a War.” It examines how a former Iraqi taxi driver helped build the Bush administration’s case for war by making false claims about Saddam Hussein’s alleged biological and chemical weapons programs.
935 Lies (and Counting): Study Documents Bush Admin?s False Statements Preceding Iraq War23 Jan 2008A new study from the Center for Public Integrity has revealed President Bush and top administration officials made a total of 935 false public statements about Iraq’s alleged national security threat in the two years following the 9/11 attacks. President Bush made the most false statements ? 260. Colin Powell, his then secretary of state, made 254 false statements. We speak with the founder of the Center for Public Integrity, Charles Lewis.
Tens of Thousands of Palestinians Seeking Basic Supplies Flood Egypt for Second Day23 Jan 2008Thousands of Palestinians are pouring into Egypt from Gaza for a second consecutive day after militants destroyed most of a border wall in the town of Rafah on Wednesday. Gazans are rushing across the border to stock up on food, fuel, medicines and other basic supplies, which have become scarce or unaffordable after months of economic isolation. We go to Gaza to speak with Palestinian journalist Mohammed Omer and to to Tel Aviv to speak with Israeli journalist Gideon Levy. [includes rush transcript]
Headlines for January 24, 200823 Jan 2008Palestinians Continue to Cross Egypt Border, Israel Cancels Promised Gaza Fuel Delivery, Aims to End All Shipments, Congo Groups Enter Peace Deal, Military Chiefs Assert First-Strike Nuclear Option for NATO, U.S. to Expand Pakistani Military Aid, Prosecutors Mull Charges Against Police in Ohio Shooting, U.S. Places Low in Global Environmental Ranking, Admin, Congress Close on Stimulus Deal, Mayors Urge Federal Aid on Home Foreclosures, Dems Fail to Override Veto of Childen Health Expansion, Admin Re-Nominates Torture-Memo Author for Justice Dept. Post, Study: War Funding Rose $50B in 2007, Dodd Vows to Filibuster Telecom Immunity
Economics Journalist Robert Kuttner on the “Most Serious Financial Crisis Since the Great Depression”: “This is the Result of Rightwing Ideology and the Political Power of Wall Street”22 Jan 2008Amid growing fears of a worldwide recession, the Federal Reserve slashed a key interest rate by three-quarters of a percentage point on Tuesday, the biggest single cut in nearly a quarter of a century. Meanwhile, President Bush and congressional leaders pledged to work together on a stimulus measure that would inject about $150 billion in additional money into the economy. But many economists are skeptical over whether any measures can turn around a severe slump in the housing market and the subprime mortgage crisis, signs of growing unemployment and weakening consumer spending and the added blow of record high oil prices. We speak to veteran economics journalist Robert Kuttner and Robert Weissman, co-director of the corporate accountability group Essential Action and editor of Multinational Monitor magazine. [includes rush transcript]
Corporations Reaping Millions as Congo Suffers Deadliest Conflict Since World War II22 Jan 2008A new mortality report from the International Rescue Committee says that as many as 5.4 million people have died from war-related causes in the Congo since 1998. A staggering 45,000 people continue to die each month, both from the conflict and the related humanitarian crisis. Amidst the deadliest conflict since World War II, hundreds of international corporations have reaped enormous profits from extracting and processing Congolese minerals. We speak to Maurice Carney of Friends of the Congo and Nita Evele of Congo Global Action. [includes rush transcript]
Headlines for January 23, 200822 Jan 2008Palestinians Flood Egypt for Supplies After Militants Destroy Border Wall, Congo Conflict Killing 45,000 Each Month, Padilla Given 17-Year Prison Sentence, Study Counts Admin?s False Statements Preceding Iraq War, Bush, Dems Meet for Economic Stimulus Talks, Thompson Drops Out of GOP Race, Study: Rich Nations Causing More than $1.8 Trillion in Environmental Damage in Third World, Poll: Americans Oppose Bush Admin on Surveillance Bill, Blackwater Protesters Challenge Conviction for North Carolina Demonstration
“An Opportunity to Look at Ourselves and Reorder Our Priorities” – Legendary Activist Grace Lee Boggs on the Ailing Economy, the Legacy of Dr. King and the 2008 Race21 Jan 2008As we head out of Dr. Martin Luther King Day into the South Carolina Democratic primary, the Democratic presidential contenders repeatedly invoke Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s legacy in their campaigns. We speak with Grace Lee Boggs, the legendary 92-year-old civil rights activist, who has been pivotally involved with the civil rights, black power, labor, peace, environmental justice, Asian American and feminist movements. Bogg recalls King’s legacy in terms of ?a radical revolution of values against the giant triplets of racism, materialism and militarism.? [includes rush transcript]
As Gaza Plunges into Darkness, Israeli and Palestinian Fighters-Turned-Peace-Activists Speak Out21 Jan 2008The United Nations is accusing Israel of collectively punishing the Palestinian population in Gaza by cutting off fuel supplies as part of a blockade of the Gaza Strip. In the midst of the deepening crisis, we speak with Israeli and Palestinian peace activists Yonatan Shapira and Bassam Aramin. They are from a group called Combatants for Peace that is made up of former fighters from both Israel and the Occupied Territories. Shapira is a former captain in the Israeli Air Force and Black Hawk pilot squadron. Aramin was an armed member of Fatah and spent seven years in an Israeli prison. His ten-year-old daughter Abir was shot dead by an Israeli soldier last year. [includes rush transcript]
Headlines for January 22, 200821 Jan 2008World Stock Prices Plummet Amid Fears of Global Recession, Economist: U.S. Could Face “A Real Depression” Like in 1929, Israel Blockade Leaves Gaza In Darkness, UN Rapporteur Accuses Israel of War Crimes, Israel: “No Government Would Have Acted Differently”, Hamas Accuses Israel of Slowly Killing Off Palestinian Population, UN Report: 79% of Gaza In Poverty, Democrats Debate in South Carolina, CNN Excludes Kucinich From Debate, Clinton & Romney Win in Nevada; McCain Takes South Carolina, New Questions Raised Over Missing White House Emails, Canada Removes U.S. & Israel From Torture Watch List, 35th Anniversary of Roe v. Wade Marked, LA Times Fires Editor For Refusing To Cut Newsroom Jobs, White Separatists Gather in Jena, Louisiana, Radio Trade Magazine Revokes Award For Conservative Talk Show Host
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., 1929-196820 Jan 2008Today is Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. He was born January 15, 1929. If he lived, he would have turned seventy-nine years old. In the early 1960s, King focused his challenge on legalized racial discrimination in the South, where police dogs and bullwhips and cattle prods were used against Southern blacks seeking the right to vote or to eat at a public lunch counter. After passage of Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965, King began challenging the nation’s fundamental priorities. He maintained that civil rights laws were empty without “human rights,” including economic rights. [includes rush transcript – partial]
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