Fishing Industry in Gulf Still Worried About Levels of Toxins in the Water and the Impact on Marine Life23 Aug 2010The Obama administration announced last week that it is safe to eat fish and shrimp caught in the 78 percent of federal waters in the Gulf that are now reopened to fishing. But many are still concerned about the levels of toxins in the water and the impact on marine life. Independent journalist Dahr Jamail has been reporting from the Gulf Coast for over a month now. Last week he spoke to some commercial fishermen in Mississippi who are refusing to trawl because of the oil and dispersants that are still in the water.
Exclusive: US Journalist Deported from Turkey After Reporting on Plight of Kurds23 Aug 2010Twenty-five-year-old American journalist Jake Hess was arrested in Turkey nearly two weeks ago and deported back to the United States over the weekend. Turkey accused him of allegedly having ties with the banned Kurdistan Workers’ Party, or PKK, which Turkey and the United States classify as a terrorist organization. But Hess and his lawyer have maintained that Hess was targeted because of his writings. His recent articles for Inter Press Service have focused on Turkish soldiers deliberately starting forest fires, the depopulation of Kurdish villages, and Turkish-Iranian air strikes on Kurdish homes in northern Iraq. [includes rush transcript]
Headlines for August 23, 201023 Aug 2010UN: Lack of International Support for Pakistan Is “Quite Extraordinary”, US Drone Strike Killed Six in Pakistan, Israeli and Palestinian Authority Agree to Direct Talks, Sweden Drops Rape Charges Against WikiLeaks Founder, Rallies Held For and Against NYC Islamic Cultural Center, Soldiers Punished for Refusing to Attend Christian Concert, Gen. Odierno: US Troops May Stay in Iraq After 2011, US Soldier Killed in Southern Iraq, Haitian Authorities Release List of Qualified Presidential Candidates, UN Report Exonerates Shell for Oil Pollution in Niger Delta, 33 Chilean Miners Still Alive, GOP Candidate Proposes Housing Welfare Recipients in Jails, California Jail to Test Ray Gun on Prisoners, Recall of Eggs Expanded by 170 Million Eggs, Blackwater Agrees to Pay $42 Million in Fines, CodePink Founder Arrested at Home of Blackwater’s Erik Prince
Debate: Is DREAM Act a Solution for Millions of Undocumented Youth or a Funnel for Military Recruitment?20 Aug 2010The Development, Relief and Education for Alien Minors Act—DREAM —would allow undocumented young people a chance at citizenship provided they attend college for at least two years or enlist in the military. It’s been described as a dream come true for undocumented youth wanting a chance to stay in this country without the fear of deportation. But many antiwar activists warn that the bill will simply funnel more young people into the military. We host a debate between Camilo Meja of Iraq Veterans Against the War and pro-DREAM activist Gaby Pacheco.
Iraq War Vet Camilo Meja: US Withdrawal Plan Marks “Privatization of Military Occupation”20 Aug 2010Staff Sergeant Camilo Meja, the first US combat veteran to publicly resist the war, joins us to give his reaction to the so-called US withdrawal of combat troops from Iraq. Meja served six months in Iraq in 2003 with the Florida National Guard. While on a two-week leave in the United States, he decided never to return. In May 2004, a military jury convicted him of desertion, and he was sentenced to one year in prison. He served nine months behind bars, prompting Amnesty International to declare him a prisoner of conscience. [includes rush transcript]
Obama Admin Claims End to Combat Operations in Iraq, But Iraqis See Same War Under a Different Name20 Aug 2010The Obama administration says the last combat brigades have left Iraq. Is this the end of the Iraq war or just a rebranding of the US occupation? More than 50,000 troops remain in Iraq as well as 4,500 special operations forces and tens of thousands of private contractors. The US embassy in Baghdad is the largest in the world—the size of eighty football fields. We get a perspective on the so-called withdrawal rarely heard in the US media: that of two Iraqis, Raed Jarrar of Peace Action and Yanar Mohammed of the Organization of Women’s Freedom in Iraq. [includes rush transcript]
Headlines for August 20, 201020 Aug 2010UNICEF: Aid Appeal Inadequate to Address Pakistan’s Growing Crisis, Global Donations for Pakistan Lag Compared to Recent Disasters, Scientists Confirm Gulf Oil Plume, Dispute White House Claims, BP Delays Well Sealing Until September, Transocean Accuses BP of Obstructing Probe into Rig Explosion, Report: BP Settlements May Indemnify Gulf Firms, Jobless Claims Hit 9-Month High, Women Activists to Attempt Gaza Sailing, Reports: Israelis, Palestinians Agree to Hold Talks, UN: Israel Denies Palestinians Access to 17% of Gaza, Report: US Claims Israel Won’t Attack Iran for at Least 1 Year, Caldern: US Gun Laws Fueling Mexican Drug War, Report: Wyclef Jean Denied Bid for Haitian Presidency, Protesters Call on Trader Joe’s to Adopt Humane Conditions for Tomato Pickers, Report: Donations Surge to Sway Judicial Elections, Homeless Man Jailed for Stealing Food Freed After 13 Years
Filipina American Torture, Abduction Survivor Melissa Roxas: Graphic Torture Video a Rare Glimpse into Widespread Abuses in the Philippines19 Aug 2010Graphic footage of a man being tortured by police has sparked widespread public outrage in the Philippines and a government probe. The graphic cell phone video shows a man lying naked and bloody on the floor of an alleged police precinct in Manila. A plainclothes police officer is seen whipping him and tugging at a rope tied to the victim?s genitals while screams are heard. Over the past decade, torture, forced disappearance, political killings and imprisonment without trial have become commonplace in the Philippines. We speak to Melissa Roxas, a Filipina American who was abducted and tortured last year in the Philippines.
Obama Signs $600M Bill to Increase Militarization of US-Mexico Border19 Aug 2010President Obama has signed into law a $600 million bill to deploy some 1,500 new border patrol agents and law enforcement officials along the border, as well as two aerial surveillance drones. The bill was quickly passed by Congress in a rare display of bipartisanship. We speak to Arnoldo Garca of the National Network for Immigrant and Refugee Rights.
With 28,000 Killed Since 2006, Movement for Drug Legalization in Mexico Takes Hold19 Aug 2010The Mexican government’s policy against drug trafficking over the past few years has been to increasingly militarize the conflict with the only tangible result being a skyrocketing death toll. Now a growing movement in Mexico to legalize drugs, particularly marijuana, is taking shape. Four proposals that aim for varying degrees of decriminalization or legalization of drugs are on the docket in Mexico’s House of Deputies, and another is circulating in the Senate. Meanwhile, former Mexican President Vicente Fox, who was a key US ally in the war on drugs, has backed the legalization of drugs, saying prohibition has failed to reduce violence and corruption.
Headlines for August 19, 201019 Aug 2010US Withdraws Last Combat Brigade from Iraq, But 56,000 Troops Remain, Hundreds Protest Deadly US Raid in Afghanistan, US: Afghan Ban on Armed Contractors Could Threaten Aid, US Boosts Pakistan Aid to $150M, Lori Berenson Reimprisoned in Peru, US Still Holding Gitmo Prisoner Cleared for Release in 2004, ACLU Files Suit over Torture, Jailing of US Citizen in UAE, Howard Dean Opposes Islamic Community Center Near Ground Zero, US Accused of Pressuring India to Drop Bhopal Claims, US Deported Record 393,000 in 2009, Justice Dept. Threatens to Sue Arizona Sheriff for Rebuffing Investigators, Bailed-Out GM Files Papers for Public Offering
As GOP and Some Top Dems Unite in Opposing NY Islamic Community Center, a Roundtable Discussion with Mother of 9/11 Victim, Rabbi, Muslim Lawmaker and Islamic Scholar18 Aug 2010We spend the hour on the controversy around the proposed construction of an Islamic community center in Lower Manhattan, which has turned into a national issue. Opposition to the center first started among fringe, right-wing blogs but has swept into the mainstream, with some Democrats, including Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, coming out against it. Republicans have vowed to make the controversy a campaign issue in the fall. We host a roundtable with four guests: Minnesota Representative Keith Ellison, the first Muslim elected to Congress; Rabbi Irwin Kula of the National Jewish Center for Learning and Leadership; Islamic scholar John Esposito of Georgetown University; and Talat Hamdani, whose son Salman died on 9/11 in the attacks on the World Trade Center. [includes rush transcript – partial]
Headlines for August 18, 201018 Aug 2010UN: 40% of Pakistan Aid Appeal Received, Haiti Reconstruction Commission Approves $1.6B for Rebuilding Projects, France Rejects Call to Repay Haiti “Independence Debt”, Colombian Court: US Military Base Deal Unconstitutional, Blackwater Owner Prince Moves to Abu Dhabi, Scientists: Oil Contaminating Vital Gulf Habitat, 68 Killed in Iraq Bombings, Blagojevich Convicted on One Count in Corruption Trial, Murray, Rossi Win Washington St. Primaries, News Corp. Donates $1M to Republican Governors Association, Dr. Laura to End Radio Show After N-Word Tirade
UN Humanitarian Chief John Holmes: The Magnitude of the Pakistan Floods Is Unprecedented17 Aug 2010The United Nations is warning millions of Pakistanis are at risk of deadly waterborne diseases more than two weeks since Pakistan’s worst-ever flooding began. The World Health Organization says around six million people—over half of them children—face the threat of cholera and dysentery, as well as typhoid and hepatitis. The flooding has killed over 1,600 people and displaced 20 million—nearly 12 percent of Pakistan’s population. We speak to UN Humanitarian Chief John Holmes and Pakistani analyst Mosharraf Zaidi. [includes rush transcript]
Thousands of Haitians Face Risk of Forcible Evictions from Temporary Camps17 Aug 2010It’s been over seven months since Haiti’s devastating earthquake left up to 300,000 dead and displaced over 1.5 million. Only a small fraction of the displaced have found new homes, and those who’ve found shelter in temporary camps now face a new round of displacement. According to Haitian community groups, thousands of Haitians are at risk of forcible eviction from some of the 1,300 camps established since the quake. The evictions come at a time when reports show a rising number of rapes and sexual abuse in the aftermath of the quake, especially in the camps for the internally displaced.
France Urged to Pay $40 Billion to Haiti in Reparations for “Independence Debt”17 Aug 2010According to the UN-sponsored Haiti Reconstruction Fund, only two countries—Brazil and Estonia—have fully paid the pledged amount. The United States, France, Canada and many others have failed to send their pledged aid. A recent review by CNN found that just two percent of total pledges have been delivered to Haiti. Calls are now growing for another form of payment to Haiti: reparations. This week, a group of prominent academics and activists published an open letter calling on France to repay an “independence debt” it imposed nearly 200 years ago after Haiti successfully won independence from France. Haiti was forced to pay France around 90 million gold francs up until World War II, which after interest and inflation is valued today at up to $40 billion.
Headlines for August 17, 201017 Aug 2010Same-Sex Marriages Put on Hold in California, Sen. Reid Opposes Mosque in Lower Manhattan, At Least 50 Die in Suicide Bombing in Baghdad, Number of Troops Killed Under Obama in Afghanistan to Surpass Bush, Robert Gates to Retire in 2011, US Continues Drone Strikes in Pakistan Despite Floods, Lori Berenson Appears in Peruvian Court, US to Ease Travel Rules to Cuba, Videotapes from Secret CIA Prison Uncovered, New Deepwater Oil Drilling Regulations Outlined, Researchers: 79% of Oil from BP Spill Still Has Not Been Recovered, Justice Department Drops Probe of Former GOP Leader Tom DeLay, Israeli Soldier Posts Photos with Palestinian Prisoners, Mexican President Open to Debate on Drug Legalization, US Pressured over Ban on Mexican Cargo Trucks, Judge Orders Release of Californian Jailed Under Three Strikes, Activist Arrested After Throwing Pie at Sen. Carl Levin
Filmmakers, Activists Try to Save Dolphins from Slaughter in Oscar-Winning Doc The Cove16 Aug 2010The Academy Award-winning film The Cove opened last month in Japan after months of protests by right-wing activists who had pressured some cinemas into canceling screenings. The film documents how a group of activists and filmmakers used hidden cameras to expose the annual slaughter of over 20,000 dolphins in the small Japanese fishing village of Taiji, 200 miles southeast of Tokyo. We speak with the film’s director, Louie Psihoyos, and dolphin activist Ric O’Barry. [includes rush transcript – partial]
Headlines for August 16, 201016 Aug 2010UN Chief: Pakistan Is Worst Disaster I’ve Ever Witnessed, Gen: Petraeus Hints Scheduled Afghan Withdrawal Could Be Postponed, Karzai Reportedly Orders All Private Security Firms to Disband, Shadow War: US Secretly Carries Out Strikes in Yemen, Obama Backs the Rights of Muslims to Build Mosque Near Ground Zero, US Threatens to Cut Off Arms Deal to Turkey over Criticism of Israel, US to Fund Israeli Purchase of 20 F-35 Joint Strike Fighters, White House Expresses Concern over Election in Rwanda, 23 Killed in Mexico; Grenade Hits Monterrey TV Station, Peruvian Prosecutor Seeks to Put Lori Berenson Back in Jail, France Urged to Repay $40 Billion “Independence Debt” to Haiti, Curfew Continues in Kashmir After Police Kill Four Protesters, Backers of Open Internet Protest Outside Google HQ, Turkey Deports US Journalist, Laborers? International Union Rejoins AFL-CIO, Singer, Civil Rights Activist Abbey Lincoln, 80, Dies
After Over Four Decades, Justice Still Eludes Family of 3 Civil Rights Workers Slain in Mississippi Burning Killings13 Aug 2010As the Justice Department announces it has closed nearly half of its investigations into unresolved killings from the civil rights era, we look back at the 1964 murders of civil rights workers James Chaney, Andrew Goodman and Michael Schwerner, the subject of the new documentary Neshoba: The Price of Freedom. Although dozens of white men are believed to have been involved in the murders and cover-up, only one man, a Baptist preacher named Edgar Ray Killen, is behind bars today. Four suspects are still alive in the case. We play excerpts of Neshoba and speak with its co-director, Micki Dickoff. We’re also joined by the brothers of two of the victims, Ben Chaney and David Goodman. And we speak with award-winning Mississippi-based journalist Jerry Mitchell of the Clarion-Ledger, who’s spent the past twenty years investigating unresolved civil rights murder cases, as well as Bruce Watson, author of the new book Freedom Summer: The Savage Season that Made Mississippi Burn and Made America a Democracy. [includes rush transcript – partial]
Headlines for August 13, 201013 Aug 2010Prop 8 Backers Given 6 Days to Block Resumption of Gay Marriages, Poll: Most Americans Back Same-Sex Marriage, Jobless Claims Reach Six-Month High; Foreclosures Rise 9%, Report: Wall St. Bonuses to Increase for Consecutive Year, BP Fined $50.6M for Safety Hazards at Texas Refinery, Alabama AG Sues BP and Other Firms over Spill, Congress Approves $600M Border Militarization Bill, Poll: Majority of Border Residents Feel Safe, Israel Rejects Palestinian Offer for Peace Talks, Pentagon Warns WikiLeaks on New Document Release, Congress Members Seek to Reduce US Compensation for Iraqi Victims of US Attacks, Iraqi Commander: US Troops Needed Until 2020, Pakistani Province Faces New Round of Flooding, Pakistani Journalists Protest Media Crackdown, Burmese Junta Announces Election Date, Canadian Navy Seizes Tamil Migrant Ship, Haitians Hold Sit-in to Protest Forced Evictions, Lesbian of Color Files Civil Rights Suit Against NYPD
“I Fear for My Country”: Muslim Leader Daisy Khan on Opposition to Ground Zero Mosque and Others Nationwide12 Aug 2010Debate is intensifying over the planned construction of an Islamic center and mosque two blocks from New York’s Ground Zero. But it is not just a local issue. Across the country, Muslim groups are facing attacks over plans to build new mosques. We speak to Daisy Khan of the American Society for Muslim Advancement, one of the main organizations behind the mosque project, and the wife of Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf; and Stephan Salisbury, cultural writer for the Philadelphia Inquirer and author of Mohamed?s Ghosts: An American Story of Love and Fear in the Homeland.
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