Theo Chocolate Founder, CEO Joe Whinney on Fair Trade Cocoa
13 Feb 2008
We speak to Joe Whinney, founder and CEO of Theo Chocolate, which describes itself as the only roaster of organic cocoa beans and the first roaster of Fair Trade certified cocoa beans in the United States. [includes rush transcript]

“Chocolate’s Bittersweet Economy”: Cocoa Industry Accused of Greed, Neglect for Labor Practices in Ivory Coast
13 Feb 2008
On Valentine’s Day, we look into two of the luxury industries that have come to expect huge profits on this hyper-consumerized occasion. We begin with chocolate. A scathing new report by veteran journalist and author Christian Parenti says hardly any progress has been made in the cocoa industry’s pledges to address child labor. We host a debate between Parenti and William Guyton, president of the World Cocoa Foundation. [includes rush transcript]

Entertainment Writers Claim Victory in Deal Ending 14-Week Strike
13 Feb 2008
Entertainment industry writers are back on the job after overwhelmingly approving a deal that will eventually give them a percentage of revenue for work posted online. We speak to Michael Winship, president of Writers Guild of America, East. [includes rush transcript]

Headlines for February 14, 2008
13 Feb 2008
Senate Approves Waterboarding Ban, House Rejects Extending Surveillance Law, Boeing Rendition Suit Dismissed in U.S. Court, Iraq Approves Amnesty Law, Venezuelans Protest ExxonMobil on Asset Freeze, U.S. Labor Delegation Lobbies Colombia on Union Killings, Bolivia: Spy-Linked U.S. Embassy Official Won?t Return, Timorese President Recovers Amidst Reconciliation Calls, Following Historic Apology, Australia?s Aborigines Call for Indigenous Panel, Heath Risks to Displace 100,000 Katrina Evacuees from Government Trailers, Attorney: Charge Officers for Throwing Quadriplegic from Wheelchair, ?92 Clinton Campaign Manager Endorses Obama

In Defense of Food: Author, Journalist Michael Pollan on Nutrition, Food Science and the American Diet
12 Feb 2008
Acclaimed author and journalist Michael Pollan argues that what most Americans are consuming today is not food but “edible food-like substances.” His previous book, The Omnivore’s Dilemma: A Natural History of Four Meals, was named one of the ten best books of 2006 by the New York Times and the Washington Post. His latest book, just published, is called In Defense of Food: An Eater’s Manifesto. [includes rush transcript]

Antiwar Candidate Donna Edwards Defeats Incumbent Rep. Albert Wynn in Key Maryland Primary
12 Feb 2008
Antiwar Democrat Donna Edwards joins us to talk about her defeat of eight-term Congress member Albert Wynn in Tuesday’s primary vote. The Maryland race had been described as “a bellwether contest in the fight for the soul of the Democratic Party.” If Edwards wins in November, she’ll be the first African American woman elected to Congress from Maryland. [includes rush transcript]

Headlines for February 13, 2008
12 Feb 2008
Senate Backs Expanding Government Spying, Immunizing Telecoms, Obama, McCain Sweep Potomac Primary, 9/11 Charges Renew Fears of Gitmo Executions, Panel Warns U.S. Lagging on Nuke Oversight, Putin Threatens Ukraine Over NATO, U.S. Missile Shield, U.S. Rejects Space Weapons Ban, 18 Rebel Soldiers Sought for East Timor Assassination Attempt, Australia Issues Formal Apology for Treatment of Aborigines, Hezbollah Military Leader Killed in Syria Bombing, Red Cross Warns of Afghan Refugee Crisis, Sadr Group: Deal Reached to Free CBS News Journalists, Ex-Contractor: 38 Women Suffering Abuses in Iraq Unable to Go Public, Press Charges, Palestinians Criticize Latest Israeli Settlement Expansion, U.S.-Trained Filipino Officers Suspended for Alleged Killings, Following Record Loss, GM Seeks to Cut Workforce, Outcry Forces Blue Cross to Abandon Letters, Writers Return to Work After Approving Strike Deal, Florida Police Suspended for Throwing Quadriplegic out of Wheelchair, Iraqi Journalist Slain in Baghdad

Torture, Due Process Concerns Mar Capital Case Against Alleged 9/11 Conspirators
11 Feb 2008
The Pentagon is seeking the death penalty for six prisoners at Guantanamo Bay for their alleged involvement in the 9/11 attacks. But questions are being raised about evidence obtained through torture and the legitimacy of the military commissions used to try the suspects. We speak to Vincent Warren, Executive Director of the Center for Constitutional Rights, which represents hundreds of Guantanamo prisoners including one of the accused.

Nobel Laureate and “Banker to the Poor” Muhammad Yunus on Micro-Lending, Its Critics and the Bush Administration’s Negative Impact on Global Poverty
11 Feb 2008
Muhammad Yunus won the 2006 Nobel Peace Prize for pioneering a microcredit program that helps hundreds of thousands of impoverished Bangladeshis ? mostly women ? by providing small, unsecured loans which are then repaid. He is author of the new book “Creating a World without Poverty: Social Business and the Future of Capitalism.”

Discovery Channel Accused of Political Censorship for Dropping Oscar-Nominated Doc on U.S. Torture
11 Feb 2008
Days after its Academy Award nomination, the documentary “Taxi to the Dark Side” was dropped by the Discovery Channel over concerns it was “controversial.” The film investigates some of the most egregious abuses associated with the so-called ?war on terror? – including the US torture of prisoners. We get reaction from filmmaker Alex Gibney.

Headlines for February 12, 2008
11 Feb 2008
Gates Backs Stalling Limited Troop Withdrawals, 2 Journalists Kidnapped in Iraq, Pentagon Seeks Death Pentalty in 9/11 Cases, Obama Expected to Sweep ?Potomac Primary?, U.S. Marine Accused of Rape in Japan, Israel to Build 1,000 New Settlement Homes, Venezuela Threatens Oil Cutoff After Exxon Wins Asset Freeze, Insurance Giant Asks Doctors to Help Deny Medical Coverage, 4 Accused of Spying for China, Yahoo Rejects Microsoft Takeover Bid, Rep. Lantos Dies at 80, East Timorese Leader Expected to Recover

Report: U.S. Funding Opposition Groups in Bolivia
10 Feb 2008
The US embassy in Bolivia has been using American taxpayer money to help fund opposition groups, according to an article in The Progressive magazine. We speak with journalist Benjamin Dangl, who broke the story. [includes rush transcript]

EXCLUSIVE: Ecuadorian President Rafael Correa on the Lawsuit Against Chevron, Eradicating Foreign Debt and Why He Says “Ecuador is No Longer for Sale”
10 Feb 2008
We play highlights of an exclusive interview with Ecuador’s President Rafael Correa. In a wide-ranging conversation with journalist Greg Palast, President Correa talks about the $12 billion lawsuit against Chevron, ending his country’s debt, and his relationship with the United States and Venezuela. [includes rush transcript]

US Embassy in Bolivia Tells Fulbright Scholar and Peace Corps Volunteers to Spy on Venezuelans and Cubans in Bolivia
10 Feb 2008
An American Fulbright scholar and Peace Corps volunteers in Bolivia say the US embassy told them to spy on Venezuelans and Cubans in Bolivia. We go to Bolivia to speak with the Fulbright scholar Alexander van Schaick and Jean Friedman-Rudovsky, the reporter who broke the story for ABC News. [includes rush transcript]

Report: Over 23,000 Business Leaders Working With FBI and Homeland Security
10 Feb 2008
The Progressive magazine is reporting that more than 23,000 representatives of private industry are working quietly with the FBI and the Department of Homeland Security. The business leaders form a group known as InfraGard that receives warnings of terrorist threats directly from the FBI before the public does. We speak with the the reporter who broke the story and the editor of The Progressive, Matt Rothschild. [includes rush transcript]

Headlines for February 11, 2008
10 Feb 2008
Obama Wins 5 out of 5 Weekend Primary and Caucus Contests, Clinton Appoints New Campaign Manager, Huckabee: States Deserve Election not Coronation, Ron Paul Rules Out Run on Third Party Ticket, President Bush Weighs in on Obama Candidacy, East Timor President and Peace Prize Winner Wounded in Apparent Coup Attempt, Tentative Deal Reached, Writers to Vote to End Strike, Military Prosecutors Seek Death Penalty for Six Gitmo Prisoners, Another Prominent APA Member Resigns Over Interrogation Policies, Human Rights Activists Criticize Bush Over Signing Statement on Darfur, 53 Iraqis Killed Sunday, US Army Sniper Sentenced to 10 Years for Killing Unarmed Iraqi, Houston Chronicle: 17% Jump in Civilian Contractor Deaths in 2007, Six Workers Dead Following Sugar Refinery Blast in Georgia, FBI Arrests Puerto Rican Independence Activist

Examining Clinton & Obama’s Stances on the Subprime Mortgage Crisis, Universal Healthcare, Privatizing Social Security and Nuclear Energy
7 Feb 2008
With Senators Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama in a dead heat, we look at their stances on some of the most pressing domestic issues with Robert Kuttner of the American Prospect, Max Fraser of The Nation and Paul Gunter of Beyond Nuclear. [includes rush transcript]

Will Conservative Republicans Back McCain? Following Romney’s Departure, John McCain Appears Set to Become GOP Nominee
7 Feb 2008
A day after John McCain is booed at the Conservative Political Action Conference, Michael Tomasky, editor of Guardian America, examines the Republican race and McCain’s relationship with the three wings of the GOP: the neoconservatives, the theo-conservatives and the radical anti-taxers. [includes rush transcript]

Headlines for February 8, 2008
7 Feb 2008
Mukasey Opposes Probe Into CIA’s Waterboarding, CIA’s Hayden: Private Contactors Involved in Waterboarding, Cheney: Bush’s Decisions “Always Reflected The Values Of The American People”, After Spending $90 Million, Romney Suspends Campaign, Christian Leader James Dobson Endorses Mike Huckabee, McCain Booed At Conservative Political Action Conference, Congress Approves $168 Billion Stimulus Plan, Exxon Mobil Expresses Interest In Iraqi Oil Fields, Report: FBI Deputizes 23,000 Business Leaders, U.S. Pushes Allies To Send More Troops to Afghanistan, U.S. Indirectly Subsidizing Iranian Nuclear Plant, Report: Veterans Likely to Earn Lower Wages, Scotland Yard: Bhutto Killed By Blast, Not Bullet, Head of ICE Criticized Over Racist Photos, Cartoonists of Color Stage Newspaper Protest

Examining Clinton & Obama’s Stances on the Subprime Mortgage Crisis, Universal Healthcare, Privatizing Social Security and Nuclear Energy
7 Feb 2008
With Senators Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama in a dead heat, we look at their stances on some of the most pressing domestic issues with Robert Kuttner of the American Prospect, Max Fraser of the Nation and Paul Gunter of Beyond Nuclear.

Will Conservative Republicans Back McCain? Following Romney’s Departure, John McCain Appears Set to Become GOP Nominee
7 Feb 2008
A day after John McCain is booed at the Conservative Political Action Conference, Michael Tomasky, editor of Guardian America, examines the Republican race and McCain’s relationship with the three wings of the GOP: the neoconservatives, the theo-conservatives and the radical anti-taxers. [includes rush transcript]

Headlines for February 8, 2008
7 Feb 2008
Mukasey Opposes Probe Into CIA’s Waterboarding, CIA’s Hayden: Private Contactors Involved in Waterboarding, Cheney: Bush’s Decisions “Always Reflected The Values Of The American People”, After Spending $90 Million, Romney Suspends Campaign, Christian Leader James Dobson Endorses Mike Huckabee, McCain Booed At Conservative Political Action Conference, Congress Approves $168 Billion Stimulus Plan, Exxon Mobil Expresses Interest In Iraqi Oil Fields, Report: FBI Deputizes 23,000 Business Leaders, U.S. Pushes Allies To Send More Troops to Afghanistan, U.S. Indirectly Subsidizing Iranian Nuclear Plant, Report: Veterans Likely to Earn Lower Wages, Scotland Yard: Bhutto Killed By Blast, Not Bullet, Head of ICE Criticized Over Racist Photos, Cartoonists of Color Stage Newspaper Protest

EXCLUSIVE: Former 9/11 Commission Chief Philip Zelikow on Allegations He Secretly Allowed Karl Rove & White House to Influence 9/11 Probe
6 Feb 2008
Earlier in the week, we spoke to Philip Shenon, author of The Commission: The Uncensored History of the 9/11 Investigation. Shenon suggested that Philip Zelikow, the executive director of the 9/11 Commission, sought to minimize the Bush administration?s responsibility for failing to prevent the September 11th attacks. Shenon also revealed that Karl Rove repeatedly called Zelikow during the probe. Today Zelikow responds in his first broadcast interview since the publication of Shenon’s book. [includes rush transcript]

The 9/11 Commission & Torture: How Information Gained Through Waterboarding & Harsh Interrogations Form Major Part of 9/11 Commission Report
6 Feb 2008
A new analysis by NBC News reveals that more than a quarter of all footnotes in the 9/11 Commission Report refer to controversial interrogation techniques. Yet, Commission staffers did not question the CIA about its techniques. They even ordered a second round of interrogations in early 2004 to get more information from the detainees. [includes rush transcript]

With Obama-Clinton Race Deadlocked, Focus Turns to Delegates (and Superdelegates)
6 Feb 2008
As Democratic Party chair Howard Dean says the party might try to make “some kind of arrangement” between Obama or Clinton if no clear nominee emerges by mid-March or April, we speak with Duke University Professor David Rohde on the race for the delegates and the role of superdelegates. [includes rush transcript]