George Monbiot: UK Inquiry “Toothless” and “Feeble” in Probing Origins of Iraq War17 Feb 2010As the Iraq war continues, Britain is in the midst of an ongoing public inquiry into the UK’s role in the US-led war in 2003 invasion. The public hearings began in late November and the committee is expected to report its findings by June of this year. We speak to author and columnist George Monbiot, who has begun a campaign encouraging citizen’s arrests of former British Prime Minister Tony Blair for crimes against peace in Iraq.
Group: NATO Forces Blocking Movement of Wounded Afghan Civilians17 Feb 2010The US is coming under increasing criticism over the rise in civilian casualties during the assault on the Afghan city of Marjah, one of the largest military offensives of the eight-year war. At least nineteen civilians have been killed so far, including six children who died when a missile struck their house on the outskirts of the city. We speak with Matteo dell?Aira, medical coordinator of the Emergency Lashkar Gah hospital. [includes rush transcript]
Mothers of Jailed US Hikers Shane Bauer and Sarah Shourd Urge Iran to Release Their Children17 Feb 2010We speak to the mothers of Shane Bauer and Sarah Shourd, two of the three Americans detained after mistakenly hiking into Iran last July. This week brought a glimmer of hope when Iran’s top human rights official said he was considering a request by the families to visit them in prison. But with no word from their children for over 200 days and ongoing tensions between the US and Iranian government, the prospects for their release are as uncertain as ever. [includes rush transcript]
Headlines for February 17, 201017 Feb 2010Afghan Civilian Toll Rises in NATO Assault on Marjah, US Drone Attack Kills 3 in Pakistan, Obama to Boost Nuclear Loan Guarantees, Study: Haiti Damage Could Top $13.2B, Clinton: Iran World’s “Largest Supporter of Terrorism”, Ahmadinejad: Iran Open to Fuel Swap, White House Won’t Rule Out Military Action in Iran, US to Appoint Ambassador to Syria, Judge Dismisses Lawsuit over Gitmo Deaths, Group: Record Killings of Journalists in 2009, No Civil Rights Charges in Police Killing of Sean Bell, La. Jury Acquits White Officers in Killing of 73-Year-Old African American
Thomas Geoghegan on the Case for Busting the Filibuster16 Feb 2010Senate Republicans are currently using the filibuster to paralyze the Senate and derail Democratic initiatives, according a McClatchy Newspapers investigation. Since President Obama took office, Republican senators have used the filibuster to stall legislation on healthcare reform, global warming, and financial regulation and the confirmation of fifteen Obama nominees. Last week, Senators Jeanne Shaheen and Tom Harkin introduced a bill aimed at curtailing the filibuster. Their proposal would gradually reduce the number of votes required to overcome a filibuster, so a simple majority of fifty-one votes could eventually end debate. But Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid dismissed their efforts, noting that changing the rule would require sixty-seven votes. We speak with attorney and writer Thomas Geoghegan, a vocal advocate of ending the filibuster.
“Haiti – The Politics of Rebuilding”: A Video Report from Avi Lewis of Al Jazeera16 Feb 2010Much of Port-au-Prince remains under mountains of rubble, and Haitian officials say it would take years to clear out the rubble and begin the process of rebuilding the destroyed city. As pledges of billions of dollars of international aid and investment are made, debates over the vision of a new Haiti are already underway. Journalist Avi Lewis was recently in Haiti exploring the politics of rebuilding the shattered country. He spoke to a number of people, including Haitian presidential adviser Patrick Elie and economist Camille Chalmers. His report aired on the program Fault Lines on Al Jazeera English last week.
Civilian Casualties Mount During US Offensive in Afghanistan16 Feb 2010In Afghanistan, thousands of US and NATO forces have entered the fourth day of a major offensive in Marjah in southern Helmand province. At least nineteen civilians have been killed so far, including six children who died when a missile struck their house on the outskirts of the city. Meanwhile, the Italian NGO Emergency says that dozens of seriously injured civilians are being prevented from reaching hospitals in the provincial capital, Lashkar Gah, due to military blockades. We speak to Wall Street Journal reporter Anand Gopal in Afghanistan. [includes rush transcript]
Headlines for February 16, 201016 Feb 2010Report: Taliban’s Top Military Commander Captured, Civilian Casualties Mount During US Offensive in Afghanistan, 11 Face Arrest for Assassination of Hamas Commander in Dubai, Four Haitian Children Die in School Collapse, Haitian President: It Will Take Three Years to Remove Rubble, Regulators: Toyota Flaws Linked to Deaths of 34, Anti-Coup Activists in Honduras Still Facing Human Rights Abuses, US to Give Loan Guarantees to Build New Nuclear Reactors, 26 Arrested at Anti-Nuke Protest in Britain, Hundreds Protest in Geneva Calling for Human Rights in Iran, Egyptian Dissident Ayman Nour Considers 2011 Presidential Run, New York to Give $72 Million to Help Build Charter Schools, Sen. Evan Bayh (D-IN) Will Not Seek Reelection, Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) Faces Right-Wing Challenger, Polk Award Given to Unnamed People Who Filmed Death of Iranian Student
Dr. Gabor Mat: “When the Body Says No: Understanding the Stress-Disease Connection”15 Feb 2010The Vancouver-based Dr. Gabor Mat argues that too many doctors seem to have forgotten what was once a commonplace assumption – that emotions are deeply implicated in both the development of illness and in the restoration of health. Based on medical studies and his own experience with chronically ill patients at the Palliative Care Unit at Vancouver Hospital, where he was the Medical Coordinator for seven years, Dr. Gabor Mate makes the case that there are important links between the mind and the immune system. He found that stress and individual emotional makeup play critical roles in an array of diseases.
Vancouver Community Activist Am Johal Condemns Use of Public Money to Subsidize International Olympic Committee at Expense of Basic City Services15 Feb 2010The Olympic Games last only two weeks, but their legacy will be felt in Vancouver for years to come. The price tag for taxpayers is estimated at around $6 billion, including around $1 billion in “security” costs. Last week, International Olympic Committee president Jacques Rogge praised Vancouver organizers, calling the Vancouver model “a blueprint for future games.” To talk about what that blueprint could mean for Vancouver, as well as future host cities, we go now to Vancouver, where we are joined by Am Johal, chair of the Impact on Communities Coalition, a watchdog group around the Vancouver Olympics founded in 2001.
Headlines for February 15, 201015 Feb 201012 Die as US Bombs Wrong House as Part of New Afghan Offensive, Targeted Killings Increase Under President Obama, Haitians Hold Day of Mourning One Month After Earthquake, Record $3.47 Billion Spent on Federal Lobbying in 2009, Report: Goldman Sachs Helped Greece Hide Mounting Debts, Clinton: Iran Moving Toward a ?Military Dictatorship?, Israel to Reroute Part of West Bank Wall Following Years of Protest, Palestinians Dress as Avatar Na’vi to Protest Israeli Wall, British Journalist Jailed in Gaza, Burmese Pro-Democracy Leader Released from Detention, Report: Oceans to Become More Acidic than Any Time in 65 Million Years, Anthem Blue Cross Puts Off Plan to Raise Rates, Forestry Company to Pay $2.75 Million to Immigrant Guestworkers, Floridians Protest Offshore Oil Drilling Proposal
“China’s Unnatural Disaster”: Oscar-Nominated Doc on Sichuan Earthquake Brings World Attention to Chinese Crackdown on Dissidents12 Feb 2010Chinese courts are cracking down on dissident activists. Liu Xiaobo lost his appeal Thursday and now faces 11 years in prison for advocating political reform. Earlier this week another prominent writer and activist, Tan Zuoren, was sentenced to 5 years in prison. Zuoren had been campaigning on behalf of thousands of parents whose children were killed when shabbily built schools collapsed in the massive Sichuan earthquake two years ago. To discuss China’s crackdown, we’re joined by two guests behind an Oscar-nominated film on the earthquake, “China’s Unnatural Disaster: The Tears of Sichuan Province”: co-director and DCTV founder Jon Alpert, and co-producer and Hunter College professor Peter Kwong.
Climate Scientist: Record-Setting Mid-Atlantic Snowfall Linked to Global Warming12 Feb 2010As record snowfall crippled the mid-Atlantic this week, many Republicans used the blizzard-like conditions to argue that global warming is a hoax. We speak to climate scientist Brenda Ekwurzel of the Union of Concerned Scientists, who argues the extreme weather is in fact a part of global warming. [includes rush transcript]
Headlines for February 12, 201012 Feb 2010Top Insurers Post Record Profits While Dropping 2.7M Policyholders, Improved Corporate Profits Not Leading to Job Growth, Survey: Quarter of Job Losses Will Be Permanent, Reid Touts Dems’ “Jobs Agenda”, Labor Dept. Reverses Bush-Era Farmworker Regulations, Legislation Seeks to Curb Supreme Court Ruling on Corporate Electioneering, Ending Family Era, Rep. Kennedy Announces Retirement, US Sets May 1st Target for Sheltering Haitians, Long After Rainy Season Begins, Judge Calls for Release of Detained Missionaries, US Dismisses Iranian Claims on Uranium Enrichment, European Lawmakers Reject Financial Data-Sharing with US, Report: 700 Military Bases in Afghanistan, Poll: 75% Support Openly Gay Men and Lesbians in Military, Openly Gay Servicemember Resumes Military Drills, Iraq War Vet Faces Court-Martial for Song Criticizing Forced Redeployment, Iranian Forces Arrest Opposition Leaders, Disrupt Protests, US Army to Discharge Single Mother Who Refused Deployment
As Toyota Recall Surpasses 10 Million Cars, Federal Regulators Faulted for Slow Response to Early Warnings11 Feb 2010Since last fall, the auto giant Toyota has recalled about ten million cars worldwide because of defects that can cause runaway acceleration or braking problems. Questions are being raised over why it took federal regulators so long to force Toyota to take action. We speak to longtime consumer advocate Joan Claybrook, the former head of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and the group Public Citizen. [includes rush transcript]
Study: Charter Schools Increasing Racial Segregation in Classrooms11 Feb 2010Encouraged by the Obama administration, efforts to expand the number of charter schools are being organized around the country. But concerns are being raised about the system. We speak to UCLA?s Civil Rights Project co-director Gary Orfield about a new study that suggests charter school growth is increasing classroom segregation.
Roundtable: Do Charter Schools Worsen Inequality of Two-Tiered Education System, or Help Address It?11 Feb 2010We host a roundtable discussion on charter schools and the controversial closing of ninetten New York City public schools with New York State Senator Bill Perkins, one of the most vocal state lawmakers against lifting the cap on charter schools in New York; Seth Andrew, superintendent and founder of the Democracy Prep charter school in Harlem; Daniel Clark, Sr., the field director of advocacy group Parent Power Now!; and Leonie Haimson, executive director of Class Size Matters.
Headlines for February 11, 201011 Feb 2010Iran Curbs Opposition Protests, Blocks Communications, Declaring Uranium Enrichment, Ahmadinejad Says Iran a “Nuclear State”, US, UK Lose Bid to Censor Docs in British Torture Case, Iraqi Official Calls for Expulsion of Ex-Blackwater Forces, Ex-Employees Accuse Blackwater of Defrauding US, Billing for Prostitutes, Freed Iraqi Journalist Speaks Out Upon Release from US Military Prison, Obama Hosts Civil Rights Leaders on African American Unemployment, Study: Lowest-Income Americans Face 30% Unemployment, Student Files Suit over Detention for English-Arabic Study Materials, Appeals Court to Hear Arguments in Cell-Phone Tracking Case, Insurance Company Sued for Denying Treatment to 5-Year-Old Cancer Patient, Ex-Rep. Charlie Wilson Dies at 76
Palestinian Families Appeal to UN Over Israeli Construction of “Museum of Tolerance” on Jerusalem’s Historic Mamilla Cemetery10 Feb 2010Palestinian families have filed a petition with the United Nations over the Simon Wiesenthal Center’s plans to build a “Museum of Tolerance” over the historic Muslim cemetery Jerusalem. Opponents of the project have long questioned how a monument to tolerance can be built on the remains of the graves of generations of Palestinian Muslims. We speak to Columbia University professor and author Rashid Khalidi, a petitioner whose ancestors were buried at the Mamilla cemetery; and Michael Ratner of the Center for Constitutional Rights, which is representing the families in their petition.
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