Headlines for January 25, 201025 Jan 2010150,000 Bodies Buried in Haiti; Death Toll Could Top 300,000, Oxfam Calls for International Community to Cancel Haiti’s $890 Million Debt, Hope for Haiti Telethon Raises $57 Million, Obama Assails Supreme Court Campaign Finance Ruling, Emails Show Fed Tried to Keep Details of AIG Bailout Secret, Obama to Reach Out to Middle Class Families in State of the Union, Wal-Mart Lays Off 11,000 Workers, Number of Children in Poverty in US Increases by 2.5 Million Since 2000, US to Appeal Blackwater Ruling, DynCorp Scrutinized over Iraq Police Contract, Report: Aung San Suu Kyi May Be Released in Nov., Japanese Voters Back Anti-US Base Mayoral Candidate, Evo Morales Sworn In for Second Term, Netanyahu: Israel Will Retain Parts of West Bank Forever, West Virginia Mine Tree-Sit Enters Fifth Day, 450,000 Gallons of Oil Spill in Texas Waterway, Haitian Activist Jean Montrevil Released from ICE Detention
T Trembl: Journey to the Epicenter of the Earthquake22 Jan 2010We take a journey to the epicenter of the earthquake in Haiti. We go from Port-au-Prince, through Carrefour and Gressier to Leogane. Earthquake survivors talk about the lack of any outside help as they continue to dig out their dead from the rubble and bury them in mass graves.
Security “Red Zones” in Haiti Preventing Large Aid Groups from Effectively Distributing Aid22 Jan 2010As thousands of well-equipped US soldiers pour into Haiti, there is an increasing concern about the militarization of the country, supporting the soldiers and not the people. Or, as one doctor put it, “people need gauze, not guns.” We take a look at aid distribution in Haiti and the effect on Haitians fighting to survive in the aftermath of the earthquake. [includes rush transcript]
Headlines for January 22, 201022 Jan 2010Haiti to Relocate 400,000 from Port-au-Prince, Supreme Court: No Limit on Corporate Spending on Elections, Obama Proposes Limits on Bank Size, Trades, Afghans Protest Deadly NATO Raid, Gates Confirms Blackwater, DynCorp in Pakistan, 50 Gitmo Prisoners to Remain Behind Bars Without Trial, 42 Arrested on Eve of Gitmo Closure Deadline, NASA: Previous Decade Was Warmest on Record, Bipartisan Senate Bill Seeks to Block EPA from Regulating Gases, Tree-Sitting Activists Shut Down West Virginia Coal Mine, Edwards Admits to Fathering Child in Extramarital Affair, Air America to Cease Operations, File for Bankruptcy
In Haiti, Stories of Desperation and Courage: Young Woman Fights for Her Life After Being Pulled from the Rubble21 Jan 2010The recovery effort continues in Haiti amidst a rising death toll. More than 10,000 bodies are now being buried in mass graves in a single day. As the people of Haiti continue to struggle for survival, we bring you stories of desperation and stories of courage. We turn to the story of a young Haitian woman, Patricia Cherie, who is fighting for her life after being pulled from the rubble off the nursing school she was studying at. [includes rush transcript]
Headlines for January 21, 201021 Jan 201010,000 Bodies Buried Daily in Quake Aftermath, Medical Group Faults US Militarization of Haitian Relief, IMF Drops Conditions on $100M Haiti Loan, US Expects 200,000 TPS Applicants, Obama to Propose Limits on Bank Size, Trades, Obama Targets Delinquent Gov’t Contractors, Arms Industry Execs Indicted in Bribery Case, Justice Dept. Report Details Illegal FBI Monitoring, UN, Relief Groups Call on Israel to End Gaza Blockade, US Lifts Bush-era Ban on Foreign Scholars, D.R., Honduran President-Elect Agree on Zelaya Exit, Texas Judge Cleared for Rejecting Last-Minute Death Row Appeal, Cindy McCain Opposes Gay Marriage Ban, Netanyahu: Israeli Military Will Surround Future Palestinian State
Journalist Kim Ives on How Western Domination Has Undermined Haiti’s Ability to Recover from Natural Devastation20 Jan 2010Shortly after Haiti was hit by a 6.1 aftershock earlier today, Amy Goodman and Kim Ives of Haiti Libert report from the Port-au-Prince airport. Amy and Kim discuss how centuries of Western domination of Haiti has worsened the impact of the devastating earthquake, from the harsh reaction to Haiti’s independence as a republic of free slaves in 1804 to the US-backed overthrow of President Jean-Bertrand Aristide in 2004. Ives says, “This quake was precipitated by a political earthquake—with an epicenter in Washington, DC.”
Casting Doubt on US Claims of Suicide, Attorney Scott Horton Reveals 3 Gitmo Prisoners Died After Torture at Secret Site20 Jan 2010New evidence has emerged suggesting three Guantnamo prisoners whom the US claims took their own lives in June 2006 died not from suicide, but torture. A six-month investigation by Harper?s Magazine indicates the three prisoners were suffocated and tortured during questioning at a secret black site facility at Guantnamo known as “Camp No.” The article is based in part on testimony from a former staff sergeant who says the Obama administration has refused to investigate his claims.
With Foreign Aid Still at a Trickle, Devastated Port-au-Prince General Hospital Struggles to Meet Overwhelming Need20 Jan 2010One week after Haiti suffered the worst earthquake in over 200 years, a strong aftershock hit this morning. Initial reports said the latest quake measured 6.1 on the Richter scale—one of the strongest aftershocks since the 7.0-magnitude quake crippled this country eight days ago. While tens of thousands of the wounded await medical help, the survivors are still burying the dead. The death toll is now estimated at a staggering 200,000. Some three million Haitians—a third of the country’s population—have been directly affected by the earthquake, with one-and-a-half million now homeless. Amy Goodman files a report from the General Hospital in Port-au-Prince. [includes rush transcript]
Headlines for January 20, 201020 Jan 2010Powerful Aftershock Hits Haiti , Group: 20,000 Dying Daily from Lack of Surgery, Aid Begins Reaching Quake Epicenter, GOP Candidate Wins Upset Race for Mass. Senate Seat, Supreme Court Tosses Re-Sentencing for Mumia Abu-Jamal, Pakistani Suspect Alleges Torture on First Day of Trial, 8 Killed in Virginia Shooting, Israel Ends Work Permits for Foreign NGOs, Survey: Afghans Paid $2.5B in Bribes in 12-Month Period, US Firm Probed for Stamping Bible Verses on Rifle Sights, Israel Deports US Journalist
Haitian Feminist Leader Myriam Merlet (1953-2010)19 Jan 2010We end today’s show with the sad news of the passing of Haitian political activist Myriam Merlet. She died under the rubble of her home after it collapsed on her last week. Myriam Merlet was the Chief of Staff of the Haitian Ministry of Women and an outspoken feminist who helped draw international attention to the use of rape as a political weapon. We speak with playwright and activist Eve Ensler, who knew Myriam very well, and air video of Myriam speaking in 2008 at V-Day. [includes rush transcript]
“Haiti is Like Gaza”: Sharif Abdel Kouddous on Haiti a Week After the Earthquake19 Jan 2010Sharif reports Haitians are growing increasingly frustrated by how the United Nations is working with survivors of the earthquake. “They’re not interacting with people in the community,” he said. “They’re not interacting with people who can distribute aid effectively in the neighborhoods around Port-au-Prince.” [includes rush transcript]
“Haiti is Shaken to the Core”: Amy Goodman Reports from Port-au-Prince19 Jan 2010“Haiti is devastated as if a bomb, many bombs, exploded throughout Port-au-Prince and beyond, where help has not arrived at all,” reports Amy Goodman on her travels outside of Port-au-Prince to the epicenter of the earthquake. “The smell of death hangs in the air.” [includes rush transcript]
US Accused of Militarizing Relief Effort in Haiti19 Jan 2010The US military has taken control of the only airport in Port-au-Prince and is facing criticism for diverting some aid planes. Doctors Without Borders says five of its planes carrying surgical teams and equipment weren’t allowed to land and were diverted to Santo Domingo in the Dominican Republic. US forces also turned back a French aid plane carrying a field hospital. Al Jazeera English aired this report on Sunday. [includes rush transcript]
Headlines for January 19, 201019 Jan 2010200,000 Feared Dead in Haiti; 1.5 Million Homeless, US Military Diverts Aid Planes from Haitian Airport, 18-Month-Old Girl Rescued from Collapsed Building, Gaza Residents Donate to Haiti Relief Effort, Private Security Companies Eye Work in Haiti, Obama Grants Haitian Immigrants Temporary Protected Status, US Military Covered Up Murder of Three Prisoners at Guantnamo, FBI Illegally Collected More Than 2,000 Call Records, Republican May Win Senate Seat in Masschusetts, Taliban Fighters Launch Attack on Kabul, Shell and Exxon Sign Iraq Oil Deals, Right-Wing Billionaire Wins Chilean Presidential Race, Wall Street Firms to Challenge Obama’s New Tax Plan, Sen. Dodd Considers Scrapping Proposed Consumer Financial Protection Agency
Haitian Feminist Leader Myriam Merlet (1953-2010)19 Jan 2010We end today’s show with the sad news of the passing of Haitian political activist Myriam Merlet. She died under the rubble of her home after it collapsed on her last week. Myriam Merlet was the Chief of Staff of the Haitian Ministry of Women and an outspoken feminist who helped draw international attention to the use of rape as a political weapon. We speak with playwright and activist Eve Ensler, who knew Myriam very well, and air video of Myriam speaking in 2008 at V-Day. [includes rush transcript]
“Haiti is Like Gaza”: Sharif Abdel Kouddous on Haiti a Week After the Earthquake19 Jan 2010Sharif reports Haitians are growing increasingly frustrated by how the United Nations is working with survivors of the earthquake. “They’re not interacting with people in the community,” he said. “They’re not interacting with people who can distribute aid effectively in the neighborhoods around Port-au-Prince.” [includes rush transcript]
“Haiti is Shaken to the Core”: Amy Goodman Reports from Port-au-Prince19 Jan 2010“Haiti is devastated as if a bomb, many bombs, exploded throughout Port-au-Prince and beyond, where help has not arrived at all,” reports Amy Goodman on her travels outside of Port-au-Prince to the epicenter of the earthquake. “The smell of death hangs in the air.” [includes rush transcript]