Following Acquittal of NYPD Officers in Sean Bell Killing, Advocates Call for Special Prosecutor in Police Brutality Cases
27 Apr 2008
In New York, a coalition of civil rights advocates are calling for a permanent state-level special prosecutor to handle police brutality cases following the acquittal of three NYPD detectives in the killing of Sean Bell. The 23-year-old Bell died in a hail of fifty police bullets on the morning of what would have been his wedding day in November 2006. Two of his friends were also injured in the shooting. All three men were unarmed. We speak with Sanford Rubinstein, the attorney representing Sean Bell’s fiancee Nicole Paultre-Bell and with Jessica Sanclemente, the co-coordinator of People’s Justice.

Headlines for April 28, 2008
27 Apr 2008
NYPD Officers Acquitted in Killing of Sean Bell, Afghan President Karazi Survives Assassination Attempt, Bush Administration Claims It Can Ignore Anti-Torture Laws, Human Rights Groups Push For Trial of Rumsfeld, Pentagon Admits Planning Potential Military Action Against Iran, Adm. Mullen Claims N.Korea-Syrian Nuke Link, Palestinian Family killed in Israeli Shelling, Green Zone Hit by 10 Rockets or Mortars, U.S. Firm Builds Amusement Park And Zoo Near Green Zone, U.S. Sergeant Acquitted in Killing of Unarmed Iraqi, Pentagon Suspends Briefings for Retired Military Officers, 27 UN Agencies Meet to Tackle Global Food Crisis, Profits Soar for Global Agribusinesses & Speculators, Truckers Protest Rising Fuel Costs in D.C., Bush to Veto Democratic Plan to Help Homeowners, Canadian Police Arrest Five Mohawk Protesters, Saudi Blogger Released After Four Months In Prison

Forty Years After Historic Columbia Strike, Four Leaders of 1968 Student Uprising Reflect
24 Apr 2008
Forty years ago this week, hundreds of students at Columbia University started a revolt on campus. Students went on strike. They occupied five buildings, including the president?s office in Low Library, and barricaded themselves inside for days. The students were protesting Columbia’s ties to military research and plans to build a university gymnasium in a public park in Harlem. The 1968 Columbia uprising inspired student protests across the country. We spend the hour with four of the strike leaders: Gustin Reichbach is now a New York State Supreme Court Justice; William Sales is now a professor at Seton Hall University; Tom Hayden is a former California state senator; and Juan Gonzalez, our own Democracy Now! co-host. [includes rush transcript – partial]

Headlines for April 25, 2008
24 Apr 2008
Facing Fuel Shortage, UN Halts Aid to Gaza, Israel Rejects Latest Hamas Truce Offer, Bush Hosts Abbas Amidst Claims of Secret Approval of Israeli Settlement Expansion, Israeli Ambassador to UN: Carter a ?Bigot?, 7 Killed, 45 Wounded in Baghdad Clashes, I-G: Pentagon Overestimating Iraq Troop Readiness, Admin Shares Intel on Alleged Syrian Nuke Site, Pakistan Nearing Truce With Militants, WFP Warns of Food Aid Cut, Soaring Heating Costs Could Bring Record Energy Shut-Offs, California Delays Controversial Pesticide Spraying, Senate Commerce Committee Moves to Veto FCC Repeal of Media Ownership Limits, McCain Faults Bush Admin on Katrina Response, Obama?s Ex-Pastor Breaks Silence Following Controversy over Criticism, Verdict in Bell Murder Trial Expected Today

“Welcome to the Axis of Evil”—Bolivian President Evo Morales to Paraguayan President-Elect Fernando Lugo
23 Apr 2008
Bolivian President Evo Morales came to New York this week to deliver the keynote address at the UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues. Morales became Bolivia’s first indigenous president when he was elected in 2005 with more popular support than any Bolivian leader in decades. Democracy Now! co-host Juan Gonzalez had a chance to sit down with President Morales at the Bolivian mission in New York for an interview. Morales discusses issues of world hunger, biofuels and climate change, relations with Paraguayan President-Elect Fernando Lugo, his push to introduce a new constitution in Bolivia, his accusations that the US ambassador is leading a conspiracy against his government, his thoughts on the US presidential elections, and more. [includes rush transcript]

Up the Yangtze: Documentary Takes on Social Impact of Three Gorges Dam in China
23 Apr 2008
The Three Gorges Dam along China’s Yangtze River is the world’s largest hydroelectric project and is due to be completed in 2009. Widely touted as a feat of modern engineering, the dam was supposed to stop flooding along the river and provide clean energy to fuel China’s economic boom. But it has also gained notoriety as an environmental and human catastrophe. Up the Yangtze is a critically acclaimed new documentary about the social impact of the Three Gorges Dam. We speak with Chinese Canadian filmmaker Yung Chang. [includes rush transcript]

Thousands of Delegates Tackle Climate Change Issues at UN Forum on Indigenous Issues
23 Apr 2008
Representatives of the world’s 370 million indigenous people are gathered at the United Nations this week to demand that their voices be included in future talks on climate change. Over 3,000 delegates are attending the seventh session of the UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues. We speak with Casey Camp-Horinek, a member of the Ponca Nation of Oklahoma. [includes rush transcript]

The US Role in Haiti’s Food Riots
23 Apr 2008
As people around the world continue to protest the soaring prices of basic food items, the World Food Program has described the crisis as a silent tsunami. The head of the Food and Agriculture Organization blamed the current global food crisis on ?inappropriate? policy decisions over the past two decades. Nowhere is this more clear than in Haiti, where hungry people are rioting in the streets because they cannot afford to buy rice. Haiti imports most of its rice from the United States, which in turn remains heavily subsidized. We speak with human rights lawyer, Bill Quigley. [includes rush transcript]

Headlines for April 24, 2008
23 Apr 2008
Clinton, Obama Set Sights on Indiana, Senate GOPers Block Pay Discrimination Bill, House Votes to Block Admin Cuts of Medicaid, Top Iraq Generals Get Promoted, Israeli Blockade Could Halt UN Shipments to Gaza, Israel: Bush Secretly Endorsed Settlement Expansion, Syria Says Israel Has Offered to Return Golan, ALBA Leaders Launch Joint Food Effort, Survey: 60% of EPA Scientists Witness Political Interference, CIA Holds 7,000 Docs on Secret Prisons, Interrogations, US Food Chains to Ration Rice Sales, Slain Palestinian Journalist Remembered in Gaza

Sludge Tested as Lead Poisoning Fix in Poor Black Neighborhoods
22 Apr 2008
Lawmakers and the NAACP are calling for an investigation into reports that federally funded scientific experiments in 2000 spread sewage sludge on yards in poor black neighborhoods to test if it could fight lead poisoning in children. The Associated Press reported Sunday that researchers spread a mix of human and industrial wastes from sewage treatment plants on the lawns of nine low-income families in Baltimore and a vacant lot next to an elementary school in East St. Louis, Illinois. We speak with John Heilprin, the AP reporter who broke the story. [includes rush transcript]

Clinton Beats Obama by Ten Points in PA Primary
22 Apr 2008
Senator Hillary Clinton has won the Pennsylvania primary beating Senator Barack Obama by ten percentage points. Clinton received 55 percent of the vote, Obama had 45 percent. Pennsylvania was seen as a must-win state for Clinton. We get analysis of the results with Will Bunch, senior writer at the Philadelphia Daily News.

A Roundtable on the 2008 Race with Clinton Supporter Kim Gandy, Obama Supporter Bill Fletcher and McKinney Supporter Ted Glick
22 Apr 2008
The race for the Democratic presidential nomination is continuing following Hillary Clinton’s win over Barack Obama in the Pennsylvania primary. We host a roundtable discussion on the 2008 race with Clinton supporter Kim Gandy, the president of the National Organization for Women, Obama supporter Bill Fletcher, the Executive Editor of The Black Commentator and Cynthia McKinney supporter Ted Glick, coordinator of the U.S. Climate Emergency Council.

Headlines for April 23, 2008
22 Apr 2008
Clinton Wins Penn. Primary, Report: Almost Impossible For Obama to Lose Pledged Delegate Lead, NYT Blasts Clinton’s “Negativity”, World Food Program Warns About “Silent Tsunami”, Rising Food Prices Forces World Vision to Cut Aid to 1.5 Million People, Cousin of Colombia’s President Arrested For Ties to Death Squads, Bush Urges Congress to Approve Colombian Free Trade Deal, Drugging of Guantanamo Detainees Comes Under New Scrutiny, UN Warns Death Toll in Sudan May Be 300,000, Court: Ex-EPA Chief Can’t Be Held Liable for 9/11 Statements, Murdoch Bids $580 Million to Buy Newsday, Former Army Engineer Arrested For Spying for Israel, Three Members of MOVE Denied Parole, Charges Dropped Against Buffalo Art Professor

Pentagon’s Pundits: A Look at the Defense Department’s Propaganda Program
21 Apr 2008
The New York Times has revealed new details on how the Pentagon recruited more than 75 retired military officers to appear on TV outlets as so-called military analysts ahead of the Iraq war to portray Iraq as an urgent threat. The Times reported the Pentagon continues to use the analysts in a propaganda campaign to generate favorable news coverage of the administration?s wartime performance. We speak with Col. Sam Gardiner (Ret.) and Peter Hart, of Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting.

?Bishop of Poor? Fernando Lugo Wins Paraguayan Election, Ending 61 Years of Conservative Rule
21 Apr 2008
In Paraguay, a former Catholic priest once known as the Bishop of the Poor has been elected president. Fernando Lugo will be the first Paraguayan president since 1946 not to be from the conservative Colorado Party. Lugo won 41 percent of the vote, beating Blanca Ovelar, who received 31 percent. Lugo has pledged to crack down on corruption and channel Paraguay?s wealth into social programs. We go to Asuncion to speak with journalist Michael Fox. [includes rush transcript]

A Soldier’s Peace: Iraq War Vet Walks 500 Miles Across Native Utah to Call for Troop Withdrawal
21 Apr 2008
Army reservist Sergeant Marshall Thompson spent a year in Iraq working as a military journalist. He reported from across Iraq, interviewing thousands of US soldiers. In October 2006, Sgt. Thompson walked the entire 500-miles across his native state of Utah to protest the war and call for a withdrawal of US troops.

Headlines for April 22, 2008
21 Apr 2008
Obama & Clinton Square Off in Pennsylvania, Clinton: US Could “Totally Obliterate” Iran If Iran Attacks Israel, Obama Accuses Clinton of Employing “Politics of Fear”, Clinton Faces Delegate and Money Shortfall, Pentagon Allows More Felons To Enter Army, Army Expands Involuntary Extensions of Duty, Israel Rejects Offer From Hamas After Carter Visit, Report: Israel to Pay Family of Slain British Fillmaker, Congress Urged to Probe Pentagon Propaganda Program, CNN Hires Ex-White House Press Secretary Tony Snow, New HUD Nominee Has No Experience in Housing Issues, Bush Has Highest Disapproval Rating in History of Gallup Poll, Ex-Justice Dept. Official Charge in Abramoff Scandal, Life Expectancy Falls for American Women in 1,000 Counties, Supreme Court Rejects Appeals from 11 Death Row Inmates, Indigenous Summit at UN Tackles Climate Change, U.S. Postal Service Honors Ruben Salazar

Aime Cesaire, 1913-2008: Remembering the Life and Legacy of the Black Pride Poet and Anti-Colonial Activist
20 Apr 2008
Aime Cesaire, the esteemed poet, writer, politician and anti-colonial activist from Martinique died on Thursday at the age of ninety-four. Cesaire is revered in the Francophone world as a leading figure in the movement for black consciousness and pride, which he called “Negritude.” His use of culture to fight colonialism and racism influenced generations of activists and writers around the world. [includes rush transcript]

Recreate ‘68: Democrats to Face Protests in Denver at Democratic National Convention
20 Apr 2008
It remains to be seen whether the Democrats will ultimately take their fight for a presidential candidate all the way to the Democratic National Convention this August in Denver, but for many activists tired of the two-party system and the ongoing war, they will be demonstrating at the convention regardless of who the final nominee is. We speak with Mark Cohen, an organizer with Recreate ‘68, and Mark Silverstein, the legal director of the ACLU in Colorado. [includes rush transcript]

An Evangelical from a Conservative Background, Dr. Rocky White is Not Your Typical Advocate for Single-Payer Healthcare
20 Apr 2008
While there are differences between the healthcare plans offered by Democratic presidential opponents Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton, neither of them is proposing a single-payer system of national healthcare. That’s despite the endorsement of precisely such a plan last December by the American College of Physicians, the largest medical specialty organization. We speak with Dr. Rocky White, a passionate, if unusual, advocate for a single-payer health insurance program. He describes himself as an evangelical from a conservative background and is on the Board of Directors of the nonprofit Health Care for All Colorado. [includes rush transcript]

Headlines for April 21, 2008
20 Apr 2008
Sadr Warns Of “Open War” In Iraq, Rice Praises Iraqi Crackdown on Basra & Baghdad, Pentagon Propaganda Program Exposed, Obama & Clinton Prepare For Penn. Primary, Carter: Hamas Willing to Live in Peace With Israel, Israel To Probe Killing of Reuters Journalist, “Bishop of Poor” Wins Paraguayan Election, Pope Fails to Mention Iraq in UN Speech, 81 Die in Somalia, S. African Dockworkers Refuse to Unload Arms For Mugabe, Citigroup and AT&T To Lay Off Thousands, Bush Heads to New Orleans For SPP Summit, Arizona Bill to Prohibit Anti-American Teachings, Ban Ki-Moon: Surging Food Prices Threaten Anti-Poverty Efforts, Study: GM Crops Reduces Productivity, Palestinian Activist Found Dead in Texas

No Bases for Empire: International Activists Organize Against US Foreign Bases in Their Backyards
17 Apr 2008
The United States maintains over 700 military bases in dozens of countries across the globe. We speak with two international activists who are in the US for a speaking tour as part of a campaign called ?No Bases for Empire.? Jan Tamas, from the Czech Republic, is the founder of the No Bases Initiative, a coalition against the proposed US missile system in Eastern Europe. Olivier Bancoult is with the Chagos Refugee Group. He was expelled from his native Diego Garcia when he was four years old. The US has operated a military base there since British forces expelled native islanders in the early 1970s.

Great American Hypocrites: Glenn Greenwald on the Corporate Media’s Failures in the 2008 Race
17 Apr 2008
ABC News is coming under intense criticism for its handling of Wednesday night?s Democratic debate in Pennsylvania. During the first forty-five minutes of the debate, the moderators Charles Gibson and George Stephanopoulos focused on Obama?s comments that some voters in Pennsylvania were bitter, the Rev. Jeremiah Wright controversy, Clinton?s Bosnia ?sniper fire? story, flag pins and the Weather Underground. We speak with Glenn Greenwald, author of “Great American Hypocrites: Toppling the Big Myths of Republican Politics.”

Executions to Resume Following Supreme Court Ruling Upholding Lethal Injections
17 Apr 2008
Several states have announced plans to resume carrying out executions by lethal injection after a major Supreme Court ruling on Wednesday. In a seven-to-two decision, the court upheld Kentucky?s method of execution by lethal injection. We speak with the founder of the Texas Coalition Against the Death Penalty, David Atwood.

Headlines for April 18, 2008
17 Apr 2008
Report: 300,000 Iraq & Afghan Vets Suffer PTSD & Depression, Suicide Bomber Kills 50 Iraqis at Funeral, US Builds Wall Around Sadr City, Pentagon Report: Iraq War Is a “Major Debacle”, US to Release Iraqi Prisoners, Teach Them About Islam, Kenya Swears in Power-Sharing Government, Pope Meets with Sex Abuse Victims, Amnesty Calls for Probe into Civilian Deaths in Gaza, Carter Heads to Syria to Meet with Hamas Leader, Merrill Lynch to Eliminate 4,000 Jobs, Bank of America Ends Private Student Loan Business, Barrick Gold Threatens Canadian Book Publisher, Rep. Frank Introduces Marijuana Decriminalization Bill