Evo Morales Accuses Right-Wing Governors of Trying to Stage Violent Coup; 30 Dead, Many Still Missing in PandoDemocracy Now - 17 Sep 2008A fragile dialogue between the Bolivian government and its opponents seemed to inch forward Tuesday as President Evo Morales and opposition governors from the country’s restive eastern provinces agreed to begin talks. They had previously appeared to breakdown when the Bolivian army arrested one of the opposition governors, Leopoldo Fernandez from the rightist Podemos opposition party. The attorney-general accused the governor of genocide. He had governed the province of Pando where between 15 and 30 pro-Morales peasants were killed last week. Meanwhile the Peace Corps has withdrawn its 2,500 volunteers from Bolivia and the U.S. State Department is organizing at least two evacuation flights for U.S. citizens who want to leave the country.
Sarah Palin and Global Warming: Alaska Prof. Says Palin Misrepresented State Findings on Endangered Polar Bears…and Tried to Cover It UpDemocracy Now - 17 Sep 2008We speak with Rick Steiner, a marine conservation specialist and University of Alaska professor who has tried to uncover the scientific basis for Alaska Governor and GOP Vice Presidential candidate Sarah Palin’s opposition to any new federal protections for polar bears under the Endangered Species Act. When he requested the assessment of state scientists who had examined the impact of global warming on polar bears, he was told he might have to pay close to half a million dollars for the request to be processed. Steiner finally obtained the documents through a federal records request and found that the state’s marine mammal scientists were actually at odds with Palin’s position.
US Seizes Control of AIG with $85 Billion BailoutDemocracy Now - 17 Sep 2008The US government has seized control of insurance giant American International Group in an unprecedented $85 billion bailout. The Federal Reserve made the deal on Tuesday to save AIG from collapse in what the New York Times describes as “the most radical intervention in private business in the central bank?s history.” The move comes as a series of financial crises has altered the landscape of Wall Street. We speak with investment banker turned journalist, Nomi Prins, and Michael Hudson, president of the Institute for the Study of Long-Term Economic Trends. [includes rush transcript – partial]
Headlines for September 17, 2008Democracy Now - 17 Sep 2008US in $85B Bailout of Insurance Giant AIG, Obama, McCain Chide Wall Street, Dems Fight GOP Foreclosure-Linked Vote Caging, Petraeus Ends Iraq Stint; Iraqis Protest Gates Visit, 16 Dead in Attack on US Embassy in Yemen, 4 Troops Killed in Afghanistan, US to Expand Main Afghan Prison, Bolivia, Governors Agree to Talks, Desperation, Damage Limit Food Relief in Haiti, US Rejects Lifting Embargo as Cuba Flooding Damage Tops $5B, Ex-Paramilitary Links Colombian General to Death Squads, Abbas Repeats Demand for Palestinian State
Nablus, vibrant despite it allElectronic Intifada - 17 Sep 2008rr r r r rr r rr r rr r rr rr rrr rMany Palestinians that I met during my travels in the West Bank told me that to know what Palestine really was about and meant, I had to go to Nablus. Most of them also told me that Nablus was their favorite city. After spending five weeks there this summer, I understand why. Frank Barat writes of the city that teems with life.
