http://www.democracynow.org/2009/4/10/headlines
US Attack Kills 5 Afghan Civilians, Wounds Pregnant Mother
The US military has admitted to killing five Afghan civilians and wounding several others in an attack it initially said targeted militants. The shootings took place in the southeastern Khost province earlier this week. The dead included an infant boy. A nine-month pregnant woman was wounded and lost her baby.
Obama to Request $84.3B for War
President Obama is asking Congress for $83.4 billion in funding for the occupation of Iraq and Afghanistan. The request marks a complete reversal for Obama from two years ago, when he voted against war funding as a senator under former President George W. Bush. The request would bring the budgetary cost of the two occupations to nearly $1 trillion so far. Obama is also asking for $350 million for operations along the US-Mexico border and $400 million in counterinsurgency aid to Pakistan. Although the Democratic-led Congress is expected to approve the funding, some antiwar lawmakers are voicing opposition. Congress member Lynn Woolsey of California said, Instead of attempting to find military solutions…President Obama must fundamentally change the mission in both countries to focus on promoting reconciliation, economic development, humanitarian aid, and regional diplomatic efforts.
Iraqis Stage Massive Anti-US Protest
On the same day Obama requested millions more for war, tens of thousands of Iraqis rallied against the US occupation at a protest marking the six-year anniversary of the fall of Baghdad. Hazem al-Araji of the Sadr movement said opposition to the occupation unites differing Iraqi factions.
Hazem al-ArajiThose million people came from Iraq to express just one opinion that is calling for the US troops to withdraw from Iraq. They are Arabs, Kurds, Sunnis and Shia. They came after the call of Sayyid Muqtada al-Sadr
to say No! No to America.
CIA Head: Overseas Prisons Closed, Contractors Barred from Interrogations
The CIA says its complied with President Obama’s order to cease operating secret prisons overseas. On Thursday, CIA director Leon Panetta said the prisons and black sites are no longer in use and remaining sites will be decommissioned. Obama ordered the prisons closure in one of his first moves after taking office. Panetta says the CIA hasnt detained anyone since he took over in February but reiterated the Obama administration still maintains the authority to do so. Panetta, meanwhile, also announced the CIA will no longer allow private contractors to interrogate prisoners. And he said the CIA has followed Obamas orders to impose interrogation rules adhering to the Army Field Manual.
Obama's War
While Barack Obama campaigned for the presidency on an anti-war platform on Iraq, his administration has called for a major escalation of military operations in Afghanistan. This includes a troop surge as well as increased drone attacks over the border in Pakistan. While civilian deaths and displacement are rising, public support for the policy in many NATO countries is eroding. Democracy Now! speaks with grassroots activists, scholars, and journalists on the new administrations developing policies in Afghanistan as well as the realities on the ground.
April 03, 2009: Noam Chomsky on US Expansion of Afghan Occupation, the Uses of NATO, and What Obama Should Do in Israel-Palestine
We speak to Noam Chomsky, prolific author and Institute Professor Emeritus at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. As NATO leaders gather for a sixtieth anniversary summit in France, Chomsky says, “The obvious question is, why bother celebrating NATO at all? In fact, why does it exist?” Chomsky also analyzes the Obama administration’s escalation of the Afghanistan occupation and reacts to the new Netanyahu government in Israel.
April 02, 2009: After G20, Mass Protests Await Obama at NATO Meeting
After the G20 talks, President Obama will stop in France and Germany to take part in a NATO summit marking its sixtieth anniversary. Mass demonstrations are expected with thousands of protesters from over twenty European countries and the United States.
March 26, 2009: Afghans Urge Obama to Send Aid, Not Troops, to Afghanistan
President Obama is expected to unveil a revised Afghanistan strategy Friday that will focus on expanding and improving the Afghan national police force. We speak with Pratap Chatterjee of CorpWatch, who recently traveled to Afghanistan.
March 17, 2009: ‘Engaging the Muslim World’–Middle East Analyst Juan Cole on US Policy in Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Israel and Beyond
Juan Cole, a longtime analyst of US-Mideast affairs and a professor of history at the University of Michigan, takes an in-depth look at US foreign policy under the Obama administration, from the plan for withdrawal from Iraq, to the escalation of the war in Afghanistan, the continued US drone attacks inside Pakistan, US policy toward Israel and the Occupied Territories and much more.
March 10, 2009: ‘Sending More Troops Will Not Solve the Problem”–Grassroots Afghan Activist Rangina Hamidi’
Vice President Joe Biden is in Brussels today to get NATO allies to support the US surge in Afghanistan with more troops. We go to Kandahar to speak with grassroots Afghan activist, Rangina Hamidi.
February 23, 2009: Obama’s War: US Involvement in Afghanistan, Past, Present & Future
Last week, Obama ordered an additional 17,000 US combat troops to Afghanistan. The new deployments will begin in May and increase the US occupation force to 55,000. Today, we spend the hour looking at US involvement in Afghanistan with five guests.
January 30, 2009: Obama Continues Bush Policy of Deadly Air Strikes in Pakistan
In Pakistan, outrage continues to mount over a US military attack approved by President Obama. Last Friday, unmanned US Predator drones fired missiles at houses in Pakistan’s Federally Administered Tribal Areas, or FATA, killing as many as twenty-two people, including at least three children. We speak to Pakistani scholar Sahar Shafqat.
November 06, 2008: President-Elect Obama and the Future of US Foreign Policy: A Roundtable Discussion
Congratulations pour in from around the world for President-elect Barack Obama after his historic victory Tuesday night. But what are Obama’s foreign policy positions, and what are the concerns for those living in countries at the target end of US foreign policy? We host a roundtable discussion.
September 08, 2008: US, NATO Air Strikes Triple Civilians Deaths in Afghanistan
Civilian deaths in Afghanistan from US and NATO air strikes have nearly tripled from 2006 to 2007, according to a new report by Human Rights Watch. Air strikes killed at least 321 civilians in 2007, compared with at least 116 in 2006.
August 27, 2008: In Wake of Deadly US Air Strike, Jeremy Scahill Questions Lawmakers About Obama’s Afghanistan Policy
A UN probe in Afghanistan has backed claims of a massive civilian death toll from a US air strike last Thursday. The UN mission in Kabul says investigators found some ninety civilians, including sixty children, were killed in the attack.
August 22, 2008: Afghan Civilians Bear the Brunt of Taliban Violence and US, NATO Bombings
As violence escalates in Afghanistan, both Barack Obama and John McCain support sending more troops. “Both of them are wrong,” says Sonali Kolhatkar, host of Uprising on Pacifica radio station KPFK and co-author of the book Bleeding Afghanistan.
July 24, 2008: The Forgotten War: Sonali Kolhatkar on Why Afghanistan is Just as Bad as Iraq;
Coming on the heels of Barack Obama’s highly publicized visit to Afghanistan—what he calls a central front in the so-called war on terror—we play an address by Pacifica radio host Sonali Kolhatkar, one of this country’s leading voices against the occupation of Afghanistan and co-author of the book ;Bleeding Afghanistan
EconomicCrisis
Thomas Geoghegan on “Infinite Debt: How Unlimited Interest Rates Destroyed the Economy” 
The Obama administration unveils its $1 trillion plan to buy toxic assets from banks and restore the financial system. But should we return to the way it was? We speak with Chicago lawyer Thomas Geoghegan about his new Harper’s Magazine cover story, “Infinite Debt: How Unlimited Interest Rates Destroyed the Economy.” Geoghegan writes, “We dismantled the most ancient of human laws, the law against usury, which had existed in some form in every civilization from the time of the Babylonian Empire to the end of Jimmy Carter’s term.”
Florida has been hit particularly hard by the recession. Its facing its worst unemployment rate since 1976, with nearly one in ten people out of work and it has the second-highest foreclosure rate in the country.
April 02, 2009: Marxist Geographer David Harvey on the G20, the Financial Crisis and Neoliberalism
For some analysis on the G20 summit and the financial crisis, we speak to a leading thinker on the global economy. David Harvey is a Marxist geographer and distinguished professor of anthropology at the Graduate Center of the City University of New York.
April 01, 2009: As Obama Arrives in London for G20, Tens of Thousands Gather to Protest in the Streets
President Obama is in London today ahead of the G20 summit, where world leaders are gathering to discuss the global economic crisis.
March 30, 2009: A 21st Century Hooverville: Seattle’s Homeless Population Builds Nickelsville, a Tent City Named After the City’s Mayor
As the nation’s economic and housing crisis worsens, homelessness is also on the rise, and an increasing number of people are setting up roving encampments or shanty towns that are popularly known as tent cities. Seattle’s newest tent city is called Nickelsville.
March 25, 2009: Sen. Sanders Blocking Vote to Confirm Obama Nominee Who Worked to Deregulate Credit Default Swaps
We speak with Independent Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont who is attempting to block President Obama’s nominee to head the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, Gary Gensler, a former Goldman Sachs employee.
March 25, 2009: AIG and the Big Takeover: Matt Taibbi on How Wall Street Insiders Are Using the Bailout to Stage a Revolution
In a new article in Rolling Stone Magazine, journalist Matt Tabbi takes an in-depth look at the story behind AIG. “The reality is that the worldwide economic meltdown and the bailout that followed were together a kind of revolution, a coup d’état,” writes Taibbi.
March 24, 2009: Thomas Geoghegan on Infinite Debt: How Unlimited Interest Rates Destroyed the Economy
The Obama administration unveils its $1 trillion dollar plan to buy toxic assets from banks and restore the financial system. But should we return to the way it was? We speak with Chicago lawyer Thomas Geoghegan about his new Harper’s magazine cover story, “Infinite Debt: How Unlimited Interest Rates Destroyed the Economy.”
March 23, 2009: ‘The Zombie Ideas Have Won–Paul Krugman on $1 Trillion Geithner Plan to Buy Toxic Bank Assets
Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner is preparing to unveil a plan today to purchase as much as $1 trillion in troubled mortgages and other assets from banks. The government is reaching out to hedge funds, private equity firms and sovereign wealth funds to help buy the toxic assets.
March 19, 2009: As Economy Reels, Tariq Ali Calls for Reimagining Socialism’
The British author Tariq Ali weighs in on the economic crisis with an appeal to reject the taboos on discussing socialism in the United States. Ali says the popular movements in South America provide a model for US activists to follow in pushing for changes such as socialized healthcare.
March 19, 2009: Perp Walks Instead of Bonuses Veteran Journalist Robert Scheer on AIG Bonuses, the ‘Backdoor Bailout and Why Obama Should Fire Geithner, Summers
Appearing on Capitol Hill, AIG CEO Edward Liddy was repeatedly questioned over why the failed insurance giant is paying out over $165 million in bonuses after it received a $170 billion taxpayer bailout. While the Obama administration is expressing outrage, more details have come to light indicating that some officials have known about the bonuses for months.
March 18, 2009: Public Outcry Forces Lawmakers to Say They’ll Recoup Millions in AIG Bonuses, But Why Not the Billions in Taxpayer Bailout Funds
Lawmakers on Capitol Hill have responded to growing public outrage with a pledge to recoup million-dollar bonuses paid out by the bailed-out insurance giant AIG. But the hundreds of millions of dollars in bonus money pales to the billions used to bail out AIG a second time. We speak to consumer advocate Ralph Nader and economist Robert Kuttner, co-founder and co-editor of The American Prospect. Kuttner says, “I think [Treasury Secretary Timothy] Geithner is probably gone within sixty days, because he has become a liability to the administration.”
March 17, 2009: Report: Communities of Color Bear Heaviest Burden in Recession
As the rage around AIG bonuses continues to grow, underscoring again the question of who benefits in an economic meltdown, we look at who is hurt the worst: communities of color around the country. A new report by the Center for Social Inclusion finds that communities of color continue to be disproportionately deprived of infrastructure spending, job creation and other key government services. The report’s authors call for the government to use some of the billions in federal stimulus money to focus on the needs of communities of color.
March 12, 2009: Reduce the Rate: Rev. Jesse Jackson Joins Movement Against Crippling Rates on Student Loans
Amid massive government bailouts of the nation’s banks, we speak to the Reverend Jesse Jackson about “Reduce the Rate”, his new campaign urging the Obama administration to slash the interest rates on crippling student loans. We also speak with Alan Collinge, founder of Student Loan Justice and author of “The Student Loan Scam: The Most Oppressive Debt in U.S. History–and How We Can Fight Back.”
March 10, 2009: Economist Ha-Joon Chang on 16;The Myth of Free Trade and the Secret History of Capitalism
The U.S. government has poured hundreds of billions of dollars into the U.S. economy in the wake of the financial crisis. But what steps are being taken to address the crisis on a global scale? The worldwide financial crisis is forcing some to rethink the neo-liberal policies widely blamed for the financial collapse.
March 04, 2009: Sold Out New Report Follows Lobbying Money Trail Behind Deregulation that Helped Cause Financial Crisis
In a new report, Robert Weissman of Multinational Monitor points to twelve deregulatory steps that led to the financial meltdown. It also does an analysis of the amount of money Wall Street poured into Washington in campaign contributions and lobbying over the last ten years. Their answer? A staggering $5.1 billion over the past decade.
February 25, 2009: Nobel Prize-Winning Economist Joseph Stiglitz: Obama Has Confused Saving the Banks with Saving the Bankers get reaction to President Obama’s speech from Nobel Prize winner and former World Bank chief economist Joseph Stiglitz. Stiglitz says the Obama administration has failed to address the structural and regulatory flaws at the heart of the financial crisis and in the way of economic recovery.
February 25, 2009: ;We Will Rebuild In National Address, Obama Offers Ambitious Pledge on Economic Recovery, Healthcare Reform
In his first address to a joint session of Congress, President Obama vowed the nation will be able to rebuild and recover from the economic crisis that has left millions unemployed and pushed millions out of their homes. Obama called on Congress to invest in areas like energy, healthcare and education, while admitting that hard decisions need to be made to reduce the federal deficit.
February 24, 2009: Altering Bailout Rules, US Moves Closer to Nationalizing Troubled Banks
The Obama administration has revamped the terms of its emergency aid to troubled financial firms that could lead to the government nationalizing some of the country’s largest banks. With nationalized banks on the horizon, we speak to Robert Johnson, former chief economist of the Senate Banking Committee, and former investment banker turned journalist, Nomi Prins.
February 19, 2009: State of the Dream 2009: Report Finds People of Color in U.S. Endure Silent Economic Depression
The unemployment rate remains highest among people of color. Black unemployment is now at over 12.6 and the jobless rate for young black men is considerably higher. We speak to Dedrick Muhammad, co-author of the new report “State of the Dream 2009: The Silent Depression” published by United For A Fair Economy.
February 19, 2009: Will $275B Homeowner Assistance Plan Stem the Foreclosure Crisis?
President Obama has unveiled his first concrete plan to address the country’s dire housing crisis, a $275 billion measure that could help as many as nine million homeowners avoid foreclosure and reduce mortgage payments. Will it help those who need it? We speak to Josh Zinner of the New York-based Neighborhood Economic Development Advocacy Project.
February 18, 2009: As Obama Unveils Foreclosure Plan, Activists Place Homeless in Vacant Homes
As President Obama is scheduled to announce his $50 billion foreclosure prevention plan today, we go to Minneapolis to speak with Cheri Honkala of the Poor People’s Economic Human Rights Campaign. The group is taking matters into its own hands and finding housing for homeless people in foreclosed and vacant homes.
February 17, 2009: Martin Khor on The Global Economic Meltdown: ;We Could Have One Billion More People In The Developing World Plunging Into New Poverty Because Of This Crisis While there has been much discussion in the media on the state of the US economy, what about the rest of the world? From Greece to Guadeloupe, from Italy to Indonesia, from Chile to China, from Egypt to India, countries across the globe are feeling the heat of the recession that started over a year ago in the United States.
February 13, 2009: Robert Kuttner and Michael Hudson on the Obama Administration’s $789 Billion Economic Stimulus Package and $2.5 Trillion Bank Recovery Plans Both the House and Senate are set to vote today on the $789 billion economic stimulus package. The vote follows weeks of political wrangling that culminated in compromise legislation struck on Wednesday. The final size of the package is less than what both the House and Senate originally passed and far smaller than what many
economists say is needed.
February 10, 2009: Ahead of Senate Vote, Obama Warns of Catastrophe; Without Economic Stimulus
As the Senate prepares to vote on the $800 billion stimulus and recovery package, President Obama urged Congress to pass the bill Monday, first at a town hall meeting in Elkhart, Indiana and later at the first news conference of his presidency. He warned that not acting immediately to rescue the economy could lead to a “catastrophe” and emphasized that only the government could bail out the economy at this moment.
February 10, 2009: Economist James Galbraith: Bailed-Out Banks Should Be Declared Insolvent
With estimates of the cost of addressing the financial crisis at more than $9.7 trillion, we speak to economist and University of Texas professor James Galbraith, author of “The Predator State: How Conservatives Abandoned the Free Market and Why Liberals Should Too.”
February 10, 2009: Ahead of Senate Vote, Obama Warns of “Catastrophe” Without Economic Stimulus
As the Senate prepares to vote on the $800 billion dollar stimulus and recovery package, President Obama urged Congress to pass the bill Monday, first at a town hall meeting in Elkhart, Indiana and later at the first news conference of his presidency. He warned that not acting immediately to rescue the economy could lead to a “catastrophe” and emphasized that only the government could bail out the economy at this moment.
February 03, 2009: Rep. Marcy Kaptur (D-OH) Urges Homeowners to Stay in Foreclosed Homes
After an $850 billion bailout for Wall Street and another $25 billion for the auto industry, struggling homeowners still await large-scale government assistance. The Obama administration says it’s working out the details of its plan to stem foreclosures. In the absence of government action so far, some are taking action on the local level.
February 02, 2009: David Cay Johnston: More Corporate Tax Breaks Will Not Stimulate The Economy “Getting the economy back on its feet, giving taxpayers a break, saving your retirement fund and your kid’s college tuition? Done. And it won’t cost you a penny.” David Cay Johnston outlines his own “fiscal therapy” to end the economic crisis.
January 29, 2009: Economic Stimulus Moves to Senate Following House Approval
The House has passed an $819 billion dollar stimulus package, marking one of the most expensive pieces of legislation ever to move through Congress. Not a single Republican voted for the bill. We speak to William Greider, National Affairs correspondent for The Nation magazine.
January 26, 2009: David Korten: Agenda for a New Economy: From Phantom Wealth to Real Wealth’
As President Barack Obama reveals more details of his $825 billion economic stimulus plan, we turn to David Korten of YES! Magazine. In his new book, Korten argues that the nation faces a monumental economic challenge that goes far beyond anything being discussed in Congress.
October 28, 2008: Van Jones on The Green Collar Economy: How One Solution Can Fix Our Two Biggest Problems In a new book, the well-known community activist and attorney Van Jones lays out a plan for a green economy he says could help solve the nation’s economic inequality while also addressing the long term environmental threats to our survival as a planet.
October 17, 2008: Ex-Asst. Treasury Sec. Paul Craig Roberts on Wall St. Bailout: Has Deregulation Sired Fascism?
As the Bush administration announces a $250 billion plan to partially nationalize the nation’s banking system, we speak to Paul Craig Roberts, former Assistant Secretary of the Treasury Department in the Reagan administration and a former associate editor of the Wall Street Journal. Roberts says the latest bank measure suggests the bailout is ‘either incompetence or fraud.
October 10, 2008: Stocks Plummet Across the Globe, Bush to Host Emergency Finance Meeting At White House
In the largest loss since the crash of 1987, the Dow Jones Industrial Average fell over seven percent on Thursday closing below 9,000 for the first time in five years. Over the past six trading days, the Dow has plummeted over 2200 points or about 21 percent. Earlier today global stock values fell in trading as fears grow of a world-wide recession.
October 08, 2008: European, Asian Markets Plunge as Recession Fears Spread Worldwide
As stock indexes plunge across Europe and Asia, Britain unveiled plans today to inject up to 50 billion pounds—close to $90 billion—into its biggest retail banks. Recent efforts to bolster world credit markets have failed to stem fears that the spreading financial crisis could lead to a global recession. We go to Rome to speak to economist Loretta Napoleoni, author of Rogue Economics: Capitalism’s New Reality.
October 08, 2008: Faltering Economy Takes Center Stage in McCain-Obama Debate
It was no surprise that the economy dominated last night’s presidential debate. We play excerpts and get reaction from Pulitzer-winning journalist David Cay Johnston, author of Free Lunch: How the Wealthiest Americans Enrich Themselves at Government Expense (and Stick You with the Bill).
October 06, 2008: Naomi Klein: Wall St. Crisis Should Be for Neo-Liberalism What Fall of Berlin Wall Was for Communism
As the world reels from the financial crisis on Wall Street and the taxpayer-funded $700 billion bailout, we spend the hour with Naomi Klein on the economy, politics and “disaster capitalism.” The “Shock Doctrine” author recently spoke at the University of Chicago to oppose the creation of an economic research center named after the University’s most famous economist–Milton Friedman. Klein says Friedman’s economic philosophy championed the kind of deregulation that led to the current crisis.
October 03, 2008: Wary of Public Outcry, Revised $800B Wall St. Bailout Stuffed with Earmarks to Sway Election-Year Incumbents
On Capitol Hill, the House is preparing to vote again on the revised $800 billion Wall Street bailout plan after rejecting a similar bill on Monday. All 432 seats in the House are up for election next month, and many “no” votes on Monday reflected lawmakers’ fears of a voter backlash for the unpopular bill. An array of “pork barrel” projects have been inserted into the legislation to win support from nervous incumbents.
October 02, 2008: Nobel Laureate Joseph Stiglitz: Bail Out Wall Street Now, Change Terms Later The Senate has endorsed a revised version of the $700 billion Wall Street bailout plan. The legislation was easily approved last night on a 74-to-25 vote with a majority of Democrats and Republicans voting in favor—among them, presidential nominees Barack Obama and John McCain. Nobel Prize-winning economist Joseph Stiglitz says the measure, although flawed, should be supported now and revisited after the November elections.
October 01, 2008: As Senate Prepares to Vote on Revised Wall St. Bailout, Critics See Only Slight Changes Following Widespread Public Opposition
Following Monday’s rejection in the House, the Senate plans to vote today on the $700 billion bailout of Wall Street. Lawmakers are said to have revised the bill following public outcry, but critics say the measure includes only slight, cosmetic changes. We get an update from Washington insider and former Senate Banking Committee chief economist Robert Johnson and speak to veteran journalist William Greider of The Nation magazine.
September 30, 2008: ‘Bridge Loan to Nowhere Public Outcry Forces House to Reject $700 Billion Bailout of Financial Industry; Dow Falls Record 777 Points
On Monday, the House voted 228-to-205 against authorizing the largest government intervention in the financial market in US history. The measure would have granted the Treasury unprecedented authority and up to $700 billion to relieve faltering banks and other firms of bad assets backed by home mortgages, which are falling into foreclosure at record rates. As the economic crisis worsens and spreads across the globe, we speak with Robert Johnson, former chief economist of the Senate Banking Committee, and Bruce Marks, the founder and CEO of NACA, the Neighborhood Assistance Corporation of America.
September 29, 2008: ‘Is This the United States Congress or the Board of Directors of Goldman Sachs? Rep. Dennis Kucinich Rejects $700 Billion Bailout
The House is set to vote today on a $700 billion emergency bailout plan for the financial industry. The proposed legislation was forged during a marathon negotiating session over the weekend between lawmakers from both parties and Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson. The 110-page bill would authorize Paulson to initiate what is likely to become the biggest government bailout in US history, allowing him to spend up to $700 billion to relieve faltering banks and other firms of bad assets backed by home mortgages, which are falling into foreclosure at record rates.
September 29, 2008: FDR in 1933: ‘There Must Be A Strict Supervision Of All Banking and Credits and Investments. There Must Be An End To Speculation With Other People’s Money. We now move three-quarters of a century back in time, to 1933. It was the middle of an era that our current moment is sometimes compared to. The Great Depression. When Franklin Delano Roosevelt took his oath of office in March of that year, over 10,000 banks had collapsed following the stock market crash of 1929. One quarter of American workers were unemployed and people were fighting over scraps of food.
September 26, 2008: Bailout Talks Stall, WaMu Collapses in Deepening Financial Crisis The nation’s financial crisis has intensified as federal regulators seized Washington Mutual on Thursday in what is the largest bank failure in American history. Federal regulators have arranged to sell off most of the bank at a bargain rate to JPMorgan Chase. We get analysis from New York Times columnist Paul Krugman and economics professor Michael Zweig.
September 26, 2008: Demonstrators Rally on Wall St. Against Federal Bailout As President Bush was holding an emergency economic summit at the White House, protesters took to the streets across the country to oppose a Wall Street bailout. In New York, a series of demonstrations occurred near the Stock Exchange.
September 25, 2008: As Bush Admin Pushes $700B for Wall Street, Ralph Nader Asks, Why Is There Need for a Bailout? As the Bush administration intensifies its pressure for Congress to quickly approve a $700 billion bailout of the financial industry, we get reaction from Independent presidential candidate and consumer advocate Ralph Nader. Nader calls Democratic claims of White House concessions “wish fulfillment” and says the bailout might not be needed in the first place.
September 25, 2008: ‘Cash for Trash Unwanted Junk in Hand, Demonstrators Head to Wall Street to Protest Bailout
Among the more than 100 protests against the $700 bailout plan is a rally today on Wall Street. We speak to Arun Gupta, a reporter/editor at The Indypendent newspaper, whose email to friends and colleagues helped inspire the protest. Participants are planning on bringing their own personal, unwanted “junk” to illustrate what they call the federal bailout of Wall Street’s worthless securities.
September 24, 2008: Bush Admin Faces Congressional Skeptics on $700B Wall St. Bailout
Both Democratic and Republican members of the Senate Banking Committee lambasted the Bush administration’s proposed $700 billion bailout plan Tuesday. Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson and Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke repeatedly clashed with almost every senator on the committee, all of whom focused on Wall Street’s culpability for the crisis. Many also brought up executive pay and emphasized the need for oversight of the Treasury.
September 24, 2008: Naomi Klein: Now is the Time to Resist Wall Street’s Shock Doctrine While the collapse of this country’s financial system continues to send shock waves around the world, we speak to the bestselling author of “The Shock Doctrine.” Naomi Klein says the public should be wary of the Bush administration trying to use the crisis to push through more of the radical pro-corporate policies that helped cause it in the first place.
September 24, 2008: Bush Admin Faces Congressional Skeptics on $700B Wall St. Bailout Both Democratic and Republican members of the Senate Banking Committee lambasted the Bush administration’s proposed $700 billion bailout plan Tuesday. Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson and Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke repeatedly clashed with almost every senator on the committee, all of whom focused on Wall Street’s culpability for the crisis. Many also brought up executive pay and emphasized the need for oversight of the Treasury.
September 22, 2008: Sen. Bernie Sanders, Robert Scheer and Dean Baker on the Proposed $700 Billion Bailout of Wall Street, the Largest Government Bailout of Private Industry in US History It’s being described as the largest government intervention in private markets since the Great Depression. The Bush administration has asked Congress to swiftly approve a massive $700 billion package to rescue the crippled financial institutions on Wall Street. Some analysts say the final cost to taxpayers could top one trillion dollars. Over the weekend, the size of the proposed bailout grew as the Bush administration said foreign banks, including Barclays and UBS, should be eligible for the bailout.
September 19, 2008: Amidst Wall Street Woes, Labor Activist & Writer Bill Fletcher on Solidarity Divided: The Crisis in Organized Labor and a New Path toward Social JusticeWhile the press has extensively covered the Wall Street meltdown, little attention has been paid to what this means to the American worker. We speak to longtime labor activist and writer Bill Fletcher, co-author with Fernando Gapasin of the new book Solidarity Divided: The Crisis in Organized Labor and a New Path toward Social Justice. Fletcher is the executive editor of BlackCommentator.com and the former president of TransAfrica Forum.
September 18, 2008: Lost Homes, Lost Votes: Are Republicans Trying to Block Foreclosed Homeowners from Voting in Michigan?
The Democratic National Committee and the Obama campaign have filed a federal lawsuit to block a controversial voter suppression tactic in Michigan. The Michigan Messenger reported this week that the chairman of the Republican Party in Macomb County is planning to use a list of foreclosed homes to block people from voting in the upcoming election as part of a Republican effort to challenge some voters on Election Day.
September 17, 2008: US Seizes Control of AIG with $85 Billion Bailout The 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.
September 09, 2008: US Bails Out Fannie Mae Freddie Mac The US government has seized control of the mortgage finance companies Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac in what could become the largest corporate bailout ever. The Treasury Department has pledged to provide as much as $200 billion as the two quasi-public companies deal with heavy losses on mortgage defaults. We speak with economist and writer, Max Fraad Wolff.
July 29, 2008: The Big Squeeze: Steven Greenhouse on Tough Times for the American WorkerA new book by New York Times labor reporter Steven Greenhouse examines how much of the American workforce is working more but earning less. Wages have stagnated, health and pension benefits have grown stingier, and job security has shriveled. Greenhouse joins us to talk about The Big Squeeze: Tough Times for the American Worker.
July 17, 2008: Bailout for Mortgage Giants, IndyMac Bank Collapse, Dollar Hits New Low, Inflation at 26-Year High, Dow Falls Below 11K…A Look at the Financial Crisis It has been a tough seven days for the US economy. On Friday, the FDIC seized control of the failed California-based IndyMac Bank. It was second largest bank failure in US history. Analysts project another 150 banks could collapse. On Sunday, Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson announced extraordinary moves to bail out the mortgage giants Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae. On Tuesday, the Dow Jones Industrial Average dipped below 11,000 for the first time since 2006 and the dollar hit a record low against the euro. And Wednesday, it was announced that inflation is now rising at its fastest pace in twenty-six years. We take an in-depth look an the economic crisis.
July 15, 2008: With Crises in Fuel, Food, Housing and Banking, What Gvt. Policies Are Being Pushed Through? Naomi Klein Reexamines ‘The Shock Doctrine’
As the country and the world reel from crises ranging from skyrocketing oil prices and global food shortages to housing and climate change, how best to understand the government policies being pushed through? We spend the hour with Naomi Klein, author of The Shock Doctrine: The Rise of Disaster Capitalism. Klein also discusses Barack Obama’s economic advisory team, whom she calls “Obama’s Chicago Boys”; why she’s suing the US government for spying on journalists like her; as well as her recent trip to China, where she says the government is building a high-tech police state with the help of US military contractors.
July 09, 2008: Foreclosure Phil: Journalist David Corn on How McCain Campaign Adviser Phil Gramm Helped Create the Subprime Mortgage Crisis
In the latest issue of Mother Jones magazine, David Corn writes, “Who’s to blame for the biggest financial catastrophe of our time? There are plenty of culprits, but one candidate for lead perp is former Sen. Phil Gramm. Eight years ago, as part of a decades-long anti-regulatory crusade, Gramm pulled a sly legislative maneuver that greased the way to the multibillion-dollar subprime meltdown. Yet has Gramm been banished from the corridors of power? Reviled as the villain who bankrupted Middle America? Hardly. Now a well-paid executive at a Swiss bank, Gramm cochairs Sen. John McCain’s presidential campaign and advises the Republican candidate on economic matters.”
July 09, 2008: Five Ways Wall Street and Washington Set Us Up for the Crash: Author Nomi Prins Explains Where Congress Went Wrong on Lending
The worst of the economic crisis may be far from over. That was the message of Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke Tuesday. He indicated that the housing and financial turmoil will persist deep into next year. The Senate, meanwhile, is deliberating a bill this week that would provide government-backed loans to 400,000 homeowners on the brink of foreclosure. We speak with former investment banker turned journalist and author, Nomi Prins, about “Why the Economy Went South.”
April 10, 2008: Report: 40 Years After King, Little Progress in Closing Economic Inequality Gap Between African Americans and Whites
In the late 1960s, Dr. Martin Luther King recognized that the next phase in the quest for civil rights and equality would focus on the economic divide. A new report from the Institute for Policy Studies titled “40 Years Later: The Unrealized American Dream” lays out key elements of the inequality that African Americans still experience in the United States around education, employment and wealth accumulation. We speak with the co-author of the report, Dedrick Muhammad.
March 31, 2008: Loretta Napoleoni on “Rogue Economics: Capitalism’s New Reality” Italian economist, journalist and author Loretta Napoleoni argues that recent events on Wall Street indicate a much larger upheaval and could “signal the end of the ‘Roaring Nineties,’ nearly two decades of easy money, cheap credit, and soaring global debt.” It’s an argument Napoleoni develops in her latest book called Rogue Economics: Capitalism’s New Reality.
March 26, 2008: Homeowners Plan Demonstration at NYC Offices of Bear Stearns, JPMorgan Chase to Protest Government Bailout
Hundreds of homeowners are planning a demonstration today in Manhattan in front of the corporate offices of Bear Stearns and JPMorgan Chase to protest the “taxpayer bailout…and refusal of the government and Federal Reserve to provide real solutions for the millions of homeowners at risk of foreclosure.” We speak with Bruce Marks, the founder of the Neighborhood Assistance Corporation of America that is organizing the demonstration.
March 20, 2008: Fed Bailout of Bear Stearns First of its Kind Since Great Depression
The nation’s fifth largest investment bank Bear Stearns nearly collapsed last week. It was saved only after the Federal Reserve took extraordinary measures to help JPMorgan purchase the eighty-five-year-old firm. The Fed has become the lender of last resort for other investment banks in a move that marks one of the broadest expansions of the Fed’s lending authority since the 1930s. We speak with Nomi Prins, an author and former investment banker at Bear Stearns, and Max Fraad Wolff, an economist and writer.
February 08, 2008: Examining Clinton & Obama’s Stances on the Subprime Mortgage Crisis, Universal Healthcare, Privatizing Social Security and Nuclear Energy
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.
January 29, 2008: Kathleen Newman & Barbara Ehrenreich: Bush Has Ignored the Working Poor and Failed to Address Growing Economic Inequality
During last night’s State of the Union, President Bush pushed for Congress to approve a $150 billion economic stimulus. Newman and Ehrenreich examine how Bush’s plan fails to help most homeowners facing foreclosures and fails to expand benefits for the poor such as unemployment insurance or food stamp allotment.
January 23, 2008: Economics Journalist Robert Kuttner on the ‘Most Serious Financial Crisis Since the Great Depression This is the Result of Right-Wing Ideology and the Political Power of Wall Street Amid growing fears of a worldwide recession, the Federal Reserve slashed a key interest rate by three quarters of a percentage point on Tuesday, the biggest single cut in nearly a quarter of a century. Meanwhile, President Bush and Congressional leaders pledged to work together on a stimulus measure that would inject about $150 billion dollars in additional money into the economy. But many economists are skeptical over whether any measures can turn around a severe slump in the housing market and the subprime mortgage crisis, signs of growing unemployment and weakening consumer spending and the added blow of record high oil prices.
January 18, 2008: ‘Free Lunch: How The Wealthiest Americans Enrich Themselves At Government Expense (And Stick You With the Bill)
Pulitzer Prize winning journalist David Cay Johnston joins us to talk about his new book, “Free Lunch: How The Wealthiest Americans Enrich Themselves At Government Expense (And Stick You With the Bill).” Johnston reveals how government subsidies and new regulations have quietly funneled money from the poor and the middle class to the rich and politically connected.
January 17, 2008: Report: Subprime Mortgage Crisis Causing African-Americans to Experience Greatest Loss of Wealth in Modern U.S. History
A startling new report has predicted the subprime mortgage crisis will cause people of color to lose up to two hundred thirteen billion dollars leading to the greatest loss of wealth in modern U.S. history. The figure appears in a new report from United For a Fair Economy called “Foreclosed: The State of the Dream 2008.” The group accuses mortgage lenders of deliberately targeting the poor and people of color with high-cost loans.
January 02, 2008: Community Activists in Des Moines Speak Out on Thursday’s Iowa Caucus Hugh Espey and Robin Ghormley of the Citizens for Community Improvement and Deepak Bhargava, executive director of Center for Community Change, discuss Thursday’s caucus.
December 10, 2007: ‘Bush Offers an Umbrella When We Need a Tent–Jesse Jackson Says President’s Plan to Prevent Foreclosures Doesn’t Go Far Enough President Bush announced a plan last week to freeze interest rates for some homeowners facing foreclosure. But critics say the plan’s strict guidelines will leave out the most vulnerable. We speak with the Rev. Jesse Jackson
November 29, 2007: Abu Dhabi Becomes Largest Citigroup Shareholder with $7.5B Investment, Bailout Comes Amidst Subprime Mortgage Crisis, Record-High Oil Prices The Gulf Arab emirate of Abu Dhabi bought a $7.5 billion stake in Citigroup, America’s largest bank, on Tuesday, making it the bank’s largest shareholder. As the U.S. credit crisis worsens and the price of oil hovers close to $100 a barrel, the injection of capital from oil-rich Gulf states is seen as a bailout of banks in trouble.
November 29, 2007: Minorities Hit Hardest by Subprime Mortgage Crisis We take a look at how the subprime mortgage crisis is affecting homeowners. The latest statistics show U.S. foreclosure filings nearly doubled in October from the same month last year. African American and Latino homeowners have been particularly hard hit.
April 04, 2007: Subprime Lending Crisis: Millions of Families Face Losing Their Homes to Foreclosure
Subprime loans have led to one million American families losing their homes in the past decade, a new study by the Center for Responsible Lending has found. In the last ten years, the subprime loan industry has emerged as a major, and controversial, player in the housing market.
Healthcare Reform
While the Obama administration claims ‘all options are on the table’ for healthcare reform, it’s already rejected the solution favored by most Americans, including doctors: single-payer universal healthcare.
Rep. McDermott: “The Medical-Industrial Complex in this Country is Bigger than the Military-Industrial Complex”
We speak with Rep. Jim McDermott (D-WA), a leading advocate for a single-payer healthcare system, about healthcare reform on Capitol Hill. McDermott also speaks about his recent trip to Afghanistan and his thoughts on President Obama’s escalation of the war.
Russell Mokhiber, editor of Corporate Crime Reporter, has just formed a new group called “Single Payer Action” that is advocating direct action to demand a single-payer health insurance system in the United States.
March 11, 2009: Dr. Quentin Young, Longtime Obama Confidante and Physician to MLK, Criticizes Admin’s Rejection of Single-Payer Healthcare
While the Obama administration claims ‘all options are on the table’ for healthcare reform, it’s already rejected the solution favored by most Americans, including doctors: single-payer universal healthcare.
March 06, 2009: As Obama Hosts Summit on Healthcare, Marginalized Advocates Ask Why Single Payer Is Ignored
President Obama hosted a White House summit Thursday on reforming healthcare. While President Obama said every idea must be considered, the idea of creating a single-payer national health insurance program appears to have already been rejected.
February 27, 2009: Can US Achieve Meaningful Healthcare Reform Within For-Profit System?
The Obama administration says its repeal of Bush-era tax cuts for wealthier Americans will help pay for a $634 billion reserve fund for what it calls its top fiscal priority: healthcare reform.
February 04, 2009: What is the Future of Healthcare Reform Following Daschle Withdrawing Health Sec. Nomination?
In what is being described as the first major setback of Barack Obama’s presidency, Tom Daschle has withdrawn his nomination as Secretary of Health and Human Services. We speak to Richard Kirsch of Healthcare for America Now.
May 28, 2008: Dr. Paul Farmer Challenges Profit-Driven Medical System While Bringing Healthcare to Poor Communities Worldwide
Paul Farmer is not your ordinary doctor. In going to the poorest places on earth, he is not only treating patients, but challenging whole healthcare systems.
April 21, 2008: An Evangelical from a Conservative Background, Dr. Rocky White is Not Your Typical Advocate for Single-Payer Healthcare
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.
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment