News aggregator
UK: Remembering Auschwitz
SF Bay Area: This Week in Palestine, February 3rd, 2012
Newscast for Friday, Febuary 3, 2012
- After public outcry, Komen Foundation forced to respond to Planned Parenthood funding cut
- Harsh sanctions on Iran could hit middle and working class the hardest
- Anti-war protests scheduled for US cities as war rhetoric on Iran grows
- New evidence shows NYPD targeted Shia and Iranian Muslims for surveillance
- EU move to strengthen online privacy protection draws criticism from marketing companies who bemoan loss of lucrative data
ICE Enabled East Haven Police's Racial Profiling By Detaining, Deporting Targeted Immigrants
A new investigation by Colorlines Magazine has revealed that Immigration and Customs Enforcement continued to detain and deport individuals rounded up by the East Haven, Connecticut police, even after the Department of Justice launched its investigation into racial profiling. Four East Haven police officers have been arrested for targeting Latino immigrants with false arrests, false reports and harassment, prompting the East Haven police chief to resign. We’re joined by Seth Freed Wessler, a senior research associate at the Applied Research Center and an investigative reporter for Colorlines.com. "East Haven, Connecticut has a long history of profiling people of color," Freed Wessler says. "Folks of color in the greater New Haven area know not to drive through East Haven, Connecticut: you’re going to get pulled over if you’re black or Latino." [Includes rush transcript]
Occupy the Super Bowl: Indiana's New Anti-Union Law Sparks Protest at Sport's Biggest Spectacle
Occupy protesters in Indianapolis are gearing up to use the media spotlight on Sunday’s Super Bowl XLVI to rally for union rights outside the statehouse. Earlier this week, Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels signed a so-called "right to work" measure into law that critics say will result in lower wages and diminished collective bargaining rights. Indiana workers have received the backing of the National Football League Players Association, which has called "right to work" "a political ploy designed to destroy basic workers’ rights." We’re joined from Indiana by Tithi Bhattacharya, an associate professor of South Asian History at Purdue University and a protester who is taking part in Occupy the Super Bowl. "It is absolutely shameful that the legislature passed a law that condemns unions and is now using the city to showcase Indianapolis while ordinary people in Indiana are completely opposed to this law," Bhattacharya says. [Includes rush transcript]
NYPD Muslim Spy Scandal Grows With Newly Revealed Plan to Target Shiite Mosques
New revelations have emerged about the New York City Police Department’s secret program to spy on Muslim communities. The Associated Press has just uncovered a confidential NYPD plan from 2006 to engage in targeted surveillance of Shiite mosques following increased tensions between the U.S. and Iran; the latest revelation on its secret intelligence operations focused on Muslim neighborhoods. On Thursday a coalition of Muslim and civil rights organizations reiterated their call for the immediate resignation of NYPD Commissioner Ray Kelly. We’re joined by reporter Matt Apuzzo, who has helped break the NYPD spying story for the Associated Press; and Imam Talib Abdur-Rashid, spiritual leader at the Mosque of Islamic Brotherhood and president of the Islamic Leadership Council of New York. [Includes rush transcript]
Headlines for February 3, 2012
- Komen Officials Resign Over Planned Parenthood Controversy
- Syria: U.N. Drops Call for Assad Resignation
- Egypt: 4 Killed as Thousands Protest Soccer Deaths
- Israel: Iranian Missiles Could Reach United States
- Khmer Rouge Commander Gets Life Term
- Trump Backs Romney Ahead of Nevada Caucus
- SEC Issued Scores of Waivers to Wall Street Firms in Fraud Cases
- Holder Takes Heat from Congress for "Fast and Furious" Weapons Sting
- Yemeni Activists Protest Saleh’s NYC Visit
- Sierra Club Took $26 Million From Gas Industry
- Report: U.S. More Than Doubles Names on No-Fly List
- NATO Chief Contradicts Panetta on Afghan Timetable
Newscast for Thursday, February 2, 2012
- Advocates for poor counter attacks on public assistance and food stamps
- Modest gains in fight against homelessness, but many still struggle in urban areas
- US-backed NGOs in Egypt played controversial role in many countries
- Students in Mexico demand justice for protesters slain by police
Ireland: NAMA v Unlock NAMA at the Great Strand Street Occupation
After Right-Wing Campaign, Leading Breast Cancer Charity Komen Drops Funding for Planned Parenthood
The nation’s leading breast cancer charity is under intense scrutiny for its decision to cut off funding for breast cancer screening programs run by Planned Parenthood. Susan G. Komen for the Cure has confirmed it is withdrawing support for 19 of Planned Parenthood’s 83 affiliates, citing a new policy barring funding for any groups under investigation by local, state or federal authorities. Planned Parenthood’s finances are currently the subject of a probe led by anti-abortion Republican Rep. Cliff Stearns of Florida. "If you look at all the government reports which have already been done on Planned Parenthood, they’re completely cleared of any of the charges that Cliff Stearns claims he’s looking for. So this is a witch hunt," says Jodi Jacobson, the editor-in-chief of RH Reality Check, who recently wrote the article, "The Cancerous Politics and Ideology of the Susan G. Komen Foundation." We also speak with Patrick Hurd, the CEO of Planned Parenthood of Southeastern Virginia and a recipient of a 2010 grant from Komen, and his wife, Betsi Hurd, who has participated in several Komen fundraising events and is currently battling breast cancer. "This isn’t about fundraising," says Patrick Hurd. "This is about making sure that we provide access to women, that we continue to provide education to women, that we continue to serve the women in the communities where Planned Parenthoods are located." [includes rush transcript]
Obama's Support for Natural Gas Drilling "A Painful Moment" for Communities Exposed to Fracking
Last week, President Obama called the United States "the Saudi Arabia of natural gas" in a speech about boosting domestic energy production. That concerns Wyoming farmer John Fenton, who already has more than two dozen gas wells on his property. The Environmental Protection Agency ruled in December that water contamination in Pavillion, Wyoming, was a result natural gas extraction and the controversial technique known as fracking. "Things changed pretty rapidly," Fenton says, after fracking took place on his land near Pavillion, and he now has to ship in water for drinking. "It didn’t take long to notice significant impacts to the water, the change to smell like diesel fuel. Methane was bubbling in the water. We had neighbors that actually had livestock die from drinking the water. And we also saw really huge impacts to our way of life. The farm fields are full of wellheads now that we have to work around. We have people coming and going off our property 24 hours a day. And we’ve seen over a 50 percent devaluation in the value of our land." We also speak with filmmaker Josh Fox, who was arrested for attempting to record a congressional hearing over the EPA report on Pavillion. Fox is producing a sequel to his award-winning film, "Gasland," about the impact of fracking across the United States. [includes rush transcript]
"Gasland" Director Josh Fox Arrested at Congressional Hearing on Natural Gas Fracking
The Academy Award-nominated filmmaker Josh Fox was handcuffed and arrested Wednesday as he attempted to film a congressional hearing on the controversial natural gas drilling technique known as fracking, which the Environmental Protection Agency recently reported caused water contamination in Pavillion, Wyoming. Fox directed the award-winning film, "Gasland," which documents the impact of fracking on communities across the United States, and is now working on a sequel. Fox says he was arrested after Republicans refused to allow him to film because he did not have the proper credentials. "We wanted to report on what happened [at the hearing]. I was not interested in disrupting that hearing. It was not a protest action," says Fox. "I was simply trying to do my job as a journalist and go in there and show to the American people what was transpiring in that hearing, so that down the line, as we know there will be a lot of challenges mounted to that [Pavillion, Wyoming] EPA report—and frankly, to the people in Pavillion, who have been sticking up for themselves and demanding an investigation into the groundwater contamination—and to make sure that people could view that in a larger forum than usually happens." [includes rush transcript]
Headlines for February 2, 2012
- Panetta: U.S. to End Afghan Combat Operations in 2013
- Romney: "I'm Not Concerned About the Very Poor"
- Thousands Protest as Indiana Enacts Anti-Union "Right to Work" Law
- Washington State Senate OKs Same-Sex Marriage
- Dozens Killed in Syria Clashes; Russia Stalls U.N. Measure
- Julian Assange in Final Day of Extradition Hearing
- U.S. Lifts Military Aid Ban to Uzbekistan
- ACLU Sues Admin for Drone Strike Records
- NRC: Nuclear Reactors in Central and Eastern U.S. Face Earthquake Threats
- Trump to Endorse Gingrich Ahead of Nevada Vote
- Arizona State Senators Introduce Anti-Union Bills
- American Airlines to Lay Off 13,000 Workers
- At Least 74 Killed at Egyptian Soccer Match
- Occupy Wall Street Protester Gets Twitter Subpoena
Newscast for Wednesday, February 1, 2012
Is Former Haitian Dictator Jean-Claude "Baby Doc" Duvalier Off the Hook for Human Rights Crimes?
A Haitian judge announced Monday former Haitian dictator Jean-Claude "Baby Doc" Duvalier will face trial for corruption, but will not face any charges for the murders, disappearances, torture and other human rights abuses committed during his 15-year rule because the statute of limitations has expired. "Unless this ruling is overturned on appeal, it’s just going to be another confirmation to people in Haiti that the justice system is always on the side of the rich and the powerful and doesn’t serve even to punish the worst atrocities," says Reed Brody of Human Rights Watch. "For Jean-Claude Duvalier to come back to Haiti and not be prosecuted is a slap in the face to the thousands of people who were killed and tortured under his rule." [includes rush transcript]
Baltasar Garzón, Trailblazing Judge Who Pursued War Criminals, Faces Trial of His Own in Spain
Spanish Judge Baltasar Garzón is known for ordering the arrest of Chilean dictator Augusto Pinochet and seeking to indict members of the George W. Bush administration for their role in torturing prisoners. Now Garzón is facing trial himself, in Madrid, after right-wing groups objected to his investigation of atrocities committed by supporters of the dictator Francisco Franco. Garzón has used the doctrine of universal jurisdiction to investigate war crimes and torture across national lines. "The irony here, of course, is that he is being prosecuted in Spain for trying to apply the very principles that he so successfully promoted internationally," says Reed Brody of Human Rights Watch, who has been in the courtroom observing Garzón’s trial. [includes rush transcript]
Exploring Mitt Romney's Shifting Stances from "Moderate" Governor to GOP Front-Runner
As Mitt Romney surges in his bid for the Republican nomination, we take an in-depth look at his career and political record with reporter David Bernstein of the Boston Phoenix, who has covered Romney for many years. Bernstein details Romney’s shifting stances over the years on a number of key political issues to appease Republican voters in his bid for the party’s nomination. "The basic [Obamacare] system is entirely taken from what he did" with healthcare reform as Massachusetts governor, says Bernstein. Regarding Romney’s Mormon faith, Bernstein says, "Last time, in the 2008 election, he really was trying to win over ... Christian conservatives, down in the South and in Iowa. And he tried to talk to them about his Mormonism and tried to convince them that it wasn’t that different from their religion. It really didn’t take." [includes rush transcript]
Romney Gains Momentum with Florida Win, But Gingrich Vows Prolonged Fight
Mitt Romney beat Newt Gingrich by 14 percent last night in the Florida primary, but he has yet to win a majority of votes in any state contest so far, and Gingrich has vowed to continue his fight. The Florida vote was the first contest of the year where only registered Republicans could participate, with independents and crossover Democrats restricted from casting ballots in the primary. "The Florida primary is a very big one for Mitt Romney," says David Bernstein, political writer for the Boston Phoenix who has covered Romney for years. "They knew that he was not likely to win a lot of states in the South, some of the conservative Midwest, so Florida was really the one place where they thought they had to win. And with Florida, they feel like the rest of the states really add up in their favor from this point." [includes rush transcript]
Headlines for February 1, 2012
- Romney Wins Florida GOP Primary
- Obama Visits U.S. Automakers in D.C., Praises Industry Rebound
- U.S. Intelligence Chief: Iranian Leaders More Willing to Attack United States
- NATO Report: Prisoners Say Pakistan Aiding Taliban
- Russia Challenges Syria Measure at U.N. Security Council
- Egypt: Dozens Wounded in Pro-Democracy March
- Bahraini Protesters on Hunger Strike are Tear-Gassed in Prison Cells
- WikiLeaks Founder Julian Assange Battles Extradition in U.K. Court
- Breast Cancer Charity Faces Backlash After Defunding Planned Parenthood
- 12 Charged in Occupy Oakland Protests
- Judge Rejects Attempt to Block Camping Ban on Occupy D.C.
- Santorum Claims Conservative Mantle Ahead of Nevada Vote
- NATO Soldier Killed in Afghanistan
- Syria: 6 Killed in Fighting Near Lebanese Border
- U.S. Intel: Assad Regime Won’t Outlast Protests
- Oakland Protesters Face Mistreatment, Beatings
- Riot Police Clear Occupy Miami Encampment