Friday, January 21, 2005

Democracy Now! Thursday has Howard Zinn among other worthwhile (and news worthy) segments

Leaving the fluff that so often is the New York Times, let's take a moment to highlight a source of real news.
If you caught Democracy Now! yesterday, good for you. If you didn't, among other things, you've missed Howard Zinn. (I didn't catch it yesterday. I'll be watching it later this morning.)
All segments are LWR (listen, watch or read).

Headlines for January 20, 2005
- Bush To Emphasize "Freedom" in Inauguration Speech
- Washington To See Largest Security Effort Ever
- Bush Criticized For Staging Lavish Wartime Inauguration
- Senate Postpones Rice & Gonzales Votes
- Bush Decides Not To Re-Nominate Daniel Pipes
- UK Gov't Calls For U.S. Timetable To Withdraw From Iraq
- FBI Investigates Murder of U.S. Contractor in Iraq
- U.S. Pushes Out UN Palestinian Refugee Chief Peter Hansen

Corporate America Pours in Millions to Fund President Bush's Second InaugurationDemocracy Now! broadcasts from Washington DC where President George W Bush is being sworn in for a second term. The inauguration is expected to be the most lavish in history, with an estimated $40 million to be spent over four days of celebrations - and the hefty price is being footed largely by U.S. corporations. We speak with Joan Claybrook, president of the consumer-advocacy organization Public Citizen which has analyzed the contribution records released by Bush's inaugural committee. [includes rush transcript]

Energy Secretary Nominee Calls for New Generation of Power Plants and Drilling in Alaskan ArcticWe take a look at Energy Secretary nominee, Samuel Bodman. At his Senate confirmation hearing, Bodman said he would advocate for oil and natural-gas drilling exploration to take place in the Alaska National Wildlife Refuge and called for the jumpstarting of the construction of a new generation of nuclear power plants. [includes rush transcript]

Lockdown in DC: Unprecedented Security For Bush Inauguration and ProtestsWashington DC is in a state of lockdown for the most heavily guarded presidential inauguration in history. Along with the customary inauguration address and parade, a number of protests are being planned in Washington and around the country. We speak with Shahid Buttar, a member of the Guerilla Poetry Insurgency affinity group for the anti-inauguration protests and Mark Goldstone, of the Demonstration Support Committee for the National Lawyers Guild. [includes rush transcript]

Historian Howard Zinn: "Bush Represents Everything That Martin Luther King Opposed"We speak with Howard Zinn, renowned historian and author of "A People's History of the United States." Zinn says: "People all over the world are mourning the ascension of Bush to his second term as president... that's something to feel encouraged about, even as all this pomp and circumstance of the inauguration goes on." [includes rush transcript]