Amerika

President-elect Barack Obama named former rival Senator Hillary Clinton as secretary of state on Monday and said Robert Gates would remain defense secretary. Other nominees included retired General James Jones to be National Security Adviser and Susan Rice as ambassador to the United Nations. Is that change or more of the same? We speak with investigative journalist Robert Dreyfuss of The Nation magazine and Steven Clemons of the New America Foundation.

... ROBERT DREYFUSS: Well, there are a few things to say here. First of all, there is a connection between national security and energy, and General Jones is at the very heart of that. When he was at NATO as the NATO commander, he did what he could to steer NATO in the direction of taking on responsibility of out-of-area action in regard to securing energy supplies, which points NATO in the same direction that the Bush Administration and of course many other administrations have gone in terms of taking military responsibility for the Persian Gulf and Central Asia, which is really what the aftermath of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars is going to be about. To the extent the United States believes and NATO believes that it is responsible for securing that part of the world and protecting energy supplies. It is not necessarily a cooperative approach where we then go to the big energy users like Japan and China and India and talk to Russia as well about a cooperative effort to stabilize that part of the world, but a more unilateral one. (...)

AMY GOODMAN: Its been interesting watching the networks now. I can’t figure out who is more laudatory in the discussions on the networks, the Democrats or Republicans, of Barack Obama’s choices. There is hardly any debate around this. I want to see what you think of this, Robert Dreyfuss, Steve Zunes piece on Alternet saying Hilary Clinton “..allied herself with the Bush Administration and many of its most controversial actions, such as the 2003 invasion of Iraq, threats of war against Iran, support for Israel’s 2006 offensive against Lebanon and 2002 offensive in the West Bank, opposition to the International Criminal Court, attacks against the International Court of Justice, and support for the unrestricted export of cluster bombs and other anti-personnel munitions used against civilian targets”. ...

We speak with Roy Bourgeois, a Maryknoll priest. He took part in a ceremony this summer to ordain a member of the group called Roman Catholic Womenpriests. For the past two decades, he has organized the annual protest against the US Army’s School of the Americas at Fort Benning, Georgia.

As speculations abound over who President-elect Barack Obama will name to key cabinet positions, we look at some of the central figures advising Obama, many of whom are leading candidates for posts in the next administration. We speak with Jeremy Scahill, author of the new piece “This Is Change? 20 Hawks, Clintonites and Neocons to Watch for in Obama’s White House,” and David Corn, author of “The Agents of Change on Obama’s Transition Team.”

Princeton University professor of religion and African American studies, Cornel West, speaks about the election of Barack Obama, his selection of Eric Holder to be Attorney General, the possible selection of Lawrence Summers to be Treasury Secretary and the role of the progressive left to push Obama. West is the author of the new book Hope on a Tightrope: Words and Wisdom.

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 with filmmaker and investigative journalist John Pilger in Britiain, Columbia University professor and Africa scholar Mahmood Mamdani, Laura Carlsen of the Center for International Policy in Mexico City, Iraqi analyst Raed Jarrar, Pakistani author Tariq Ali, and Palestinian American Ali Abunimah of Electronic Intifada.

In an historic election, Barack Obama has become the forty-fourth president of the United States. The first-term senator from Illinois easily defeated John McCain on Tuesday, winning a larger share of the popular vote than any Democrat since Lyndon Johnson in 1964. Record voter turnout was reported across the country. As election results began pouring in last night, thousands of Obama supporters gathered in the streets from Los Angeles to Kenya, the birthplace of Obama’s father. We play an excerpt of Obama’s victory speech in Chicago, where hundreds of thousands of people packed in Grant Park and the surrounding neighborhood to hear his address.

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.

“Is this the United States Congress or the Board of Directors of Goldman Sachs?” Rep. Dennis Kucinich Rejects $700 Billion Bailout September 29, 2008

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.

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. We play an excerpt of FDR’s inaugural speech on March 4, 1933, and speak to Adam Cohen, author of the forthcoming book, Nothing to Fear: FDR’s Inner Circle and the Hundred Days that Created Modern America.

Senators John McCain and Barack Obama Debate Iraq, Pakistan, Russia During First Debate

For analysis on Friday’s debate, we speak with investigative journalist Robert Dreyfuss. He is a contributing editor with The Nation magazine and author of Devil’s Game: How the United States Helped Unleash Fundamentalist Islam. In his latest blog posting about the foreign policy portions of the debate, he castigates Obama for not drawing a stark contrast with McCain.

The U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday issued a stay of execution for Troy Anthony Davis less than two hours before he was to be put to death by lethal injection.

"Race Is Everything in this Case": Rep. John Lewis Urges State of Georgia to Spare Life of Troy Davis Hours Before His Scheduled Execution September 23, 2008
Death row prisoner Troy Davis is scheduled to be executed tonight at 7:00 p.m. despite widespread concern Davis is an innocent man. In 1991, Davis was convicted for murdering a white police officer. Since then, seven of the nine non-police witnesses have recanted their testimony. There is no direct physical evidence tying Davis to the crime scene. We speak to Rep. John Lewis (D-GA) and Troy’s sister, Martina Correia.

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.

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.

Die Türen des Gefängnisses werden sich für Kurt Stand wohl auch in den kommenden Jahren nicht öffnen. Der US-Journalist, Gewerkschafter und jW-Autor scheiterte kürzlich mit einer Beschwerde. Sein Verfahren vor einem Geschworenengericht sei nicht fair gewesen, hatte er moniert. Bundesrichter Hilton wies dies ab. Wie bereits im gesamten vorangegangenen Prozeß stellte sich Hilton voll auf die Seite der Anklage – die in Stand einen gefährlichen Staatsfeind sieht. Dem Sohn deutscher Antifaschisten, die vor den Nazis in die USA geflüchtet waren, wird von der US-Justiz Spionage für die DDR vorgeworfen, obwohl er lediglich allgemeine Situationsberichte über die Gewerkschaftsbewegung der USA übersandt hatte – kein bißchen mehr als das, was jeder Journalist getan hätte. 1999 hatte das Gericht in Alexandria/Virginia Kurt Stand und dessen frühere Ehefrau Theresa Squillacote zu 17 bzw. 21 Jahren Haft verurteilt. ...

Less than two months after 9/11, the US attacked Afghanistan, an invasion that continues today. We turn to two interviews in the aftermath of the Afghan invasion: Afghan American Masuda Sultan, who lost nineteen members of her family to a US bombing while they were taking refuge in a farmhouse; and Rita Lazar, who went to Afghanistan a few months after losing her brother Abe in the World Trade Center attacks. She said the killing of innocent civilians should not be avenged by the killing of more innocent civilians.

More than 280 people were arrested here in St. Paul Monday, the opening day of the Republican National Convention. Among them were several journalists covering the protests in the streets, including three of us at Democracy Now! Amy was detained trying to question police officers about the arrests of Democracy Now! producers Sharif Abdel Kouddous and Nicole Salazar. Rep. Keith Ellison (D-Minn.) Condemns Police Intimidation of Journalists Democratic Congress member Keith Ellison of Minnesota has been back in the Twin Cities this week closely monitoring the treatment of protesters and journalists at the RNC. He joins me now in St. Paul.

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. Democracy Now! correspondent Jeremy Scahill goes inside the Democratic National Convention to ask lawmakers about Barack Obama’s foreign policy plan to deploy an additional 7,000-9,000 more troops to Afghanistan.

As the Democrats gather under a massive banner proclaiming that change is on the way, serious questions abound about some of the key issues that have brought protesters here to Denver. We sent Democracy Now! correspondent Jeremy Scahill into the Pepsi Center to ask Senators Carl Levin, Charles Rangel, Reps. Maxine Waters, Dennis Kucinich and others the questions the corporate media is failing to ask, from the war in Iraq and Obama’s foreign policy team to impeachment and the death penalty.

Earlier this month, a thirty-four-year-old Chinese computer engineer, Hiu Lui Ng, who overstayed his visa, died in a Rhode Island immigration detention center. He had cancer in his liver, lung and bones, and a fractured spine. Despite repeated complaints of severe pain, Mr. Ng was refused independent medical evaluation by immigration officials. Before Mr. Ng died on August 6th, he told his sister that the nurses at the Donald W. Wyatt Detention Center in Rhode Island had told him to “stop faking” his illness. We speak to immigration attorney Joshua Bardavid, Rep. Zoe Lofgren (D-CA) and Renee Feltz, co-creator of the site BusinessOfDetention.com.

Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Ron Suskind joins us for part two of an interview on his new book, The Way of the World: A Story of Truth and Hope in an Age of Extremism. Suskind reports that in 2003 the White House ordered the CIA to forge and disseminate false intelligence documents linking al-Qaeda and Iraq. While much of the attention on the book has focused on the forged letter, Suskind also reveals that the Bush administration and the British government knew prior to the war that Iraq had no weapons of mass destruction. We also speak to Rep. John Conyers, chair of the House Judiciary Committee, which is investigating some of the explosive findings in Suskind’s book.

We speak to Elouise Cobell, the lead plaintiff in what was the largest class-action lawsuit against the US government. The Native American plaintiffs were seeking $47 billion, the total amount of lost royalties since 1887.

We broadcast a report from Mexico produced by “Inside USA” (Al Jazeera English) on the U.S. role in Mexico’s growing drug war. And we speak about the Plan Mexico initiative with Avi Lewis, Laura Carlsen and John Gibler.

Al Jazeera host Avi Lewis discusses the bizarre story of Allen West – a retired Army lieutenant and Congressional candidate who recently accused Al Jazeera of trying to kidnap him after a booker from the network asked him to appear on the show. “I don’t know if it was a kidnapping attempt,” West told The New York Daily News. “But I am not going to entrust Al Jazeera with my life. I said, ‘Cancel the interview!’”

Wall-Street-Sozialismus 28.07.2008
Ein von der US-Regierung privilegierter Finanzkonzern ist auch äußerlich eine feudale Einrichtung:
Das Fannie-Mae-Gebäude in Washington Foto: AP

Ganz undogmatisch: Der US-Kongreß rettet die größten Hypothekenversicherer der Vereinigten Staaten Fannie Mae und Freddie Mac

Salon.com has published new details about a top secret government database that might be at the heart of the Bush administration’s domestic spying operations. The database is known as “Main Core.” It reportedly collects and stores vast amounts of personal and financial data about millions of Americans. Some former US officials believe that “Main Core” may have been used by the National Security Agency to determine who to spy on in the immediate aftermath of 9/11. We speak with author and investigative journalist, Tim Shorrock. [includes rush transcript]

In Chicago, nearly 10,000 journalists of color are gathered for a convention that brings together members of the National Association of Black Journalists, the National Association of Hispanic Journalists, the Asian American Journalists Association and the Native American Journalists Association. It’s organized by UNITY, Journalists of Color, Inc. We host a discussion with Democracy Now! co-host and former president of NAHJ, Juan Gonzalez, and journalists Roberto Lovato and Amy Alexander. [includes rush transcript]

We spend the hour with New Yorker magazine investigative journalist Jane Mayer about her new book, The Dark Side: The Inside Story of How the War on Terror Turned Into a War on American Ideals. In the book, Mayer reveals a secret report by the International Red Cross warned the Bush administration last year that the CIA’s treatment of prisoners categorically constituted torture and could make Bush administration officials who approved the torture methods guilty of war crimes. Mayer also reveals that the Bush administration ignored warnings from the CIA six years ago that up to a third of the prisoners at Guantanamo Bay may have been imprisoned by mistake. [includes rush transcript]

Am heutigen 15. Juli jährt sich zum zwanzigsten Mal der Tag, an dem sich Adriana Pérez und Gerardo Hernández in Cuba das Ja-Wort gaben. Doch seit über zehn Jahren konnten sie sich nicht mehr sehen. Gerardo Hernández ist einer der fünf Kubaner, die seit fast 10 Jahren in US-amerikanischen Gefängnissen inhaftiert sind, weil sie von Miami aus gegen Cuba operierende Terrorgruppen unterwandert hatten. Bis heute verweigern die US-Behörden Adriana Pérez ein Einreisevisum, damit sie ihren inhaftierten Ehemann besuchen kann. Auch zum 20. Hochzeitstag machten die US-Behörden keine Ausnahme. ...

Vom Helden zum Wrack 10. Juli 2008
US-Soldat Dwyer bei seiner berühmten Rettungsaktion
im Irak 2003: Selbstmord aus Überforderung

Im Krieg gelten sie als Helden, zurück zu Hause versinken sie in Verzweiflung: Immer mehr US-Kriegsveteranen nehmen sich nach der Rückkehr von der irakischen Front das Leben. Experten sprechen schon von einer "Selbstmord-Epidemie" - Hilfe gibt es bisher wenig.

Die Welt als Schachbrett 28.06.2008
Stratege der globalen US-Vorherrschaft: Zbigniew Brzezinski
(hier während einer Konferenz in der kroatischen Stadt Dubrovnik, 7.7.2007) Foto: AP

1928 in Warschau geborene Zbigniew Brzezinski gilt neben Henry M. Kissinger und Samuel P. Huntington als graue Eminenz unter den US-Geostrategen. Er trägt durch seine Beratertätigkeit für US-Präsident James Carter von 1977 bis 1981 u. a. eine Mitverantwortung an der Talibanisierung Afghanistans, unterstützten die Vereinigten Staaten doch die Mudschaheddin massiv im Kampf gegen die UdSSR. Nach Brzezinskis Bekunden wollten die USA die Sowjetunion in die »afghanische Falle« locken und ihnen so »ihr Vietnam« bereiten. Heute ist er Professor für Amerikanische Außenpolitik an der Johns-Hopkins-Universität in Baltimore, Berater am Zentrum für Strategische und Internationale Studien (CSIS) in Washington D.C. und Verfasser von politischen Sachbüchern. Daneben betätigt sich Brzezinski als Berater für mehrere große US-amerikanische und internationale Unternehmen. Unlängst geriet er wieder in die Schlagzeilen, als über die Medien verbreitet wurde, daß er in das außenpolitische Team des US-Präsidentschaftskandidaten Barack Obama eingetreten ist.

In dem folgenden Artikel untersucht Hauke Ritz die geopolitischen Konzepte Brzezinskis. Der jW-Beitrag ist die stark gekürzte Fassung eines Textes aus »Quo vadis, Amerika? Die Welt nach Bush«. Das 288 Seiten umfassende Buch mit 24 Beiträgen von u. a. Norman Birnbaum, Saskia Sassen und Immanuel Wallerstein ist soeben im Verlag der Blätter für deutsche und internationale Politik erschienen und kostet 12 Euro (blaetter.de). (jW)

Congressional Hearings Shed New Light on Government's Endorsement of Torture; Maj. Gen. Taguba Accuses Bush Administration of War Crimes
On Tuesday, the Senate Armed Services Committee held an eight-hour hearing that exposed the role of top Bush administration officials in authorizing the use of harsh interrogation techniques. Meanwhile, Retired Major General Antonio Taguba, the Army general who first investigated the abuse at Abu Ghraib, has accused the Bush administration of committing war crimes. “The commander in chief and those under him authorized a systematic regime of torture,” Taguba said. [includes rush transcript]

As Senate Confirms Psychologists Helped Devise Military Interrogation Techniques, APA Presidential Candidate Steven Reisner Condemns Role of Psychologists in Torture
The Senate investigation confirmed the Pentagon sought the help of military psychologists as early as 2002 to devise so-called aggressive interrogation techniques. Dr. Steven Reisner is a psychoanalyst and a leading critic of the American Psychological Association’s policy governing the role of psychologists in interrogations. He is running for president of the APA and has received more nominating votes than any other candidate. [includes rush transcript]

“Broken Laws, Broken Lives”: Medical Study Confirms Prisoners in US Custody Were Physically & Mentally Tortured
A new report by the Physicians for Human Rights has, for the first time, found medical evidence corroborating the claims of former prisoners who say they were tortured while in US custody. Teams of medical specialists conducted physical and psychological tests on the former prisoners, including exams intended to assess if they were lying. We speak to Dr. Allen Keller. [includes rush transcript]

McClatchy Interviews 66 Fmr. Prisoners Held by U.S., Finds Widespread Abuse and Wrongful Imprisonments
McClatchy newspapers has conducted an extensive, eight-month investigation of the US detention system created after 9/11. Based on interviews with sixty-six former prisoners the investigation found that the U.S. imprisoned innocent men, subjected them to abuse, stripped them of their legal rights and allowed Islamic militants to turn the prison camp at Guantanamo Bay into a school for jihad.

Ralph Nader on Barack Obama: "It is Quite Clear He is a Corporate Candidate from A to Z"
Independent presidential candidate Ralph Nader discusses his independent run for the White House, the media blackout of third party candidates, and his stance on the Iraq war, the military-industrial complex, the global food crisis, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and more. [includes rush transcript]

Ungeachtet ihrer Niederlage vor dem Obersten Gerichtshof will die US-Regierung Kriegsgerichtsprozesse in Guantanamo fortsetzen. Deutsche Politiker fordern die Schließung des Lagers.

In a stinging blow to the Bush administration, the Supreme Court has ruled prisoners in Guantanamo Bay can challenge their detention in civilian federal courts. The ruling marked the third time in four years the Supreme Court has ruled against the Bush administration concerning the rights of Guantanamo prisoners. We speak to Vincent Warren, executive director of the Center for Constitutional Rights, which represents dozens of detainees at Guantanamo. [includes rush transcript]

Foreign suspects held in Guantanamo Bay have the right to challenge their detention in US civilian courts, the US Supreme Court has ruled.

In a major legal setback for the Bush administration, the court overturned by five to four a ruling upholding a 2006 law which removed such rights. ...

We speak to fired US attorney David Iglesias about the US attorneys scandal, voter suppression, vote caging and the politicization of the Justice Department. [includes rush transcript]

Back from Puerto Rico, Juan Gonzalez reports on two stories coming out of the island over the past week: the Democratic primary, won by Sen. Hillary Clinton and overlooked by Sen. Barack Obama, and a bitter divide within the SEIU. Puerto Rican residents could vote in the primary contest, yet are not allowed to vote in the November elections for president. As the Democratic primary took place, the Service Employees International Union held its national convention in San Juan. The SEIU is embroiled in an internal battle over allegations its leadership is seeking to increase the union’s size and influence at the expense of rank-and-file members. [includes rush transcript]

"The Uprising: An Unauthorized Tour of the Populist Revolt Scaring Wall Street and Washington" June 3, 2008

As we continue to look at issues regarding the 2008 presidential race, we turn to political journalist and nationally syndicated columnist, David Sirota. His first book, Hostile Takeover, was a New York Times bestseller. His latest book, just published, is The Uprising: An Unauthorized Tour of the Populist Revolt Scaring Wall Street and Washington. [includes rush transcript]

Verstärkte Warnungen vor US-Krieg gegen Iran. New York Times berichtet von Angriffsplänen der Bush-Administration im August 2008

Kontrollierte Plünderung 05.06.2008
George W. Bush zeichnet Lewis Paul Bremer III. mit der Freiheitsmedaille aus (14.12.2004).
Als US-Verwalter im Irak erließ Bremer Verordnungen, die die Ausbeutung des Landes erleichtern

Joachim Guilliard ist Verfasser zahlreicher Fachartikel zum Thema Irak und Mitherausgeber bzw. Koautor mehrerer Bücher.

This weekend, three former Guantanamo prisoners will talk for the first time to a US audience about their prison experiences. We speak to Almerindo Ojeda, UC Davis professor and principal investigator with the Guantanamo Testimonials Project, a UC Davis-based effort to catalog accounts of prisoner abuse. [includes rush transcript]

Over the past four decades, veteran reporter Robert Scheer has built a reputation as one of the leading journalists in this country, from his time as a war correspondent during Vietnam to his widely read columns today. Over the years, he has interviewed Presidents Nixon, Carter, Reagan and Clinton. He is the author of seven books. His latest is The Pornography of Power: How Defense Hawks Hijacked 9/11 and Weakened America. [includes rush transcript]

We continue our series “1968, Forty Years Later” with the political activist, novelist and historian, Tariq Ali. Back in the 1960s, with the Vietnam War at its height, Tariq Ali earned a national reputation through debates with figures like Henry Kissinger and then-British Foreign Secretary Michael Stewart. He protested against the Vietnam War, led the now-infamous march on the American embassy in London in 1968, and edited the revolutionary paper Black Dwarf, where he became friends with numerous influential figures, such as Stokely Carmichael, Malcolm X, John Lennon and Yoko Ono. Forty years later, Tariq Ali continues his lifelong struggle against US foreign policy across the globe. [includes rush transcript]

Carter: «Hamas anerkennt Israel» 21. April 2008
Die Gespräche von Ex-US-Präsident Carter mit Hamas-
Vertretern werden nicht überall gern gesehen. (reuters)

Die Palästinenserorganisation Hamas will nach Angaben des früheren US-Präsidenten Jimmy Carter Israels Recht auf ein Leben in Frieden anerkennen. Voraussetzung sei, dass ein Friedensabkommen vereinbart werde.

Siehe auch: Carter: Hamas würde Friedensvertrag akzeptieren Jerusalem (Reuters) - Die radikal-islamische Hamas-Bewegung ist nach den Worten des ehemaligen US-Präsidenten Jimmy Carter bereit, einen Palästinenser-Staat in den Grenzen von 1967 zu akzeptieren. ...

3000000000000 Dollar 20.05.2008
Nüchterne Zahlen können das von US-Soldaten herbeigeführte Leid nicht
ausdrücken (Irakerin in der Nähe von Kerbela, 15.4.2008) Foto: AP

Vorabdruck. Die wahren Kosten des Krieges. Wirtschaftliche und politische Folgen des Irak-Konflikts

In seinem neuesten Buch enthüllt der Wirtschaftsnobelpreisträger Joseph Stiglitz gemeinsam mit Linda Bilmes die katastrophalen Folgen des Irak-Krieges. Dabei decken sie nicht nur die ökonomischen Kosten für die USA und die Welt auf, sondern benennen auch die langfristigen politischen, sozialen und humanitären Auswirkungen, die erst in den nächsten Jahren und Jahrzehnten sichtbar werden. junge Welt dokumentiert mit freundlicher Genehmigung des Pantheon-Verlags in München Auszüge aus dem Vorwort und aus Kapitel 7 »Abzug aus dem Irak«. Die Zwischenüberschriften wurden von der Redaktion eingefügt.

Teure Uneinigkeit 17. Mai 2008
Immer auch den Staat als Gegner: Streikende Mitarbeiterin eines Autozulieferers in Detroit

US-Gewerkschaften und der Streik bei Hormel: Arbeitskämpfe sind nur zu gewinnen, wenn Organisationen und Beschäftigte an einem Strang ziehen

Unser Autor ist Journalist, war aktiver Gewerkschafter und verbüßt seit 1997 eine langjährige Haftstrafe in einem US-Bundesgefängnis wegen angeblicher Spionage für die DDR

Verspieltes Erbe 30.04.2008
Letzter verzweifelter Streik: Im Herbst 2007 traten die Beschäftigten von
General Motors aus Furcht vor Jobverlust in den Ausstand Foto: AP

Krise der US-Automobilindustrie hat die einst mächtige Branchengewerkschaft UAW paralysiert. Nur eine neue Strategie kann daran etwas ändern

Unser Autor ist US-Gewerkschafter und Journalist. Seit Oktober 1997 verbüßt er eine langjährige Haftstrafe wegen vermeintlicher Spionage für die DDR.

Suche nach Strategien 22.04.2008
Vor allem in der US-Autoindustrie hat die »Sozialpartnerschaft« eine unselige Tradition.
Hier Gewerkschaftschef Ron Gettelfinger im Shakehands mit der Gegenseite (Juli 2007) Foto: AP

1000 Teilnehmer bei Gewerkschafterkonferenz der Zeitschrift Labor Notes in den USA. Konflikte über Sozialpartnerschaft und Organisierung

»Gewerkschaften von unten stärken.« Dies war das Motto einer von der US-Gewerkschaftszeitschrift Labor Notes veranstalteten Konferenz. Mehr als 1000 Aktive aus Gewerkschaften und Solidaritätsorganisationen kamen Mitte April in einem Vorort der US-Autostadt Detroit zusammen. ...

»Mumia bleibt im Todestrakt« 29. März 2008
Robert R. Bryan ist Hauptverteidiger des schwarzen US-Journalisten
Mumia Abu-Jamal und kämpft um ein faires Verfahren für seinen Mandanten

US-Berufungsgericht hebt Todesurteil auf, Verurteilung wegen Polizistenmordes bleibt aber bestehen. Verteidigung kämpft um neues Verfahren. Ein Gespräch mit Rechtsanwalt Robert R. Bryan

Er ist der Meinung, daß schon die Ablehnung nur eines einzigen Jurykandidaten wegen dessen Hautfarbe einen Verstoß gegen die in der US-Verfassung garantierte Gleichbehandlung darstellt. Faktisch erkennt Ambro damit an, daß trotz einer gängigen Rechtsprechung in anderen Fällen eine Ausnahme gemacht wird, wenn es um Mumia Abu-Jamal geht. Wäre es um einen anderen Verurteilten gegangen, dann hätte das Gericht ein neues Verfahren angeordnet...

Reverend Jeremiah Wright fragt nach Hillary Clintons Herkunft – der schwarze Präsidentschaftskandidat zeigt sich »entsetzt« darüber

... Bei seinem Vorhaben, der erste schwarze Präsident der USA zu werden, will Barack Obama unbedingt beweisen, wie wenig schwarz er ist, selbst wenn er dafür einen Menschen wie Wright denunzieren muß, den er eigentlich als seinen Mentor betrachtet. Wer die afroamerikanische Kirche der USA von innen kennt, weiß, daß Priester von der Kanzel politische und soziale Kommentare verkünden. Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King sprach an vielen Orten der USA über Politik, Krieg, Rassismus, Ökonomie und soziale Gerechtigkeit. Seine Schönwetter-Freunde haben ihn verraten, und die Presse verdammte seine Äußerungen als »unangemessen« und »unpatriotisch«. Dr. King warf den USA vor, »der schlimmste Gewalttäter« der Welt zu sein, und er verurteilte den Vietnamkrieg als ungerecht...

A federal appeals court Thursday refused to overturn the conviction of imprisoned journalist and former Black Panther Mumia Abu-Jamal and rejected his call for a new trial. However, the long-awaited ruling said Abu-Jamal, who has been on death row for twenty-six years, deserves a new sentencing hearing because of flawed jury instructions. If he is re-sentenced, he will face either death or life in prison without parole. We speak to Abu-Jamal’s lead attorney, Robert Bryan.

Der US-Geheimdienst CIA sucht auf seiner Homepage per Stellenanzeige Offiziere für paramilitärische Operationen. Darauf hat die geheimdienstkritische Internet-Seite injerenCIA.com hingewiesen. Unter der Rubrik "Careers at CIA" findet sich ein Stellenangebot als "Paramilitary Operations Officer" mit einem Gehalt zwischen 54.000 und 75.000 Dollar.

Überraschendes Ende des Gipfeltreffens der Rio-Gruppe in der Dominikanischen Republik: Nach harten Auseinandersetzungen reichten sich die Präsidenten von Ecuador, Rafael Correa, Kolumbien, Álvaro Uribe, und Venezuela, Hugo Chávez, die Hand und erklärten die seit einer Woche anhaltende Auseinandersetzung zwischen den drei südamerikanischen Ländern für beendet. Zuvor hatte Uribe um Entschuldigung für das illegale Eindringen auf ecuadorianisches Hoheitsgebiet gebeten und sich verpflichtet, nicht wieder die Grenzen eines der Nachbarländer zu verletzen. ...

Bushs dritte Amtszeit 09.04.2008
Weitgehende Übereinstimmung: US-Präsident George W. Bush führt seinen
potentiellen Nachfolger John McCain durch das Weiße Haus (5.3.2008) Foto: AP

Der republikanische Präsidentschaftskandidat John McCain will die Politik des jetzigen Amtsinhabers fortsetzen. Der Konfrontationskurs gegen Rußland soll verschärft, das Hegemoniestreben der USA forciert werden

The Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was assassinated forty years ago today. He was in Memphis, Tennessee to march with sanitation workers demanding a better wage. We spend the hour on his life and legacy. We hear from the Rev. Jesse Jackson, who was with King at the Lorraine Motel, where he was killed; Harry Belafonte, who was with Coretta Scott King at the King home in Atlanta on April 4, 1968; Dr. Vincent Harding, a close friend and colleague of King’s who wrote King’s major antiwar speech, “Beyond Vietnam;” Taylor Rogers, a former sanitation worker in Memphis; Charles Cabbage, a longtime activist and community organizer in Memphis who met with King hours before he died; Jerry Williams, one of the only African American detectives in the Memphis Police Department in 1968; Judge D’Army Bailey, a circuit court judge in Memphis and co-founder of the National Civil Rights Museum; and we hear King in his own words, giving his major speech against the war in Vietnam and his last public address given the night before his death in Memphis, Tennessee. [includes rush transcript]

A new exposé in Vanity Fair by British attorney Philippe Sands reveals new details about how attorney John Yoo and other high-ranking administration lawyers helped design and implement the interrogation policies seen at Guantanamo, Abu Ghraib and secret CIA prisons. According to Vanity Fair, then-White House counsel Alberto Gonzales and other top officials personally visited Guantanamo in 2002, discussed interrogation techniques and witnessed interrogations. Sands joins us in our firehouse studio. [includes rush transcript]

US-Geheimdienstchef Michael McConnell hat im US-Senat die Anwendung der Folter gegen Verdächtige verteidigt. ...