An American photojournalist who was embedded with the Marines in Fallujah has been barred from the Marine Corps because of graphic photographs showing Marines killed in a suicide bombing last month. A few hours after he posted some photos of the bombing on his blog, a high-ranking public affairs official ordered him to remove it. When he refused, he was told his "embed" had been terminated and he would be flown out of Iraq.
The private military firm Blackwater has gone from being a relatively unknown contractor working in Iraq to a household name and the subject of multiple investigations, lawsuits and congressional inquiries. In the meantime, the company continues to reap millions of dollars in profits and was recently awarded a new contract from the State Department. Last year, Democracy Now! correspondent and Nation Fellow, Jeremy Scahill, published his book Blackwater: The Rise of the World's Most Powerful Mercenary Army. The book quickly landed on the New York Times bestseller list and helped frame the debate that was to come. With the book's paperback release in a thoroughly revised and updated edition, Jeremy Scahill joins us for the hour.
John Bolton, the former US ambassador to the United Nations, escaped a citizen's arrest Wednesday night as he addressed an audience in Britain. We speak to George Monbiot, the British activist and columnist who tried to arrest Bolton. Monbiot says Bolton is a war criminal for his role in helping to initiate the US invasion of Iraq. [includes rush transcript]
More than 30,000 people representing eighty countries are in Los Angeles this weekend for BookExpo America, the publishing industry's annual three-day gathering. Among the groups is the American Booksellers Association, or ABA, the national trade association for independent booksellers. We speak to former ABA president Russ Lawrence. [includes rush transcript]
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]
Roslyn Zinn, wife of Howard Zinn the historian, has died.
The artist Rosyln Zinn has died. She was the wife of historian and author Howard Zinn. They were married for sixty-four years. Roslyn & Howard
Durring a protest of Viet the Viet Nam War - "They are not upset because we're disturbing the peace... they're upset because we're disturbing the war!"
Howard Zinn and Woody Harrelson In Conversation Part 4/6