Democracy Now! Friday, December 7, 2007

Today's Headlines

• CIA Admits to Destroying Tapes of Two Interrogations
• Bush’s Plan To Prevent Foreclosures Criticized
• Iraq’s Oil Ministry Prepares to Sign Oil Contracts
• Bush Threatens To Veto Energy Bill, New Auto Fuel Efficiency Standards
• Congress Drops Hate Crimes Bill
• Israeli Official Cancels UK Trip Fearing War Crimes Arrest
• Outcry Grows Over Public Housing Demolitions in New Orleans

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  The Seventh Decade – Jonathan Schell on “The New Shape of Nuclear Danger”

  It’s official: Iran doesn’t have the nuclear bomb. But who does? The United States, Israel, Pakistan, India and five other countries. We speak with Jonathan Schell, author of “The Seventh Decade: The New Shape of Nuclear Danger.” Schell argues that the Bush administration has ushered in a new nuclear age. With a concurrent first-strike policy, a weapons buildup at home and a reduction in monitoring and negotiations, Schell says the White House has encouraged proliferation around the world. [includes rush transcript]

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  James Baldwin 20th Anniversary Commemoration: Remembering the Life and Work of the Legendary Writer and Civil Rights Activist

  James Baldwin, the legendary African American writer and civil rights activist, died 20 years ago this week. This Sunday in Harlem, the Schomburg Center for Research on Black Culture is holding a 20th anniversary commemoration. We take a look at Baldwin’s life and his work with his sister-in-law Carole Weinstein, and we hear Baldwin in his own words. We also hear Tony Award-nominated actor Calvin Levels performing a part of his acclaimed one-man show, “James Baldwin: Down from the Mountaintop.” [includes rush transcript]