Democracy Now! Thursday, May 1, 2008

Today's Headlines

• Casualties Mount in Ongoing US Assault on Sadr City
• US Death Toll Highest in 7 Months
• 5 Years Since “Mission Accomplished”
• US: Iran “Most Active” State Sponsor of “Terrorism”
• Palestinian Factions Accept Gaza Truce with Israel
• UN: Gaza at “Point of Explosion”
• 10 Killed in US Airstrikes on Somalia
• Iran Complains to UN over Clinton Comments
• Venezuela Marks May Day with Min. Wage Hike
• Peruvian Women Rally Against Rising Food Prices
• Agricultural Firms Post Record Quarterly Profits
• Scandal-Linked GSA Head Resigns
• “Robocalls” Discourage African American Votes in North Carolina
• Barrick Gold Sues Canadian Publisher over Book Alleging Abuses

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  US Citizens, Lawful Residents Sue Government for Illegal Detention in LA Immigration Raid

  In what’s believed to be a first, a group of US citizens and lawful residents have brought claims against the government for being illegally detained during an ICE raid earlier this year. If the claims are successful, this legal strategy could force the Department of Homeland Security to change its policy about workplace raids. [includes rush transcript]

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  May Day: Tens of Thousands Prepare to March Across the Country as Labor Struggle Linked to Immigrants Rights

  Tens of thousands are expected to march in cities across the country today, linking immigrant rights to May Day for the third year in a row. The major demands include legal status for undocumented migrant workers and an end to the raids and deportations that have torn families apart. We speak to Anike Tourse of the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights of Los Angeles, and journalist Robert Lovato.

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  Defying Employers, Anti-War Dockworkers Plan to Shut Down West Coast Ports

  The International Longshore and Warehouse Union has been organizing to shut down ports on the West Coast today – May Day—to protest the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. But yesterday an arbitrator ordered the union to tell its members that they must report to work today. We speak to Clarence Thomas, an executive Board member of the International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU) Local 10 and a member of U.S. Labor Against the War.

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  Back From Haiti, Rev. Jesse Jackson Calls for Emergency Food Aid to a Starving Nation Devastated by Longtime U.S.-Led Interference, Subversion

  Reverend Jesse Jackson has just returned from Haiti, where the World Food Program is warning of a “major crisis” if international donors fail to help feed Haiti’s poor. Prices of rice, beans and cooking oil, have doubled in the past few months. The soaring food prices have had a devastating effect—two-thirds of Haitians live on less than a dollar a day and 47 percent are undernourished. We speak to Rev. Jackson about the U.S. responsibility to feed a nation long targeted by Western subversion. Rev. Jackson also shares his thoughts on the recent fallout between Democratic candidate Barack Obama and his former pastor, the Rev. Jeremiah Wright.