Democracy Now! Tuesday, May 20, 2008

Today's Headlines

• Sen. Obama Projected to Win Majority of Pledged Delegates
• Clinton Fundraiser Accused of Trying to Buy Support of Superdelegates
• Pentagon Announces Deployment of 42,000 Troops
• Probe Called for in 2003 US Shelling of the Palestine Hotel in Iraq
• Feith Admits “Terrible Mistakes” Made Ahead of Iraq War
• UNICEF: 6 Million Children in Ethiopia at Risk of Malnutrition
• Death Toll from Chinese Earthquake Tops 40,000
• US Accused of Violating Venezuelan Airspace
• Cuba Accuses US Diplomat of Passing Funds to Opposition Groups
• Hundreds Protest Iowa Immigration Raid
• NY Post Reporter Fired After Suing NYPD

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  US Skips International Conference to Ban Cluster Bombs

  Representatives of more than 100 governments are gathering in Dublin, Ireland for two weeks of talks aimed at finalizing a global treaty to ban the use of cluster bombs. But the United States, historically the world’s largest producer, stockpiler, and user of cluster bombs, won’t be at the negotiations. Other major producers of cluster bombs—Russia, China, Israel, India and Pakistan—also stayed away from the talks. [includes rush transcript]

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  As US Threatens Iran Over Enriching Uranium, Bush Promises to Give Enriched Uranium to Saudi Arabia

  The Bush administration has pledged to support Saudi Arabia’s nuclear power program, including supplying enriched uranium for nuclear reactors. The agreement came out of President Bush’s visit to the Saudi kingdom last week, during which Bush also pledged new US assistance in guarding Saudi oil reserves. [includes rush transcript]

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  "A Jihad for Love": New Film Explores Challenges Facing Gay Muslims Worldwide

  Muslim gay filmmaker Parvez Sharma spent five-and-a-half years documenting the lives of gay and lesbian Muslims in twelve countries. His subjects include a gay imam in South Africa, an Egyptian who fled to France after his imprisonment and torture, and a lesbian couple in Turkey. [includes rush transcript]

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  "Meet Gus Puryear: Bush's Latest Villainous Nominee for a Lifetime Judgeship"

  In 2004, Estelle Richardson’s lifeless and battered body was found on the floor of a Corrections Corp. of America prison cell. Four years later, that unsolved homicide has come back to haunt Republican stalwart “Gus” Puryear, the nation’s top private prison litigator and Bush nominee for US District Court. We talk to journalist Silja Talvi.