Democracy Now! Tuesday, July 8, 2008

Today's Headlines

• Maliki Calls for Timetable for US Troop Withdrawal
• Environmental Groups Slam G8 Carbon Emissions Pledge
• Pentagon Vows to Build “Safer” Cluster Bombs by 2018
• US Security Company Tied to Mexican Torture Training Videos
• UK Mercenary Sentenced in Equatorial Guinea Coup Plot
• Army Vet Seen in Iconic Photo Dies of Overdose
• Photographer Accuses US Military of Censorship
• European Scientists Meet on Reunion Island to Discuss Biodiversity
• Climate Change Threatening Coral Reefs
• Denver Police Arrest Librarian Holding “McCain = Bush” Sign at Rally

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  Environmental Groups Slam G8 Leaders for Not Doing More on Global Warming

  In Japan, world leaders at the G8 summit have announced they would work toward cutting carbon emissions by at least 50 percent by 2050. The White House hailed the declaration as a major step forward, but environmental campaigners criticized the lack of a commitment to midterm targets. Global warming ties into other big themes, such as soaring food and fuel prices, being discussed at the three-day summit. We go to Hokkaido to speak with Walden Bello of Focus on the Global South. [includes rush transcript]

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  As Freed US Contractors Speak Out, a Look at the FARC, Colombian Paramilitary Groups and the Generals Being Feted for the Hostage Rescue

  Three American military contractors freed from the Colombian jungle have spoken out against their former captors, the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC. Marc Gonsalves, Thomas Howes and Keith Stansell were among the fifteen hostages, including the French Colombian politician Ingrid Betancourt, rescued in an elaborate military operation last week in a major blow to the FARC. We host a roundtable discussion with Mario Murillo, author of Colombia and the United States; Michael Evans of the Colombia Documentation Project; and Manuel Rozental, a Colombian physician and human rights activist living in Canada following several threats on his life. [includes rush transcript]

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  Landmark Case Returns to NY Seeking Millions from Corporations that Profited from South African Apartheid

  A landmark case is returning to a New York district court that seeks millions of dollars in reparations from corporations that supported and profited from South African apartheid. The suit is filed on behalf of thousands of apartheid victims under the Alien Tort Claims Act. It seeks damages from the companies for doing business with the apartheid government despite international sanctions and boycotts. The companies include the oil giants BP and ExxonMobil, banks such as Citigroup and UBS, and the car giants General Motors and Ford Motor. We speak with South African poet and activist, Dennis Brutus. [includes rush transcript]