Democracy Now! Thursday, July 31, 2008

Today's Headlines

• Olmert to Resign Amid Corruption Investigations
• House Committee Finds Karl Rove in Contempt
• Turkish Court Rejects Ban on Ruling Party
• RAND Report Criticizes Military Focus of War on Terror
• Olympic Committee Admits China Will Censor Internet During Games
• Radovan Karadzic to Appear Before UN War Crimes Tribunal
• Ecuador Refused to Renew Lease on US Air Force Base
• Chevron Lobbies to Fight Amazon Pollution Lawsuit
• Humanitarian Activists to Sail to Gaza to Break Israeli Blockade
• Report: US Military to Play Intelligence Role During DNC in Denver
• Gun Control Activist Exposed as Gun Lobby Spy

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  Raj Patel on the Collapse of the World Trade Organization Talks

  Talks to expand the World Trade Organization have collapsed after a week of negotiations. The talks broke down in part because India and other developing nations demanded the right to protect their farming sectors against heavily subsidized imports. The US refused to accept the protections and insisted on giving US corporations greater access to markets in India, China and other nations. [includes rush transcript]

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  Plan Mexico and the US-Funded Militarization of Mexico

  We broadcast a report from Mexico produced by Inside USA (Al Jazeera English) on the US role in Mexico’s growing drug war. And we speak about the Plan Mexico initiative with Avi Lewis, Laura Carlsen and John Gibler. [includes rush transcript–partial]

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  GOP Congressional Candidate Accuses Al Jazeera of Trying to Kidnap Him in Florida

  Al Jazeera host Avi Lewis discusses the bizarre story of Allen West, a retired Army lieutenant and congressional candidate who recently accused Al Jazeera of trying to kidnap him after a booker from the network asked him to appear on the show. “I don’t know if it was a kidnapping attempt,” West told the New York Daily News. “But I am not going to entrust Al Jazeera with my life. I said, ‘Cancel the interview!’”