Democracy Now! Thursday, September 4, 2008

Today's Headlines

• Pakistan Chides US on Deadly Ground Raid
• US Mistakenly Kills 7 Iraqi Troops
• Iraqi Journalist Detained by US
• Giuliani Mocks Obama’s Background as Community Organizer
• Biden Won’t Rule Out Prosecuting Bush Officials
• 8 RNC Protesters Get Terror Charges Under PATRIOT Act
• 2 Journalists Swept Up in RNC Protests Released
• US to Aid Georgia, Cheney Meets Oil Companies on Caspian Pipeline
• Bush Cites Improved Government Response in Gustav Aftermath
• Judge Orders Admin Response on Waterboarding Docs

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  Eight Members of RNC Activist Group Lodged with Terrorism Charges

  Ramsey County prosecutors have formally charged eight members of a prominent activist group with conspiracy to riot in furtherance of terrorism. The eight members of the RNC Welcoming Committee are believed to be the first persons ever charged under the 2002 Minnesota version of the federal PATRIOT Act. The activists face up to seven-and-a-half years in prison. We speak with the father of one of those charged and the president of the Minnesota chapter of the National Lawyers Guild. [includes rush transcript]

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  I-Witness Video Collective Forced Out of Living Space After Second Raid by St. Paul Police in Five Days

  Police in St. Paul are being accused of continuing to intimidate a group of video makers that traveled to the Twin Cities to document police misconduct during the Republican National Convention. On Saturday, police raided a home where members of the I-Witness Video collective were staying. Members of the group were detained for over two hours. The building’s landlord forced the group to move out yesterday after police armed with batons and a battering ram entered their living space for a second time. [includes rush transcript]

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  Voices of the Delegates: Jeremy Scahill Goes Inside the RNC

  Democracy Now! correspondent Jeremy Scahill goes inside the RNC to take the pulse of what delegates think and how Sarah Palin has spiced up an otherwise sedated affair.

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  Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin Accepts GOP Nomination

  Alaska Governor Sarah Palin accepted the Republican vice-presidential nomination last night in front of a roaring crowd at the Xcel Center. Many view McCain’s selection of Palin as a nod to the evangelical right. We speak to Shannyn Moore, an Anchorage-based radio talk show host who closely follows Alaska politics. [includes rush transcript–partial]

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  Amy Goodman Questions Ramsey County Prosecutors on Jailing, Charges of Journalists

  Two days after several journalists were arrested covering the RNC protests, including three staffers at Democracy Now!, county and city prosecutors held a press conference in St. Paul. Amy Goodman was there to question them about the crackdown on journalists.

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  Hundreds of Jailed Protesters Held for 2+ Days Following Mass RNC Arrests

  The Ramsey County Court has begun to slowly process and release some of the nearly 300 people detained over the past few days. Democracy Now! producer Anjali Kamat reports.

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  Libertarian Presidential Candidate and Ex-Republican Rep. Bob Barr on Impeachment, Opening Up the Debates, and Why He Left the GOP

  A decade ago, Libertarian presidential candidate Bob Barr was serving as a Republican congressman from Georgia and led the Republican drive to impeach President Bill Clinton. Since then he has become a vocal critic of the Republican Party, the war in Iraq and the erosion of civil liberties. Barr joins us in St. Paul.