Democracy Now! Tuesday, December 23, 2008

Today's Headlines

• US to Fund Afghan Militias
• Government Accused of Entrapment in Fort Dix Terror Case
• Bailed-Out Banks Can’t Account for Gov’t Funds
• Iraq Delays Vote on Allowing Non-US Troops to Stay in Iraq
• Lawyer: Journalist Will Not Apologize for Shoe-Throwing Incident
• Europeans May Take Guantanamo Prisoners
• Military Seizes Power in Guinea After Death of President
• Doctors Without Borders Lists World’s Worst Humanitarian Crises
• Groups Sue EPA Over Mountaintop Mining Rules
• No Charges Yet Against Student Who Disrupted Gas & Oil Auction in Utah
• Chico Mendes Honored on 20th Anniversary of His Murder
• Pope: Homosexuality Could Lead to Self-Destruction of Human Race

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  Rep. Jerrold Nadler (D-NY) Calls for Independent Counsel to Investigate Cheney and Rumsfeld for Violating Torture Laws

  Democratic Congressman Jerrold Nadler of New York has urged Attorney General Michael Mukasey to appoint an independent counsel to investigate Vice President Dick Cheney, former Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld, and other senior Bush administration officials for violations of the law relating to the torture of prisoners in US custody. Nadler is the chair of the Judiciary Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights and Civil Liberties. [includes rush transcript]

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  Max Blumenthal on "Rick Warren's Double Life"

  President-elect Barack Obama is drawing criticism from many supporters for his choice to deliver the invocation at next month’s inauguration. Obama has selected the Reverend Rick Warren, a leading evangelical opponent of abortion and same-sex marriage. Warren supported California’s recent gay marriage ban and has compared abortion to the Nazi Holocaust. In a recent interview with the website BeliefNet.com, Warren said he thinks gay marriage is comparable to incest, polygamy and child abuse. We speak to investigative journalist Max Blumenthal. [includes rush transcript]

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  25 Years of the Harper's Index

  Harper’s Magazine is marking the twenty-fifth anniversary of its popular monthly feature, the Harper’s Index. The Index reports sometimes funny, often sobering political realities through statistics and unusual figures. Turn to this month’s edition, and you’ll find out things like how much the Bush campaign paid Enron and Halliburton for use of corporate jets during the 2000 recount, or the estimated total calories members of Congress burned giving President Bush’s 2002 State of the Union standing ovations.