Democracy Now! Monday, January 5, 2009

Today's Headlines

• Israeli Troops Invade Gaza; Death Toll Tops 530
• US Blocks UN Call for Ceasefire in Gaza
• Israel Assassinates Hamas Official & His Family
• Commerce Pick Richardson Withdraws
• Obama Stimulus to Include $300 Billion in Tax Cuts
• Franken Takes 225-Vote Lead Over Coleman
• Coal Ash Disaster: Test Show Arsenic at 300x Normal Level in Water
• 5,300 Die in Drug-Related Killings in Mexico in 2008
• Cuba Marks 50th Anniversary of Revolution
• Texas Activist Admits He Was FBI Informant
• Anti-Apartheid Politician Helen Suzman, 91, Dies

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  A Debate on Israel's Invasion of Gaza: UNRWA's Christopher Gunness v. Israel Project's Meagan Buren

  On the tenth day of Israel’s continued assault on the Gaza Strip and in spite of mounting international protests, Israeli ground troops pushed deeper into Gaza. The death toll has risen to 531 Palestinians and five Israelis. Nearly 2,500 Palestinians have been wounded since the bombing began last week. Forty-nine Israeli soldiers have been wounded since the ground invasion began Saturday. [includes rush transcript]

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  US Blocks UN Security Council Vote Calling for Immediate Ceasefire in Gaza

  On the diplomatic front, the Security Council is meeting again today to discuss the crisis, after Sunday’s emergency session did not produce a ceasefire resolution. On Saturday, the United States blocked a UN Security Council statement calling for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza. Egypt, meanwhile, is hosting meetings for a European-backed ceasefire today. [includes rush transcript]

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  Israeli Professor Under Hamas Rocket Fire, Neve Gordon Condemns Israeli Invasion of Gaza

  Earlier this morning, three Qassam rockets exploded in open areas in the western Negev in Israel. We go to the region to speak with Neve Gordon, chair of the Department of Politics and Government, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Israel, and the author of Israel’s Occupation. [includes rush transcript]

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  Report from Gaza City: Palestinian Journalist Sameh Habeeb on Gaza Under Siege

  Sameh Habeeb is a Palestinian journalist in Gaza City. He joins us on the phone. We also speak with Samer Badawi, the executive director of United Palestinian Appeal, a Washington-based charity established in 1978 to assist needy Palestinians. [includes rush transcript]