Democracy Now! Friday, April 3, 2009 :: Noam Chomsky

Today's Headlines

• G20 Leaders Pledge Voluntary Regulation, Loans
• Aid Money Could Favor Donors’ Economies
• Clashes Break Out at NATO Protest
• Aid Groups Warn Against Afghan Military Escalation
• 3 Bagram Prisoners Granted Habeas Corpus
• Blagojevich Charged in Corruption Scandal
• House OKs $3.5T Budget
• Jury: Colorado Professor Fired for Political Beliefs
• Activists to Hold 2-Day Wall Street Protest
• Record 1 in 10 Americans Using Food Stamps
• Obama Envoy Visits Sudan
• Uncovered Graves Could Hold Bodies of Dili Massacre Victims

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  Utah Student Who Prevented Bush Admin Sell-Off of Public Land Charged for Disrupting Auction

  We speak to University of Utah student Tim DeChristopher, who has just been charged with two felonies for disrupting the auction of over 100,000 acres of federal land for oil and gas drilling. DeChristopher was arrested after he posed as a bidder and bought 22,000 acres of land in an attempt to save the property from drilling. He faces up to ten years in prison. [includes rush transcript]

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  Noam Chomsky on US Expansion of Afghan Occupation, the Uses of NATO, and What Obama Should Do in Israel-Palestine

  We speak to Noam Chomsky, prolific author and Institute Professor Emeritus at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. As NATO leaders gather for a sixtieth anniversary summit in France, Chomsky says, “The obvious question is, why bother celebrating NATO at all? In fact, why does it exist?” Chomsky also analyzes the Obama administration’s escalation of the Afghanistan occupation and reacts to the new Netanyahu government in Israel. [includes rush transcript]