Democracy Now! Wednesday, May 20, 2009

Today's Headlines

• Senate Dems Block Funds for Gitmo Closure
• Senate Approves Credit Card Bill
• Admin Mulls New Regulatory Body for Financial Products
• Obama Unveils Vehicle Mileage, Emissions Standards
• US-Russia Panel Says Missile Shield Wouldn’t Work
• Sri Lanka Blocks Aid Workers from Reaching Displaced
• Palestinian Authority Installs New Cabinet
• 2 Americans Killed in Afghan Attack
• Pentagon: Blackwater Contractors Weren’t Allowed to Carry Weapons
• Spanish Lawmakers Vote to Restrict Foreign Probes
• Uruguyan Writer Mario Benedetti Dies at 88

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  New Yorker Correspondent Jane Mayer and British Attorney Philippe Sands on Bush Administration Torture and How Obama Should Address It

  We spend the hour on the latest news around the US torture of foreign prisoners with two guests who have helped expose many of its facets: New Yorker journalist Jane Mayer, author of The Dark Side: The Inside Story of How the War on Terror Turned into a War on American Ideals, and British attorney Philippe Sands, author of Torture Team: Rumsfeld’s Memo and the Betrayal of American Values. Mayer and Sands discuss the Obama administration’s recent decisions to block the release of photographs showing the abuse of prisoners at overseas CIA and military jails and revive the military tribunal system; the scrutiny of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s role in attending torture briefings; Spanish efforts to investigate torture allegations at Guantanamo Bay; Democratic-led resistance to funding the Obama administration’s plan to close Guantanamo; and more. [includes rush transcript]