Democracy Now! Monday, June 22, 2009

Today's Headlines

• Iran’s Guardian Council Admits to Vote Irregularities
• Mousavi Calls for More Street Protests
• Iran’s Web Spying Aided by European Firms Siemens and Nokia
• Israel to Allocate $250 Million for West Bank Settlements
• US Admits Afghan Air Strike Killed At Least 26 Civilians
• Pakistan Faces Humanitarian Crisis
• Report: One Billion People Go Hungry Every Day
• Obama Admin Wants to Bring Spy Training Program to Colleges
• ACLU Files Suit over Communication Management Units
• Federal Authorities Approve Gun Sales to People on Terrorist Watch List
• Poll: 72% of Americans back Creation of Public Healthcare Plan
• Obama Jokes about Plight of Uyghurs
• Indian Musician Ali Akbar Khan, 87, Dies

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  After a Day of Deadly Protests, Iran's Guardian Council Admits Voting Irregularities Took Place in Presidential Election

  Iran’s powerful Guardian Council has admitted that voting irregularities took place in at least fifty cities and that the number of votes cast exceeded the number of voters by a difference of as many as three million ballots. This comes as reformist presidential hopeful Mir Hossein Mousavi has called for another round of big street protests after a brutal crackdown this weekend. We speak to Iranian American independent filmmaker and journalist Kouross Esmaeli. [includes rush transcript]

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  Report: Goldman Sachs on Pace to Pay Out Record Bonuses this Year

  The Guardian newspaper reports staff at Goldman Sachs can look forward to the biggest bonus payouts in the firm’s 140-year history after a spectacular first half of the year, sparking concern that the big investment banks which survived the credit crunch will derail financial regulation reforms. We speak to Nomi Prins, a former managing director for Goldman Sachs in New York, about the possible record bonuses, President Obama’s proposed reforms of the financial regulatory system and the “The Big Bank Bailout Payback Bamboozle.” [includes rush transcript]

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  Somalia Declares State of Emergency After Intense Fighting

  In Somalia, thousands have fled the capital of Mogadishu as government forces continue to fight opposition Islamist fighters. Fierce street fighting over the past month has claimed hundreds of lives. Just last week, bombs killed two lawmakers, the country’s security minister, the police commander of Mogadishu and nearly two dozen civilians. We speak to Somali American writer and human rights activist Sadia Ali Aden. [includes rush transcript]