Democracy Now! Wednesday, July 15, 2009

Today's Headlines

• Sotomayor Answers GOP Sens on Alleged Bias
• House Dems’ Health Plan Includes Surtax on Wealthy
• Obama Proposes $12B for Community Colleges
• Israel to Test Missiles in US Waters
• Gitmo Prisoners Staged Two-Week Sit-in
• Burmese Junta Promises Amnesty for Unspecified Prisoners
• Charges Dropped Against US Troops in Couso Killing
• Ex-Liberian President Takes Stand at War Crimes Trial
• Goldman Sachs Posts Record $3.44 Quarterly Profit
• Ousted GM CEO Rick Wagoner Gets Lucrative Severance
• Madoff Begins Jail Sentence at N.C. Prison

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  Supreme Court Nominee Sotomayor Answers GOP Critics on Prior Remarks

  The confirmation hearings for President Barack Obama’s Supreme Court nominee Judge Sonia Sotomayor continue on Capitol Hill. On Tuesday, Democratic senators praised Sotomayor’s seventeen years on the federal bench, while Republicans repeatedly grilled her about statements she has made during a series of speeches over the years. We play excerpts of the hearings. [includes rush transcript]

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  Review of Sotomayor's Record Belies GOP Charges of Biased Judicial Practice

  An exhaustive review of all 1,994 constitutional cases decided by the Second Circuit during the decade of Judge Sotomayor’s service found that Sotomayor is solidly in the mainstream of her colleagues. The Brennan Center for Justice report found Sotomayor voted with the majority of the court in 98.2 percent of constitutional cases. We speak with the report’s author, attorney Monica Youn, and Democracy Now!‘s Juan Gonzalez, who’s in DC covering the hearings. [includes rush transcript]

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  As Goldman Sachs Posts Record Profits, Matt Taibbi Probes Role of Investment Giant in US Financial Meltdown

  Goldman Sachs, the nation’s most powerful financial company, has reported the richest quarterly profit in its 140-year history: $3.44 billion between April and June. Goldman’s record profits come just one month after it repaid $10 billion of TARP money to the US Treasury, freeing itself from restrictions on year-end bonuses. We speak to Matt Taibbi, whose new Rolling Stone article argues that “Goldman Sachs has engineered every major market manipulation since the Great Depression.” [includes rush transcript]

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  US Lobbyists with Clinton Ties Hired to Defend Honduran Coup Regime

  Supporters of the coup in Honduras have begun hiring advisers and lobbyists with close ties to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in an attempt to strengthen support in Washington for the coup. A Honduran business group has hired lobbyist Lanny Davis, who served as White House counsel for President Bill Clinton. The coup government has also hired Bennet Ratcliff, a public relations specialist with ties to former President Bill Clinton. [includes rush transcript]