Democracy Now! Thursday, July 23, 2009

Today's Headlines

• Honduran Coup Regime Considers Zelaya Return
• UN: US Uncooperative on Human Rights Probes
• Judge: Case Against Gitmo Prisoner “an Outrage”
• Audit: US Embassy in Iraq Should Be Scaled Down
• US Toll Passes 5,000 in Iraq, Afghanistan
• Clinton Warns Iran of US “Defense Umbrella” in Mideast
• Senate Narrowly Defeats Gun Measure
• Study: Hundreds of NY, NJ Immigration Raids Broke Law
• Obama: US Can’t Insure All Americans Without Single Payer
• Judge: FDNY Excluded Blacks, Latinos with Biased Practices
• Top Banks Set Aside $74B for Bonuses

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  Obama: Cambridge Police "Acted Stupidly" in Arrest of Harvard Scholar Henry Louis Gates

  In his fourth prime-time White House news conference, President Obama was asked about last week’s arrest of the famed African American scholar Henry Louis Gates inside his own home last week by a white police officer in Cambridge, Massachusetts, who was responding to a report of a possible burglary. Obama criticized the arrest, placing it in the context of “a long history in this country of African Americans and Latinos being stopped by law enforcement disproportionately.” [includes rush transcript]

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  Promoting Healthcare Reform, Obama Admits US Can't Insure All Americans Without Single Payer

  Obama devoted most of his White House news conference to defend his push for healthcare reform. He acknowledged the US won’t be able to provide healthcare insurance to every American without adopting single payer, which his administration has opposed. [includes rush transcript]

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  Watchdog Group Sues for Disclosure of White House Meetings with Healthcare Execs

  President Obama spoke last night hours after a watchdog group filed a lawsuit seeking records of visits by top healthcare executives to the White House. Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington says the public has a right to learn the extent that these executives are influencing the Obama administration’s healthcare policy. We speak to the group’s executive director, Melanie Sloan. [includes rush transcript]

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  Court Rules New York Fire Department Discriminates Against Black, Latino Applicants

  A federal judge has determined that the Fire Department of New York City used racially discriminatory hiring practices that unlawfully prevented hundreds of qualified African American and Latino applicants from joining the department. New York City has the least diverse fire department of any major city in the nation. [includes rush transcript]

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  "The Yes Men Fix the World": In New Film, Anti-Corporate Pranksters the Yes Men Continue to Jolt Polluters and Profiteers

  Anti-corporate pranksters and gonzo political activists the Yes Men are back with a new film, The Yes Men Fix the World. The movie follows Andy Bichlbaum and Mike Bonanno as they infiltrate and expose the world of big business through high-profile outrageous pranks. From ExxonMobil to Halliburton, no industry is too big for the Yes Men’s hoaxes. [includes rush transcript]