Democracy Now! Monday, August 17, 2009

Today's Headlines

• Obama Admin May Drop Public Option from Health Plan
• Zelaya Plane Stopped at Base with US Troops
• Indian Movie Star Detained at Newark Airport
• Warlord Dostum Returns to Afghanistan Ahead of Election
• New Afghan Law Allows Men to Starve Wives If They Refuse Sex
• Gay Iraqs Targeted in Murder and Torture Campaign
• Sen. Webb Visits Burma, Secures Release of American
• British Politicians Defend UK Health System
• Memos: Brazil Conspired with US to Overthrow Allende
• Obama Adviser Heckled at Netroots Nation Convention

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  BusinessWeek: "The Health Insurers Have Already Won"

  In a cover story for BusinessWeek earlier this month, reporters Chad Terhune and Keith Epstein argue UnitedHealth and other insurers maneuvered to shape healthcare reform for their own benefit. The story is titled “The Health Insurers Have Already Won,” and the authors argue that the insurers have “succeeded in redefining the terms of the reform debate to such a degree that no matter what specifics emerge in the voluminous bill Congress may send to President Obama this fall, the insurance industry will emerge more profitable.” We speak with Chad Terhune, senior writer at BusinessWeek, where he’s covered healthcare for several years. [includes rush transcript]

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  Human Rights Watch Calls on Israel to Investigate "White Flag" Shootings of Gaza Civilians

  Human Rights Watch released a report last week detailing new evidence of possible Israeli war crimes committed during last winter’s Operation Cast Lead in Gaza that left over 1,400 Palestinians dead. The report says Israeli soldiers unlawfully shot and killed at least eleven Palestinian civilians, including five women and four children, who were in groups waving white flags to make clear that they were civilians and not combatants. We speak to HRW’s Fred Abrahams and air exclusive video from Gaza from Democracy Now!‘s Anjali Kamat and Big Noise Film’s Jacquie Soohen.

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  Fixer: The Taking of Ajmal Naqshbandi

  A new documentary premiering tonight on HBO provides a harrowing look at today’s Afghanistan, where violence and corruption continue to ravage the country. It’s called Fixer: The Taking of Ajmal Naqshbandi. It tells the story of Ajmal, a young Afghan journalist, translator and coordinator working for American journalist Christian Parenti. In 2007, Ajmal was kidnapped by Taliban forces, along with Italian reporter Daniele Mastrogiacomo and an Afghan driver, who was immediately beheaded. After weeks in captivity, Mastrogiacomo was eventually released, but weeks later the Taliban killed Ajmal. [includes rush transcript]