Democracy Now! Wednesday, August 18, 2010

Today's Headlines

• UN: 40% of Pakistan Aid Appeal Received
• Haiti Reconstruction Commission Approves $1.6B for Rebuilding Projects
• France Rejects Call to Repay Haiti "Independence Debt"
• Colombian Court: US Military Base Deal Unconstitutional
• Blackwater Owner Prince Moves to Abu Dhabi
• Scientists: Oil Contaminating Vital Gulf Habitat
• 68 Killed in Iraq Bombings
• Blagojevich Convicted on One Count in Corruption Trial
• Murray, Rossi Win Washington St. Primaries
• News Corp. Donates $1M to Republican Governors Association
• Dr. Laura to End Radio Show After N-Word Tirade

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  As GOP and Some Top Dems Unite in Opposing NY Islamic Community Center, a Roundtable Discussion with Mother of 9/11 Victim, Rabbi, Muslim Lawmaker and Islamic Scholar

  We spend the hour on the controversy around the proposed construction of an Islamic community center in Lower Manhattan, which has turned into a national issue. Opposition to the center first started among fringe, right-wing blogs but has swept into the mainstream, with some Democrats, including Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, coming out against it. Republicans have vowed to make the controversy a campaign issue in the fall. We host a roundtable with four guests: Minnesota Representative Keith Ellison, the first Muslim elected to Congress; Rabbi Irwin Kula of the National Jewish Center for Learning and Leadership; Islamic scholar John Esposito of Georgetown University; and Talat Hamdani, whose son Salman died on 9/11 in the attacks on the World Trade Center. [includes rush transcript]