corruption
GRITtv: Feb. 8, 2011
"A tiger doesn't change his stripes and the U.S. Chamber is not going to start working with the President," says Christy Setzer of U.S. Chamber Watch. But that didn't keep Obama from trying, as he gave a speech to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, which Christy reminds us is a massive lobbying organization, by far the biggest in the country, for right-wing causes. Christy joins us in studio to discuss Obama's speech to the Chamber, why it matters, and why we might be making too big a deal out of it. And don't forget to check out our original investigative series, The Loaded Chamber, at the links here. "Corporate America hasn't been thinking about this country for a number of years," says Richard Trumka, President of the AFL-CIO. And one might argue that politicians have been thinking too much about corporate America and not enough about working America. Unemployment is still too high, and new conservative governors are taking advantage of the recession to bust public unions. But Trumka and the AFL-CIO are fighting back, and that's even led to some strange partnerships--a statement recently, co-authored with U.S. Chamber of Commerce President Tom Donohue. Trumka joins us from D.C. via Skype to tell us what he and Donohue agree on--and what they don't. The U.S. media seems to have found a new language for the economy. There's been talk of “solidarity” and even “class war,” and a focus on corruption and inequality like we haven't seen in who knows how long. The only problem? They're talking about Egypt. Distributed by Tubemogul.
Email this pageGRITtv: The F Word: Corruption and Inequality Begin at Home
The U.S. media seem to have found a new language for the economy. There's been talk of “solidarity” and even “class war,” and a focus on corruption and inequality like we haven't seen in who knows how long. The only problem? They're talking about Egypt. Distributed by Tubemogul.
GRITtv: Oct. 26, 2010
“It's not an election, it's an auction,” says Mike Papantonio of the corporate cash pouring into elections around the country. ; Papantonio's home state of Florida has seen both its Senate and governor's races attracting national attention, as Tea Party candidates in both races argue for cutting benefits and wages in the name of deficits, and ignore crumbling infrastructure.Papantonio checks in with Laura via Skype to discuss the elections, Florida's generation gap and its effect on Tea Party support, and of course, BP, the Gulf, and claims that the oil is gone.Kate Clinton's trying to figure out just why LGBT Americans might be a little depressed this election season. Could it be Sharron Angle? Don't Ask, Don't Tell? Marriage equality? She tracks our country's up-and-down movement on her "It Gets Better" index, and reminds everyone to get out and vote on November 2nd.When you hear about a $5 billion election year, you probably wonder where that money is going.
GRITtv: The F Word: Campaign Cash and Corruption
Campaign cash -- we're drowning in a flood of it. As Katrina vanden Heuvel noted yesterday on GRITtv, this is on track to be a $5 billion election—and it's not over. We used to have words for spending like that on politicians: bribery. Remember all that quaint anti-colonial talk about "Independence"? As Zephyr Teachout commented in a meeting I was part of, hosted by the Coffee Party, those founding fathers were all about independence from corruption and prosecuting bribery. Remember the phrase "anti-Trust"? Distributed by Tubemogul.
Thom Hartmann: South Of The Border: An Interview With Oliver Stone
Hartmann interviews director Oliver Stone about his new film "South of the Border" based on Stone's road trip through South America when he talked with many Latin American leaders about the revolution going on in South America that is getting no press anywhere in the world.
GRITtv: The F Word: Pedophilia is Fine, but Hold the Abortion
In another story from Arizona, but one that's attracting less attention than its anti-immigration law, a nun in Phoenix has been ex-communicated after approving a live-saving abortion. Sister Margaret McBride was excommunicated for approving an abortion without which, doctors say, both the woman and her 11-week-old fetus would have died. According to Thomas Olmsted, the Bishop of Phoenix, approving an abortion is an excommunicating offense -period... The F Word is a regular commentary by Laura Flanders, the host of GRITtv which broadcasts weekdays on satellite TV (Dish Network Ch. 9415 Free Speech TV) on cable, and online at GRITtv.org and TheNation.com [http://TheNation.com]. Support us by signing up for our podcast, and follow GRITtv or GRITlaura on Twitter.com [http://Twitter.com]. GRITtv with Laura Flanders brings participatory democracy onto your computer screen and into your living room, bridging the gap between audience and advocates.
GRITtv: Alex Gibney and Bob Ney: Casino Jack and Corruption in Congress
Get the money out of Washington. It's an ongoing refrain now, from the left and even from those in the Tea Party movement.
GRITtv: May 4 2010
Get the money out of Washington. It's an ongoing refrain now, from the left and even from those in the Tea Party movement. Too much corruption, too little trust. Jack Abramoff, the superstar lobbyist whose spectacular fall brought down then-Majority Leader Tom DeLay, was the very public face of the problem of lobbying when he headed off to jail, and he is the subject of Alex Gibney's newest documentary, Casino Jack and the United States of Money. Bob Ney was also brought down with Jack Abramoff. The only Congressman to do time over the scandal joins us in studio along with Gibney to discuss the film and the past, present and future of lobbyists and Congress. Wall Street is the butt of everyone's anger these days, and last week, while Goldman Sachs executives got a grilling in Congress, labor activists brought the fight to the street here in New York. GRITtv was there. Our labor correspondent Ed Ott spoke to participants from rank and file union members to AFL-CIO president Richard Trumka. Finally, Ned Sublette, author of "The Year Before the Flood: A Story of New Orleans" and "The World That Made New Orleans: From Spanish Silver to Congo Square", gives us his thoughts on the new HBO series Treme.
GRITtv: Greenpeace: Trial Against Tokyo Two Starts
Two Greenpeace activists in Tokyo, Japan, are standing trial for exposing a corruption scandal in the whaling industry. Their court case is starting in Aomori, Japan, but the United Nations Human Rights Council and many other activists, including Amnesty International, have expressed concern for the way they have been treated. Watch the video and take action!
GRITtv: Poison on the Platter
"Simmering disaster" is what renowned activist Mahesh Bhatt calls genetically modified foods. Though genetically modified foods have caused countless problems in lab tests, multinational corporations are pushing them into the stores and onto the plates of people across the world, and India's staple foods are being manipulated without the knowledge of the people. "Poison on the Planet" is a documentary examining the impact of GM foods on India's population.
