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GRITtv: Sept. 23 2010
Provisions of the much-disputed health care bill go into effect today, just as the Republicans unveil their new "Pledge to America," which includes a promise to repeal the law. But as the most popular bits are the ones that go into effect now, and, David Corn notes, health insurance companies aren't getting any more popular. Will allying themselves with the big insurers help Republicans? Or will people realize that they like the regulations just as Republicans try to pull them back?David Corn, Washington bureau chief for Mother Jones magazine, joins us via Skype to discuss the Pledge, the health care regulations, and suggest some strategy for Democrats for the midterms. "I'm not a feudal, I'm a writer," says Fatima Bhutto, but nevertheless she is best known as the niece of assassinated Pakistani prime minister Benazir Bhutto, and as a prominent critic of her aunt's regime. Bhutto is a poet and a journalist, and her new memoir from Nation Books, Songs of Blood and Sword, looks into the long history of the Bhutto dynasty, from the origin of the Pakistani state to the floods that have devastated the country this summer--and the U.S. drone strikes that continue to kill daily.Bhutto joins Laura in studio for a special discussion of her book, her family's past, her relationship to Pakistani politics--and to the U.S.Finally, Charles Bowden and Molly Molloy both call the war on drugs a war on the poor. With U.S. politicians obsessed with "border security," Laura has some thoughts on what it all means.
Email this pageGRITtv: The F Word: Is the Drug War a Class War?
The war on drugs. We keep calling it that, it seems, because we like wars on abstract concepts. Like the war on terror, the war on drugs racks up one hell of a body count, and its victims are mostly innocent civilians with no more love for the corrupt regimes that rule them than we have. Molly Molloy, who runs Frontera List, which focuses on border-related news and specifically Ciudad Juarez, and Charles Bowden, author of a new book on Ciudad Juarez, both call it not a war on drugs but a war on the poor.
GRITtv: Scandal in Albany Again: David Paterson's Troubles
It wasn't that long ago that New York had a governor embroiled in scandal. Eliot Spitzer resigned in disgrace in 2008 and was replaced by David Paterson, who became New York's first African-American governor--and the second legally blind governor of any state. Paterson is now in the midst of his own scandal: accusations that he pressured a woman to change her story of abuse at the hands of one of his close aides. He's already said he won't run for reelection, but should he become the second governor in two years to step down? Joining guest host Esther Armah to discuss are Dan Gerstein of Gotham Ghostwriters and Forbes and Erica Gonzalez of El Diario/La Prensa.
GRITtv: Mar. 10 2010
Arun Gupta in the latest issue of the Indypendent, on the way neoliberal "reforms" are being pushed Haiti's way. Gupta joins guest host Esther Armah in the studio, along with Reverend Osagyefo Sekou, who just returned from Haiti, to talk about the rebuilding effort underway and how people in the U.S. can help make sure Haiti is rebuilt for the Haitian people. Simon Kashama learned English listening to music like the Rolling Stones and James Brown--he was born in the Congo but spent his childhood in Belgium. Through his music and his theater work--starring in Lynn Nottage's Pulitzer prize winning play 'Ruined'--he aims to raise awareness of the situation in the Congo, and he joined us in studio recently to play two of his songs. Eliot Spitzer resigned as New York governor in disgrace in 2008 and was replaced by David Paterson, who became New York's first African-American governor--and the second legally blind governor of any state. Paterson is now in the midst of his own scandal: accusations that he pressured a woman to change her story of abuse at the hands of one of his close aides. He's already said he won't run for reelection, but should he become the second governor in two years to step down? Joining guest host Esther Armah to discuss are Dan Gerstein of Gotham Ghostwriters and Forbes and Erica Gonzalez of El Diario/La Prensa.
GRITtv Oct. 22, 2009
Once again, the mainstream media missed the boat on a general strike in Puerto Rico, attempts to fearmonger around the census, and the continued standoff in Honduras. Joining us to discuss these issues and more are Roberto Lovato, Erica Gonzalez and Cathy Areu. Rana Husseini, who has been covering "honor killings" in her native Jordan, speaks about her experience and offers suggestions for what activists can do to help. In Puerto Rico last week, over 100,000 citizens marched in protest of Republican governor Luis Fortuño's job cuts. SEIU sent us video urging action in Congress, keeping the pressure on Fortuño to do right by Puerto Ricans.
