hillary clinton

"The only restriction says there shall be no foreign occupation force, but as we know from Iraq and Afghanistan, you can have an awful lot of troops on the ground fighting and not call it an occupation," says Phyllis Bennis, explaining the United Nations resolution that led a coalition of troops to start bombing Libya this weekend. Phyllis joins us via Skype from Washington, D.C. to fill us in on the story behind the decision to intervene in Libya, who the players are, why this matters, and whether we're in this one too for the long haul. "The notion that destruction is the way to salvation is like a Gulf Stream current running underneath the surface of Western civilization," says James Carroll, author most recently of Jerusalem, Jerusalem. Carroll, a former Catholic priest, looks at the way the city of Jerusalem has been central to the Western imagination, conflict, and resolution to that conflict, and notes that he still has hope that we can find away around the violence that has been so central to our lives for millennia. James joins Laura in studio to discuss his book, his travels to and relationship with the city of Jerusalem, and what he hopes we can learn from that city. Last week, a Republican-appointed judge ruled with the Wisconsin protesters that the session that passed the bill may have violated the law, which requires 24 hours notice on a vote. She put a stay on implementation of the bill, and Laura has some thoughts. Distributed by Tubemogul.

"The key here for the Obama administration is not just to talk the talk but they have to walk the walk," says Vince Warren of the Center for Constitutional rights. It's not just Libya he's talking about -- the US has a ways to go on many humanitarian concerns, from Guantanamo to the Mavi Marmara, the International Criminal Court to neighborhood policing. Vince joins Laura in studio to discuss the historic UN Security Council vote on Libya, the ongoing struggle for habeas corpus rights for detainees, and racist stop-and-frisk policies right here in New York. Distributed by Tubemogul.

"People are sick and tired of the way things have been for the past 30 years," says Philip Rizk, a blogger and filmmaker based in Cairo. In 2009, Philip was detained by state security after taking part in a protest in support of Gaza, and so has intimate awareness of the control and terror inflicted by the state on its people--who are only escalating, with a general strike called for today and a "Million March" for Tuesday.Despite reports on some media outlets of increasing chaos, Philip says he feels very safe in Cairo, and joins us via phone to tell us the latest from where he is."Who do you think you are, telling Egyptians what they should be doing?" Phyllis Bennis would like to ask Hillary Clinton. The Obama administration has made some good steps in its policy toward the ongoing uprising in Egypt, she notes, mentioning a willingness to rethink military aid and calling the Egyptian people's demands legitimate. But Phyllis calls for the US to go further in its support and actually stop funding the military and police in Egypt--currently the second largest recipient of US foreign aid, after Israel.Phyllis joins us from Washington, D.C. via Skype to discuss the relationship between the US and Egypt, and what's going on now.The Koch brothers have operated largely beneath the radar of most Americans for years, convening twice-yearly meetings for the past 8 years of some of the richest and most powerful conservatives in the country. Their meetings have even been attended by Supreme Court Justices Scalia and Thomas; part of the five-vote majority on the Supreme Court that handed down the Citizens United ruling, and their Americans for Prosperity buses appear at Tea Party events around the country.But this week, they had a little surprise--their gathering wasn't a secret any more, as around a thousand protesters showed up outside their Rancho Mirage, CA getaway. Ed Pilkington of the Guardian was there, and he joins us to give us the story.Finally, as we discuss democracy in Egypt and the US, one blogger reminds us that inequality might be bad in Egypt--but it's worse at home. Laura has some thoughts.

"We were told as diplomats, 'Don't ever put anything in a cable you wouldn't want on the front page of a newspaper.' It shows that they're a lot of arrogant people, that the system itself wasn't checking itself," says Ann Wright, Retired United States Army Colonel and former State Department official, of the latest documents released from WikiLeaks. Meanwhile, several of the diplomatic cables released depict possibly illegal actions by the U.S. government, and Wright notes that the chances of anyone being held accountable are slim.Ann Wright joins Laura in studio to discuss the latest releases from WikiLeaks, what they tell us about the Defense and State departments, and what should happen--but probably won't--to the people implicated therein.Democrats were trying to get the focus back on the parts of their agenda that could actually get through the lame duck Senate this week--that is, until the latest WikiLeaks documents got out. Now once again, the media's focus has shifted, but that doesn't make the economic situation any less dire.Democratic strategist Karen Finney and Nation contributor and author of Herding Donkeys Ari Berman join Laura to discuss the situation in D.C., the Democratic agenda, and what hope, if any, there is for passing some last bits of legislation before the new Congress sweeps in.Finally, Dave Zirin thinks it's high time the NCAA suspended Notre Dame's football team. Why? They've lost their respect for something far more precious than a game.