mother jones
GRITtv: Adam Hochschild: To End All Wars
World War I was called "the war to end all wars," but nearly 100 years later, war is far from over. Adam Hochschild, co-founder of Mother Jones magazine, has written a new book looking back at that war and specifically, those who objected to and fought against the Great War. Adam joins Laura in studio to discuss World War I, the anti-war movement then and now, and why we're still struggling to articulate an opposition to war that will successfully end all wars.
Email this pageGRITtv: David Corn: What are They Thinking in Washington?
The Tea Party congresspeople are surging into Washington, bringing to their new majority calls not only to overturn health care reform but to ban earmarks and to generally stall major legislation on the Democrats' agenda. Meanwhile, there seems to be little coming out from Obama and most of the Democrats on what is exactly on their agenda for the next two years. So what are they thinking? David Corn of Mother Jones doesn't quite know either, but he joins us via Skype from D.C. anyway to give us his thoughts on Tea Party politicians, the earmark process, and other issues from inside the Beltway.
GRITtv: The Coming Water Shock
"We're on a collision course with our finite supply of water," says Susan Leal, co-author of the new book Running Out of Water. It's not just that the supply is limited, she notes, it's our growing population, increased personal use, and climate change that are all playing into what journalist Anna Lenzer calls "the coming shock." Susan and Anna join us in studio to discuss water: why we're limited, why privatization and drinking bottled water isn't the solution, and why the problem has a better chance of being solved when people work together rather than have decisions imposed by private corporations. Distributed by Tubemogul.
GRITtv: David Corn: Pledging to America or Insurers?
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.
GRITtv: David Corn: Nuclear Weapons and Net Neutrality
On Tuesday, the Obama White House released its Nuclear Posture Review, a policy statement that sets guidelines for nuclear weapons policy for the next five to ten years. Mother Jones' David Corn notes that arms control advocates were "mildly impressed" with the policy, which is being characterized as a middle course. Corn joins Laura to talk about Obama and nukes, and also to break down the latest court decision on Net Neutrality. A three-judge panel tossed out an FCC order against Comcast, preventing it from offering different content at different speeds. GRITtv with Laura Flanders brings participatory democracy onto your computer screen and into your living room, bridging the gap between audience and advocates. Distributed by Tubemogul.
GRITtv: The F Word: Better Uses for Bankers' Billions
What could be done with $20 billion? A whole lot of Wall Street bankers are about to find out. $20 billion's what the New York Comptroller's office says the Street's bonuses bounced back to in 2009 -- up 17 percent from the year of the crash. According to the latest data the average bonus was $123,850 at Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley, and JPMorgan Chase, all of which taxpayers bailed out. Their bonuses this year were almost a third bigger than last year. It gives a whole new meaning to "failing up" as six million Americans -- or one in fifty -- face life with food stamps as their only income (for more on that, see yesterday's GRITtv) and a national average of six applicants show up for every job. It boggles the mind to think of how that $20 billion could be spent. Our friends at Mother Jones aren't boggled; they've put together a nifty list of suggestions for alternative spending. Want a bonus for the country, not the country-club? 1. You could pay the salaries of more than 390,000 public school teachers across the country. 2. You could close nearly all of California's gaping budget hole. 3. You could almost cover unemployment-fund shortfalls, now nearing $25 billion, in 25 different states. 4. You could more than double the amount of Pell Grant funding given to students from low-income backgrounds who might not attend college otherwise. 5. You could increase the budget of the Small Business Administration by more than 35 times. Thanks to Mother Jones for the list. I'll add a sixth--you could fund all the independent media in the country just about for ever.... Fancy making your own suggestions? Send them here: Laura@grittv.org. 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. Follow GRITtv or GRITlaura on Twitter.com.
GRITtv: Tues. Feb. 23 2010
The Olympics have seen more than their share of controversy this year, from the death of a Georgian luger early on to the ongoing debate about policing, spending and co-opting Native land for sports. But many people still love the games, and tune in to watch sports that get forgotten the other three years--or to see dream teams put together to compete for gold. To talk about the good, the bad, and the corporate at the Vancouver games, we're joined by two veteran sports journalists, Ann Liguori of WFAN and Robert Lipsyte, PBS contributor and former New York Times contributor. And of course, we couldn't talk sports without touching on the media's ongoing fascination with Tiger Woods... You've seen them: the signs that pop up everywhere, with just a phone number and a seemingly-unbelievable promise. "We Buy Houses" "Make $45 an Hour." They're becoming even more common during this recession, the Huffington Post Investigative Fund has found, and they made this video in Baltimore with Robert Strupp, director of research and policy at the Community Law Center. President Obama revealed his health care plan this week, and activists across the country are gearing up to push to actually pass health care reform. In this video from Ramblin' Man Films, we check in with protesters in Los Angeles outside of Anthem Blue Cross's office, angered by a 39% rate hike by the insurer. Frank Schaeffer, author of Crazy for God and Patience with God, has had enough of claims that America is now in a "post-racial" era; if that's true, he asks, why does so much of the opposition to Obama's actions seem to have a nasty undertone? Last week, while Esther Armah held down the fort here at GRITtv, Laura was in Santa Fe meeting with activists. Of course, she took a camera with her, and captured this interview with Maude Barlow, author of Blue Covenant: The Global Water Crisis and the Coming Battle for the Right to Water and one time Senior Advisor on Water to the 63rd President of the United Nations General Assembly. We've also got the trailer for the documentary film FLOW, which Barlow also appeared in. Jose Alcoff was in Honduras recently, and contributed this exclusive report recapping the turmoil, and checking in with the social movements there about what's happening next. Finally, Laura and Mother Jones magazine have some suggestions for what we could do with the bankers' $20 billion.
GRITtv: David Corn: Enhancing the Debate
On January 29, Barack Obama took questions from House Republicans at their "issues retreat," televised on CSPAN. Experienced Washington reporters and political amateurs alike were riveted, passing along information on Twitter and other social networks David Corn of Mother Jones is one of those experienced Washington reporters, and after he watched the event (and dubbed it #questiontime on Twitter) he joined with a loose coalition across party lines to create a petition to demand more question time. He joins Laura via Skype to explain why he thinks more events like this can make the political debate in Washington and around the country better.
GRITtv: David Corn: What the Sotomayor Hearings Have Revealed
David Corn, Washington, D.C. Bureau Chief for Mother Jones, on the Sotomayor confirmation hearings and the Justice Department's position on the prosecution of Bush era crimes and the use of torture. Mother Jones and The Uptake have been streaming the confirmation hearings live and writing about them at their blog, on twitter, and everything in between.
