nuclear weapons
Global Report: Sept. 29-Oct. 5 2010: BPA Exposure in Humans Grossly Underestimated
In this week's news: the Obama administration intervened to help stop a federal lawsuit over the administration's plan to assassinate a U.S. citizen overseas; the FBI raided anti-war activists' homes across the country for counter-terrorism investigations; human exposure to toxic BPA chemicals was discovered to be grossly underestimated; and in recent months, more private contractors than soldiers were killed in Iraq and Afghanistan. These stories and more.
Email this pageGlobal Report: Sept. 15-21 2010: Torture Victims Cannot Sue CIA
Among this week's news: A federal court rules that former prisoners of the C.I.A. cannot sue over their alleged torture in overseas prisons; activists are arrested on the grounds of a new US nuclear weapons production facility; a thick layer of oil stretching for miles was discovered on the Gulf sea floor; and security in Afghanistan is deteriorating.
Global Report: Aug. 18-24 2010: BP's Dispersants Making Gulf Residents Sick, Killing Endangered Species
People in the Gulf Coast say they're getting sick from BP's oil dispersants while US officials reported a large increase in the numbers of endangered species injured or killed. Also, the United States wants Iraq to take responsibility for innocent civilians killed in U.S. military operations; NATO has left hundreds of Afghan familes homeless; and scientists tell Congress that Greenland may soon disappear entirely. These stories and more.
Global Report: Apr. 6-12: U.S. Funding Taliban?
US taxpayer dollars are winding up in the hands of the Taliban to fund the insurgency; a man who may be Iraq's next prime minister has ties to the CIA; almost all US special forces are staying in Iraq; Obama is expanding military involvement in Africa; protesters in Belgium fight police over US nuclear weapons; and an American oil company is funding skeptics of climate change. "Global Report" is a weekly news show dedicated to covering news underreported by mainstream media.
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: Leaders of War
Who says the president is failing to show leadership? In one area at least, there's no sign of flag or falter. If anything, the administration's only becoming more forthright. Sad to say, that area is military build-up. Last year, the White House made a big deal of cutting a weapons program -- the F-22 fighter jet, for example -- but the cuts conveniently obscured the growth in spending on unmanned aircraft or drones -- the weapons that Pakistanis say killed dozens of civilians in twelve attacks last month -- 43 for every alleged Al Qaeda operative. This year, the president dispensed with the window dressing. No big deal about cuts -- except on the domestic side. While the administration has record $3.8 trillion budget cuts or freezes spending on domestic programs, it requests $708.3 billion for war. That's a $14.8 billion increase over what we're spending now. $548.9 billion for "regular" war, plus $159.3 billion for spending in Afghanistan and Iraq. And oh yes, the administration is asking Congress to increase spending on the US nuclear arsenal by more than $7 billion dollars over the next five years -- despite that pledge to cut the US arsenal and seek a nuclear weapons-free world. In my view, the quote of the day comes from the CEO of a military contractor-funded policy group. Loren Thompson tells Tuesday's New York Times, "The defense industry is pleased but bemused. It?s been telling itself for years that when the Democrats got control it would be bad news for weapons programs. But the spending keeps going on.? Take that you Nobel committee... And to think some complain about Democrats suffering from a lack of direction. 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.
