Larry Bensky talks with retired Speaker Tom Foley about the circumstances of his election loss, bipartisan tensions in Congress, the political obstacles to campaign finance reform, the
relatively low cost of congressional pensions, and the decline in public trust in government.
Segment Subjects (keywords for the segment): Tom Foley, political trust, campaign finance, congressional compensation.
GUESTS:
- Tom Foley, former speaker of the House; - Larry Bensky, activist and Pacifica reporter
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By Amy Goodman with Denis Moynihan
Shareholder meetings can be routine, unless you are Bank of America, in which case it may be declared an "extraordinary event." That is what the city of Charlotte, North Carolina called the bank’s shareholder meeting this week. Bank of America is currently the second largest bank in the US (after JP Morgan Chase), claiming more than $2 trillion in assets. It is also the "too big to fail" poster child of Occupy Wall Street, a speculative banking monstrosity that profits from, among other things, the ongoing foreclosure crisis and the exploitation of dirty coal.
In an extended interview, David Bronner, president of Dr. Bronner’s Magic Soaps, discusses the history of the company, why they put sustainability and social justice ahead of profits, the organic and GMO labeling movements, the U.S. war on hemp, and why they refuse to sell out.
Human Rights Watch’s Kenneth Roth examines why the U.S. has not pressured Bahrain to release pro-democracy activists. He also discusses Syria and the conditions in Israeli jails and courts that prompted 1,550 Palestinian prisoners to go on a hunger strike. [includes rush transcript]
