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In the wake of the successful pushback against the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure’s decision to defund Planned Parenthood, the Obama administration should listen to the majority of Americans: The United States, including Catholics, is strongly pro-choice.
DN! in the News
Democracy Now! Host Amy Goodman joined a panel of journalists, analysts and academics on MSNBC’s "Up w/ Chris Hayes" to discuss topics of the day, ranging from the Susan G. Komen Foundation’s Planned Parenthood reversal to the Republican Primaries.
Web Exclusives
Part 2: "Who Killed Che? How the CIA Got Away with Murder": New Book Ties Johnson Admin to Che Death
In an extended interview, co-authors Michael Ratner and Michael Steven Smith discuss the life of Cuban revolutionary Ernesto "Che" Guevara and the chilling story behind his murder by the Bolivian military. In their book, "Who Killed Che?" Ratner and Smith draw on previously unpublished U.S. government documents to argue the CIA played a critical role in the killing. [includes rush transcript]
Watch a 2011 interview with Spanish Judge Baltasar Garzón, who is on trial in Spain after right-wing groups objected to his investigation of atrocities committed by supporters of the dictator Francisco Franco. Garzón is known for seeking to indict members of the Bush administration for their role in torturing prisoners.
Ways to Watch & Listen
Start 2012 off right with a contribution to Democracy Now!
Topics
Blackwater
Blackwater Worldwide and the Private Security Industry
Democracy Now! offers groundbreaking coverage on the private military company formerly known as Blackwater Worldwide. The North Carolina-based firm, renamed Xe, has been allowed close to free reign under a murky legal environment that offers little to no oversight over its operations in Iraq and around the world.
Investigative journalist and Democracy Now! correspondent Jeremy Scahill offers regular reports. He is author of "Blackwater: The Rise of the World’s Most Powerful Mercenary Army."
August 20, 2009: CIA Hired Private Military Firm Blackwater for Secret Assassination Program
The New York Times is reporting the CIA hired contractors from Blackwater in 2004 as part of a secret program to locate and assassinate top operatives of al-Qaeda. The CIA spent several million dollars on the program, which the Times claims did not successfully capture or kill any terrorist suspects. We speak to independent journalist Jeremy Scahill, author of the bestseller Blackwater: The Rise of the World’s Most Powerful Mercenary Army.
August 05, 2009: In Explosive Allegations, Ex-Employees Link Blackwater Founder to Murder, Threats
In sworn statements, two ex-employees claim Blackwater’s owner, Erik Prince, murdered or facilitated the murder of individuals cooperating with federal authorities investigating the company. One also charged Prince “views himself as a Christian crusader tasked with eliminating Muslims and the Islamic faith from the globe.”
April 02, 2009: Obama’s Blackwater? Jeremy Scahill on Triple Canopy, the New Lead US Mercenary Force in Iraq and Israel
The Obama administration has confirmed the hiring of mercenary firm Triple Canopy to take over Blackwater’s contract to protect US diplomats in Iraq.
March 04, 2009: Blackwater CEO Erik Prince Resigns in Latest Attempt to Rebrand Tarnished Mercenary Firm
Erik Prince, the founder of Blackwater, has announced his resignation as the company’s CEO. The move comes weeks after the company changed its name to Xe in an attempt to rebrand the firm.
November 19, 2008: Steve Fainaru on 'Big Boy Rules: America’s Mercenaries Fighting in Iraq'
Top Justice Department prosecutors are reportedly reviewing a draft indictment against six Blackwater security guards who opened fire in a crowded Baghdad square more than a year ago killing seventeen Iraqi civilians. The indictments would mark the first time armed private contractors from the United States face justice. We speak to Pulitzer Prize-winning Washington Post correspondent Steve Fainaru about his new book Big Boy Rules: America’s Mercenaries Fighting in Iraq.
August 28, 2008: EXCLUSIVE: House Oversight Chair Henry Waxman Calls for Cancellation of Blackwater’s Contract in Iraq
In an exclusive interview with Democracy Now! correspondent Jeremy Scahill, Congressman Henry Waxman, chair of the powerful House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, calls on Sen. Barack Obama to cancel the private military firm Blackwater’s Iraq contract if Obama is elected president. Serious questions remain about what Obama will do with this massive private shadow army in Iraq.
June 02, 2008: Blackwater: From the Nisour Square Massacre to the Future of the Mercenary Industry
May 23, 2008: 'War, Inc.': John Cusack’s New Film Satirizes the Corruption, Profiteering and Hubris Behind the Iraq War
May 02, 2008: Southern California Residents Gear Up for New Fight to Stop Secretive Expansion by Military Firm Blackwater
April 07, 2008: State Dept. Renews Blackwater Contract in Iraq Despite Pentagon Labeling Sept. Baghdad Killing of 17 Civilians 'A Criminal Event'
December 19, 2007: EXCLUSIVE…Blackwater Sued Again For Sept. 9th Attack, Five Iraqis Dead, Ten Wounded
December 19, 2007: TV BROADCAST EXCLUSIVE: Iraqi Witnesses, Victims Describe Blackwater Shooting in Harrowing Detail
December 10, 2007: What is Blackwater’s Role in the 2008 Presidential Race?
November 09, 2007 An Act of Terrorism? Blackwater Sniper Shot Dead Three Iraqi Guards At Iraqi Media Center in February
November 08, 2007: As Blackwater Is Implicated in Another Deadly Shooting in Iraq, Rep. Jan Schakowsky (D-IL) Urges Passage of the Stop Outsourcing Security (SOS) Act
October 18, 2007: 'They Protect People’s Lives'—One Month After Baghdad Killings, Bush Defends Blackwater USA
October 11, 2007: EXCLUSIVE–Family Members of Slain Iraqis Sue Blackwater USA for Deadly Baghdad Shooting
October 11, 2007: Ex-U.S. Official in Iraq on Iraqi Efforts to Ban Blackwater: 'I Was Surprised it Had Taken This Long'
October 11, 2007: Blackwater Loses Bid to Reject Wrongful Death Suit in Afghan Plane Crash
October 3, 2007: Mr. Prince Goes to Washington: Blackwater Founder Testifies Before Congress
September 27, 2007: Michelle Bachelet on Chilean Troops Working For Blackwater in Iraq and Fujimori’s Extradition to Peru
September 24, 2007:Blackwater Back on Patrol in Baghdad As Shootings Probe Continues
September 18, 2007:Can Iraq (or Anyone) Hold Blackwater Accountable for Killing Iraqi Civilians? A Debate On the Role of Private Contractors in Iraq
May 23, 2007:Pivotal Family Lawsuit Against Blackwater USA Blocked from Court—and Moved to Panel with Company Ties
May 23, 2007:Jeremy Scahill Responds to Blackwater CEO Erik Prince, Visits Blackwater Sites and Prince’s Hometown
May 11, 2007:Author and DN! Correspondent Jeremy Scahill Testifies in Landmark House Hearing on Defense Contracting
April 19, 2007:Blackwater Plans for New Military Facility Near San Diego Draws Fire From Residents, Peace Activists and Local Congressmember
March 21, 2007:Part II–Blackwater: The Rise of the World’s Most Powerful Mercenary Army
March 20, 2007:Blackwater: The Rise of the World’s Most Powerful Mercenary Army
February 08, 2007:Blackwater USA Takes Congressional Hot-Seat as Landmark Hearing Probes Mercenary Firm’s Role in Iraq
January 26, 2007:Our Mercenaries in Iraq: Blackwater Inc and Bush’s Undeclared Surge
April 20, 2006:Blackwater in the Crosshairs: The Families of Four Private Security Contractors Killed in Fallujah File a Ground-Breaking Lawsuit
February 22, 2006:EXCLUSIVE: Al Jazeera Reporters Give Bloody First Hand Account of April ’04 U.S. Siege of Fallujah
September 23, 2005:Blackwater Down: Fresh From Iraq, Private Security Forces Roam the Streets of an American City With Impunity
September 16, 2005:The Militarization of New Orleans: Jeremy Scahill Reports from Louisiana
September 12, 2005:Overkill: Feared Blackwater Mercenaries Deploy in New Orleans
June 21, 2005:Private Warriors: New PBS Doc Questions Role of Military Contractors in Iraq
December 23, 2004:A New Poverty Draft: Military Contractors Target Latin America For New Recruits
April 01, 2004:Blackwater USA: Building the 'Largest Private Army in the World'
