Friday, February 18, 2011

• Uprising in Wisconsin: Tens of Thousands Protest Anti-Union Bill, as Wisconsin Lawmakers Leave State to Stall Vote

  
  
  

  Some 30,000 students and public sector workers rallied at the Wisconsin Statehouse in Madison Thursday to oppose Republican Gov. Scott Walker’s bid to eliminate almost all their collective bargaining rights and slash pay and benefits. Public schools in Madison are closed for a third day in a row today as teachers continue to protest. A vote on the measure was delayed after Democratic senators refused to show up and fled the state — leaving the Republican-controlled State Senate without quorum. We speak to John Nichols of The Nation magazine, Madison teacher Susan Stern, and Wisconsin Democratic State Senator Chris Larson. [includes rush transcript]

• "A Celebration, Not a Protest": Massive Crowd Packs Cairo’s Tahrir Square to Mark One Week Since Mubarak’s Ouster

  
  
  

  Tens of thousands have gathered for a victory march through Cairo’s Tahrir Square today to celebrate the overthrow of longtime Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak. Democracy Now! senior producer Sharif Abdel Kouddous reports from Cairo. [includes rush transcript]

• "It’s Time to Push the Borders of Freedom": Egyptian Students Defiantly Publish Newspaper Without Government Permission

  
  
  

  Seventeen-year-old Egyptian high school student Sanaa El Seif is helping to publish a newspaper in defiance of rules requiring government permission. So far, the publication has focused on the voices of Tahrir Square. [includes rush transcript]

  Watch the extended interview with Sanaa El Seif, as well as another student, Ziad Tareq, online

• Egyptian Uprising Fueled by Striking Workers Across Nation

  
  
  

  Since the popular uprising that toppled former President Hosni Mubarak, thousands of employees across Egypt have walked out on strike. Their demands range from rising wages to removing corrupt officials affiliated with Mubarak’s National Democratic Party. Democracy Now! correspondent Anjali Kamat speaks to Khaled Ali, a labor lawyer with the Egyptian Center for Economic and Social Rights. [includes rush transcript]

• Ex-CIA Analyst Ray McGovern Beaten, Arrested for Silent Protest at Clinton Speech

  
  
  

  This week, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton gave a major address calling for internet freedom around the world. As Clinton condemned the Egyptian and Iranian governments for arresting and beating protesters, former U.S. Army and CIA officer Ray McGovern was violently ejected from the audience and arrested after he stood up and turned his back in a silent protest of America’s foreign policy. Ray McGovern joins us from Washington, D.C. [includes rush transcript]