We’ll play a recent speech by journalism professor Robert Jensen, author of several books including “The Heart of Whiteness,” about white supremacy, patriarchy, and capitalism.

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In speaking to reporters yesterday at the White House, President Barack Obama announced the need for immediate restructuring to save the American auto industry. The President’s statements came a day after he asked General Motors Chief Executive Officer Rick Wagoner to resign. After the auto corporation led by Wagoner failed to submit adequate restructuring plans in order to receive more federal money, Obama responded, “The United States Government has no interest or intention of running GM.” With Chief Operating Officer Fritz Henderson as the new CEO, the White House is demanding the corporation financially restructure within 60 days. Obama stated, “It will require unions and workers who have already made painful concessions to make even more. It will require creditors to recognize that they cannot hold out for …

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Thirty five thousand people marched in London on Saturday in advance of this week’s G20 summit. President Barack Obama heads to the British capital for the meeting, his first trip to Europe as President. Obama is expected to make the case to the Group of 20 countries that US capitalism is sound, even though US and British banks are seen as the most responsible for the world economic crisis. A leaked draft of the G20 communique has revealed that both countries expect nations like China to loan the IMF money to help struggling countries, even though China exercised economic caution. Meanwhile, a broad array of labor, environmental, and human rights activist groups are demanding the G20 countries “Put People First.” Their rallying cry of “Jobs, Justice, Climate,” encapsulates …

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Responding to reports of abuses by its soldiers, the Israeli government this week ended an investigation that concluded no abuses took place during the recent attack on Gaza. The investigation was prompted by leaked first-hand accounts of Israeli soldiers at a university conference. The accounts included firing on unarmed Palestinian women and children. Nine Israeli human rights organizations are calling for an independent investigation into war crimes in Gaza. The accounts of abuses is underscored by a recent controversy over T-shirts worn by some Israeli soldiers to celebrate their graduation: the T-shirts depicted a pregnant Palestinian woman in a cross hairs of an Israeli rifle with the caption “One shot, Two kills.” The Israeli government has been working overtime since the war ended, to fight the battle over …

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The Coup in Brazil

Back in the day on March 31st, 1964 Brazilian President João Goulart was overthrown in a military coup. Exactly 45 years ago, the army conspirators set in motion the makings of a dictatorship that would oppress Brazil for the next twenty years. Goulart, known for his populist politics had been irrationally suspected by the coup plotters of having communist sympathies and seeking to establish such a dictatorship. The Central Intelligence Agency was active in Latin America’s biggest country prior to the coup supporting and encouraging anti-Goulart sentiments. Five years ago, upon the fortieth anniversary of the coup, documents were released showing U.S. support for the military’s action from the highest government officials including President Johnson himself.

With the dictatorship firmly in place and fully …

“I dream of giving birth to a child who will ask, ‘Mother what was war?’” — Eve Merriam

We’ll cover the battle over the history of Israel’s recent war on Gaza. And, we’ll look ahead to this week’s G 20 meeting in London, anticipating what may happen in the board rooms and on the streets as the global economy continues to crash. Plus, President Obama pushes to restructure the auto industry – we’ll examine his plans with Robert Weissman, editor of the Multinational Monitor.

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On Friday, President Barack Obama outlined his administration’s strategy for the war in Afghanistan calling the situation there “perilous.” In a White House address before an audience of troops and diplomats heading for Afghanistan, Obama unequivocally defined the goal of the U.S. as “to disrupt, dismantle, and defeat al Qaeda in Pakistan and Afghanistan and prevent their return to either country in the future.” Warning that the terrorist group was still planning attacks on the U.S. from a haven situated along the border between the two countries, President Obama announced that 4,000 more troops will be sent to Afghanistan in addition to the long-proposed 17,000 troop surge. Their stated objective will be to train and double the size of the Afghan police and army forces. Obama’s speech switching the military …

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Both houses of Congress recently passed a Wilderness Conservation Bill, setting aside more than 2 million acres of land in nine states, in a move that has been hailed as a “new dawn for American heritage.” Seen as the most significant environmental legislation in the history of the United States, the Omnibus Public Lands Act of 2009 will regenerate forests, protect rivers, extend the national park system, and stand guard over historic battlefields. Former President Clinton passed a law in early 2001 in his last month in office, protecting 60 million acres of national forest land from logging and oil exploration. But within months, the newly inaugurated President George W. Bush rescinded the roadless area protection rule. There is Republican opposition to the new bill also: the GOP is seems to …

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With the crashing economy making life difficult for many Americans, college students in particular are finding fewer ways to make ends meet. Tuition has risen dramatically over the past decade: in California, the average college tuition rose 37% between 2000-2007, and in 2008, it rose a whopping 9%. Obviously wages haven’t kept up with this dramatic increase. But neither have financial aid grants. Now, college students across the country may see small relief in President Obama’s new budget, which aims at dramatically increasing the number of students eligible for Pell grants. Government Pell grants were originally designed to cover 80% of the cost of going to college. But given the sharp rise in tuition, they now cover barely a third of the costs. Obama’s budget increases the amount of each grant, …