Mar
18
2009
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the entire program
Edward Liddy, the embattled CEO of AIG is testifying at a House Financial Services subcommittee hearing this morning. Members of Congress and the Obama Administration are falling over themselves this week to denounce the $165 million in bonuses for top executives at AIG. The corporation in question received $170 billion in bailout funds last year — …
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Mar
18
2009
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the entire program
Veterans’ groups are angry over President Obama’s recent statement that he was considering a plan that would charge treatment for some service-related injuries to the private health plans of soldiers. Obama has explained the idea as a way to generate up to $540 million for the Department of Veterans Affairs in 2010. Overall, the VA has …
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Mar
18
2009
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the entire program
As Los Angeles is mired in an ever increasing budget deficit, community organizations are calling on Mayor Villaraigosa and the City Council to focus resources on social services. The LA Coalition against State Violence is calling on officials to reduce city money allocated for the Los Angeles Police Department and invest instead in public transportation, prevention …
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Mar
18
2009
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the entire program
The Paris Insurrection
Back in the day on March 18th, 1871 an uprising took hold in Paris, France that would eventually lead to the establishment of the Paris Commune. The immediate political catalyst for the insurrection in the capital city was the defeat of the French in the Franco-Prussian War. In negotiating an armistice, members of …
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Mar
17
2009
We’ll discuss the on-going scandal over millions of dollars in bonus pay to AIG executives. And, city activists pressure Los Angeles to lower a bloated LAPD budget allocation. Plus, we’ll hear part 1of a two part interview with independent journalist Aaron Glantz about his new book, The War Comes Home: Washington’s Battle Against America’s Veterans. …
Mar
17
2009
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the entire program
A serious standoff between Pakistan’s two major political parties has just ended, resulting in a victory for Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif of the Muslim League. Demonstrations in the capital Islamabad turned violent over the weekend, as lawyers and their supporters rallied for the reinstatement of chief justice Iftikhar Chaudhry, first sacked by former President Pervez Musharraf in …
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Mar
17
2009
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the entire program
On Friday the New Mexico Senate voted to repeal the state’s death penalty law. Governor Bill Richardson has until Wednesday to either sign or veto the bill. If signed by the governor, New Mexico will be the 15th state to abolish the death penalty. The governor’s office has set up a phone hotline (505-476-2225) for the …
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Mar
17
2009
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the entire program
A private company named Procinctu is facing increasing opposition to its plans to construct a security training facility in Riverside County. Former Navy Seal and Procinctu founder John Choate wants to transform 194 acres of property in the town of Homeland into a multi-million dollar center complete with a driving track, gymnasium, and indoor/outdoor firing ranges. Slated …
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Mar
17
2009
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the entire program
The Assault on Kronstadt
Back in the day on March 17th, 1921 the Red Army began its final assault on the Kronstadt Rebellion. A naval base in the Gulf of Finland, Kronstadt had been a pivotal geographical center of rebellion in Russia in both 1905 and 1917. However, in 1921, it became a point of dissension …
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Mar
17
2009
“Agitators are a set of interfering, meddling people, who come down to some perfectly contented class of the community and sow the seeds of discontent amongst them. That is the reason why agitators are so absolutely necessary. Without them, in our incomplete state, there would be no advance towards civilisation.” — Oscar Wilde …
