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8:00-8:01 Billboard:
An infringement of freedom of the press? The FBI opens and
seizes mail sent from one Associated Press reporter to another
Who was Deep Throat? A University of Illinois professor and
his class say they have uncovered the identity of the Nixon
insider who exposed the story behind the break-in of Watergate.
An exclusive look at a U.S. bombing in Iraq that killed three
family members in Iraq: Journalist Julia Guest discusses the
tragedy she came across while reporting in Iraq
Leaked document exposes pro-Israel lobby's manipulation of
US public: We talk with Ali Abunimah of the Electronic Intifada
8:01-8:10 Headlines
8:10-8:11 One Minute Music Break
8:11-8:25 AN INFRINGEMENT OF FREEDOM OF THE PRESS? THE FBI
OPENS AND SEIZES MAIL SENT FROM ONE ASSOCIATED PRESS REPORTER
TO ANOTHER
Last September a reporter with the Associated Press in the
Philippines sent a FedEx package to a colleague in Washington.
The package contained unclassified FBI documents. Reporters
send such items often. But this one never made it to Washington.
FedEx officials originally said the package may have fallen
off its delivery van. But AP officials were suspicious of
what happened.
And now it turns out the package was never lost. It was seized
and confiscated by the FBI.
In an April 3 letter released this week, the FBI acknowledged
that its agents had confiscated the package at Customs.
Unnamed FBI officials told the New York Times the documents
seized were too sensitive for public consumption. The package
contained a report with detailed materials seized from the
apartment of a man convicted in the 1993 World Trade Center
bombing.
The F.B.I. also announced this week it had opened an internal
investigation to determine whether its agents abused their
authority by secretly seizing the documents.
- Lucy Dalglish, Executive Director of The Reporter's Committee
for Freedom of the Press
Link: http://www.rcfp.org
8:20-8:21 One Minute Music Break
8:25-8:40 WHO WAS DEEP THROAT? A UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS PROFESSOR
AND HIS CLASS SAY THEY HAVE UNCOVERED THE IDENTITY OF THE
NIXON INSIDER WHO EXPOSED THE STORY BEHIND THE BREAK-IN OF
WATERGATE.
It may be one of the greatest mysteries of the 20th century.
Who was Deep Throat? Who was the White House insider who tipped
off the Washington Post reporters Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein?
Based on information from Deep Throat, Woodward and Bernstein
began to piece together the deep secrets of the White House.
Their stories led to the demise of President Nixon’s
presidency.
For nearly three decades the person’s identity has
been unknown to but a handful at the Washington Post.
But now after a four-year investigation, a University of
Illinois journalism professor and his class believe they have
solved the mystery.
The professor, William Gaines, joins us now…. so tell
us who was Deep Throat?
- William Gaines, University of Illinois professor and
two-time Pulitzer-prize winner journalist with the Chicago
Tribune.
Link: deepthroatuncovered.com
8:40-8:41 One Minute Music Break
8:41-8:50 AN EXCLUSIVE LOOK AT A U.S. BOMBING IN IRAQ THAT
KILLED THREE FAMILY MEMBERS IN IRAQ: JOURNALIST JULIA GUEST
DISCUSSES THE TRAGEDY SHE CAME ACROSS WHILE REPORTING IN IRAQ
A month ago a U.S. bomb landed on an Iraqi farmhouse. Three
Iraqi civilians were killed. They were all members of the
same family. The story received no attention in the international
press but independent journalist Julia Guest came across the
scene a day after the attack and files this report.
- Julia Guest, independent reporter who recently returned
to Britain from Iraq
8:50-8:58 LEAKED DOCUMENT EXPOSES PRO-ISRAEL LOBBY'S MANIPULATION
OF US PUBLIC: WE TALK WITH ALI ABUNIMAH OF THE ELECTRONIC
INTIFADA
The Electronic Intifada has obtained a document prepared
for pro-Israel activists by the public relations firm The
Luntz Research Companies and The Israel Project. The document
spells out the tactics that Israel and its US advocates should
use to maintain support for Israel and its hardline policies.
According to Electronic Intifada:
The document, entitled "Wexner Analysis: Israeli Communication
Priorities 2003," counsels pro-Israel advocates to keep
invoking the name of Saddam Hussein, and to stress that Israel
"was always behind American efforts to rid the world
of this ruthless dictator and liberate their people."
Despite his solid support for Israel and Ariel Sharon, the
document warns pro-Israel advocates not to compliment or praise
President Bush. At the same time it acknowledges that Yasser
Arafat has been a great asset to Israel because "he looks
the part" of a "terrorist." The installation
of Mahmoud Abbas as Palestinian prime minister, and potential
replacement for Arafat, comes "at the wrong time,"
because he has the potential to improve the image of the Palestinians,
and that could put the onus on Israel to return to negotiations.
The document advises supporters of Israel to appear to affect
a "balanced" tone, but admits that in arguing for
Israel's policies, the illegal "settlements are our Achilles
heel," for which there is no good defense.
8:58-8:59 Outro and Credits
9:00-9:01 Billboard:
US forces detain former Iraqi deputy prime minister Tariq
Aziz: We speak with author and journalist Dilip Hiro and Democracy
Now’s Jeremy Scahill.
China quarantines thousands of Beijing residents as SARS
worsens: World attention remains fixated on SARS even as 3,000
African children die of malaria every day. We speak with Dan
Sermand and Rachel Cohen of Doctors Without Borders.
Ex-agent indicted in Tulia drug cases: Officer behind drug
raid that led to 46 questionable arrests is charged with perjury
9:01-9:10 Headlines
9:10-9:11 One Minute Music Break
9:11-9:35 FORMER IRAQI FOREIGN MINISTER TARIQ AZIZ TURNS
HIMSELF IN TO US FORCES
Former Iraqi Foreign Minister Tariq Aziz has turned himself
into US forces.
Aziz gave himself up in Baghdad after discussions with US
forces through an intermediary, according to the London Guardian.
Intelligence experts say Aziz is unlikely to possess information
about weapons of mass destruction or Saddam's current whereabouts.
He was the only Christian in the former Iraqi government and
not a member of Saddam’s hand-picked Tikrit clan. He
never wielded powder and was just number 43 on the list of
55 most wanted Iraqis.
But the fact that he is alive suggests that Saddam Hussein
and his son may also still be alive.
The Guardian reports Aziz may possess explosive information
on the extent of the West’s past support for the Saddam.
He was appointed foreign minister in 1983 and was largely
credited with securing Western support for Iraq against Iran.
Aziz became prominent in 1991 following Iraq’s invasion
of Kuwait, when he led talks in various countries trying to
avert war.
- Jeremy Scahill, Democracy Now! correspondent who has
reported extensively from Iraq.
- Dilip Hiro, journalist and author of 24 books including
Iraq: In the Eye of the Storm.
9:35-9:36 One Minute Music Break
9:36-9:40 CHINA QUARANTINES THOUSANDS OF BEIJING RESIDENTS
AS SARS WORSENS
Chinese officials sealed off a second major hospital and
threw up roadblocks up around Beijing today to combat the
deadly virus SARS.
The government announced another five deaths and nearly 200
new cases. China’s SARS death toll is now at 115.
China yesterday quarantined thousands of Beijing residents
who have had contact with suspected carriers of the deadly
virus. Isolation orders were imposed on homes, factories and
schools, and residents are being monitored to ensure they
don’t try to flee.
Throngs of people are trying to escape at Beijing's railway
stations.
All of this comes as health advocates are trying to draw
attention to malaria today, on Africa Malaria Day.
Malaria is far more deadly than SARS - the World Health Organization
and the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) are reporting
that some 3,000 African children die every day of the disease.
One million people die every year.
But malaria generally strikes impoverished people in the
global South, whearas SARS appears to cross both class and
country lines – with Toronto, Canada under a WHO travel
advisory.
The WHO is calling for the most effective malaria drugs to
be made more widely available. Even insecticide-treated mosquito
nets could reduce malaria transmission by up to 60%.
- Dan Sermand, Head of the Doctors Without Borders SARS
mission in Hanoi, Vietnam.
- Rachel Cohen, Head of Doctors Without Borders Access
to Medicines Campaign.
9:40-9:41 One Minute Music Break
9:41-9:58 EX-AGENT INDICTED IN TULIA DRUG CASES
The undercover officer who ran a controversial drug sting
in Tulia four years ago was indicted yesterday on charges
of lying under oath during recent hearings to determine if
the convictions he obtained were legitimate.
In 1998 and 1999 Tom Coleman single-handedly ran an undercover
sting operation that ended with the arrest of 46 residents
of Tulia. Coleman never presented any audio or video evidence
connecting the residents to a crime.
But local courts convicted 38 of the residents, most of whom
were poor and African American. 13 remain in jail.
Yesterday a Swisher County grand jury handed down a three-count
indictment that accuses Coleman of making false statements
about legal problems he faced in another county while working
for the Panhandle Drug Task Force.
If convicted, Coleman, who is no longer in law enforcement,
faces up to 10 years in prison and a $10,000 fine on each
of the three charges. In Tulia Texas, Tom Coleman has been
indicted on three counts of perjury.
Coleman is the sheriff's deputy in Tulia whose sole testimony
led to controversial drug sting that sent 46 people, mostly
poor African Americans, to jail.
Charges against the 46 are being dropped while Coleman himself
may be going to jail.
- Randy Credico, Director of the William Moses Kunstler
Fund for racial justice
- Jeff Blackburn, Civil rights lawyer and head of the Tulia
Legal Defense Project
9:58-9:59 Outro and Credits
For a copy of today’s program, call 1 (800) 881 2359.
Our website is www.democracynow.org.
Our email address is mail@democracynow.org.
Democracy Now! is produced by Kris Abrams, Mike Burke, Angie
Karran, Sharif Abdul Kouddous, Ana Nogueira, Elizabeth Press
with help from Noah Reibel and Vilka Tzouras. Mike Di Filippo
is our music maestro and engineer. Thanks also to Uri Galed,
Angela Alston, Emily Kunstler, Orlando Richards, Simba Rousseau,
Rafael delaUz, Gabriel Weiss, Johnny Sender, Rich Kim, Karen
Ranucci, Fatima Mojadiddy, Denis Moynihan and Jenny Filipazzo.
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