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Democracy Now!
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From: Democracy Now!
Re: Rundown 11-25-03
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8:00-8:01 Billboard:
Privatizing Medicare? A Debate on the Controversial Medicare
Drug Bill
TV Ownership Cap Raised After Congress Backs Down
Bush Backers to Reap Energy, Medicare Bill Tax Benefits
Will Anti Spam Bill Erode First Amendment Rights?
Alexander Cockburn Speaks Out On Rupert Murdoch the Israel-Palestine
Conflict and the Politics of Anti-Semitism
8:01-8:06 Headlines
8:06-8:07 One Minute Music Break
8:07-8:20 Privatizing Medicare? A Debate on the Controversial
Medicare Drug Bill
INTRO: The Senate overcame a two blocks to a massive Medicare
overhaul to provide prescription drug coverage to seniors
which introduces competition with private healthcare plans.
We host a debate with the Mass. Senior Action Council and
the AARP and we take a look at who will receive tax benefits
from the bill.
A controversial Medicare bill made it past two attempted
Democratic blocks in the Senate yesterday and is expected
to win final passage in the biggest changes to the program
since its creation in 1965.
The Senate broke a filibuster against the Medicare bill led
by Democratic Senator Edward Kennedy. Then, on a close vote,
the Senate defeated a budget challenge to the measure. The
House approved the Medicare bill on Saturday, by a vote of
220 to 215, after an all-night session that ended with a record
three-hour roll call. House Democrats accused the Republican
leadership of abusing the rules of Congress by refusing to
close the vote.
The massive Medicare $400 billion overhaul provides limited
drug coverage and also includes plans for making generic drugs
more readily available, making seniors who earn more than
$80,000 pay more for doctors visits and introduces competition
with private plans. Critics say the bill would privatize Medicare
– the federal health insurance program for 40 million
people. The Washington Post notes that the $400 billion figure
underestimates the long-term costs of the measure which could
be as high as $2 trillion.
The bill bans federal officials from using the purchasing
power of the Medicare program to negotiate lower drug prices.
It also omits plans to make it easy for American consumers
to reimport U.S.-manufactured drugs from Canada and other
Western countries where the medicines are less expensive.
- John Rother, Director of Policy and Strategy for the
AARP (American Associated of Retired Persons.)
Link: www.aarp.org
- Frank Clemente, director of Public Citizen's Congress
Watch. Last week Congress Watch launched the new website
WhiteHouseForSale.org to track the influence of private
money in President Bush's re-election campaign.
Link: www.citizen.org/congress
8:20:30 TV Ownership Cap Raised After Congress Backs
Down
INTRO: Congress backed down on its strong opposition to
the new media ownership regulations of the FCC by agreeing
to a compromise with the White House, raising the TV ownership
cap from 35 to 39 percent. We speak with the Consumers Union
Gene Kimmelman.
On Monday, Congress backed down on its strong opposition
to the new media ownership regulations of the Federal Communications
Commission by agreeing to a compromise with the White House.
The compromise lifts what is known as the TV ownership cap
from 35 to 39 percent. This will allow ABC and NBC to be able
buy more television stations. CBS and Fox will not be able
to because they were already over the existing cap. If Congress
had enforced the 35 percent cap, CBS and Fox would have been
forced to sell off stations.
Gene Kimmelman of the Consumers Union said "This is
a backroom deal to let the two largest networks keep all of
their stations."
8:30-8:40 Bush Backers to Reap Energy, Medicare Bill
Tax Benefits
INTRO: The Senate abandoned attempts to vote this year on
a massive energy bill after Republican leaders refused to
drop lawsuit protection for oil companies. We take a look
at the energy bill’s environmental implications with
the National Environmental Trust and speak with Public Citizen's
Congress Watch on who would receive tax benefits from the
bill.
The White House and Republican leaders yesterday abandoned
attempts to vote on a massive energy bill this year and will
resume the effort after Congress reconvenes in January. The
measure would represent the largest overhaul of US energy
policy in a decade. The $31 billion bill collapsed after Republican
leaders refused to drop a provision shielding oil companies
from some lawsuits.
The Washington Post reports both the Medicare and energy
bills would give billions in tax benefits to companies run
by executives who helped raise millions for President Bush's
campaigns. The energy bill would give billions in tax subsidies
to companies run by 22 executives who helped raised at least
$100,000 each for Bush's presidential campaigns. Another 24
people who were major Bush campaign backers work as executives
or lobbyists at firms that stand to benefit if the Medicare
bill is passed.
- Frank Clemente, director of Public Citizen's Congress
Watch. Last week Congress Watch launched the new website
WhiteHouseForSale.org to track the influence of private
money in President Bush's re-election campaign.
Link: http://www.citizen.org/congress
8:35-8:42 Will Anti Spam Bill Erode First Amendment
Rights?
INTRO: The response to legislation aiming to limit the sending
of unsolicited email has been mixed. While some praise the
bill, critics charge it may actually encourage more spam while
others say it could change the future of all email, not just
spam. We speak the co-founder of the Electronic Frontier Foundation.
Congress is on the verge if approving a new bill that aims
to limit the sending of unsolicited email known as spam. On
Saturday the House vote 392 to 5 for the "Can Spam Act
of 2003." The Senate approved a similar measure last
month.
The response to the legislation has been mixed in the tech
world. America Online and Microsoft have praised the legislation.
Anti-spam groups charge it may encourage more spam. And other
critics say it could change the future of all email, not just
spam.
8:40-8:58 Alexander Cockburn Speaks Out On Rupert
Murdoch the Israel-Palestine Conflict and the Politics of
Anti-Semitism
INTRO: Counterpunch editor and Nation columnist Alexander
Cockburn joins us in our firehouse studios to talk about the
media and his new book “The Politics of Anti-Semitism.”
We are joined in our studio by Counterpunch editor and columnist
for the Nation magazine, Alexander Cockburn recently back
from London.
His latest piece begins “This city is now recovering
from the November visit of a global tyrant, on whose rampages
the sun never sets. His name is not George Bush but Rupert
Murdoch.”
Cockburn writes further on: “…as an international
operator, Murdoch offers his target governments a privatized
version of a state propaganda service, manipulated without
scruple and with no regard for truth. His price takes the
form of vast government favors such as tax breaks, regulatory
relief, monopoly markets and so forth.”
- Alexander Cockburn, editor of Counterpunch, columnist
for the Nation and co-editor of the new book “The
Politics of Anti-Semitism.”
Link: www.counterpunch.org
8:58-8:59 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 Mike Burke, Sharif Abdel Kouddous,
Ana Nogueira, Elizabeth Press, Jeremy Scahill and Parvez Sharma.
Mike Di Filippo is our engineer.
Thanks also to Uri Galed, Angela Alston, Orlando Richards,
Simba Russeau, Johnny Sender, Rich Kim, Joe Murgio, John Randolph,
Chris Zucker, Karen Ranucci, Denis Moynihan, Eric Rweyemamu
(RAY MA MU), Jenny Filipazzo and Isis Phillips.
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