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8:00-8:01 Billboard:
House of Saud, House of Bush: The Secret Relationship Between
The World's Two Most Powerful Dynasties
Bloodshed Continues: Explosion Rocks Baghdad Killing 17,
Wounding Dozens
8:01-8:06 Headlines
8:06-8:07 One Minute Music Break
8:07:00-8:21:30 House of Saud, House of Bush: The
Secret Relationship Between The World's Two Most Powerful
Dynasties
INTRO: We speak with Craig Unger, author of the new book,
"House of Saud, House of Bush" that details the
complex negotiations on war, oil, illegal arms deals and murky
banking deals conducted between the Bushes and the Saudis
- connecting a US presidential dynasty to a foreign power.
In the days after the September 11th attacks, former Vice
President Al Gore was grounded, former President Bill Clinton
was grounded, planes were forced down in mid-flight, including
one carrying a heart to be transplanted to a deathly-ill cardiac
patient.
American skies were empty, yet at the same time 140 influential
Saudis were effectively chaperoned out of the country - allegedly
by the U.S. government. Among them, were several dozen members
of the bin Laden family. They were never questioned by the
FBI.
Despite the fact that 15 of the 19 hijackers were from Saudi
Arabia, top White House officials approved the evacuation
of Saudi citizens at a time when all other planes were grounded.
How was this possible?
The answer lies in the long-term relationship between the
Bush family and the Saudi royal family that dates back over
two decades and the is the subject of a new book by Craig
Unger entitled, "House of Bush, House of Saud: The Secret
Relationship Between the World's Two Most Powerful Dynasties."
Craig Unger, author of "House of Bush, House of Saud:
The Secret Relationship Between the World's Two Most Powerful
Dynasties." He was deputy editor of the New York Observer
and editor in chief of Boston Magazine. He has written about
George H.W. Bush and George W. Bush for the New Yorker, Esquire
and Vanity Fair.
8:21:30-8:22:30 One Minute Music Break
8:22:30-8:46:06 House of Bush, House of Saud CONT’D
8:46:06-8:47:06 One Minute Music Break
8:47:06-8:58:00 Bloodshed Continues: Explosion Rocks
Baghdad Killing 17, Wounding Dozens
INTRO: We go to Iraq to get a report from the ground in
Baghdad and we speak with Iraq blogger and University of Michigan
professor Juan Cole about the continuing bloodshed, the Iraqi
constitution and the breaking apart of the US-led coalition.
A large explosion rocked Baghdad yesterday bringing down
an apartment building, shearing off the facade of a hotel
and killing at least 17 people and wounding dozens.
The death toll had been reported as high as 27 but this morning
the Pentagon lowered the toll to 17. Most of the casualties
were foreigners from Arab countries.
Meanwhile earlier today a car bomb exploded near a hotel
in Basra. Killing 5 Iraqi civilians.
Initial reports indicated the explosion was from a rocket
attack. American officials later said it was a huge car bomb,
estimated at about 1,000 pounds. The explosion destroyed a
whole apartment block and wrecked the Mount Lebanon hotel.
The hotel is being described as a "soft-target."
It wasn't well-defended, lacking blast walls, and didn't appear
to have much strategic value as it wasn't popular with occupation
officials or western contractors.
The attack is the latest in a wave of bombings that has killed
more than 400 people in Iraq since February. On March 2nd,
up to 271 Shias were killed in Baghdad and Karbala in twin
bombings during a religious festival.
- Dan Murphy, reporter for the Christian Science Monitor.
Speaking from Baghdad.
- Juan Cole, Professor of Modern Middle East and South
Asian History at the History Department of the University
of Michigan. He runs an analytical website called "Informed
Comment" in which he provides a daily round-up of news
and events in Iraq and elsewhere in the Arab world. Cole
speaks fluent Arabic, Persian and Urdu and has lived all
over the Muslim world for extended periods of time.
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,
Jenny Filipazzo and Isis Phillips.
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