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Bush Calls for "New Era of Trans-Atlantic Unity"
Between the US and Europe
Good Pills, Bad Pills: Dr. Sidney Wolfe Condemns FDA Advisors
For Backing the Sale of Vioxx, Celebrex and Bextra Despite
Known Dangers
Murder in the Amazon: A U.S.-Born Nun and Environmentalist
is Gunned Down in Brazil For Opposing Rainforest Logging
Bush Calls for "New Era of Trans-Atlantic Unity"
Between the US and Europe
Two years after Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld described
Germany and France as "problems" and part of "Old
Europe," President Bush travels to Europe to try to mend
ties and increase cooperation.
President Bush is at a NATO summit in Belgium today where
he is expected to call for greater cooperation between the
United States and Europe.
The trip is Bush's first to Europe since his reelection and
was billed by White House officials as part of an effort to
rebuild ties between Washington and Europe after the rift
over the war in Iraq.
In the keynote address of his five-day trip in Brussels Monday,
Bush declared a "new era of trans-Atlantic unity"
between the US and Europe.
- President Bush speaking in Brussels
The president went on to say the US and Europe must together
in Iraq, called on Syria to withdraw from Lebanon and demanded
that Iran stop its suspected nuclear weapons program. Bush
did not rule out using military force in Iran, saying all
options remain on the table. He reserved some of his harshest
words for Russia, warning that it "must renew a commitment
to democracy and the rule of law."
About 4,000 people protested outside the US embassy as Bush
met with French president Jacques Chirac. The demonstrators
were part of a coalition of 88 environmental, human rights,
peace and other groups.
Bush will leaves Brussels for Germany tomorrow where he is
scheduled to hold a news conference with Chancellor Gerhard
Schroeder before meeting with US troops.
We go now to Germany to speak with Jochen Hippler, a Professor
of Political Science and International Relations at University
of Duisburg-Essen in Germany. He is the author of a number
of books including "Pax Americana?"
- Jochen Hippler, professor of Political Science and International
Relations at University of Duisburg-Essen, Germany, Hippler
is author of a number of books including "Pax Americana?"
Good Pills, Bad Pills: Dr. Sidney Wolfe Condemns
FDA Advisors For Backing the Sale of Vioxx, Celebrex and Bextra
Despite Known Dangers
The FDA panel proposed that the drugs be sold with an FDA
"black box" warning. Vioxx is now expected to return
to the market even though nearly half the FDA panel voted
against it being sold. Its manufacturer Merck voluntarily
withdrew the painkiller drug in the fall. Studies have show
as many as 55,000 people may have died from taking the drug.
A Food and Drug Administration advisory panel has voted to
allow doctors to keep prescribing the popular painkillers
Vioxx, Celebrex and Bextra even though the panel overwhelmingly
agreed that the drugs significantly increase the risk of cardiovascular
problems in patients.
The panel proposed that the drugs be sold with an FDA "black
box" warning. Vioxx is now expected to return to the
market even though nearly half the FDA panel voted against
it being sold. Its manufacturer Merck voluntarily withdrew
the painkiller drug in the fall. The FDA panel decided whether
a drug should be allowed to be sold on a straight majority
vote.
The vote for Vioxx was 17 to 15. For Bextra, 17 panelists
vote for the drug and 13 voted to ban it. The panel nearly
unanimously recommended Celebrex remaining available.
Last year FDA whistleblower Dr. David Graham publicly estimated
that 139,000 Americans who took Vioxx suffered serious side
effects. Of these users he estimated that the drug killed
between 26,000 and 55,000 people.
The FDA is not required to follow the recommendations of
the panel, but generally does so. Minutes after the announcement,
Merck stock shot up nearly 12 percent on the New York Stock
Exchange. Pfizer shares rose by 5.6 percent.
We are joined in Washington by Dr. Sidney Wolfe, director
of Public Citizen’s Health Research Group.
- Dr. Sidney Wolfe, Director of Public Citizen's Health
Research Group.
Murder in the Amazon: A U.S.-Born Nun and Environmentalist
is Gunned Down in Brazil For Opposing Rainforest Logging
We go to Brazil to speak with a friend and colleague of
the slain nun Dorothy Stang. Her killing has brought new interest
in the struggle to preserve the Amazon rainforests. Last week
Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva signed decrees
setting aside 8 million acres to create two massive new rain
forest reserves.
Police in Brazil have arrested a second man over the killing
of a US-born Catholic nun in the Amazon rainforest.
They say Rayfran das Neves Sales is the key suspect in the
murder of 73 year-old Sister Dorothy Stang, who dedicated
her life to the people of the Amazon rainforest. She lived
and worked in Brazil for more than 30 years. Another man has
been charged with conspiracy to murder. He denies any involvement.
Dorothy Stang moved to the Para region of the Amazon in the
1970's to work with peasant farmers on building sustainable
agricultural settlements.
She began confronting the powerful loggers and ranchers in
the area -- who were illegally cutting down areas of the rain
forest. In the weeks before Dorothy Stang was murdered, ranchers
had been trying to expel the farmers by burning down their
huts.
According to reports, Sister Stang was killed because she
was trying to stop logging by a powerful rancher Vitalmiro
Gonclaves Moura. Police are still searching for the rancher
-- who they believe has fled the area. Dorothy Stang was shot
dead as she read from her Bible. Her killing is being compared
to the assassination of activist Chico Mendez in December
1988. He was killed for his defense of the Amazon rainforest.
- Joan Krimm, from the same order as slain nun and activist
Dorothy Stang. She went to Brazil with Sister Stang in 1966
and lived and worked there for ten years. She was a close
friend of Stang and talked to her the week before she was
killed.
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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