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The Federalist (Society) Papers: John Roberts and the Right’s
Move to Take Control of the Judiciary
Triple Sharm El Sheikh Bombing Comes on Anniversary of 1952
Egyptian Revolution
New Latin American Television Network Telesur Officially
Launched
Unholy Alliance? The AFL-CIO and the National Endowment for
Democracy in Venezuela
The Federalist (Society) Papers: John Roberts and
the Right’s Move to Take Control of the Judiciary
There is growing focus on an organization that Supreme Court
justice nominee John Roberts claims he cannot remember if
he joined or not: the Federalist Society. We speak with Alfred
Ross of the Institute for Democracy Studies who uncovered
John Roberts' membership in the right-wing organization.
Ever since President Bush announced in prime time that his
nominee to the Supreme Court would be John Roberts, momentum
has been building for a showdown at Robert's confirmation
hearings scheduled for September. At this point it seems unlikely
that Roberts is in any great risk of not being confirmed,
but Democrats have made clear that they intend to ask him
to publicly state his views on some of the most politically
divisive issues on Capitol Hill--most prominent among them,
a woman's right to choose.
The White House has painted Roberts as a candidate made for
the Supreme Court and his resume has gained praise from both
sides of the aisle. But John Roberts has left a rather short
paper trail. What we do know is drawn largely from his career
as a lawyer, where he has defended Operation Rescue, has made
the argument that Roe v. Wade has no constitutional basis.
We know that he advised Florida Gov. Jeb Bush during the 2000
election showdown and that as a Bush appointed judge, he sat
on a 3 judge panel that a week and a half ago handed the Bush
administration a key propaganda victory by allowing military
trials to go ahead at Guantanamo instead of giving prisoners
access to the rights guaranteed under the US constitution.
We also know that he is described as a solid conservative
who worked for President Bush's father and Ronald Reagan.
We also know that the Bush administration lobbied conservative
groups to support Roberts for a year leading up to his nomination.
As the TV ad war continues, the Roberts story has taken a
new twist. There is growing focus today on an organization
that Roberts claims he cannot remember if he joined or not:
the Federalist Society. Roberts and the White House say the
nominee has no recollection about his possible membership.
But yesterday, the Washington Post reported that it had obtained
a 1997-98 Federalist Society leadership directory listing
Roberts, then a partner in a private law firm, as being a
steering committee member in the group's Washington chapter.
On Monday, Roberts declined to say why he was listed in the
directory when asked by a reporter about the discrepancy during
a morning get-acquainted meeting with Sen. Dianne Feinstein.
White House spokesperson Scott McClellan was asked about Roberts
and the Federalist Society at the daily press briefing.
- White House press briefing, July 25, 2005.
We are joined in our Washington DC studio by the man who
uncovered John Roberts membership in the Federalist Society.
Alfred Ross is the founder and president of the Institute
for Democracy Studies.
Triple Sharm El Sheikh Bombing Comes on Anniversary
of 1952 Egyptian Revolution
As the investigation continues into the triple bombing at
the Red Sea resort of Sharm El Sheikh that killed dozens,
we go to Egypt to speak with journalist Jonathan Steele, senior
foreign correspondent for the London Guardian. [includes rush
transcript]
The Egyptian government has dismissed speculation that a
group of Pakistani men were involved in Saturday's triple
bombing in the Red Sea resort of Sharm El Sheikh.
Egyptian police are searching for six missing Pakistanis,
but the Egyptian ambassador to Pakistan called it a "routine
security check". Police in Sharm el-Sheikh have distributed
the photographs and passport numbers of the six men who disappeared
from a Cairo hotel earlier this month.
The official death toll in the bombings stands at 64, but
hospital officials say the figure could be as high as 88.
Most of the casualties were Egyptians. As many as 17 foreigners
were killed, most of them Europeans. One American was among
the dead.
The attacks, which rocked the resort town on the tip of the
Sinai peninsula, appeared well-coordinated. Two massive car
bombs went off simultaneously at 1:15 a.m. about two miles
apart. One car packed with explosives slammed into the reception
of the Ghazala Gardens in Naama Bay where the main strip of
hotels are located. The second bomb exploded in a nearby area
called the Old Market, frequented mainly by Egyptians working
in the town's resorts. A third bomb detonated about the same
time near a beachside walkway. Egyptian officials told the
The New York Times they now believe all three explosions were
suicide bombings.
More than a thousand people marched through Sharm El Sheikh's
main road Sunday to protest the attacks.
At least five groups have claimed responsibility for the
bombings, none of them have been verified. On Monday, Egyptian
police fought gun battles in desert mountains near Sharm el-Sheikh
in a hunt for Bedouins who authorities say may have links
with the bombings. Twenty five people have reportedly been
arrested.
The Associated Press is reporting that the heads of security
in North and South Sinai provinces have been sacked after
having failed to anticipate or prevent the bombings.
Sharm al-Sheikh is one of Egypt's most heavily guarded towns.
It is the winter home of President Hosni Mubarak, hosts numerous
summits and is the destination for about a quarter of the
tourists who visit Egypt.
An attack on Taba 125 miles north of Sharm El Sheikh on the
Israeli border last October ended a long halt in Egyptian
militant violence. The last major attack had been in 1997,
when Islamic militants killed 58 tourists and four Egyptians
in Luxor.
- Jonathan Steele, Guardian's Senior Foreign correspondent.
He joins us on the line from Sharm El Sheikh.
New Latin American Television Network Telesur Officially
Launched
Some are calling it Latin America's al Jazeera. This weekend,
a coalition of leftist governments, media outlets and movements,
led by Venezuela, officially launched Telesur - a new Latin
America-wide satellite TV network. We go to Caracas to speak
with Andres Izarra, Venezuela's communications minister and
president of Telesur as well as attorney Eva Golinger. [includes
rush
transcript]
Some are calling it Latin America's al Jazeera. This weekend,
a coalition of leftist governments, media outlets and movements,
led by Venezuela, officially launched Telesur - a new Latin
America-wide satellite TV network.
Just after noon on Sunday, Telesur began broadcasting a pilot
service from studios in Caracas with a team of 25 journalists
in nine regional bureaus presenting news "from a Latin
American perspective".
The channel's first news program began with a critical report
on the failure of the humanitarian mission in Haiti followed
by a story on the plight of refugees in Colombia.
The station is being launched with help from other Latin
American governments including Argentina, Cuba and Uruguay.
The driving force has been Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez,
whose government has contributed 70 percent of Telesur's financing
and owns 51 percent of the channel. The channel's board members
include a group of international supporters including the
actor Danny Glover, the writer Tariq Ali and Nobel Peace Prize
winner Adolfo Perez Esquivel.
But even before its launch, Telesur was being attacked in
Washington. Last week the House passed an amendment calling
for the U.S. to begin broadcasting its own channel into the
region to counter Telesur. Chavez responded by saying, "we
will take measures to neutralize the attempt, and what we
will have is a kind of electronic warfare."
- Andres Izarra, Minister of Communication for Venezuela
and president of Telesur. He joins us on the line from Caracas.
- Eva Golinger, attorney who has represented the Venezuelan
government. She is author of "The Chávez Code:
Cracking U.S. Intervention in Venezuela."
Unholy Alliance? The AFL-CIO and the National Endowment
for Democracy in Venezuela
As two of the country's largest unions leave the AFL-CIO,
we talk to a labor journalist about what he calls an unholy
alliance: the AFL-CIO and the National Endowment for Democracy
in Venezuela. [includes rush
transcript]
We turn now to a story that has major implications for the
future of organized labor in this country - and internationally.
It's being called one of the largest shake-ups in union history.
Yesterday, two of the largest unions within the powerful AFL-CIO
announced they were pulling out of the federation. The presidents
of the Teamsters and the Service Employees International Union
made their announcements as the AFL-CIO began its 50th anniversary
convention in Chicago.
The service employees have some 1.8 million members, while
the Teamsters claim about 1.5 million. They contribute roughly
$20 million dollars each year, or about one-sixth of the AFL-CIO
budget.
Two other major unions, the United Food and Commercial Workers
and Unite Here, are boycotting this week's convention and
have indicated they too would leave the federation.
At the center of this major split is the future of organized
labor. The dissident unions have consistently criticized AFL-CIO
President John Sweeney for not investing enough in grassroots
organizing campaigns and relying too heavily on lobbying in
Washington. Sweeney's backers have accused the dissident unions
of playing into the hands of opponents of organized labor.
Another major issue for some at the AFL-CIO convention in
Chicago is the issue of the federation's alleged involvement
in destabilization campaigns in countries like Venezuela.
This weekend, activists held a demonstration in Chicago to
protest what they see as the federation's cooperation with
the Bush administration's hostile foreign policies and covert
operations.
- Kim Scipes, Labor Journalist and Professor of Sociology
at Purdue.
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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