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Seymour Hersh: Bush Administration Planning Possible Major
Air Attack on Iran
French Student Leaders Hail 'Historic Victory' After Mass
Protests Force Government to Abandon Controversial Youth Job
Law
Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi Refuses to Concede
Defeat Despite Official Election Results
Investigative Reporter Greg Palast: U.S. Energy Dept. Concludes
Venezuela Could Have Biggest Oil Reserves in OPEC
Seymour Hersh: Bush Administration Planning Possible
Major Air Attack on Iran
We speak with Pulitzer Prize winning journalist Seymour
Hersh about his latest article in the New Yorker that the
Bush administration has increased clandestine activities inside
Iran and intensified planning for a possible major air attack.
[includes rush
transcript]
We are joined today by Pulitzer Prize winning journalist
Seymour Hersh. In the latest issue of the New Yorker, Hersh
reports that the Bush administration has increased clandestine
activities inside Iran and intensified planning for a possible
major air attack. Sources told Hersh that Air Force planning
groups are drawing up lists of targets, and teams of American
combat troops have been ordered into Iran, under cover, to
collect targeting data and to establish contact with anti-government
ethnic-minority groups.
One of the military's initial option plans calls for the
use of a bunker-buster tactical nuclear weapon against suspected
underground nuclear sites.
On Monday, President Bush dismissed Hersh's article saying,
"What you're reading is wild speculation." Meanwhile,
Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld refused to comment on possible
plans for military action against Iran at a press conference
on Tuesday. Rumsfeld told reporters, "We have, I don't
know how many, various contingency plans in this department
and the last thing I am going to start telling you, or anyone
else in the press or the world, at what point we refresh a
plan or don't refresh a plan, and why. It just isn't useful,"
Meanwhile Iran is moving forward on its nuclear program.
On Tuesday Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad announced
that the country had succeeded for the first time in enriching
uranium on a small scale. The Iranian president insisted that
the country's nuclear program is for peaceful means and not
to build nuclear weapons.
French Student Leaders Hail 'Historic Victory' After
Mass Protests Force Government to Abandon Controversial Youth
Job Law
In France, mass student protests and labor strikes have
forced the French government to abandon a controversial new
law that would have made it easier for companies to fire young
workers. We speak with University of Paris professor, Gilbert
Achcar. [includes rush
transcript]
In France, mass student protests and labor strikes have
forced the French government to abandon a controversial new
law that would have made it easier for companies to fire young
workers. Over the past two months, millions of students and
union activists filled the streets of France's major cities
in some of the largest protests since the 1968 student uprising.
Students forced the closure of more than half of the nation's
universities including the Sorbonne which the police raided
following a student sit-in.
The protests began on February 7th when students stormed
the Rennes University and shut down the school.
Student leaders are hailing this as a "historic victory"
but they are also pressing for greater reforms. On Tuesday,
thousands continued to protest in many cities including Paris,
Toulouse and Nantes. At least five schools remain closed because
of student blockades.
Politically, analysts say Prime Minister Dominique de Villepin
has suffered most by the protests. His approval rating is
now below 30 percent.
- Gilbert Achcar, professor at the University of Paris
and a frequent contributor to Le Monde Diplomatique.
Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi Refuses
to Concede Defeat Despite Official Election Results
In Italy, opposition leader Romano Prodi has been declared
the official winner in the country's elections, defeating
Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi in one of Italy's closest
races ever. Berlusconi is now refusing to admit he lost the
race and is calling for a recount of thousands of disputed
ballots. [includes rush
transcript]
In Italy, opposition leader Romano Prodi has been declared
the official winner in the country's elections, defeating
Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi in one of Italy's closest
races ever.
According to the official count, Prodi's coalition won 158
Senate seats to Berlusconi's 156.
Berlusconi lost even though he holds tremendous control over
what Italians see and hear. Besides being Italy's sitting
Prime Minister, the billionaire owns three of Italy's national
TV stations, the largest publishing house and the largest
advertising agency. He also owns the AC Milan soccer team
and is considered to be Italy's wealthiest person.
Politically, Berlusconi has been a close ally of Bush and
a supporter of the U.S.-led invasion and occupation of Iraq.
Berlusconi is now refusing to admit he lost the election
to Romano Prodi. He is calling for a recount of thousands
of disputed ballots. Berlusconi lost by just 25,000 votes
making this the closest Italian race in living memory. Meanwhile,
Prodi has announced plans to move ahead in forming a new government
and has rejected Berlusconi's call to form a German-style
grand coalition.
- Gilbert Achcar, professor at the University of Paris
and a frequent contributor to Le Monde Diplomatique. He
joins us on the line from Rome.
Investigative Reporter Greg Palast: U.S. Energy Dept.
Concludes Venezuela Could Have Biggest Oil Reserves in OPEC
In an interview with BBC investigative reporter Greg Palast,
Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez said he would ask the Organization
of Petroleum Exporting Countries to set the long-term price
of oil at $50 a barrel. Palast reports that analysis by the
US Department of Energy shows that Venezuela - not Saudi Arabia
- could have the biggest oil reserves in the OPEC. [includes
rush
transcript]
In Venezuela, the country is commemorating the fourth anniversary
of a failed coup to overthrow democratically elected president
Hugo Chavez.
On April 11, 2002 Chavez was removed from power by a coalition
of military officials and business leaders but returned to
office two days later.
At a ceremony in Caracas Tuesday, Venezuelan Vice President
Jose Vicente Rangel unveiled a memorial to remember the victims
of violence during the days of the coup.
He reiterated accusations that the U.S. Embassy was deeply
involved in the attempted overthrow. Rangel said the coup
was "carried out by the U.S. Embassy and by imperialism
in Venezuela."
Washington has denied any involvement. But over the years,
millions of dollars in U.S. government money has been given
to Venezuelan opposition groups under the auspices of the
National Endowment for Democracy - a private agency funded
entirely by the U.S. government.
In a renewed sign of bad relations, Chavez is threatening
to expel U.S. Ambassador William Brownfield. Chavez accused
him of meddling in Venezuela's internal affairs and of trying
to provoke a protest on Sunday when he traveled to a poor
neighborhood with a large armed security detail. Chavez supporters
pelted the ambassador's car with tomatoes and eggs during
the visit.
Meanwhile, Chavez is due to host an OPEC summit on June 1st
in Caracas. Venezuela is the only Latin American member of
the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries. BBC Investigative
reporter Greg Palast traveled to Venezuela recently where
he interviewed President Chavez. He filed this report
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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