Home > Programs
> Democracy
Now! > Mon., Oct 9, 2006
Democracy Now!
ATTN: ALL STATIONS
From: Democracy Now!
Re: Rundown 10-9-06
PRSS Channel: A67.7
The Start of An Asian Nuclear Arms Race? North Korea Tests
First Nuclear Weapon
Anna Politkovskaya, Prominent Russian Journalist, Putin Critic
and Human Rights Activist, Murdered in Moscow
Police Shoot Protesters With Tasers at Pittsburgh Demo Against
Jeb Bush & Sen. Rick Santorum
The Start of An Asian Nuclear Arms Race? North Korea
Tests First Nuclear Weapon
North Korea says it has carried out its first-ever test
of a nuclear weapon, sparking a wave of condemnation from
the international community. We talk to independent journalist
Tim Shorrock, who has covered U.S.-Korean relations for over
20 years. [includes rush
transcript]
The apparent test was conducted at 10:36 a.m on Monday morning.
A senior U.S. official said China was given a 20-minute warning
ahead of the test and in turn told the United States, Japan
and South Korea about getting the advance notice. The US Geological
Survey said it detected a tremor of 4.2 magnitude on the Korean
Peninsula.
Minutes later, North Korea’s official Korean Central
News Agency declared the underground test a triumph and had
not resulted in any leak of radiation. The agency called it
"a historical event that has brought our military and
our people huge joy."
The move drew strong international condemnation. The U.S.
said the reported test was a "provocative act."
China expressed its "resolute opposition" to the
test and said it "defied the universal opposition of
international society." Japan’s Prime Minister
Shinzo Abe called the claimed test "unpardonable"
and said the region was "entering a new, dangerous nuclear
age". South Korea’s military ordered the army to
step up a state of alert.
The U.N. Security Council urged North Korea last week not
to carry out a test, warning of unspecified consequences if
it did. Pyongyang pulled out of the nuclear Non-Proliferation
Treaty in 2003 and has refused for a year to attend talks
aimed at ending its nuclear ambitions.
Today’s test appeared linked to the ninth anniversary
of North Korean leader Kim Jong Il’s appointment as
head of the Korean Workers" Party. And it came just one
day before South Korean Foreign Minister Ban Ki Moon will
face a vote on his bid to become the next secretary general
of the United Nations.
- Tim Shorrock, independent journalist who has covered
U.S.-Korean relations for over 20 years. His reports have
appeared in The Nation, Mother Jones and Harpers.
Anna Politkovskaya, Prominent Russian Journalist,
Putin Critic and Human Rights Activist, Murdered in Moscow
On Saturday, Russian journalist Anna Politkovskaya was shot
dead at her apartment in Moscow. Anna was a correspondent
for the Novaya Gazeta newspaper and was an outspoken critic
of the Kremlin and its policies in Chechnya. Her reporting
on the second Chechen war, torture, mass executions and kidnappings
by Russian soldiers made her into one of the country’s
most prominent human rights advocates.
Anna was the author of the book, “A Small Corner of
Hell: Dispatches from Chechnya." Her latest book, “Putin’s
Russia,” was a fierce indictment of Russia’s corrupt
politics and had just been published in the U.S. Anna also
acted as a negotiator with Chechen rebels who laid siege to
a Moscow theatre in 2002. Here she is speaking at the time.
In the days before her death, Anna Politkovskaya had been
working on a story about torture in the government of Ramzan
Kadyrov, the Pro-Kremlin premier of Chechnya. The article
was expected to be published today. This is fellow journalist
Vyacheslav Izmailov speaking about Anna yesterday.
The Committee to Protect journalists says that since 2000,
twelve journalists in Russia have been killed in contract-style
murders.
Katrina vanden Heuvel joins me now -- she is the editor of
the Nation Magazine and a longtime analyst of U.S.-Russian
relations.
And we’re also joined by investigative journalist Richard
Behar. He is the director of Project Klebnikov – a global
media network dedicated to investigating the 2004 murder of
Paul Klebnikov - who was the editor-in-chief of the Russian
edition of Forbes magazine.
- Katrina vanden Heuvel, editor and publisher of The
Nation and longtime analyst on U.S.-Russian relations.
- Richard Behar, Investigative journalist who spent nine
years with Fortune magazine and before that was a reporter
for Time and Forbes Magazine. He is the director of Project
Klebnikov.
Police Shoot Protesters With Tasers at Pittsburgh
Demo Against Jeb Bush & Sen. Rick Santorum
Florida governor Jeb Bush was confronted by protesters on
the streets of Pittsburgh on Friday. Police responded by ushering
Bush into a closet and tasering two of the protesters. The
Florida governor was in Pittsburgh to attend a fundraiser
for Pennsylvania Senator Rick Santorum. [includes rush
transcript]
A crowd of demonstrators made up of United Steelworkers and
members of Uprise Counter Recruitment were there to greet
him.
They followed Governor Bush as he was making his way to the
Duquesne Club in Downtown Pittsburgh. He was accompanied by
a security guard and an aide. As the protesters came closer,
Bush retreated toward a nearby subway station. The crowd followed
him inside chanting "We don’t want you here"
and "Jeb, go home."
Port Authority spokesman Bob Grove told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
that six or seven officers responded to the scene. He said
the crowd was asked repeatedly to disperse. Two officers used
their tasers on two of the protesters. The police ushered
Jeb Bush into a supply closet where he stayed until the crowd
left. No arrests were made and no citations issued.
- Jon Vandenburgh, a researcher for the United Steelworkers
who was at the protest.
- Protester, one of the two protesters who was shot with
a Taser. He has asked not to be identified.
- Al Neri, editor of "The
Insider" a bi-weekly newsletter on Pennsylvania
politics.
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.
|
Listen
to the show
Help
whole
show
