ANNOUNCEMENTS

• In case you missed the Media Reform Conference in Madison, Wis. in November, RealAudio and MP3 of speeches and workshops can be heard by clicking here!

THIS WEEK'S PROGRAM

• Critic Charges Bush Administration's
  "Language of Lying" Transformed
  "to an Orwellian Artform"
  For story text and audio, Click here!

• Washington Meddles in El Salvador's
  Recent Presidential Election
  For story text and audio, Click here!

• ACLU Challenges Government
  on "No-Fly" List that Targets
  Innocent Citizens
  For story text and audio, Click here!

• Underreported News Summary
  from Around the World
  For full summary and audio, Click here!

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As violence was exploding in Iraq, the nation turned its attention to the testimony of President Bush's National Security Advisor Condoleezza Rice before the commission investigating the Sept. 11 attacks. Under oath, Rice confirmed the existence of a classified Aug. 6, 2001 Presidential Daily Briefing which was titled, "Bin Laden Determined to Strike in the U.S." Although the national security advisor characterized the document as historical and not warning of specific threats from al Qaeda, later declassification of the briefing paper revealed intelligence indicating that al Qaeda was active in the U.S. and making preparations for the possible hijacking of airplanes.

Meanwhile, in escalating attacks on coalition forces in Iraq, insurgents battled U.S. troops in the city of Fallujah, where 600 Iraqi civilians and combatants are reported to have been killed. Armed militia groups loyal to Shiite cleric Moktada al-Sadr took over several cities after the U.S. sought the arrest of the young Muslim leader. Large numbers of American-trained Iraqi police and military have refused to fight, abandoned their posts or joined the forces challenging the U.S. occupation. In the past week alone, 70 U.S. soldiers have been killed, while insurgents have kidnapped dozens of foreign workers, including at least one American truck driver. In the face of growing instability in Iraq, U.S Middle East commander General John Abizaid has asked the Pentagon for 15,000 to 20,000 more troops.

Between The Lines' Scott Harris spoke with syndicated columnist Robert Scheer, who is a co-author of the book, "The Five Biggest Lies Bush Told us About Iraq." Scheer assesses the truthfulness of Condoleeza Rice's testimony before the 9-11 Commission and the current military situation confronting U.S. troops in Iraq.

Syndicated columnist Robert Scheer is co-author with Christopher Scheer and Lakshmi Choudrhy of the book, "The Five Biggest Lies Bush Told Us About Iraq," published by Seven Stories Press.

Related links:

• "Check the Facts Before Rushing to War," by Howard Zinn, by Newsday/Long Island, New York, April 14, 2004
• "Iraq: Exit Here By Democracy's Door," Steve Weissman, t r u t h o u t | Perspective, April 14, 2004
• "The Beginning of The End," Robert Scheer, www.alternet.org, April 6, 2004
• "Commission on 9/11 Criticizes Ashcroft," by Tabassum Zakaria, by Reuters, April 13, 2004
• "Condi's Cover-up Caves In," by David Corn, The Nation, April 13, 2004
• More links ...

Washington Meddles in El Salvador's
Recent Presidential Election

Interview with Burke Stansbury,
program director, Committee in Solidarity
with the People of El Salvador
conducted by Melinda Tuhus

Since the U.S.-supported war in El Salvador against a popular rebel movement led by the Farabundo Marti National Liberation Front, or FMLN, ended more than a decade ago, news about the Central American nation has all but disappeared from the U.S. media. But Washington's influence in El Salvador has remained strong. ARENA, the party that has ruled El Salvador since 1989, has been tied to many of the massacres that occurred during the war, as well as to the 1980 assassination of Salvadoran Archbishop Oscar Romero and four American churchwomen.

After the civil war ended, the FMLN transformed itself from a guerrilla army into a political party, and had recently won the largest number of seats in the national assembly. Many observers believed that the FMLN had a chance to capture the presidency in elections held March 21. But after the votes were counted, the ruling ARENA party had won by a margin of 57 to 36 percent.

Between The Lines' Melinda Tuhus spoke with Burke Stansbury, program director at CISPES, the Committee in Solidarity with the People of El Salvador. He explains how the FMLN lost momentum in the final days of the campaign and what an FMLN victory would have meant for El Salvador.

Contact CISPES by calling (212) 465-8115 or visit their website at www.cispes.org.

ACLU Challenges Government
on "No-Fly" List that Targets
Innocent Citizens

Interview with Catherine Kim,
American Civil Liberties Union attorney,
conducted by Scott Harris

Since the Sept. 11th terrorist attacks on New York City and Washington, D.C., the U.S. government has compiled a list of thousands of individuals suspected of involvement in terrorist activities. At U.S. airports large and small, this list maintained by the Transportation Security Administration or TSA, has been used to detain and prevent these individuals from boarding commercial airliners. But many innocent passengers with names similar or identical to the names on the "No-Fly" list have also been interrogated, searched and prevented from flying.

Now, the American Civil Liberties Union, representing seven U.S. citizens, has filed a class-action lawsuit challenging the regulations governing the "No-Fly" list. The ACLU is demanding that the TSA remove innocent passengers' names from the list so that these citizens can fly without being detained or harassed.

The airline passengers represented in the suit include a 36-year-old U.S. Air Force master sergeant, a 22-year-old Vermont college student and a 74-year-old minister from Washington state. Between The Lines' Scott Harris spoke with Catherine Kim an attorney with the American Civil Liberties Union's national legal department, who discusses details of the lawsuit, including the charge that some on the "No Fly" list may have had their names placed there due to their political activities.

Contact the ACLU by calling (212) 549-2500 or visit their website at: www.aclu.org where you can report incidents involving your own experiences dealing with the "No-Fly" list.

Related links:

• Center for Constitutional Rights

This week's summary
of under-reported news

Compiled by Bob Nixon

• Newly declassified documents show that China was a key player in the recently exposed Pakistani-sponsored black market for the development of nuclear weapons. ("China's Nuclear Ties," In These Times, April 12, 2004)
• The General Accounting Office reports that 60 percent of all U.S. corporations did not pay any federal taxes from 1996 to 2000. In 2003, corporate taxes accounted for only 7.4 percent of all tax receipts, an all-time low. ("How the President Gutted Offshore Contracting Provisions," Center for Public Integrity/The Public I Newsletter), February 2004)
• An expected 7.9 million people will turn off their television sets between April 19 to 24, during TV-Turnoff week, a 10-year-old annual celebration intended to steer adults and children into being more involved with screen-free activities. (tvturnoff.org)
  

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Credits:
Senior news editor: Bob Nixon
News writer: Genette Nowak
Program narration: Denise Manzari
News reader: Elaine Osowski
Segment producer: Melinda Tuhus
Distribution: Anna Manzo, Harry Minot, Jeff Yates
Senior Web editor/producer: Anna Manzo
Web producer: Jeff Yates
Newswire Editor: Hank Hoffman
Web editor: Bill Cosentino
Executive producer: Scott Harris
Theme music: Mikata

Last Week's Program

Between The Lines Week Ending 4/16/04

Bush Regime/Election 2004

"Anti-Bush Sentiment Busts Out All Over" Globe & Mail/Canada, Apr. 17, 2004

"Bush, Kerry And Empire," by Alexander Cockburn, Counterpunch, Apr. 16, 2004

"Moving Right: Kerry Says He's No 'Redistribution Democrat,'" Asia Times, April 10, 2004

"The Madness Of President George," by Lew Rockwell, LewRockwell.com, Apr. 16, 2004

"The Kerry Tribes: 7 Factions Vie For Control," by Michael Crowley, Slate, Apr. 15, 2004

"Bush Media Management Strategy Unraveling," by Barry Ritholtz, Blogging of the President 2004, Apr. 15, 2004

More newswire ...

American Empire/War Profiteering

"Endorsing The Sharon Plan: Bush Legitimizes Terrorism" by Robert Fisk, Counterpunch, Apr. 16, 2004

"Grim Future For Global Foreign Policies," by Piyush Mathur, Asia Times, Apr. 15, 2004

"Rise Of The Machines," by Conn Hallinan, Foreign Policy In Focus, Apr. 7, 2004

More newswire ...

"Postwar" Occupation of Iraq

Sunday Herald/UK, Apr. 18, 2004

"Revolts In Iraq Deepen Crisis In Occupation," Washington Post, Apr. 17, 2004

"U.S. Deaths From Enemy Fire At Highest Level Since Vietnam," Knight Ridder, Apr. 17, 2004

"Troops Tired Of Waiting On Falluja's Front Lines," Associated Press, Apr. 17, 2004

"Iraqi Forces Angry At Being Outgunned And Having To Fight Other Iraqis" Associated Press, Apr. 17, 2004

"Iraq: The Falluja Trap," by Sara Daniel, Le Nouvel Observateur, Apr. 15, 2004

"Iraqi 'Beaten To Death' By U.S. Troops," Agence France Presse, Apr. 14, 2004

"The Carnage According To General Kimmitt," by Virginia Tilley, Counterpunch. Apr. 14, 2004

"Islamic Group Demands Inquiry Into 'Gag' Photo," Marine Corps Times, Apr. 9, 2004

More newswire ...

Civil Liberties

"U.S. Agents Grill Bush Radio Man," Cape Argus/South Africa, Apr. 16, 2004

"Domestic Spy Agency: New Call, Old Worries," by Earl Ofari Hutchinson, Alternet, Apr. 16, 2004

More newswire ...

Media Issues

"NRA To Create News Company," Associated Press, Apr. 16, 2004

"CNN To Al Jazeera: Why Report Civilian Deaths?," FAIR, Apr. 15, 2004

More newswire ...

Activism

"U.S. Vets, Military Families March For End To Iraq War," Associated Press, April 14, 2004

"My First War Protest: The Perspective Of The Girl Photographed By Reuters," by Christine Brozyna, Common Dreams, April 13, 2004

"Vermont War Tax Resister Follows His Conscience," Brattleboro Reformer, April 12, 2004

More newswire ...