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Hungry for more news from "Between The Lines?"

Many BTL interviews are excerpted from Scott Harris' WPKN program, "Counterpoint." To hear more in-depth analysis you'll rarely hear in corporate media, listen to "Counterpoint" LIVE Monday nights from 8 to 10 p.m. ET.

Listen during the above time slot by clicking here!

Check out our
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WPKN Radio mentioned in Danny Schechter's "The News Dissector" column on independent media values. Click here to view the column on Mediachannel.org.

New Haven Advocate's
"Best of New Haven 2001"
-- Staff Picks --
Scott Harris, Best Radio News Reporter
WPKN Radio, 89.5 FM

"Giving Voice to Dissent: Bridgeport's WPKN Radio Covers The News With Left-Of-Center Takes Not Found In The Mainstream Media" Hartford Courant, Feb. 26, 2003

"The Rest of the News," New Haven Advocate, July 3, 2003


ISSUES IN-DEPTH

War And Profiteering

Those Who Dared to Come Forward
Compilation of Washington insiders speaking out on Bush administration policies and actions

Project for the New American Century's Letter to President Clinton on Iraq, Jan. 26, 1998 Urges President Clinton to remove the threat that Iraq poses by stating a strategy to do so in his "upcoming State of the Union Address."

"Iraq On The Record," U.S. Rep. Henry Waxman report, March 16, 2004

"Greenspan Testimony Highlights Bush Plan for Deliberate Federal Bankruptcy," by Michael Meurer, truthout.org, March 2, 2004

"Noam Chomsky on Middle East Conflict and U.S. War Plan Against Iraq," Between The Lines interview with Noam Chomsky, conducted by Scott Harris, for the Week Ending May 3, 2002

"The Iraq War & The Bush Administration's Pursuit of Global Domination," Counterpoint, Sept. 15, 2003

The Iraq Crisis, a Global Policy Forum, U.N. Security Council section on the 13 years of sanctions and other background of the war, the humanitarian situation, the importance of Iraq's huge oil resources, and disputes over a post-war government and reconstruction plan

"Occupation, Inc." Southern Exposure, Winter, 2003/2004

"Pipeline Politics: Oil, The Taliban, and the Political Balance of Central Asia," World Press Review Special Report, Nov.-Dec. 2001

"War Profiteering," by The Nation editors, April 24, 2003

"An Annotated Saddam Chronology," ZNet, Dec. 15, 2003

Civil Liberties

"The Global Gulag: Into The Shadows," by Tom Engelhardt, TomDispatch.com, April 5, 2004

"Keeping Secrets: The Bush administration is doing the public's business out of the public eye. Here's how--and why," by Christopher H. Schmitt and Edward T. Pound, U.S. News & World Report, Dec. 12, 2003

"FBI Memo: Tactics Used During Protests And Demonstrations" Federal Bureau of Investigation, Oct. 15, 2003

"F.B.I. Scrutinizes Antiwar Rallies" by Eric Lichtblau, New York Times, Nov. 23, 2003

"Fascism Anyone?" 14 Signs of Fascism, Free Inquiry Magazine, Volume 23, No. 2

"Germany In 1933: The Easy Slide Into Fascism," The Crisis Papers, June 9, 2003

Multi-Ethnic Issues Advocacy

Dr. Earl Ofari Hutchinson's Commentaries, The Hutchinson Report
and in Audio (needs RealPlayer)

Between
The Lines

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Between The Lines
For The Week Ending Aug. 12, 2005

THIS WEEK'S PROGRAM
  • Hardball White House Tactics
    Win Passage of Central America
    Free Trade Agreement

    For story text and audio, Click here!

  • Congress Approves Energy Bill
    with Billions of Dollars
    in Subsidies and Deregulation
    for Energy Industry

    For story text and audio, Click here!

  • Split in AFL-CIO Could Spur New Organizing
    But Dissidents Fail to Address Fundamental Flaws

    For story text and audio, Click here!

  • Underreported News Summary
    from Around the World

    For full summary and audio, Click here!
LISTEN to this week's half-hour program of Between The Lines by clicking on one of the links below. MP3 files available until Aug. 16, 2005.

This week we present Between The Lines' summary of under-reported news stories and:

Hardball White House Tactics
Win Passage of Central America
Free Trade Agreement

Interview with John Cavanaugh,
director of The Institute for Policy Studies,
conducted by Scott Harris

bushcafta

President George W. Bush acknowledges the applause of legislators and administration officials Tuesday, Aug. 2 in the East room of the White House, as he signs the CAFTA Implementation Act. (White House photo by Paul Morse)

By the narrowest of margins, the U.S. House of Representatives passed the Central American Free Trade Agreement in the early hours of July 28. The hard-fought battle saw last minute shifts among many legislators whose votes were sought by an aggressive White House wielding threats and rewards. The victory was secured after Republicans extended the usual 15 minutes of voting time to over an hour for the purpose of pressuring wavering representatives. In the end, 15 Democrats supported CAFTA, while 27 Republicans bucked their party by opposing the trade treaty.

The controversial Central America Free Trade Agreement or CAFTA, will eliminate trade barriers between the U.S., Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua. Critics fear that like the North American Free Trade Agreement, or NAFTA, that came into force in 1994, CAFTA will accelerate the loss of U.S. jobs, devastate small farmers and encourage the proliferation of sweatshops. Over the last decade, NAFTA has been blamed for the loss of one million American jobs and 1.5 million Mexican farmers being driven off their land.

Between The Lines' Scott Harris spoke with John Cavanaugh, director of the Institute for Policy Studies. He takes a critical look at congressional passage of the Central America Free Trade Agreement and what it may mean for workers on both sides of the border.

Contact the Institute for Policy Studies by calling (202) 234-9382 or visit their website at www.ips-dc.org.

Related stories:

Congress Approves Energy Bill
with Billions of Dollars
in Subsidies and Deregulation
for Energy Industry

Interview with Tyson Slocum,
of the Public Citizen's Energy Program,
conducted by Melinda Tuhus

oil


An oil platform in the Gulf of Mexico. The US Senate passed a mammoth energy bill packed with billions of dollars in industry subsidies, as critics claimed the measure did little to wean gas-guzzling consumers off imported oil. (Courtesy Kerr-Mcgee Corporation/AFP/HO/File)

An industry-friendly energy bill was one of the first pieces of legislation put forward by the Bush administration shortly after taking office in early 2001. But the legislation was mired in controversy as lawsuits by conservative and liberal groups sought access to information about secret meetings to formulate the measure Vice President Dick Cheney had held with executives from the energy industry such as Enron. Every year for the past four years, Congress adjourned without passing energy legislation. But, just before heading home for this year's August recess, the House and Senate reconciled different versions of the energy bill each chamber had passed in the spring.

Opening Alaska's Arctic National Wildlife Refuge or ANWR to oil drilling was not included in the final version of this energy bill, but the Senate had provided such authorization in an unrelated budget measure. Drilling for oil in the Arctic, that would at most cover six months of U.S. consumption, is still on the table. The energy bill gives billions of dollars in subsidies to profitable industries and deregulates the energy industry by repealing one of the strongest consumer and investor protection laws, the Public Utility Holding Company Act.

Between The Lines' Melinda Tuhus spoke with Tyson Slocum, research director with Public Citizen's Energy Program, a consumer advocacy group in Washington, D.C. He assesses the bill and what he views as the measure's few positive provisions along with its many negative aspects.

Contact Public Citizen's Energy Program at (202) 588-1000 or visit their website at www.citizen.org

Split in AFL-CIO Could Spur New Organizing
But Dissidents Fail to Address Fundamental Flaws

Interview with Stanley Aronowitz,
professor of sociology and author
conducted by Scott Harris

Just before July's AFL-CIO national convention got underway in Chicago, Andy Stern, president of the Service Employees International Union declared that both the SEIU and Teamsters union are leaving the nation's primary union federation. The announcement came after 2 years of warnings from Stern and several other union presidents that a split was inevitable unless the AFL-CIO devoted more resources to organizing and undertook other major reforms.

The Federation's President John Sweeney, who was a mentor to Stern when both men were at the SEIU, charged that the split was motivated by a power grab rather than substantive divisions over policy. Sweeney warned that the split will undermine labor solidarity when it is needed most to combat the anti-union policies of President Bush and the GOP- controlled Congress.

Stern, founder of the new Change to Win labor coalition, insists that dramatic restructuring is necessary if unions are to reverse decades of membership losses. Two other large unions may join the SEIU and Teamsters in bolting the AFL-CIO, which could reduce the federation's 13 million members by up to 5 million. Between The Lines' Scott Harris spoke with Stanley Aronowitz, professor of Sociology at the City University of New York and author of more than 20 books on labor and economic issues. Aronowitz examines the possible consequences of the split within the AFL-CIO and the future of the American labor movement.

Visit Stanley Aronowitz's website at www.stanleyaronowitz.org

Read professor Aronowitz's article, "On the Future of America Labor" originally published by Working USA, Spring 2005.

This week's summary
of under-reported news

Compiled by Bob Nixon

  • U.S. activists complain that the U.S. Congress has failed to provide effective action to stop the bloodshed in Darfur region of Sudan since it passed a resolution stating that genocide was being committed there. ("One year after declaring genocide, U.S. Congress still yet to act," Oneworld.net, July 25, 2005; "New Clashes Break Out in Darfur," BBC News, July 25, 2005; "Sudanese VP, former Rebel Leader Garand killed in Helecopter Crash," AFP, Aug. 1, 2005)
  • Amnesty International has declared that the Rev. Gerard Jean-Juste, a supporter of former Haitian President Jean-Bertrand Aristide, is a prisoner of conscience being arbitrarily held for the murder of conservative anti-Aristide journalist Jacques Roche. Father Jean-Juste was out of the country when the murder occurred. ("Haitian Journalist Kidnapped, Tortured, Killed," Reuters, July 15, 2005)
  • Environmentalists and local residents are worried that plans for a uranium processing plant being built in Hobbs, N.M. is the very technology that terrorists seek.("Dangerous Liaisons," Sierra, May/June 2005)

DOWNLOAD this week's half-hour program of Between The Lines by clicking on one of the links below. Needs Quicktime Player or your favorite MP3 player. Note: Make sure your browser is set for streaming or download depending on your connection speed. MP3 files available until Aug. 16, 2005

Note to our broadcast affiliates: We offer FTP and RSS access for faster, more reliable download of our broadcast quality files. Please call Anna Manzo at (203) 268-8446 ext. 2, to register for FTP logon access, obtain schedules or send feedback to us at betweenthelines@snet.net.

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


Between The Lines
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U.S. Politics

"Poll Lays Bare American Foreign Policy Fears," Agence France-Presse, Aug. 3, 2005

"The National Condition in Context: The Nature of the American Character," CommonDreams.org, Aug. 3, 2005

More newswire ...

Bush Regime

"An 800-Pound Gorilla Goes to the U.N.: John Bolton's New Internationalism" CommonDreams.org, Aug. 3, 2005

"2 Aides to Rove Testify in CIA Leak Inquiry," The New York Times, Aug. 3, 2005

"Novak Recycles Gannon on 'Plame-Gate'," By Robert Parry, Consortiumn News, Aug. 2, 2005

"None Dare Call It Stolen - Ohio, the Election, and America's Servile Press," by Mark Crispin Miller, The Columbus Free Press, July 24, 2005

"The Stakes In Roberts' Nomination: If You Like The PATRIOT Act And Gitmo; You'll Love Roberts," by Bruce Shapiro, The Nation, July 20, 2005

"Straight Corporate: Business As Usual With Judge Roberts," by Alexander Cockburn and Jeffrey St. Clair, Counterpunch, July 20, 2005

"George W. Strangelove And The Triumph Of Nuclear Faith," by Norman Solomon, Antiwar.com, July 20, 2005

"Another Activist Judge," by John Nichols, The Nation, July 20, 2005

"The John Roberts Dossier," by Katharine Mieszkowski, Salon.com, July 20, 2005

More newswire ...

American Empire/War Profiteering

"Before the War, CIA Reportedly Trained a Team of Iraqis to Aid US," The Washington Post, Aug. 3, 2005

"Iran Is Judged 10 Years from Nuclear Bomb," The Washington Post, Aug. 2, 2005

"A Non-Debate over India-US Nuclear Deal," t r u t h o u t | Perspective, Aug. 2, 2005

"Oil-Control Formula," by Robert Dreyfuss, TomPaine.com, July 18, 2005

More newswire ...

"Postwar" Occupation of Iraq, Afghanistan

"Special Briefing | Jihad: Who's Joining, and Why?," The Christian Science Monitor, Aug. 3, 2005

"Fourteen Marines Killed in Bombing," CNN, Aug. 3, 2005

"Draft Iraqi Charter Backs Islamic Law; Could Curb Women's Rights," The New York Times, July 20, 2005

"Iraq Conflict Claims 34 Lives Each Day As 'Anarchy' Beckons," Independent/UK, July 20, 2005

"Murder Of Sunnis Deals Blow To Hopes Of Early Iraqi constitution," Daily Star/Lebanon, July 20, 2005

"25,000 Civilians Killed Since Iraq Invasion, Says Report," Guardian/UK, July 19, 2005

"Iraq's Top Shia Cleric Warns Of 'Genocidal War,'" Independent/UK, July 19, 2005

"Did Washington Try To Manipulate Iraq's Election?," by Seymour Hersh, The New Yorker, July 18, 2005

"Iraq's War On Women," by by Lesley Abdela, OpenDemocracy.net, July 18, 2005

"How Iraq War Compares To Vietnam Conflict," Sacramento Bee, July 18, 2005

More newswire ...

Civil Liberties/ Human Rights

"Bush Defies Military, Congress on Torture," By Marjorie Cohn, t r u t h o u t | Perspective, Aug. 1, 2005

"Documents Tell of Brutal Improvisation by GIs," The Washington Post, Aug. 3, 2005

"FBI Targets Bush Critics," by William Fisher, Antiwar.com, July 20, 2005

"Orwell Meets Kafka," by Robert Kuttner, Boston Globe, July 20, 2005

"Judge Dread: John Roberts And Enemy Combatants," by Chris Floyd, Counterpunch, July 20, 2005

"U.S. A Battlefield, Solicitor General Tells Judges; Argues Bush May Detain 'Enemy Combatants' Indefinitely," Washington Post, July 20, 2005

"FBI Keeping Lengthy Files On Groups Opposed To Bush's Policies," OneWorld.net, July 19, 2005

"Large Volume Of FBI Files Alarms U.S. Activist Groups," The New York Times, July 18, 2005

"Anti-Bush Protester Sues Houston Cops," Associated Press, July 15, 2005

"California National Guard Story Grows Stranger," by Matthew Rothschild, The Progressive, July 7, 2005

More newswire ...

Media Issues

"Media Flagstones Along a Path to War on Iran," by Norman Solomon, CommonDreams.org, Aug. 3, 2005

"Justice Department Opposes Federal Shield Law For Reporters," by Howard Kurtz, Washington Post, July 20, 2005

"American Mullahs And The Cult Of Fear: Network News As Counter-Reality," by Steven Laffoley, Common Dreams, July 19, 2005

"Danner Vs. Kinsley On The Memo And The War," by Tom Engelhardt, Michael Kinsley & Mark Danner, TomDispatch.com, July 19, 2005

"Whe Few Graphic Images From Iraq Make It Into U.S. Papers," by Barabara Bedway, Editor & Publisher, July 18, 2005

"How Comcast Censors Political Content," by David Swanson, AfterDowningStreet.org, July 16, 2005

More newswire ...

Activism

"100 Years Of The Wobblies: Power To The Pictures," by David Moberg, In These Times, July 19, 2005

"September 24-26: A Weekend To Stop The War," by Ron Jacobs, Counterpunch, July 18, 2005

"Debating Labor's Future," by Janice Fine, The Nation, July 14, 2005

More newswire ...

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