Kagan on the Supreme Court?

Friday, May 1, 2009, Institute for Public Accuracy

Kagan on the Supreme Court?

For background, see Washington Post: "Memo Lets CIA Take Detainees Out
of Iraq: Practice Is Called Serious Breach of Geneva Conventions"

Interviews Available

Solicitor General Elena Kagan is widely reported to be a leading contender for the Supreme Court position being vacated by David Souter.

FRANCIS BOYLE, fboyle@law.uiuc.edu
Professor of law at the University of Illinois, Boyle is author of "Tackling America's Toughest Questions." He said today: "As dean of the Harvard Law School, Kagan hired Bush's outgoing director of the Office of Legal Counsel, Jack Goldsmith, as a law professor. Goldsmith is regarded by myself and many others in the field as a war criminal. He wrote some of the memos that attempted to make violations of the Geneva Conventions appear legal. Kagan actually bragged about 'how proud' she was to have hired Goldsmith after one of his criminal Department of Justice memoranda was written up in the Washington Post.
"Then, during the course of her Senate confirmation hearings as Solicitor General, Kagan explicitly endorsed the Bush administration's bogus category of 'enemy combatant,' whose implementation has been a war crime in its own right. Now in her new job as U.S. Solicitor General, Kagan is quarterbacking the continuation of the Bush administration's illegal and unconstitutional positions in U.S. federal court litigation around the country, including in the U.S. Supreme Court."
Boyle is a former chair of the Harvard Law School Fund Campaign for Greater Illinois and a magna cum laude graduate of Harvard Law School.

Wanted Man Turns Himself in Through Project Clean Slate

TheSkannerNews on YouTube: Alex Campbell, facing a warrant for his arrest after years of gang-related activity, is moments away from turning himself in to Multnomah County Sheriffs deputies Friday, April 3, 2009, with the help of Project Clean Slate and its staff Roy Jay and Joe Nunn. His mother Betty Campbell and his girlfriend back him up as he faces the glare of television cameras -- after one of the stations, Fox News, named him the night before as an "armed and dangerous" criminal. Video by Lisa Loving

Sources on Swine Flu

Institute for Public Accuracy PM Wednesday, April 29, 2009

Swine Flu: Budgets and Immigration Status

Interviews Available

DAVID KATZ, DavidK@communicarehc.org
Katz is a family physician at CommuniCare Health Centers in Yolo County, California. He said today: "We have had decreased capacity in our clinics in dealing with something like swine flu because we've had county and state cutbacks over the last year. ...
"CommuniCare is a network of community health centers that cares for the underserved population of the county. I'm concerned about budgetary decisions being made in many counties in California that exclude undocumented county residents from the county-financed safety net health systems. County supervisors in Yolo County will hold a public hearing on May 5 in Woodland, California to solicit legally required citizen input on their proposed exclusion of Yolo County residents from the County YCHIP program on the basis of immigration status.
"When you have such initiatives, as we do in our county, you start shifting health care costs to hospital emergency rooms and hospitals. It is quite possible that these costs will overwhelm our community hospitals, resulting in one or more going out of business.
"I am concerned that separating out one segment of the California population from access to our health care system damages everyone. It's obviously bad for the undocumented who have to worry about paying inordinate amounts of money or not going in for care altogether. But it affects everyone else too. If undocumented parents don't get prompt treatment for infectious illnesses, they could pass along infections such as swine flu, TB or whooping cough to other county residents. In short, where health care is for the few, we find more health problems for all in the community."

Money for Haiti Charity Stolen

Interviews Available -- Will the G-20 Bicker as People Suffer?

Monday, March 30, 2009

"Globalization from Below"

Interviews Available

ARUN GUPTA, [in NYC] (347) 633-2246, ebrowniess@yahoo.com, http://www.indypendent.org
Gupta is editor of The Indypendent newspaper in New York City. He recently wrote the piece "The Great Unraveling." http://www.indypendent.org/2009/03/19/the-great-unraveling
Gupta said today: "A different reality awaits President Obama as he heads to Europe to meet with other leaders of the G-20. ... On Sunday, U.S. Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner called on all nations 'to affirm our commitment to maintain open policies toward international trade and investment and to avoid protectionist measures that could threaten recovery.' ... [But] U.S. economic policies are being labeled as protectionist by much of the world. ..."

JEREMY BRECHER, (860) 672-6046, (860) 672-6092, jeremy.brecher@gmail.com, http://laborstrategies.blogs.com
Co-founder of Global Labor Strategies, a resource center providing research and analysis on globalization, trade and labor issues, Brecher recently co-wrote the piece "Global Labor’s Forgotten Plan to Fight the Great Depression," which begins: "In the early 1930s, as global unemployment tripled in two years and the world plunged into the Great Depression, the world’s labor movements developed a program for fighting the global crisis through international public works. It's a little-known historical might-have-been that could have helped halt the Great Depression, the rise of Adolph Hitler, and the Second World War. And, as the efforts of world leaders to address today’s 'Great Recession' threaten to break down in nationalist rivalry and petty political bickering, it bears lessons -- and perhaps an alternative vision -- for today." http://laborstrategies.blogs.com/global_labor_strategies/2009/03/global-labors-forgotten-plan-to-fight-the-great-depression.html
Brecher also recently co-wrote "How to Pay for a Global Climate Deal." http://www.commondreams.org/view/2009/03/21-4
His books include "Globalization from Below" and "Strike!"

Very Juicy Story Opportunity: Iraq Refugees Resettling in Portland

THIS WAS FORWARDED FROM KBOO PM NEWS DIRECTOR JENKA SODERBERG:

Dear all:
I (Zahra Alkabi) have been informed from the

Catholic Charities that we will have some Iraqi

refugees in Portland at the end of this month and

the beginning of Aug 2008. They do need a place

to stay at least for the first 3 months and they do

need your hospitality and your welcoming attitude.

I know we will have 1 single woman, 2 or 3

single men so each one of them need a room with

a family or individuals. We will be able to pay

$250 per month for each person. We will also have

a big family of 9 persons and they do need a house

to stay in. If you have a house or know a private

owner that owns houses you may contact this

person and let me know how much should we pay

for the rent.
Iraqi refugees need your help and your kindness.

It's a good opportunity to know about Iraqis

and Iraqi culture for most of you. I have been

telling stories of many Iraqi families who live as

refugees in Jordan, Syria, Lebanon and Egypt.

NOW it's the time to help and contribute to

those who come to Portland seeking a stable life

and security. They need your help, they deserve

your help. Please help them.
If you have any question or concerns please feel

free to contact me direct either by email or by phone.
Thanks a lot for your cooperation and kind ,

every thing you offer is highly appreciated
PS: we just started the Iraqi - Portland solidarity

community if you want to be part of this

community you can contact us , welcoming Iraqi

refugees in Portland is the first action that

shows our solidarity.

Yours in the struggle for peace, Zahra AlKabi
Director and Founder www.saverefugees.org
Help Iraqi Refugees 503-422-7321

Story Assignment: Stagflation -- The Military Drain

Institute for Public Accuracy

Wednesday, July 16, 2008

* Stagflation * The Military Drain

Interviews Available

DOUG HENWOOD, dhenwood@panix.com,
Henwood is author of the book "Wall Street" and editor of Left
Business Observer. He said today: "The U.S. economy continues to be
dominated by the contradictory forces of stagnation and inflation -- a
reincarnation of that 1970s monster, stagflation. This morning we
learned that inflation is running at a 5 percent annual rate. But just
yesterday, the president took the unusual step of reminding the public
that bank deposits are insured up to $100,000, a bit of reassurance made necessary by the sight of depositors lining up to withdraw money from a failing bank, IndyMac. All this is the culmination of some very serious long-term problems -- the chronic trade deficit, the polarization of rich and poor, the use of debt to compensate for falling incomes. It always looked unsustainable, but somehow we managed to get by with a
short-term fix or a new bubble. But now it's looking like the Bank for
International Settlements, the central bankers' club, had it right when
they said recently that 'the unsustainable has run its course.'"

ERIK LEAVER, erik@ips-dc.org,
Leaver is a research fellow at the Institute for Policy Studies. He
said today: "Too little attention is being paid to one of the largest
drains on the economy. The Iraq war is costing $12 billion a month.
These funds could be put to use back here at home.
"Part of McCain�s plan to balance the budget includes a military
draw-down in Iraq. But he's planning on increasing the size of the
military, as is Obama. Both candidates are also discussing plans to
send tens of thousands more troops to Afghanistan. So neither candidate is
talking about relieving the largest drain on the economy -- the
enormous military costs."