Obama's War: Thousands of Marines Battle in Helmand in Major U.S. Offensive

In Afghanistan, a powerful truck bomb killed at least 25 people today, including up to 16 schoolchildren, in a province just south of Kabul. The latest bloodshed coincided with a major American military offensive in Helmand province in the south. US forces last week launched what’s being described as the largest Marine offensive since the Vietnam War. Some 4,000 Marines and hundreds of Afghan troops are targeting areas in the Helmand River Valley to wrest it from Taliban control. We go to Kabul to speak with Wall Street Journal journalist, Anand Gopal.

Stella D'Oro Workers End 11-Month Strike After NLRB Victory, But Owner Threatens to Close Factory

More than than 130 workers at the Stella D’Oro Biscuit Company in the Bronx have ended an 11-month strike. The employees walked off the job last August after company officials tried to force them to accept a 20% pay cut, elimination of sick days and overtime and other cutbacks. The workers returned to their jobs a week after the National Labor Relations Board ordered the company to reinstate and pay back wages to the striking workers. The company's owner – the Connecticut-based private equity fund Brynwood Partners - is now threatening to close the factory within 90 days.[includes rush transcript]

Report From Urumqi: Thousands of Chinese Troops Enter City Torn by Ethnic Clashes

Thousands of Chinese troops have flooded into the regional capital of the country's western-most Xinjiang province following bloody clashes between the city's Han Chinese and Uighur populations. Four days after the violence that left at least 150 dead and over a thousand injured, reports indicate an unsteady calm has returned to the city of Urumqi. We go to Urumqi to speak with Al Jazeera English correspondent Melissa Chan.[includes rush transcript]

In Rare U.S. Broadcast, Ousted Honduran President Manuel Zelaya Discusses Coup, Costa Rica Talks, U.S. Role and More

Talks between the ousted Honduran President Manuel Zelaya and the leaders of last week's military coup begin today in Costa Rica. Shortly before leaving Washington DC for Costa Rica, Zelaya sat down with us for a rare U.S. television interview. He discusses how military coup forces forced him out, the upcoming talks in Costa Rica, his domestic policies in Honduras, the role of the United States and more.[includes rush transcript]

Headlines for July 9, 2009

U.S. Drones Kill 45 in Pakistan, 50 Killed in Iraq Bombings, 25 Die in Afghan Bombings, Mullen Foresees "Long Relationship" With Afghanistan, U.S. Awards Lucrative 5-Year Military Contracts in Afghanistan, G8 Fails to Agree on Emissions Cuts, Greenpeace Activists Hang Banner on Mt. Rushmore, Zelaya Calls for Coup Regime's Departure, Honduran Coup Foreign Minister Calls Obama "Little Black Man", Chinese Troops Threaten Uighurs in Xinjiang, Panetta Admits CIA Has "Misled" Congress, Obama Threatens Intelligence Bill Veto to Prevent Widening Briefings, Massachusetts Challenges Federal Gay Marriage Ban, Whistleblower Calls Firing Political Retaliation, 2 Black Prisoners Jailed Under Torture-Linked Chicago Police Commander Freed, Charges Dropped Against 4 Members of "San Francisco 8"

Fmr. Congressmember Cynthia McKinney Back in U.S. After Being Detained and Deported from Israel

Former Congressmember Cynthia McKinney arrived back in the United States Tuesday following her deportation from Israel. McKinney was one of 21 activists seized by the Israeli military in international waters last week as they tried to deliver humanitarian aid to Gaza. We speak with McKiney and with filmmaker Adam Shapiro who was detained and deported as well.[includes rush transcript]

Declassified Docs Implicate Indonesian President Yudhoyono in Coverup of 2002 Murders of American Teachers in West Papua

In Indonesia, exit polls show incumbent president Yudhoyono, has a clear lead in the country's second direct presidential election since the fall of the Suharto dictatorship over a decade ago. Newly declassified documents implicate Yudhoyono in the cover-up of the Indonesian military's role in the 2002 murders of two Americans and an Indonesian in West Papua. We speak a Papuan human rights activist who worked with the Indonesian police and FBI to investigate the murders. She now lives in exile in Australia and in a Democracy Now! exclusive is speaking out on the investigations for the first time. We also speak with cultural anthropologist, Eben Kirksey, and with John Miller of the East Timor and Indonesia Action Network.

World Leaders, Protesters Gather in Italy for G-8; Global Financial Crisis & Climate Change Top Agenda

President Obama arrived in Italy from Moscow this morning where leaders from eight of the world's richest nations are gathering in the town of L'Aquila, for the annual Group of Eight summit. The three-day meeting is expected see high-level talks on the global economic crisis, climate change, food security and Iran. Protesters are also gathering for the G-8. We speak with Loretta Napoleoni, author of "Rogue Economics: Capitalism’s New Reality." [includes rush transcript]

Headlines for July 8, 2009

Costa Rica to Broker Talks Between Ousted Honduran President and Coup Regime, Thousands of Chinese Forces Enter Restive City, 36 Arrested at G8 Protest, Gitmo Prisoners Could Remain Incarcerated Even If Found Innocent, Admin Officials Give Diverging Stance on Admissibility of Coerced Testimony, Obama Rejects Biden Comments on Backing Israeli Attack, Nobel Laureates Call for Release of Iranian Prisoners, Ahmadinejad Hails Iranian Elections, Franken Joins U.S. Senate, Co-Sponsors EFCA, Obama Defends Commitment to Public Health Option, Health Industry Wins Concessions in Health Care Reform Deals, South Carolina GOP Censures Sanford, D.C. Gay Marriage Measure Takes Effect, U.S. Mulls Regulation of Speculative Oil, Gas Trading, Study: Despite Federal Aid, Banks Ignoring Struggling Homeowners, Gonzalez to Teach at Texas Tech, Rove Deposed in Attorney Probe, Churchill Denied Bid to Return to University of Colorado, FBI Joins Probe of Iman Death in Vandalized Home, Attacker Tried for Racial Remark Kills Egyptian Accuser in German Court, Michael Jackson Honored at L.A. Memorial

Vietnam War Architect Robert McNamara Dies at 93: A Look at His Legacy With Howard Zinn, Marilyn Young & Jonathan Schell

Former Defense Secretary Robert McNamara has died at the age of 93. McNamara was one of the key architects of the Vietnam war, which killed at least three million Vietnamese, around one million Cambodians and Laotians, and 58,000 American soldiers. We take a look at McNamara's legacy with two pre-eminent historians: Howard Zinn and Marilyn Young. We also speak with Jonathan Schell, who covered Vietnam as a reporter in 1967 and met with McNamara in a secret Pentagon meeting.[includes rush transcript]

Selling Confidence in Iraq

(Mosaic Intelligence Report: July 1, 2009) Iraq celebrates the withdrawal of American troops from cities and villages. More than 250 people were killed in bombings over the past 10 days. Will the "enemies of Iraq" succeed in igniting sectarian violence? And will democracy survive in Iraq?
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Iran's Uprising: Food for Thought

(Mosaic Intelligence Report: June 26, 2009) The Iranian revolution stunned the world in 1979. Now the Arab ruling class stands by as history repeats itself. Why are Arab leaders keeping quiet about the crisis in Tehran? And is there a double standard in media coverage?
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It Ain't Over Till the Ayatollah Says So

(Mosaic Intelligence Report: June 19, 2009) Iran's Election commands the world's attention. The Supreme Leader warns against demonstrations. Has he given the green light for a crackdown on street protests?
And will the opposition survive?
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Saudi Arabia: A Player in Middle East Elections

(Mosaic Intelligence Report: June 12, 2009) Saudi Arabia shifts its focus from Lebanon to Iran. Mousavi finds support from Saudi-run media outlets. Will the monarchy influence these elections too?

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Lebanese TV Confuses Voters

(Mosaic Intelligence Report: May 29, 2009) There is no country in the Middle East as fragmented and full of contradictions as Lebanon, yet it is perhaps the most pluralistic society in the Arab world. With a few days left before the parliamentary election due to be held on June 7th, Lebanese emotions have been running high. At stake are 128 parliamentary seats. Competing parties have been fighting for them more fiercely on satellite television networks than in the crowded streets of Beirut.

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Ahmadinejad: Ballots and Missiles

(Mosaic Intelligence Report: May 22, 2009) Iran successfully tests a new missile. The competition in the Iranian presidential election heats up. Why are Ahmadinejad's challengers complaining? And who will Iran elect as president in June?

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Jerusalem: The Pope in Search of Christians

(Mosaic Intelligence Report: May 15, 2009) Pope Benedict XVI prays for peace in the Holy Land but his trip was mired with controversy. Why are Muslims and Jews upset with the Holy See? And what does the future hold for Palestinian Christians living in Jerusalem?
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Mousawa: An Alternative to a Two-State Solution

(Mosaic Intelligence Report: May 8, 2009) For the past 10 years, the "Two-State Solution" has been the mantra of the United States, and of most countries involved in bringing a lasting peace between the Israelis and the Palestinians. But now, Netanyahu is calling for what he says is a fresh approach to peace with the Palestinians. Is the "Two-State Solution" dead?
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The New Terror in the Middle East: Swine

(May 1, 2009) Swine flu hysteria has hit the Middle East. In Lebanon and neighboring countries, Arabs are being told to dispense with their traditional peck-on-the-cheek greeting to avoid contracting swine flu. The Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt calls the pandemic more serious than a hydrogen bomb. The United Arab Emirates bans the import of pork products as a precautionary measure and several supermarkets in the sheikhdom yank them off the shelves.
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Pakistan: Who's to Blame?

(Mosaic Intelligence Report: April 24, 2009) Pakistan is on a precipice. The Swat Valley, once called the Switzerland of Pakistan for its great natural beauty, is now the Taliban's battle ground for Islamic fundamentalism where harsh Islamic (shari'a) law is imposed on the population and fully sanctioned by the Pakistani government. In recent days, armed Taliban fighters have set up checkpoints and occupied mosques in the Buner region just 60 miles from Islamabad, declaring Islamic law before retreating after striking a deal with the government.

Will Pakistan eventually fall to the Taliban?
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