Israel Under Widespread International Criticism for Settlement Expansion Plan

Israel is coming under widespread international criticism for its plan to engage in a new round of illegal settlement expansion on occupied Palestinian land. Israel says it will build 900 new housing units in the East Jerusalem settlement of Gilo. Meanwhile, Palestinian Authority leaders began a renewed effort last week to win international support for formal Security Council endorsement of a Palestinian state based on 1967 borders. We speak with UCLA professor Saree Makdisi, author of Palestine Inside Out: An Everyday Occupation. [includes rush transcript]

On 20th Anniversary of Killings of 6 Jesuit Priests by US-Backed Salvadoran Forces, Thousands to Protest "School of the Assassins" at Ft. Benning

Thousands are gathering at Fort Benning in Georgia this weekend for the annual protest to shut down the US Army training center dubbed by critics as the "School of the Assassins" for having trained some of the worst human rights violators in Latin America. This year's protest will mark the twentieth anniversary of the murder of six Jesuit priests in El Salvador by the US-backed Salvadoran military. It comes days after the priests were posthumously bestowed El Salvador's highest civilian award, marking the first time the Salvadoran government has honored the priests since their deaths. To talk about the priests and the overall state of Latin American affairs, we're joined by Blase Bonpane, director of the Office of the Americas. A former Maryknoll priest, he has worked for more than four decades to promote human rights in Latin America. [includes rush transcript]

As UC Regents Approve Major Tuition Hike, Students, Faculty Decry Erosion of Public Education in CA and Nationwide

Amid thousands of student protesters and armed police standing guard, the University of California's Board of Regents has approved a 32 percent increase in student fees. The vote will bring the total cost of a UC education to more than $10,000 per year for the first time. We discuss the protests and the growing privatization of public education with UCLA student activist Zen Dochterman and the president of the UC American Federation of Teachers, Bob Samuels. [includes rush transcript]

Headlines for November 20, 2009

Mortgage Delinquencies Hit Record High, Siding with Katrina Victims, Ruling Faults Army Corps for New Orleans Flooding, US: Security Council Should Define Aggression for ICC, 8 Killed in Suspected US Drone Attack in Pakistan, 16 Killed in Afghan Bombing, White House: No Afghan Troop Decision Before Thanksgiving Holiday, Vietnam Vet Holds Antiwar Fast Outside White House, UN: Afghanistan World's Most Dangerous Nation for Children, US Ratification Urged on 20th Anniversary of Children's Rights Convention, Ban Calls for $30B in Climate Aid to Poor Nations, Geithner Rejects Calls for Resignation Before Congressional Panel, Study: Uninsured 80% More Likely to Die From Traumatic Injuries, Thousands to Protest US Military Training School at Ft. Benning

As Wall Street Posts Record Profits and US Hunger Rate Grows, Robert Scheer Asks: "Where Is the Community Organizer We Elected?"

A pair of new government reports released this week paint a startling picture more than a year after the economic meltdown. On Tuesday, the New York Comptroller Office said Wall Street profits are set to exceed the record set three years ago. The four largest firms took in $22.5 billion in profits through September. Meanwhile, far more people are going hungry in the United States than previously thought. The Department of Agriculture estimates 50 million Americans, including a quarter of all children, struggled to get enough to eat last year. We speak to veteran journalist Robert Scheer. [includes rush transcript]

Iraq Vote in Limbo with Veto of Election Law

Plans for Iraq to hold elections in January are up in the air after Iraq's vice president vetoed part of an election law over the allocation of seats to Iraqis displaced by the US invasion and occupation. Vice President Tareq al-Hashemi, who is Sunni, said he objected to Article One of the election law approved by parliament this month because it did not give a voice to Iraqis abroad. We speak to Iraqi political analyst Raed Jarrar. [includes rush transcript]

Shunning Dissidents, Obama Leaves China Without Firm Pledges on Trade, Climate

President Barack Obama's first official trip to China resulted in no firm agreements and has been criticized as being tightly scripted by Beijing. We discuss Obama's visit and the future of US-Chinese relations with British author and journalist Martin Jacques, author of When China Rules the World: The End of the Western World and the Birth of a New Global Order. [includes rush transcript]

Headlines for November 19, 2009

Reid Unveils Senate Healthcare Reform Bill, Study: House Measure Will Reduce Abortion Availability, Obama: US Won't Meet Deadline for Gitmo Closure, Report: Blackwater Could Avoid Criminal Charges with Fines, CIA Prison Uncovered in Lithuania, Karzai Sworn In to New Term, 17 Killed in Pakistan Bombing, US Observes International Criminal Court Session, Food Summit Ends with Vague Pledge on Hunger, GOPers Block Debate on Credit Card Rate Freeze, UC Regents to Approve 32% Tuition Hike, Charges Filed in Slaying of Gay P.R. Teen, Funeral Held for Gay Teen in Baltimore

"The Card Game" - New Doc Investigates History of Credit Card Industry and Proposals for Reform

We take a look at how the consumer loan industry continues to squeeze customers. Last year the Federal Reserve Board announced new rules for banks to remove unfair credit card practices, and in May of this year Congress passed the Credit Card Accountability, Responsibility and Disclosure Act of 2009. In a joint FRONTLINE/New York Times investigation, The Card Game, longtime investigative journalist and FRONTLINE correspondent Lowell Bergman talked to industry insiders, lobbyists, politicians and consumer advocates about how to reform the way the consumer loan industry has done business for decades. [includes rush transcript]

Amidst California Fiscal Crisis and Political Gridlock, Scholar and Activist George Lakoff Proposes Ballot Measure to End 2/3 Rule in State Legislature

As California struggles with a crippling $21 billion project deficit, professor and progressive activist George Lakoff has submitted a 2010 ballot proposition that would roll back the two-thirds majority needed to pass a budget and, he says, end the gridlock created by minority rule. [includes rush transcript]

Palestine 1001 Nights

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas says that he won't seek a second term. Israeli president Benjamin Netanyahu refuses to stop settlement building in Jerusalem. Can peace talks be revived between the Palestinians and Israelis? And is Israel talking to Hamas?

Read more on the Huffington Post
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The Saudi-Iranian Neo-Cold War

(Mosaic Intelligence Report: November 13, 2009) Saudi Arabia uses fighter jets against Yemeni Houthi rebels. Both Yemen and Saudi Arabia accuse Iran of arming the rebels.

Why did Arab satellite carriers drop Iran's Al Alam TV? And will the war of proxies lead to a confrontation between Saudi Arabia and Iran?
Read more on the Huffington Post

Taliban: If You Can't Beat Them, Buy Them!

(Mosaic Intelligence Report: October 29, 2009) Election run-off is few days away in Afghanistan. Hamid Karzai's brother is on the CIA's payroll. Should Obama send more troops to Afghanistan? And can the Taliban be defeated?
Read more on the Huffington Post
Related: Fraud, Opium, and Taliban

Afghanistan: Fraud, Opium, and Taliban

(Mosaic Intelligence Report: October 23, 2009) Afghanistan's recent election was hailed as an example of "democracy." But more than one million ballots were discounted due to fraud. Why isn't Karzai being held responsible for this blatant act of election fraud?
And is Afghanistan the "good" war?

Read more on the Huffington Post

Exclusive Interview with Hamas Leader Khaled Meshal

Steve Clemons, director of foreign policy programs at the New America Institute in Washington, conducted an exclusive interview with Hamas leader Khaled Meshal in Damascus. Questions ranged from the Goldstone Report to the rift between the Palestinian groups Hamas and Fatah. One example of the many thought provoking questions Clemons asks Meshal in the interview:

Clemons: [Are you] a Palestinian patriot or a Muslim patriot? Obviously from an American perspective too many Americans look at...Muslim Brotherhood, Hizbullah, Hamas and they say they are all al-Qaeda, which I know is wrong but I would like to hear how you characterize this.

Meshal: Hamas is a movement of national liberation... We adopt the Islamic thought, because we are part of [a] region that is Arab and Muslim. This is a normal thing, just like when there is a movement in Europe it is Christian. We are a liberation movement but we are an Islamic movement too because we are part of this region naturally.

This video is courtesy of Steve Clemons and the Palestine Note.

Israel-Turkey: No TV Drama

(Mosaic Intelligence Report: October 16, 2009) A violent Israeli incursion is an unlikely setting for a love story. But that is just what's in Turkey's drama series, Ayrilik.
Why is this Turkish show so popular in the Middle East? And will Israel lose its Turkish ally?

Read more on the Huffington Post
The Goldstone Report Saga VIDEO

The Vichy Government of Palestine

(Mosaic Intelligence Report: October 9, 2009) Palestinians call for the resignation of President Mahmoud Abbas. Why is he being called a traitor? And will he survive the storm? Read more on the Huffington Post

Israel vs. Iran: The Writing Is on the Wall

(Mosaic Intelligence Report: October 2, 2009) Iran reveals its new secret nuclear plant. The IAEA demands immediate access. Will Iran stop its uranium enrichment program? And will Israel attack Iran?

Read more on the Huffington Post

Goldstone's Rosh Hashanah Bomb

(Mosaic Intelligence Report: September 18, 2009) The Goldstone Report accuses Israel and Hamas of war crimes. Israeli officials are furious and reject the findings. Why is Arab media covering up for Hamas? Is Israel above the law?
Read more on the Huffington Post

9/11: Good War, Bad War, No War

(Mosaic Intelligence Report: September 11, 2009) Eight years have passed since 9/11. The US is shifting its attention from Iraq to Afghanistan. Why does Osama bin Laden remain at large? And is the war in Afghanistan the "good war"?

Full text on the Mosaic Blog

Bin Laden Warns US