September 20, 2002
Bush To Bomb Iraq- Without Support (4:09)
President Bush announced today he plans to go ahead with his war against Iraq with or without support from the United Nations. The announcement comes as George Bush releases the National Security Strategy of the United States of America which formally links his war on terrorism with global capitalism and calls for a policy of pre-emptive war around the world. This as Saddam Hussein yesterday told the United Nations that Iraq is free of nuclear, biological and chemical weapons and accused the US of trying to gain control of middle east oil and ultimately, the entire world. Aaron Glantz reports.
Code of Conduct Ends Sweatshop Conditions? (4:00)
Following a year-long negotiation, nearly two dozen Korean groceries in New York pledged earlier this week to honor an historic Code of Conduct. The Code is intended to better protect a largely undocumented male Mexican workforce at some 2,000 neighborhood stores. Brokered by New York’s Attorney General, Eliot Spitzer, this landmark agreement was created to end what critics charge are brutal sweat-shop conditions, including 72-hour work weeks, below-minimum-wage pay, no overtime, and no benefits of any kind. Free Speech Radio News’ Eileen Sutton has more.
German Elections Draw Near- Dissent From Iraq Policy Grows (4:07)
US-German relations are showing signs of larger cracks with just 2 days to go before the federal elections take place in Germany. The current chancellor Gerhardt Schroeder has been campaigning with a strong stance against an American invasion of Iraq, and now one of his justice ministers has compared the methods of Bush to those of Hitler. In turn, US Senator Jesse Helms has proposed that Congress should consider withdrawing US forces from their bases in Germany if Schroeder wins re-election and Germany fails to join a, quote, “constructive” dialogue on Iraq. With more on this story, Jeremiah Luna reports from Berlin.
Salvadoran Union Strikers Fired in Preparation for Privatization (4:12)
In El Salvador, 30 unionized health care workers were fired Wednesday for participating in a 1 day strike against privatization earlier this month. The firings were the government’s strongest attack in years in its campaign to destroy the union and privatize social security and health care in preparation for its participation in international free trade agreements. Carlos Fabara reports.
Mumia Abu-Jamal Commentary: How White Media manages Black Leaders (4:47)
