* Senate Passes Financial Reform Bill * BP Admits Oil Spill Is Larger Than Prior Estimates * Blair Resigns as National Intelligence Director * Jobless Benefit Claims Increase * Jailed US Hikers Reunite with Mothers in First Public Appearance Since Arrests * Calderón Urges US to Reinstate Assault Weapons Ban * US Probes Killings of Afghan Civilians * Palestinians Continue Boycott of Israeli Settlement Goods * South Korea Accuses North Korea of Torpedoing Warship * Cuban Musician Silvio Rodriguez Granted US Visa * More Headlines…
* Souderweb Audio from 1998: Rep. Mark Souder (R-IN) Hangs Up on Amy Goodman When Asked If He Has Ever Had an Affair
Rep. Mark Souder (R-IN) resigned his House seat today after acknowledging he had an affair with a female staffer earlier this week. Long an advocate for "family values," Souder called for former President Bill Clinton to resign over the Monica Lewinsky scandal. On Sept. 17, 1998, during the Clinton impeachment scandal, Democracy Now! invited Rep. Souder and Rep. Bill McCollum (R-FL) to discuss by phone a recent House vote on combating drugs. In the spirit of the times, Amy Goodman asked both men if they have ever had extramarital affairs. McCollum said, "I am—I am not, and I’m not, at this present time, involved in anything whatsoever, have not been." When Souder was asked, he hung up the phone. [includes rush transcript]
Senate Passes Sweeping Financial Reform Bill; Lobbying Frenzy Expected as Measure Moves to Committee
The Senate has passed a sweeping reform of financial regulation that’s been described as the biggest overhaul of financial rules since the 1930s. The 59-to-39 vote came largely on party lines. Two Democratic senators, Russ Feingold of Wisconsin and Maria Cantwell of Washington, voted against the bill, saying it does not go far enough in preventing another economic meltdown. Four Republicans also broke party ranks to support the measure. [includes rush transcript]
GOP Senate Nominee Rand Paul of Kentucky Faces Firestorm After Suggesting Opposition to Civil Rights Act
Rand Paul, the Republican Senate nominee from Kentucky, is scrambling to tamp down a growing firestorm over comments he made suggesting he does not favor portions of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Americans with Disabilities Act. We’re joined by North Carolina State University professor Blair Kelley, author of Right to Ride: Streetcar Boycotts and African American Citizenship in the Era of Plessy v. Ferguson, and Mike Ervin, a freelance journalist and a longtime activist with the disability rights groups ADAPT. We’re also joined by blogger Joe Sonka, who broke the story on a racist MySpace post that led to the resignation of Rand Paul’s former communications director, Christopher Hightower. [includes rush transcript]
BP Acknowledges Oil Spill Is Larger Than Previous Estimates
The British oil company BP has been forced to admit the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico is far larger than the company initially said. On Thursday, BP said it’s now capturing 5,000 barrels of oil a day from the leaking pipe—the same amount it had previously said was leaking every day. BP has declined to estimate how much oil is still escaping, but scientists say BP is siphoning just a fraction of the total leak. Independent scientists say the leak could be as large as 95,000 barrels of oil per day. We speak to Alaskan marine biologist Rick Steiner, who has been spending time in the Gulf region. [includes rush transcript]