20 Jan 2010: Today's Democracy Now!

With Foreign Aid Still at a Trickle, Devastated Port-au-Prince General Hospital Struggles to Meet Overwhelming Need
One week after Haiti suffered the worst earthquake in over 200 years, a strong aftershock hit this morning. Initial reports said the latest quake measured 6.1 on the Richter scale—one of the strongest aftershocks since the 7.0-magnitude quake crippled this country eight days ago. While tens of thousands of the wounded await medical help, the survivors are still burying the dead. The death toll is now estimated at a staggering 200,000. Some three million Haitians—a third of the country’s population—have been directly affected by the earthquake, with one-and-a-half million now homeless. Amy Goodman files a report from the general hospital in Port-au-Prince.

Journalist Kim Ives on How Western Domination Has Undermined Haiti’s Ability to Recover from Natural Devastation
Shortly after Haiti was hit by a 6.1 aftershock earlier today, Amy Goodman and Kim Ives of Haiti Liberté report from the Port-au-Prince airport. Amy and Kim discuss how centuries of Western domination of Haiti has worsened the impact of the devastating earthquake, from the harsh reaction to Haiti’s independence as a republic of free slaves in 1804 to the US-backed overthrow of President Jean-Bertrand Aristide in 2004. Ives says, “This quake was precipitated by a political earthquake—with an epicenter in Washington, DC.”

Casting Doubt on US Claims of Suicide, Attorney Scott Horton Reveals 3 Gitmo Prisoners Died After Torture at Secret Site
New evidence has emerged suggesting three Guantánamo prisoners whom the US claims took their own lives in June 2006 died not from suicide, but torture. A six-month investigation by Harper’s Magazine indicates the three prisoners were suffocated and tortured during questioning at a secret black site facility at Guantánamo known as “Camp No.” The article is based in part on testimony from a former staff sergeant who says the Obama administration has refused to investigate his claims.

Headlines

Powerful Aftershock Hits Haiti
Group: 20,000 Dying Daily from Lack of Surgery
Aid Begins Reaching Quake Epicenter
GOP Candidate Wins Upset Race for Mass. Senate Seat
Supreme Court Tosses Re-Sentencing for Mumia Abu-Jamal
Pakistani Suspect Alleges Torture on First Day of Trial
8 Killed in Virginia Shooting
Israel Deports US Journalist
Israel Ends Work Permits for Foreign NGOs
Survey: Afghans Paid $2.5B in Bribes in 12-Month Period
US Firm Probed for Stamping Bible Verses on Rifle Sights