29 Jan 2010: Today's Democracy Now!

Pakistan’s Wealth Divide and Rising Militancy
A NATO convoy came under assault Thursday while carrying supplies through Pakistan to Afghanistan in a rare ambush inside Karachi. We speak with Quratulain Bakhteari, founding director of the Institute for Development Studies and Practices, about rising militancy in Pakistan.

EXCLUSIVE…Blackwater’s Youngest Victim: Father of 9 Year-Old Killed in Nisour Square Gives Most Detailed Account of Massacre to Date
Today a Democracy Now! exclusive report from Jeremy Scahill about a nine year old boy, shot in the head and killed by Blackwater in the infamous Nisour Squre massacre. His father, who is suing the private military contractor, provides the most detailed eyewitness account of the massacre to date. Scahill has conducted an in-depth investigation of the massacre and of nine-year old Ali Kinani’s death. He files an exclusive report with Rick Rowley of Big Noise Films.

“The Citizens’ Candidate”–Grassroots Effort Uses Craigslist to Find Candidate For Utah House Seat
Utah Democratic incumbent Congressmember Jim Matheson is facing a challenge from a coalition of progressives who have formed a grassroots effort called The Citizens’ Candidate to unseat him. The initiative is using Craigslist to find applicants willing to run against Matheson. A final candidate will be chosen through public interviews at the Salt Lake City Library on Saturday. We speak with The Citizens’ Candidate co-founder, Tim DeChristopher.

From Fracking to Freedom Riders, Documentaries at Sundance Take on Wide Range of Human Rights & Social Justice Issues
As we broadcast from the Sundance Film festival in Park City, we look at its documentary film program that focuses on stories of human rights, social justice, civil liberties, and freedom of expression. This year the festival includes 28 feature-length documentaries from the United States and around the world. They feature a wide range of subjects including an abortion clinic in Florida, Osama bin Laden’s former bodyguard, natural gas fracking, the Freedom Riders, Chinese migrant workers, and many more.

Headlines

U.S. Submits Pledge to Reduce Emissions 4%
Divided Senate Confirms Bernanke for 2nd Term
Obama to Unveil Jobs Plan
Haitians Storm Food Sites as Hospitals Report Medicine Shortages
U.S. Cool to Karzai Overture to Taliban Leaders
Iran Executes 2 Arrested in Election Protests
Senate OKs New Iran Sanctions
California Senate Passes Single-Payer Bill
Oregon Voters Back Progressive Tax Hike