Democracy Now! 8-3 Following Minnesota Bridge Collapse, New Scrutiny for Nation¹s Ever-Privatizing Roads

TODAY'S DEMOCRACY NOW!:
With Amy Goodman

* Following Minnesota Bridge Collapse, New Scrutiny for Nation¹s Ever-Privatizing Roads *

In the wake of Wednesday's fatal bridge collapse over the Mississippi River in Minneapolis, the condition of the nation's highway system is coming under increased scrutiny. The American Society of Civil Engineers estimates it
would take nearly $190 billion to fix more than 70,000 bridges deemed ³structurally deficient.² Declining public funding has raised concerns governent officials are preparing for the privatization of roads. We speak with James Ridgeway and Daniel Schulman, authors of the Mother Jones article
"The Highwaymen: Why You Could Soon Be Paying Wall Street Investors, Australian Bankers and Spanish Builders for the Privilege of Driving on American Roads."

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http://www.democracynow.org/article.pl?sid=07/08/03/1348236

* ³In Search of John Doe No. 2: The Story the Feds Never Told About the Oklahoma City Bombing² *

A Salt Lake City lawyer searching for the truth behind his brother's death has uncovered a wealth of new information that could implicate the FBI in the Oklahoma City bombings. The documents he dug up suggest the FBI knew about the plot to bomb the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in advance but
did little to prevent it. Jesse Trentadue's brother Kenney Trentadue was found dead in his prison cell in Oklahoma City in August 1995. The FBI calls
it a suicide, but Jesse maintains Kenney was beaten to death during an interrogation. Jesse believes the FBI mistook his brother for the missing second suspect in the Oklahoma City bombings - the so-called "John Doe #2." His research also suggests that the bombing was not the work of one or two
men, but involved a wider network connected to the far-right white supremacist movement. Jesse Trentadue joins us to talk about his struggle with the FBI in the twelve years since his brother¹s death. We¹re also joined by reporter James Ridgeway, author of a new Mother Jones article on this story.

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http://www.democracynow.org/article.pl?sid=07/08/03/1348240

* Colombian Human Rights Defender Ivan Cepeda Faces Criminal Charges for Speaking Out on Government-Paramilitary Ties *

One of the Colombia¹s leading human rights defenders, Ivan Cepeda, has been charged with slander and libel for publicly calling for the mayor of San Onofre to resign for alleged ties to paramilitary groups. Cepeda is the director of the National Movement for Victims of State Crimes, an umbrella organization for more than 200 Colombian human right organizations. In 1996, government forces assassinated his father, Manuel Cepeda, a leading leftist Senator in Colombia. Ever since then Ivan Cepeda has worked to expose death squads in Colombia.

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http://www.democracynow.org/article.pl?sid=07/08/03/1348246

* Headlines for August 3, 2007 *

- 30 Missing in Minnesota Bridge Collapse
- Intel. Court Ruled Part of Wiretap Program Illegal
- Senate Approves Expansion to Child Health Insurance
- Oakland Post Editor Shot Dead
- In Occupied Territories, Rice Defends Admin Democracy Commitment
- Jury Deliberations Begin Iraq Rape, Murder Case
- U.S. Steelworkers Back Striking Iraqi Oil Workers
- Chiquita: Admin Didn¹t Object to Colombia Militia Payments
- D.C. to Pay $1 Million to Anti-War Protesters

Listen/Watch/Read
http://www.democracynow.org/article.pl?sid=07/08/03/1347254