As I write today, turmoil and violence continue to roil Iran. Our Contributing Editor Robert Dreyfuss was on the ground in Tehran in the days before and after the election. He left Iran but is following the crackdown and protests; you can track breaking news at his blog The Dreyfuss Report, and see our slideshow, Iran on the Edge, for images from Tehran.
In other news from The Nation this week: Federal authorities in New Orleans have launched an investigation into the mysterious death of Henry Glover, a New Orleans resident who was found burned to death in the days following Hurricane Katrina. Glover’s death went unsolved for over three years, until an expose by reporter A.C. Thompson in The Nation last December (supported by the Investigative Fund of The Nation Institute) raised serious questions about the incident and the role of New Orleans law enforcement. Six months after Thompson’s cover story, new witnesses have come forward and a federal grand jury is hearing testimony from police officers and eye witnesses.
The debate over health care is heating up. Over the weekend we launched the first in a summer-long online debate series with National Review, with our Washington DC Editor Chris Hayes and the Review‘s Reihan Salam debating whether or not health care is a human right.
Over at MSNBC, I recently guest co-hosted on the new Carlos Watson Show, where I challenged Republican Congressman Eric Cantor on his opposition to a public, government-run health care plan, something he himself currently enjoys. Here’s some video:
(Thanks to icebergslim at DailyKos for posting.)
Cantor’s approach reflects that of the larger Republican Party, something I discussed on MSNBC’s The Ed Show. The GOP has a pretty simple game plan on health care reform: No, no and no. But as I’ve written before in this space, it’s not just Republican obstructionism that could imperil real health care reform; Democrats too need to get serious about a comprehensive, strong and robust public plan. The Ed Show segment, and our debate with The National Review, lay out some of the battle lines in the coming fight for comprehensive health care.
Finally, two honors of note. First a hearty congratulations to The Nation‘s Nick Turse, who won an honorable mention in “The Molly National Journalism Prize,” the annual prize in memory of legendary muckraker Molly Ivins. Turse was recognized for his expose on civilian casualties in Vietnam, “A Mai Lai A Month.” The Nation‘s Gabriel Thompson was also a finalist for The Molly. Also The Hillman Foundation (of which I’m on the board) has posted video from the Hillman Prize Awards, where The Nation was recognized for our special issue on inequality. We were honored to be given the award by humanitarian, activist and actor Danny Glover; his remarks are here.
