Mukasey on Detainees

Osama Bin Laden’s former driver has entered a plea of not guilty to war-crimes charges in the first trial at Guantanamo Bay. Jury selection selection is the next step in the case of Salim Hamdan (sah-LEEM’ hahm-DAHN’). Meanwhile, U.S. Attorney General Michael Mukasey is calling on Congress to figure out how to give Guantanamo Bay terror detainees their day in U.S. civilian courts. Mukasey says last month’s Supreme Court ruling that gave foreign suspects the right to challenge their detention leaves significant questions unanswered. We speak to with Evan Perez who covers the Justice Department for the Wall Street Journal.

Microtargeting 2.0

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Political campaigns are ratcheting up the way they target voters with the next generation of micro-targeting, the technique that combines demographic and market data to find voters. Now, campaigns have new types of micro-targeting, where they use supercomputers to crunch millions of bytes of data on an individual to spit out a “Voter’s DNA.” One Canadian firm has developed a technique to use facial recognition software, so they can read peoples’ expressions at campaign rallies, and see which messages resonate and which don’t. We look at all the latest trends in micro-targeting with Christie Findlay, Managing Editor of Politics Magazine.

The List of Hunted Iraqis

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Thousands of Iraqis celebrated the fall of Saddam Hussein and signed up to work with the U.S. in Iraq. They and their families have become targets for groups opposed to the American presence in Iraq and many of them are desperately seeking refuge. We’ll speak with Kirk Johnson, a former U.S. official in Iraq, who’s started a list, and a movement to get America’s Iraqi friends to safety.

Guantanamo Bay

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The trial of Osama Bin Laden’s driver Salim Hamdan began this morning at the naval base in Guantanamo Bay in Cuba. We speak with Carol Rosenberg, reporter for the Miami Herald who was in the courtroom.

Jazz CDs for Summer

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Here and Now Jazz aficionado James Isaacs gives us his picks for the CD player this summer. James Isaacs Picks: James Carter: Present Tense Songs Played: “Hymn of the Orient” and “Sussa Nita” Willie Nelson and Wynton Marsalis: Two Men with the Blues Songs Played: “Night Life” and “Stardust” Brad Mehldau Trio: Live at the Village Vanguard Songs Played: “Rby’s Rub” and “O Que Sera”