Democracy Now! February 23, 1999

Jasper Trial Goes to Jury It was one of the most shocking crimes in recent years--the brutal racist killing of African-American James Byrd. Today, that murder trial is headed for a jury in Jasper, Texas. GUEST: Jeremy Scahill, reporter for Democracy Now! Bloated Pentagon Budget As the U.S. continues to Bomb Iraq and is posed for possible air strikes against Serbia, we take a look at the U.S. military complex, and its plans to increase military spending. In his first radio address of 1999, President Clinton announced the largest increase in military spending since the Reagan years -$112 billion over the next six years for what is called "military readiness." GUEST: Bill Hartung, Senior Fellow at the World Policy Institute at the New School, and author of BOOK: THE MILITARY INDUSTRIAL COMPLEX REVISITED Delayed Justice Rep. Tom Delay, the House Republican who led the drive to impeach President Clinton for statement he made under oath, now finds himself at the center of his own controversy over truthfulness. Delay received a lot of media attention as he kept up a steady stream of invective against Clinton. Now, the spotlight has shifted to DeLay, as he is asked about discrepancies between statements he make in a legal proceeding and in financial disclosure forms he is required to file as a member of Congress. The former pest exterminator, whose profile rose after the Rep. Newt Gingrich, resigned, blames Democrats for critical media coverage. GUEST: Ann Louise Bardach, contributing editor to Vanity Fair magazine, Her article entitled "DeLayed Justice," is about whether Tome DeLay perjured himself.