Tunisia Uprising and the Arab World
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The rulers of the Arab world are watching and so are their subjects, as an unprecedented revolution plays itself out in Tunisia. We get the latest. Also, "Baby Doc" Duvalier is taken into custody in Haiti, and House Republicans plan not just to repeal healthcare reform but to present an alternative. The Obama administration strikes back with a list of benefits to be lost by millions of Americans.
Banner image: People hold a Tunisian flag during a protest in Tunis on January 18, 2011. Photo: Fred Dufour/AFP/Getty Images
Making News
'Baby Doc' Duvalier Taken into Custody in Haiti ()
On Sunday, Jean-Claude "Baby Doc" Duvalier stunned Haiti by returning from 25 years of luxurious exile in France. Today, police took him from his hotel in Port-au-Prince and government officials say he'll be questioned about past charges of stealing from the treasury. Jacqueline Charles is there for the Miami Herald.
Guests:
- Jacqueline Charles: Haiti Bureau Chief, Miami Herald
Main Topic
Can Tunisia Change the Arab World? ()
After weeks of massive protests, Tunisia's dictatorial President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali fled the country on Friday. Yesterday, his Prime Minister formed a unity-government, but today four members of the opposition resigned and clashes continued between police and protesters on the streets of Tunis, after a revolution unprecedented in the modern Arab world. Nobody knows if the ousted President Ben Ali will be replaced by democracy, a military coup d'etat or chaos. Whatever the outcome, many Arabs are thrilled for the moment by a popular revolt against repression, corruption and abuses of power. We update events in Tunisia, look at the possible repercussions throughout the Middle East and the consequences for American foreign policy.
Guests:
- David Kirkpatrick: Cairo Bureau Chief, New York Times, @kirkpatricknyt
- Mona Eltahawy: syndicated columnist, @monaeltahawy
- Rami Khouri: Director, American University of Beirut's Issam Fares Institute for Public Policy
- Juan Cole: Professor of Modern Middle Eastern History, University of Michigan
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Reporter's Notebook
Republicans Ready for Vote on Healthcare, Dems Push Back ()
As Republicans prepared for tomorrow's vote to repeal healthcare reform, the Obama Administration released a report on the benefits that would be lost by millions of Americans. As many as 129 Americans under 65 have preexisting medical conditions that could make it hard to get coverage if healthcare reform were repealed. James Oliphant reforms for the Chicago Tribune and the Los Angeles Times.
Guests:
- James Oliphant: National Legal Correspondent, Chicago Tribune
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