Press Play with Madeleine Brand
Long-awaited Report Slams Blair for British Involvement in Iraq
A long-awaited report released sharply criticized Tony Blair for leading Britain into the Iraq War, but Blair maintains that Iraq is better off now without Saddam Hussein. What’s going on inside Iraq and what is the current U.S. policy there?
A massive report released Wednesday after a seven year inquiry sharply criticized former British Prime Minister Tony Blair for leading Britain into the Iraq War. Could the findings lead to legal action against Blair and members of his administration? Also, following the report, Blair maintained that Iraq is better off now without Saddam Hussein. But five years after the U.S. withdrawal, the country is still at war and more than 250 people were killed in a recent ISIS suicide bombing. What’s going on inside Iraq and what is the current U.S. policy there? Then, we remember Iranian filmmaker Abbas Kiarostami, whose more than 40 films and documentaries were described as “contemplative” and “poetic.” Next, since 2011, journalist Ben Ehrenreich has been traveling to Palestinian communities to report on confrontations with Israeli troops and the often harsh realities of Palestinian lives. The result is a new book called “The Way to the Spring: Life and Death in Palestine.” And finally, LA Metro is launching its new bike-share program Thursday. Will it be affordable enough for low-income riders?
Banner Image: Former British Prime Minister, Tony Blair, delivers a speech following the publication of The Iraq Inquiry Report by John Chilcot, in London, Britain July 6, 2016. REUTERS/Stefan Rousseau/Pool
In this episode
5 storiesLong-awaited Report Slams Blair for British Involvement in Iraq
A massive report released Wednesday after a seven-year-long inquiry slammed former British Prime Minister Tony Blair for leading Britain into the Iraq War.
Read the story9 minBetter Off Without Saddam? An Iraq Update
Following a scathing report on Britain’s involvement in Iraq, former Prime Minister Tony Blair maintained that Iraq is better off now without Saddam Hussein. But five years after the U.S. withdrawal from Iraq, the country is still at war. More than 250 people were killed in Baghdad Sunday in a suicide bombing. ISIS claimed responsibility.
Read the story9 minThe Poetic Life and Films of Iranian Filmmaker Abbas Kiarostami
Remembrances are pouring out for the Iranian filmmaker Abbas Kiarostami who died on Monday at the age of 76. He was undergoing treatment for cancer in Paris. Kiarostami made more than 40 films and documentaries. Words like “intimate,” “contemplative” and “poetic” have been used to describe his work.
Read the story9 min'The Way to the Spring': Life and Death in a Palestinian Village
A 17-year-old Palestinian boy broke into a West Bank settlement last week and stabbed a thirteen-year-old Jewish girl to death while she slept. It’s the latest in an ongoing wave of violence around West Bank settlements that has resulted in the deaths of 33 Israelis and more than 200 Palestinians in the last nine months.
Read the story15 minIs LA's New Bike-Share Affordable Enough for Low-Income Riders?
LA Metro is launching its bike-share program Thursday . One thousand bikes will be available from 65 hubs all over downtown Los Angeles, from Union Station to Little Tokyo to the Arts District. This is the latest in local bike-share programs; West Hollywood, Santa Monica and Long Beach have programs of their own.
Read the story6 min