White House conference call on Syria
The White House's message to lawmakers: Assad's regime did use chemical weapons in Syria. Dana Bash reports.
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A fresh idea for fruit
Tom Foreman reports on a small business trying to make it big with a "fresh initiative."
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Post by: Filed under: Anderson Cooper |
Web Exclusive: Anderson's conversation with Dr. Maya Angelou
Today the nation is pausing to remember Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., and reflect on the state of his dream. It’s the 50th anniversary of the March on Washington, where he delivered the speech that changed the course of U.S. history. Dr. Maya Angelou knew Dr. King, and was part of the struggle. Anderson spoke to her about the state of Dr. King's Dream in 2013, the nation’s economic disparities, and Dr. King's sense of humor. Check out Anderson's extended interview with Dr. Angelou.
You can watch part two of their conversation below:
RidicuList: Pat Robertson's AIDS theory doesn't "ring" true
If you believe it's impossible to spread AIDS with a handshake, then you might have missed a recent episode of the "700 Club." Televangelist Pat Robertson threw science aside by claiming gay men are spreading the disease using sharp rings that pierce any hands they shake. Sound crazy to you? Wait until you hear what else Robertson has to say in tonight's RidicuList.
Is a U.S. Attack on Syria in America's national interest?
President Obama is trying build support for a strike on Syria. He's raising the possibility of the Assad regime's chemical weapons changing hands and being used against the United States. Chief NationalCorrespondent John King compares this to the Bush Doctrine. General Michael Hayden warns there is narrow space for the Obama administration to punish Assad for the chemical attacks, without regime change. It was all part of Anderson's discussion with a panel that also included Chief International Correspondent Christianne Amanpour, and National Security Analyst Fran Townsend.
Kids Wish Network: Crunching the numbers
The Kids Wish Network is firing back at AC360. The charity is the focus of a pair of reports this week by Drew Griffin, who found that less than 3 percent of the $127 million the charity has raised actually went to the children it purports to be helping. Along with the Center for Investigative Reporting and the Tampa Bay Times, Drew identified Kids Wish Network as the absolute worst charity when it comes to how little of each dollar raised actually helps the people they claim to care about. Kids Wish Network wouldn’t talk to us on camera but now they’ve posted a letter on their website, bashing our reporting and trying to discredit one of Drew’s sources. Drew takes us through the numbers that he crunched and shows us the math.
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"Eerie calm" in Damascus
There are new reports the Syrian military is on the move. CNN's Fred Pleitgen is one of the only western correspondents in Damascus. He says there is evidence the Syrian military is reducing staff at some key installations and moving artillery cannons. Fred describes an "eerie calm" there.
AC360 411: MLK’s “dream” remembered 50 years later
Editor’s Note: Tonight on AC360° Anderson talks with poet and civil rights activist Maya Angelou about the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Angelou served as King’s first Northern Coordinator for the Southern Christian Leadership Conference.
On the 50th anniversary of the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom thousands of people once again gathered in front of the Lincoln Memorial to commemorate Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.’s famous “I Have a Dream” speech. President Obama praised King for giving a “mighty voice to the quiet hopes of millions” back in 1963. Five decades ago, few thought there would be an African-American president in the White House today.
“To secure the gains this country has made, requires constant vigilance, not complacency, “ said Pres. Obama.
Two former presidents also spoke at today’s event. King and his fellow civil rights crusaders “opened minds, they melted hearts and they moved millions including a 17-year-old boy watching alone in his home in Arkansas,” said former president Bill Clinton of the impact the 1963 march had on his life. While former president Jimmy Carter called on everyone to hold true to King’s message of non-violence. “The crucial question of our time is how to overcome oppression and violence without resorting to oppression and violence.”
Democratic U.S. Rep. John Lewis, the sole surviving speaker from 1963, said King’s dream is still alive. “The scars and stains of racism still remain deeply embedded in American society, whether it is 'stop-and-frisk' in New York, or injustice in the Trayvon Martin case in Florida.”
Here’s the AC360 411 on Rev. King and his “Dream” speech:
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Kids Wish Network responds to report on AC360
This week, AC360 featured Drew Griffin's reports on the Kids Wish Network. They were produced in partnership with the Center for Investigative Reporting and the Tampa Bay Times. They found the charity raised some $127 million in donations over the past decade, but spent precious little—less than three per cent in cash—to help dying children.
The Tampa Bay TImes has a full breakdown on the Kids Wish Network's finances including their tax returns.
The Kids Wish Network responded on Twitter:
Anderson responded to the Kids Wish Network's tweet:
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Is the Obama administration "ready to go" on Syria mission?
Vice President Joe Biden says there is "no doubt" the Assad regime used chemical weapons to attack innocent Syrians. If ordered to strike, Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel says U.S. forces are "ready to go." But what are the Obama administration's military, strategic, and diplomatic goals? Anderson asked New Yorker staff writer Dexter Filkins, Newsweek and Daily Beast special correspondent Peter Beinart, national security analyst Fran Townsend, and chief national correspondent John King.
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Post by: Filed under: Fran Townsend • John King • Syria |
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