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The first presidential debate should take place as planned in Mississippi this evening. John McCain suggested pulling out of the debates to work on the financial crisis that's gripping the nation – but Barack Obama insisted the show must go on, and McCain is now on his way to Mississippi. One person who certainly won't be participating in the debate is independent candidate Ralph Nader. I caught up with Nader as he makes his way to California to campaign in the state. He explains how third parties are consistently locked out of the debates.

This Labor Day, join FSRN for an exclusive documentary on one of the most politically sensitive agricultural commodities - rice. It's consumed by some 3 billion people across the world as a staple food. But rice production is down, prices are up and farmers aren't the ones profiting . . .

Reporter Rebecca Henschke will take you through Indonesia, introduce you to current and former rice farmers and explore the culture and politics of rice. That's this Labor Day, Monday September 1st on Free Speech Radio News.

In March 2008, hundreds of Iraq and Afghanistan war veterans gathered outside Washington, DC to talk about what they saw and did in combat. In this FSRN documentary, "Winter Soldier Iraq and Afghanistan: Eyewitness Accounts of the Occupations", produced by Aaron Glantz and Esther Manilla and presented by Aaron Glantz, we bring you the voices of soldiers that share their experiences during occupation, and the obstacles they face when the return home.

Click here for 13 Meg Version
Click here for Dial-up Version

On a special May Day 2008 broadcast, we'll hear from workers' struggles around the world. We go to New York, where Abdulai Bah introduces us to domestic workers and day laborers asserting their rights and demanding justice. We'll hear from Rami Al-Meghari in Gaza, where worker's options are grim after the shutting down of nearly 4,000 industries due to Israel's closure of the territory since June 2007. Garegin Khumaryan takes us to villages in Georgia where an entire generation of children have no idea what their fathers look like – as their fathers have had to leave to faraway lands to find work. Finally, Marie Trigona gives us a tour of one of Argentina's best-known worker-run enterprises: the BAUEN Hotel in Buenos Aires.

sinbajarlosbrazosMany Americans take Independence Day to enjoy a summer day with friends and family, watch spectacular (or not so spectacular) fireworks displays....and somewhere in the backs of their minds, recognize that its centuries-old celebration of independence from the Kingdom of Great Britain. But perhaps there are others who more broadly take time to remind ourselves that democracy and independence are important to us as a country...and, in doing so, take note of the people who do not have democratic freedoms that some of us can enjoy.

On this Fourth of July, FSRN has chosen to take a look at the situation for the Iraqi people in 2007.

Known around the world as May Day or International Workers Day, May 1st is a celebration of the labor struggles that began in America with the fight for an eight-hour workday. Today, we’ll hear from workers, immigrants, and students – and about the movement to resist crackdowns on undocumented persons.

Headlines (5:00)

FSRN’s Year in Review
2006 has been a year filled with victories and disappointments, from millions stomping their feet for immigrant rights to the cost of war raging on in Iraq. Today, FSRN takes time to look back at the Year in Review, highlighting some of the most important stories that shaped our world.

A Year of Inaction - The Iraq War in D.C. (6:00)

Immigrants Rising - On the Streets and at the Ballot Box (4:00)

New Orleans, Strife and Rebuilding (4:15)

Oaxaca Mexico, A Year of Struggle (6:20)

On this last day weekday of 2005, we take a listen to an audio composite of stories selected from the hundreds produced this year by Free Speech Radio News correspondents - reporters who brought corporate free news to the airwaves from across 6 continents. Please stay with us for FSRN’s Year in Review, produced by Geoff Brady.