This was supposed to be a year of hope, remember? New President, new administration, new relationship with the world? It hasn’t started that way. Even as the world takes to the street in protest,The first days of 2009 have already been soaked in the blood of civilians blown apart by the world’s most advanced army backed by US-might and aircraft.

Israel has faced the new Obama administration with a fait accompli making diplomacy in the region difficult if not impossible. You can see the full interview at www.GRITtv.org.

The United States has effectively blocked the UN Security Council from issuing a formal statement calling for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, alleging that there was no indication Hamas would abide by any agreement. More than 500 Palestinians have been killed, humanitarian aid is in short supply, and Israel has refused to allow reporters to enter the region. There are many reasons why Israel decided to attack Gaza now. An outgoing and completely ineffectual U.S. administration; upcoming Israeli elections; the Israeli desire to remove Hamas from power; and the inability of the international community to mount an effective response to Israel's actions. The war now enters its 9th day. 

Moustafa Barghouti writing in Al-Ahram Weekly notes that, "there is another reason -- beyond the internal politics of Israel -- why this attack has been allowed to occur: the complicity and silence of the international community.

Israel cannot and would not act against the will of its economic allies in Europe or its military allies in the US. Israel may be pulling the trigger and ending hundreds, perhaps even thousands of lives this week, but it is the apathy of the world and the inhumane tolerance of Palestinian suffering that allows this to occur."

Jonathan Tasini and Mark Brenner discuss Obama's selection of Hilda Solis as labor secretary and the likely assault on labor and the Employee Free Choice Act as the economic crisis deepens.

You can see the full interview at www.GRITtv.org.

Pamela Sneed reads from her new book, Kong.

GRITtv thanks you, our viewers, for six months of great programming. As we head into year two, remember, GRITtv is your TV.

You can see all of GRITtv's archived content at www.GRITtv.org.

Guest host Lizz Winstead speaks to Baratunde Thurston of The Onion and Jack and Jill Politics and Lee Papa, The Rude Pundit on Obama's cabinet.

You can see the full segment at www. GRITtv.org.

Conventional wisdom has it that newspapers are dying because of the rise of the Internet and the death of print media. But there may be a different explanation. They're failing to report. The Iraq war is exhibit A. On GRITtv Amy Goodman of Democracy Now! and John MacArthur, the publisher of Harper's, discuss why the media landscape is shifting.

You can see the full interview at www.GRITtv.org.

Norman Solomon, the author of War Made Easy, suggests that press coverage of the escalation of troops in Afghanistan is no more hard hitting than it was during the early years of the war in Vietnam. What have the American media learned? You can see the full panel at www.GRITtv.org.

Brian Schneck, President of UAW Local 259, on why we need a manufacturing Czar. Congress has bailed out Wall Street but not workers. According to Schneck, Congress has set the table to bring us to this point by supporting trade policies that undercut wages and drive jobs overseas. Wall Street blew up the world and they got bailed out. When workers and Unions are involved what do they get? Skepticism.