ROBERT BRYCE Available for a limited number of interviews, Bryce is author of the books Pipe Dreams: Greed, Ego, and the Death of Enron and Cronies: Oil, the Bushes, and the Rise of Texas, America’s Superstate. More Information ALEX KNOTT Political editor of the Center for Public Integrity, Knott said today: “The ties between Enron…

CHRIS KROMM Kromm is executive director of the Institute for Southern Studies and publisher of Southern Exposure magazine. He said today: “Edwards’ populist side — his famous campaign message of the ‘two Americas’ — isn’t just rhetoric: Edwards has pushed for a patient’s bill of rights, closing corporate tax loopholes, overhauling NAFTA, and beefing up…

ROBERTO RODRIGUEZ and PATRISIA GONZALES Rodriguez and Gonzales co-write the “Column of the Americas.” They said today: “Feeling under siege, the right wing believes that the whole world is unfairly ganging up on the president and his inspired policies. The left, on the other hand, is exasperated at the inability to drive a sharp distinction…

ELLEN FRANK Author of the just-released book The Raw Deal: How Myths about Deficits, Inflation and Wealth Impoverish America, Frank said: “Today, the Fed’s Open Market Committee is meeting behind closed doors to decide whether or not to raise interest rates. Raising interest rates, even by a quarter point, would signal the Fed’s clear intention…

PRATAP CHATTERJEE Author of the forthcoming book Iraq Inc., Chatterjee is project director CorpWatch, an Oakland-based corporate watchdog group. He has traveled to post-invasion Iraq twice to investigate reconstruction contracts. Chatterjee said today: “Will the companies that have contracts to rebuild Iraq and design democracy vanish in the middle of the night like Paul Bremer…

The Oregonian newspaper reported Friday that “groups allied with President Bush are encouraging their conservative members to do the seemingly unthinkable: attend a convention Saturday to help put left-leaning independent candidate Ralph Nader on the Oregon presidential ballot. The groups — with the encouragement of some Republican political operatives — are telling their members that…

PHYLLIS BENNIS, [via Emily Schwartz Greco] A fellow at the Institute for Policy Studies, Bennis is the primary author of the just-released report “Paying the Price: The Mounting Costs of the Iraq War,” which is available at the above web page. More Information LARRY BIRNS Birns is director of the Council on Hemispheric Affairs, which…

IDA HELLANDER, M.D. Executive director of Physicians for a National Health Program, Hellander said today: “The HMOs — which rose during the 1990s — are, in effect, practicing medicine by deciding which tests and treatments will be covered. They skimp on coverage to maximize their profits. When they deny medically necessary care for patients, they…

DAN WALLACH Wallach is an assistant professor of Computer Science at Rice University in Houston specializing in building secure and robust software systems for the Internet. Along with colleagues at Johns Hopkins, Wallach co-authored a groundbreaking study that revealed significant flaws in Diebold’s AccuVote-TS electronic voting system. He said today: “Neither the source code [for…

PRATAP CHATTERJEE Program director for CorpWatch, Chatterjee is the author of the recent articles “Controversial Commando Wins Iraq Contract” and “Private Contractors and Torture at Abu Ghraib, Iraq.” He said today: “Occupation authorities in Iraq have awarded a $293 million contract effectively creating the world’s largest private army to a company headed by Lieutenant Colonel…