Hello and welcome to this day in esoteric political history from Radiotopia.

My name is Jody Avergan.

This day, April 28, 2004, a CBS 60 Minutes 2 story aired here in the United States, reporting

on the abuse of prisoners at the Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq.

I think most people listening have some sense of what was taking place at Abu Ghraib,

particularly since this report included those searing images of prisoners being tortured

and humiliated, including those photos of American

soldiers smiling alongside hooded Iraqi prisoners.

The 60 Minutes report caused a sensation in the United States, a cascade of further reports about what was

taking place inside the prison the same day that the report aired defense

Secretary Donald H Rumsfeld briefed Congress on an internal government report about the abuse.

Over the coming months Amnesty International would issue a report of their own, criticizing

the quote, cruel, inhumane or degrading acts at the prison.

Further reporting would make it clear that Americans were involved in human rights

violations and that American leadership knew about what was taking place

inside that prison.

So let's talk about this key moment in the Iraq war and honestly I have some bigger things

to say about this moment and how it relates, I don't know, to American Empire and American

standing and morality in the world, but we'll get there.

For now, let's welcome, as always, Nicole Hemmer of Vanderbilt and Kelly Carter Jackson

of Wellesley. Hello there.

Hello Jody.

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