Asbestos suits: Frivolous? Among Bush's many plans listed in the State of the Union address is one that stands out: tort reform. "Justice is distorted, and our economy is held back by irresponsible class-actions and frivolous asbestos claims," said the prez. What seems like an odd inclusion makes more sense when you consider that Halliburton and WR Grace face huge asbestos liabilities. In a Democracy Now interview with Joanne Doroshow, executive director of the Center for Justice and Democracy, co-host Juan Gonzalez asks, "I have to wonder what a former shipyard worker or former miner... who is maybe suffering from asbestosis or mesothelioma, and is listening to the President say that these are frivolous asbestos suits in terms of the suffering they have been going through?"

Read the transcript here. More on Halliburton, Grace, and the Bush administration's "Legal Protection for Asbestos Profiteers.