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Lagoon at Stan Hywet - H K Barnett photo
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DemocracyNow! headlines
"I Was Raped by My Father. Abortion Saved My Life": Prof. Michele Goodwin on SCOTUS & the New Jane Crow
Mon, 04 Jul 2022 08:37:22 -0400 As the Supreme Court strikes down Roe v. Wade, we speak with law professor Michele Goodwin, who has written extensively about how the criminalization of abortion polices motherhood. She discusses how on the eve of the court’s oral arguments in the Dobbs case in November, she wrote about how an abortion saved her life. She describes how the U.S. has historically endangered and denied essential health services to Black and Brown women, and calls new abortion restrictions “the new Jane Crow,” warning that they will further criminalize reproductive health and encourage medical professionals to breach their patients’ confidentiality and report self-administered abortions to law enforcement. "A Devastating Ruling": Law Prof. Michele Goodwin & SCOTUS Attorney Kitty Kolbert on Overturning Roe Mon, 04 Jul 2022 08:15:49 -0400 As protests continue across the country in response to the Supreme Court overturning Roe v. Wade, we speak with two leading legal scholars. Kathryn “Kitty” Kolbert is co-founder of the Center for Reproductive Rights and argued the landmark case of Planned Parenthood v. Casey before the U.S. Supreme Court in 1992, which upheld Roe v. Wade. She is the co-author of “Controlling Women: What We Must Do Now to Save Reproductive Freedom.” Michele Goodwin is chancellor’s professor at University of California, Irvine School of Law and author of “Policing The Womb: Invisible Women and the Criminalization of Motherhood.” Her new piece for The New York Times is headlined “No, Justice Alito, Reproductive Justice Is in the Constitution.” "The Hill We Climb, If Only We Dare It": Watch Amanda Gorman, Youngest Inaugural Poet in U.S. History Mon, 04 Jul 2022 08:08:14 -0400 Amanda Gorman became the youngest inaugural poet in U.S. history last year when she spoke at the inauguration of Joe Biden and Kamala Harris. She was 22 years old when she read “The Hill We Climb,” a poem she finished right after the insurrection at the Capitol on January 6. We continue our July Fourth special broadcast with Gorman’s remarkable address. "What to the Slave Is the 4th of July?": James Earl Jones Reads Frederick Douglass's Historic Speech Mon, 04 Jul 2022 08:02:42 -0400 We begin our July Fourth special broadcast with the words of Frederick Douglass. Born into slavery around 1818, Douglass became a key leader of the abolitionist movement. On July 5, 1852, in Rochester, New York, Douglass gave one of his most famous speeches, “What to the Slave Is the Fourth of July?” He was addressing the Rochester Ladies’ Anti-Slavery Society. James Earl Jones reads the historic address during a performance of “Voices of a People’s History of the United States,” which was co-edited by Howard Zinn. The late great historian introduces the address. Meet the Dutch Doctor Helping Expand Abortion Access by Mailing Safe & Legal Pills Worldwide Fri, 01 Jul 2022 08:37:24 -0400 As activists across the U.S. are mobilizing to defend reproductive rights, we speak to the Dutch physician Dr. Rebecca Gomperts, who has dedicated her life to circumventing anti-abortion laws, including providing abortions on ships in international waters and sending abortions pills around the world. She also discusses navigating censorship on social media platforms, telemedicine, the future of contraception and more. “This is not the moment anymore to stay within the law,” says Dr. Gomperts, referring to the end of Roe v. Wade. “This is the moment to make sure that women have access to safe abortions despite the law, because this is such an unjust law that is creating so much social inequality and that will affect, really, the most poor women in the country.” San Antonio Organizer: U.S. Immigration Policy Is to Blame for Deaths of 53 in Smuggling Tragedy Fri, 01 Jul 2022 08:25:57 -0400 We go to San Antonio, where 53 migrants seeking refuge in the U.S. died earlier this week after being confined to a sweltering tractor-trailer. Human rights advocates blamed the tragedy on restrictive immigration policies like the Migrant Protection Protocols, also known as MPP or the “Remain in Mexico” program. In a 5-4 decision, the Supreme Court ruled on Thursday that President Biden has the power to end the Trump-era policy, which forced tens of thousands of asylum seekers to stay on the Mexican side of the border in unsafe conditions while their cases were resolved in the U.S. “Every single migration-related death is preventable by policy that actually focuses on welcome and care,” says Claudia Muñoz, co-executive director of Grassroots Leadership. In Radical Ruling, Supreme Court Limits EPA's Power to Cut Carbon Emissions & Combat Climate Crisis Fri, 01 Jul 2022 08:12:49 -0400 In a blow to climate activism, the Supreme Court on Thursday severely limited the Environmental Protection Agency’s ability to place emission caps on power plants. In the case, West Virginia v. EPA, several states led by West Virginia and fossil fuel companies fought against the regulations imposed by the Obama administration under the Clean Air Act. The 6-3 ruling by the court’s conservative justices ultimately weakens the federal agency’s authority to limit carbon emissions and combat the worst effects of the climate crisis. We look at the decision’s impact on vulnerable communities, particularly lower-income, Black and Brown residents who live close to coal-fired power plants, as well as the climate emergency more broadly. “They’ve put people’s lives in danger, and they have also put in place steps that will accelerate the climate crisis,” says Mustafa Ali, formerly head of the environmental justice program at the Environmental Protection Agency. Headlines for July 1, 2022 Fri, 01 Jul 2022 08:00:00 -0400 Supreme Court Ruling Sharply Limits EPA’s Power to Combat Climate Crisis, Lawsuits Seek to Block Biden Administration from Restarting Oil and Gas Lease Sales, Protesters Demand Action on Climate and Pollution at U.N. Ocean Conference, SCOTUS to Hear Case on Power of State Courts to Halt Gerrymandering & Voter Suppression, Supreme Court Rules 5-4 to Allow Biden to End “Remain in Mexico” Border Policy, Alleged Driver of Truck in Texas Human Smuggling Tragedy Appears in Court, French Police Arrest 10 Suspected Smugglers over Drownings of 27 Asylum Seekers, Ketanji Brown Jackson Sworn In as First Black Women Supreme Court Justice, Over 180 Arrested Protesting for Abortion Rights Outside Supreme Court , Judges Temporarily Halt Kentucky and Florida Abortion Bans, Sens. Manchin, Sinema Reject Biden’s Plea for Filibuster “Carve-Out” on Abortion, Russian Missiles Kill 19 in Odessa, Ukraine, WNBA Star Brittney Griner Appears in Moscow Court, Faces 10 Years in Prison, Sudanese Forces Kill 8 Protesters Demanding End to Military Rule, Ecuadorian Indigenous Leaders Win Gov’t Concessions, Reach Deal to End Protests Flint Residents Outraged as Charges Dropped in Deadly Water Scandal That Poisoned Majority-Black City Thu, 30 Jun 2022 08:47:09 -0400 Eight years after the deadly Flint water crisis began, the state’s Supreme Court has thrown out charges against former Governor Rick Snyder and eight other former officials for their complicity in the public health emergency. Snyder’s administration made the decision to switch the city’s water source from the Detroit system to the Flint River as a cost-saving measure and then failed to protect residents from the resulting lead and bacterial poisoning in the majority-Black city. “It really feels like justice is becoming an illusion for Flint residents,” says Nayyirah Shariff, director of Flint Rising. “No one is being held accountable, no one is seeing justice, no one is seeing reparations in Flint,” adds her fellow activist and Flint resident, Melissa Mays. Democracy Now! first spoke to the two organizers in 2016 in our documentary, “Thirsty for Democracy: The Poisoning of an American City.” ACLU's David Cole: Supreme Court Conservatives Imposing "Truly Radical Ideology" on U.S. Population Thu, 30 Jun 2022 08:31:45 -0400 As the Supreme Court ends its term, Justice Stephen Breyer is officially retiring, and Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson takes his place as the country’s first Black woman justice, joining a court dominated by conservatives. We speak to ACLU national legal director David Cole about what can be done in the face of lifetime judicial appointments to the nation’s highest court who often rule counter to majority opinion in the country. “This is a radical court that is intruding upon our liberties,” says Cole. “It’s doing it all in the name of a commitment to a historic vision of the Constitution as it was drafted, when it was drafted, and imposing that on the American people, notwithstanding the fact that two centuries have intervened and circumstances are dramatically different today.” Anatol Lieven on NATO Expansion & What a Ukraine Peace Settlement Could Look Like Thu, 30 Jun 2022 08:12:30 -0400 The United States announced at a NATO summit in Madrid plans to build a permanent military base in Poland, as it formally invited Sweden and Finland to join the military alliance after they applied for membership in response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine. We look at the impact of prolonged U.S. military presence in Europe and the overemphasis on Russia or China as enemies to the West at a time when threats to Western liberal democracy seem to be primarily internal. The Quincy Institute’s Anatol Lieven also discusses possibilities for a peace settlement to end the war in Ukraine. “It’s quite impossible now for Russia to win a total victory in Ukraine, but it does also look very unlikely that Ukraine will be able to win a total military victory over Russia,” says Lieven. “We’re going to end up with some sort of compromise.” Headlines for June 30, 2022 Thu, 30 Jun 2022 08:00:00 -0400 Finland and Sweden Invited to Join NATO, Prompting Warnings from Putin, Russia Withdraws from Snake Island, Swaps 144 Prisoners of War with Ukraine, Legal Challenges Seek to Halt Abortion Bans in Ohio and Wisconsin, Biden Reportedly Poised to Nominate Anti-Abortion GOP Lawyer to Federal Bench, SCOTUS Rolls Back Landmark Ruling on Tribal Sovereignty, Pat Cipollone Subpoenaed in Jan. 6 Investigation, Texas Human Trafficking Death Toll Rises to 53, Worst in U.S. History, Xi Jinping Travels to Hong Kong for 25th Anniversary of Return to Chinese Rule, Reporter Killed, Bringing Mexico’s 2022 Journalist Death Count to 12, Far-Right Israeli PM Will Not Run for Reelection, Ferdinand Marcos Jr., Son of Late Dictator, Sworn In as President of Philippines, Lone Surviving Perpetrator in Paris Attacks Sentenced to Life in Prison, R. Kelly Sentenced to 30 Years for Sexually Abusing Black Women and Girls, Unserved Warrant Found for White Woman in Emmett Till Lynching Case After Jan. 6, Meadows & Giuliani Sought Pardons; Cheney Says Trump Allies Tampering with Witnesses Wed, 29 Jun 2022 08:54:37 -0400 Former aide to White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows, Cassidy Hutchinson, revealed Tuesday to the House January 6 committee that Meadows and Trump lawyer Rudy Giuliani both sought pardons after the insurrection. Meanwhile, in a video deposition with Trump’s former national security adviser Mike Flynn, who supported Trump’s efforts to overturn the election, Flynn repeatedly refused to answer questions from committee Vice Chair Liz Cheney. Cheney concluded the hearing by presenting evidence of possible witness tampering by allies of Trump. "Hang Mike Pence!" As Armed Mob Threatens VP on Jan. 6, Witness Says Trump "Thinks Mike Deserves It" Wed, 29 Jun 2022 08:44:52 -0400 Minutes after rioters stormed the Capitol on January 6, 2021, White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows seemed unperturbed and reluctant to act, according to live testimony from his former aide, Cassidy Hutchinson, at the public hearing on Tuesday. Then-President Donald Trump, rather than calling off his supporters, defended their chants to hang Vice President Mike Pence for validating the election results. “I remember thinking in that moment, Mark needs to snap out of this,” recalled Hutchinson. “I don’t know how to snap him out of this, but he needs to care.” Hutchinson also notes Meadows and Rudy Giuliani both sought pardons after the insurrection. Committee Vice Chair Liz Cheney presented evidence of possible witness tampering by allies of Trump. Meanwhile, in a video deposition with Trump’s former national security adviser Mike Flynn, who supported Trump’s efforts to overturn the election, Flynn repeatedly refused to answer questions from Cheney. Jan. 6 Bombshell: Trump Physically Attacked Secret Service Agent, Demanded to Join Mob at Capitol Wed, 29 Jun 2022 08:35:27 -0400 In one of the most dramatic revelations at Tuesday's hearing of the House committee investigating the January 6 attack, star witness Cassidy Hutchinson described how then-President Trump intended to join his supporters in the march to the Capitol and lunged at his Secret Service agent, who tried to prevent him from doing so, and grabbed the steering wheel of the presidential limousine, before he was driven back to the White House. Hutchinson was aide to White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows at the time. She also describes another temper tantrum by the president weeks earlier, after Attorney General Bill Barr said publicly there was no election fraud, saying Trump threw a plate of food, leaving “ketchup dripping down the wall.” Jan. 6 Witness Says Trump Was Warned of Potential Violence, Didn't Care: "They're Not Here to Hurt Me" Wed, 29 Jun 2022 08:10:47 -0400 In explosive testimony Tuesday, Cassidy Hutchinson, former aide to White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows, revealed new details to the January 6 select committee about the events leading up to the “Stop the Steal” rally. She indicated then-President Donald Trump and his inner circle, that included personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani, expected the event to grow violent and did little to stop it. Hutchinson described how Trump demanded that the Secret Service allow his supporters wielding weapons to enter the Ellipse in order to make his rally seem better attended. “They’re not here to hurt me,” Trump said in dismissing safety concerns, Hutchinson testified. We feature her extended remarks. Headlines for June 29, 2022 Wed, 29 Jun 2022 08:00:00 -0400 Ex-Aide: Trump Attacked His Own Security Detail on Jan. 6 Demanding to Be Taken to Capitol, Report: Trump Urged Security Officials to Halt Weapons Screening at Jan. 6 Rally, Death Toll in Texas Rises to 51 After Migrants Found Trapped in Tractor-Trailer, Texas Court Temporarily Blocks Implementation of State’s Century-Old Abortion Ban, At NATO Summit, Biden Pledges to Expand U.S. Military Presence in Europe, Trump-Backed Mary Miller Wins GOP Primary After Saying Overturning of Roe Is “Victory for White Life”, Boebert Wins GOP Primary in Colorado, Blasts Separation of Church & State, Supreme Court Moves to Further Erode Separation of Church & State, Supreme Court Reinstates Racially Gerrymandered Louisiana Congressional Map, Michigan Supreme Court Tosses Charges Against Officials over Flint Water Crisis, Truth Commission in Colombia Documents 450,000 Deaths, Criticizes U.S. Role in Backing Violence, 51 Dead in Large Prison Fire in Colombia, Philippines Orders Independent News Outlet Rappler to Be Shut Down, Ghislaine Maxwell Sentenced to 20 Years in Prison Encrypt, Obscure, Compartmentalize: Protecting Your Digital Privacy in a Post-Roe World Tue, 28 Jun 2022 08:44:08 -0400 Reproductive health advocates are urging Congress to pass the My Body, My Data Act, which will prevent consumer data that is related to reproductive health from being used as criminal evidence. Protecting how sensitive personal information is collected and stored online is critical to combating anti-abortion laws, says Daly Barnett, staff technologist at the Electronic Frontier Foundation. Barnett also shares practical advice for securing your online privacy now, such as utilizing encryption and creating a culture of consent. “Privacy should just be a default for people,” says Barnett. “It shouldn’t be something that the end users have to fight for, especially when the data is potentially dangerous, that could be used as criminal evidence.” Investigation: Facebook Is Helping Anti-Abortion Clinics Collect Highly Sensitive Info on People Tue, 28 Jun 2022 08:33:39 -0400 We look at the fight for privacy rights in a post-Roe America amid concerns that anti-abortion activists could use identifying data from online platforms like Facebook to target abortion seekers. Investigative reporter Grace Oldham describes how this data is already being used by medically unlicensed “crisis pregnancy centers” that actively lure patients to discourage them from seeking abortions. These anti-abortion clinics put people who are considering an abortion at risk to misinformation on reproductive health, or worse, open them to criminal prosecution, says Oldham, whose recent report for Reveal is headlined “Facebook and Anti-Abortion Clinics Are Collecting Highly Sensitive Info on Would-Be Patients.” Texas Abortion Funds Push to Keep Supporting Patients as State AG Vows to Prosecute Advocates Tue, 28 Jun 2022 08:25:08 -0400 Is raising money to send pregnant people to another state to get an abortion aiding and abetting? We speak to Kamyon Conner, executive director of the Texas Equal Access Fund, the first Black woman to head the organization, about how Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has threatened to prosecute anyone violating a statewide abortion ban that was passed in the 1920s and never repealed. Lawmakers are also introducing bills to restrict FDA-approved abortion pills delivered through the mail. This heavily policed environment has placed pro-abortion organizations on high alert even as their work becomes more in demand. “Our abortion fund specifically is on the radar of anti-abortion extremists and our conservative elected officials,” says Conner. Tragedy in Texas: 46 Found Dead in Suspected Smuggling Attempt Amid Biden's Harsh Border Enforcement Tue, 28 Jun 2022 08:13:22 -0400 At least 46 migrants were found dead Monday inside a sweltering tractor-trailer in Texas in one of the deadliest tragedies in recent decades. It comes as the Biden administration continues to enforce harsh border policies blocking most people from safely entering through ports of entry along the U.S.-Mexico border. Unless Biden revokes punitive immigration policies, “this is going to create more migrants dying in more unprecedented numbers,” says Fernando García, executive director of the El Paso-based Border Network for Human Rights. Headlines for June 28, 2022 Tue, 28 Jun 2022 08:00:00 -0400 46 Migrants Found Dead in Abandoned Tractor-Trailer in Texas, Judges Temporarily Halt Anti-Abortion “Trigger Laws” in Louisiana and Utah, South Dakota Gov. Noem Calls for Ban on Abortion Pills Prescribed Online, Californians Will Vote in November on Constitutional Amendment Protecting Abortion Rights, House Speaker Pelosi Prepares Bills on Abortion Rights, Calls for End to Senate Filibuster, Aide to Trump’s Former Chief of Staff to Testify Publicly Before Jan. 6 Committee, At Least 18 Killed in Russian Missile Strike on Ukraine Shopping Mall, NATO to Massively Increase Number of Troops on High Alert to Over 300,000, Chlorine Gas Explosion Kills 13 and Injures Hundreds at Jordan Port, France Says Western Powers Should Open Oil Markets to Iran and Venezuela, Amid Nationwide Protests, Ecuador’s President Agrees to Curb Fuel Prices , Three Killed as Amtrak Train Hits Dump Truck and Derails in Missouri, Judge Strikes Down Law Granting Noncitizens the Right to Vote in New York City Elections, California Set to Grant Medicaid to All Undocumented Immigrants , U.N. Issues Dire Warning That World Faces “Ocean Emergency” Caught on Tape: "He Punched Me in the Face," says RI Dem Hit by GOP Rival, a Cop, at Abortion Rally Mon, 27 Jun 2022 08:54:06 -0400 During an abortion rights rally in Providence, Rhode Island, on Friday, Jennifer Rourke, Democratic candidate for state Senate, was punched multiple times by her Republican opponent Jeann Lugo, an off-duty Providence police officer. A video recording shows Lugo confronting Rourke before striking her in the face. Lugo dropped out of the race after being placed on paid administrative leave and charged with simple assault and disorderly conduct. We speak with Rourke about the attack, and her longtime activism for reproductive rights and her current campaign in Rhode Island. “As a senator, I will work hard to pass the Equality in Abortion Care Act, and that’s to provide coverage to people on Medicaid and state employees to have the abortion care that they need,” says Rourke. She also warns that interracial and same-sex marriage rights are at risk from the Supreme Court. Missouri Enacts Abortion Ban Trigger Law. Planned Parenthood Opens Clinic 15 Mins. Away in Illinois. Mon, 27 Jun 2022 08:43:25 -0400 We look at how reproductive health clinics are reacting to the overturning of Roe v. Wade last week. In at least 13 states, including Missouri, trigger laws that criminalize abortions are either already in effect or expected to soon kick in. Clinics have mobilized to center patient care by moving or referring them to safer states. We speak to Yamelsie Rodríguez, president and CEO of Planned Parenthood of the St. Louis Region and Southwest Missouri. Following abortion bans in neighboring states, Planned Parenthood opened a clinic about 15 minutes away in Fairview Heights, Illinois, which has the capacity to serve up to 15,000 abortion-seeking patients a year. She says the clinic has seen a rapid increase in “patients that were traveling from out of state having to flee draconian restrictions and laws in their home state to access basic, fundamental, essential care,” says Rodríguez. "A Devastating Ruling": Law Prof. Michele Goodwin & SCOTUS Attorney Kitty Kolbert on Overturning Roe Mon, 27 Jun 2022 08:28:49 -0400 As protests continue across the country in response to the Supreme Court overturning Roe v. Wade, speak with two leading legal scholars. Kathryn “Kitty” Kolbert is co-founder of the Center for Reproductive Rights and argued the landmark case of Planned Parenthood v. Casey before the U.S. Supreme Court in 1992, which upheld Roe v. Wade. She is the co-author of “Controlling Women: What We Must Do Now to Save Reproductive Freedom.” Michele Goodwin is chancellor’s professor at University of California, Irvine School of Law and author of “Policing The Womb: Invisible Women and the Criminalization of Motherhood.” Her new piece for The New York Times is headlined “No, Justice Alito, Reproductive Justice Is in the Constitution.” Overturning Roe: Slavery, Abortion, Maternal Mortality and the Disparate Effect on Women of Color Mon, 27 Jun 2022 08:17:09 -0400 The conservative-led Supreme Court ruled 6 to 3 on Friday to uphold a Republican-backed Mississippi law that bans abortion after 15 weeks of pregnancy, while voting 5 to 4 to overturn Roe v. Wade. Chief Justice John Roberts supported upholding the Mississippi law but not overturning Roe. Nine states have already banned abortion since Friday, and 17 more states are expected to do so soon. We speak with Michele Goodwin, chancellor’s professor at University of California, Irvine School of Law, whose new piece for The New York Times is headlined “No, Justice Alito, Reproductive Justice Is in the Constitution.” Headlines for June 27, 2022 Mon, 27 Jun 2022 08:00:00 -0400 Supreme Court Strikes Down Roe v. Wade, Ending Constitutional Right to Abortion, Battle over Abortion Rights Will Shape 2022 Midterm Elections, Biden Signs Bipartisan Gun Safety Bill into Law, Russian Forces Complete Takeover of Ukraine’s Severodonetsk, G7 Discusses Ways to Counter Russia and China; Russia Defaults on Foreign Debt, At Least 23 Asylum Seekers Killed Attempting to Cross from Morocco to Spanish Enclave, Thousands Protest in Madrid Ahead of NATO Summit, U.S. Releases Asadullah Haroon Gul, Tortured and Jailed at Guantánamo for 15 Years Without Trial, Indian Human Rights Defender Teesta Setalvad Arrested, Funerals Held for Dom Phillips and Bruno Pereira After Their Murder in Brazil, Pride Celebrations Overshadowed by SCOTUS Ruling Ending Abortion Rights, Oslo, Norway, Pride Events Canceled After Gunman Opens Fire on Gay Bar, Killing 2, Trump-Appointed Judge Blocks Biden Administration Deportation Guidance Guess Which Republican Congressmembers Sought Pardons After Trying to Help Trump Subvert Vote Fri, 24 Jun 2022 08:55:17 -0400 The House Select Committee to Investigate the January 6th Attack on the United States Capitol revealed Thursday that six Republican members of Congress who supported Donald Trump’s lies sought broad presidential pardons for their involvement in the campaign to discredit the election results: Mo Brooks of Alabama, Matt Gaetz of Florida, Louie Gohmert of Texas, Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia, Scott Perry of Pennsylvania and Andy Biggs of Arizona. “The only reason I know to ask for a pardon is because you think you’ve committed a crime,” noted Republican committee member, Congressmember Adam Kinzinger. Top DOJ Staff Threatened Mass Resignation as Trump Weighed Naming Jeff Clark AG to Overturn Election Fri, 24 Jun 2022 08:44:15 -0400 Former top officials in President Trump’s Justice Department told the House January 6 committee Thursday they threatened to resign en masse when Trump mused about appointing Jeffrey Clark, a loyalist who backed the baseless voter fraud claims, as acting attorney general. “I said, 'Mr. President, within 24, 48, 72 hours, you could have hundreds and hundreds of resignations of the leadership of your entire Justice Department because of your actions,'” said former acting Deputy Attorney General Richard Donoghue. “’What’s that going to say about you?’” "Pure Insanity": Trump Pushed DOJ to Chase Absurd Conspiracy Theories to Overturn 2020 Election Fri, 24 Jun 2022 08:24:18 -0400 The House Select Committee to Investigate the January 6th Attack on the United States Capitol has revealed new details about former President Donald Trump’s efforts to pressure the Justice Department to help him stay in power after he lost the 2020 election. In the committee’s fifth televised public hearing Thursday, former top DOJ officials testified about how Trump urged the department to seize voting machines and declare the election results corrupt. One of the former top DOJ officials who testified was Trump’s former acting Deputy Attorney General Richard Donoghue, who described a phone conversation with President Trump in which he tried to reject his repeated false claims. Donoghue also discussed how he and others were pushed to investigate a baseless conspiracy theory that an Italian defense contractor had hacked a satellite, switching votes from Trump to Biden. Radical Supreme Court Guts State Gun Laws & Right to Remain Silent Under Arrest Fri, 24 Jun 2022 08:11:46 -0400 The U.S. Supreme Court on Thursday struck down a century-old New York state law that limited who can carry concealed weapons in public, with Justice Clarence Thomas writing for the 6-3 majority that the statute violated the Second Amendment’s right to bear arms. The ruling vastly expands gun rights in the U.S. just weeks after mass shootings in Buffalo, New York, and Uvalde, Texas, and represents “a revolution in Second Amendment law,” says Slate senior writer Mark Joseph Stern. “It declares that any restriction on the right to self-defense is presumptively unconstitutional.” In light of the Supreme Court decision, a bipartisan gun violence bill passed by the Senate is “one step forward, two steps back.” Stern also discusses a separate ruling in which the court’s conservative majority said a person who is arrested and not told of their right to remain silent cannot subsequently sue police for violating their Fifth Amendment rights against self-incrimination — even if statements they give are ultimately used against them at trial. The decision could be setting the stage for the court to overturn the 1966 Miranda v. Arizona precedent altogether, Stern warns. Headlines for June 24, 2022 Fri, 24 Jun 2022 08:00:00 -0400 Senate Approves Bipartisan Gun Safety Bill by 65-33 Vote, Supreme Court Strikes Down New York Gun Control Law in Major Expansion of Second Amendment, Trump Pushed DOJ to Seize Voting Machines & Declare Election Results “Corrupt”, Six Republican Congressmembers Who Backed Trump’s Election Lies Sought Pardons, Ukraine Orders Troops to Withdraw from Severodonetsk, Russia Meets with Other BRICS Nations at Virtual Meeting, Afghan Earthquake Death Toll Rises to 1,150; U.S. Urged to Unfreeze Afghan Assets, United Nations Blames Israel for Fatally Shooting Journalist Shireen Abu Akleh, Indigenous Protesters Attempt to Storm National Assembly in Ecuador, Deposed Burmese Leader Aung San Suu Kyi Moved to Solitary Confinement, Supreme Court Protects Police from Lawsuits over Violating Miranda Rights, California Lawmakers Move to Make State a “Legal Sanctuary for Reproductive Choice”, Biden Proposes Expanding Title IX to Protect Trans Students, Report: New England Patriots Plane Used for ICE Deportation Flights Global Access to COVID-19 Vaccines & Tests Limited by WTO Deal Pushed by Rich Countries & Big Pharma Thu, 23 Jun 2022 08:42:06 -0400 Hundreds of public health and civil society organizations have denounced the World Trade Organization for approving a text last week that they say leaves in place intellectual property barriers that will continue to limit global access to COVID-19 vaccines, tests and treatments. We host an in-depth discussion about the WTO’s move, and what should come next, with two global health justice advocates, Mihir Mankad and Fatima Hassan. Mankad, who attended the WTO meeting and is a senior adviser for global health advocacy and policy for Doctors Without Borders, says the agreement “may ultimately cause more damage than good.” Hassan, founder and director of Health Justice Initiative in South Africa, believes Global South countries were “bullied into silence” by richer countries during the WTO negotiations. Food Shortage or Economic Crisis? Experts Say Poverty & Capitalism Are Real Drivers of Global Hunger Thu, 23 Jun 2022 08:26:45 -0400 We speak with food systems experts Sofía Monsalve Suárez and Rachel Bezner Kerr about how to prevent a looming global food shortage. The global food crisis “is not a food shortage crisis” yet, says Suárez, secretary general of FIAN International, a human rights organization working for the right to food and nutrition. “The problem is access to food, that people don’t have money to pay for food, that people are jobless.” Both guests call for a fundamental “transformation” of the global food system, away from food trade systems and instead toward domestic production and food sovereignty. "The Famine Is Coming": War in Ukraine & Climate Crisis Contribute to Food Insecurity in Somalia Thu, 23 Jun 2022 08:17:42 -0400 Experts are warning of a pending global food shortage due to the climate crisis, blocked grain shipments amid the Ukraine war, and a lack of humanitarian aid. Joining us from Mogadishu, Somalia, Jan Egeland, secretary general of the Norwegian Refugee Council, says poorer countries in Africa aren’t able to financially compete with richer countries to afford basic staples like wheat. Egeland calls on G7 countries to take immediate action to prevent a global famine — which he believes is still stoppable. Earthquake in Afghanistan Kills 1,000+. As Death Toll Rises, U.S. Sanctions Limit International Aid Thu, 23 Jun 2022 08:13:30 -0400 A massive 5.9-magnitude earthquake that struck southeastern Afghanistan early Wednesday has killed more than 1,000 people, according to local officials, though the death toll is expected to rise. The earthquake comes as the United Nations reports nearly half of Afghanistan’s population already faces acute hunger. Thousands more have been injured and lost their homes along with everything they own. “Many more will be dead, and we are now rushing with aid,” says Jan Egeland, secretary general of the Norwegian Refugee Council. He says he agrees with the Taliban government that U.S. sanctions on Afghanistan are making it more difficult for aid organizations like his to supply critical resources to Afghans. Headlines for June 23, 2022 Thu, 23 Jun 2022 08:00:00 -0400 Earthquake Death Toll in Afghanistan Tops 1,000; Heavy Rain & Sanctions Hamper Relief Efforts, House Jan. 6 Panel Moves Hearings to July Following Flood of New Evidence, Justice Department Subpoenas Chair of Georgia GOP over Fake Elector Plot, Uvalde School Police Head Placed on Leave as Local & State Officials Blame Each Other for Mistakes, Ukraine Warns Battles in Luhansk Cities Entering “Fearsome Climax”, Critics Says Biden Push to Suspend Gas Tax Will Aid Oil Companies, Not Consumers, Saudi Arabia and Turkey Move to Mend Ties Four Years After Khashoggi Assassination, Elizabeth Warren Blasts Fed Chair Jerome Powell on Hiking Interest Rates, Minnesota City to Pay $3.25 Million Settlement with Daunte Wright’s Family, Three Men Held at Rikers Island Jail Die in Less Than a Week, Federal Court Upholds Arkansas Anti-BDS Law, Head of Australian Journalism Prize Denounces U.K. Approval of Julian Assange’s Extradition Georgia Poll Workers Falsely Targeted by Trump as "Scammers" Faced Racist Harassment, Lived in Fear Wed, 22 Jun 2022 08:42:17 -0400 In some of the most dramatic testimony from the fourth hearing of the House Select Committee to Investigate the January 6th Attack on the U.S. Capitol, Shaye Moss, a Black election worker in Georgia, and her mother Ruby Freeman described how their lives were forever changed in December of 2020 when Trump’s top campaign lawyer Rudy Giuliani claimed they manipulated ballots to rig the election outcome in the state, which was among those he had lost. They faced severe harassment, racism and death threats from Trump supporters and had to be relocated by the FBI for safety. “I don’t want anyone knowing my name. ... I don’t want to go anywhere. I second-guess everything that I do,” said Moss, who, like her former colleagues, is no longer an election worker in Fulton County. “Do you know how it feels to have the president of the United States to target you?” said Freeman in taped testimony. “The president of the United States is supposed to represent every American — not to target one.” "Whatever You Can Do": Jan. 6 Hearing Lays Out "Fake Electors" Scheme to Rig 2020 Election for Trump Wed, 22 Jun 2022 08:29:26 -0400 Tuesday’s hearing of the House committee investigating the January 6 attack included evidence of how then-President Trump and his campaign “were directly involved” in a plot to replace Biden electors with fake electors for Trump in states where he had lost. Investigators displayed fake certifications manufactured by the Trump campaign and said that one group of fake electors even asked for a promise that the campaign would pay their legal fees if they got sued or charged with a crime. The committee also revealed that just minutes before the joint session on January 6, a staffer for Wisconsin Senator Ron Johnson told Mike Pence he wished to hand deliver to the vice president the fake electors’ votes from Michigan and Wisconsin — which Pence’s aide unambiguously refused. We feature a video presented to the January 6 committee as evidence that features Casey Lucier, an investigative counsel, describing the plan to organize fake electors for Trump in states where he had lost, with testimony of former Trump staffers, lawyers and other Republican officials. Top Arizona Republican Testifies He Rejected Trump Plot to Overturn Vote, Then Faced Violent Threats Wed, 22 Jun 2022 08:13:54 -0400 The House select committee investigating the January 6 insurrection held its fourth public hearing Tuesday with testimony that included a series of Republican state officials detailing pressure they faced from President Donald Trump and his staff to overturn the results of the 2020 election. Republican Speaker of the Arizona House “Rusty” Bowers described how he was pushed by Trump, John Eastman and Rudy Giuliani to call the Arizona Legislature back into session to investigate what Trump’s team claimed were hundreds of thousands of illegal votes cast by dead people and undocumented immigrants in a greater effort to undo Joe Biden’s win in the state. Bowers refused after Trump’s team wasn’t able to provide evidence of a rigged election — and consequently Bowers and his family became the target of death threats by white supremacist groups and other Trump supporters. “I didn’t want to be used as a pawn,” said Bowers during his live testimony. Headlines for June 22, 2022 Wed, 22 Jun 2022 08:00:00 -0400 Earthquake in Afghanistan Kills at Least 1,000; Over 1,500 Injured, Jan. 6 Committee Accuses Trump of Pressuring State and Local Officials to Overturn Election, Russia Seizes More Areas in Eastern Ukraine, On Visit to Ukraine, Merrick Garland Vows to Probe War Crimes Allegations, I Have “Zero Trust” in U.S. Government: Wife of Brittney Griner, Basketball Star Detained in Russia, Senate Votes to Advance New Bipartisan Gun Legislation, Texas Official: Police Response to Uvalde School Shooting Was “Abject Failure”, Alabama: Katie Britt Defeats Mo Brooks in Republican Senate Primary, Recount Shows Henry Cuellar Beat Jessica Cisneros by Less Than 300 Votes, Supreme Court Says Religious Schools in Maine Can’t Be Excluded from Voucher Program, Coffin Holding Patrice Lumumba’s Tooth Returns to DRC Six Decades After Assassination, Indigenous-Led Protest in Ecuador Condemns Lasso’s Economic Policies, El Salvador Votes to Extend State of Emergency; 40,000 Arrested So Far, Third Suspect Arrested in Brazil in Murder of Dom Phillips and Bruno Pereira, Jury Orders Bill Cosby to Pay $500K for Sexually Assaulting 16-Year-Old in 1975
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