| |
|
 
Photo by Dan Seiberling
|
DemocracyNow! headlines
2020 Candidates Address Historical Trauma, Missing Indigenous Women & More at Native American Forum
Thu, 22 Aug 2019 08:25:09 -0400 Following this week's historic Frank LaMere Native American Presidential Forum in Sioux City, Iowa, we speak with Mark Trahant, editor of Indian Country Today and moderator of the Native American voter forum; Christine Nobiss, director of Seeding Sovereignty's SHIFT project; and Mark Charles, independent candidate for president, Native American activist and writer. They respond to the candidates' proposals to tackle issues affecting the Native American community, including the chronic murder and disappearance of Native American girls and women, land sovereignty, and generational trauma caused by colonialism. Warren Apologizes to Native Americans; Sanders Backs Rescinding Medals for Wounded Knee Massacre Thu, 22 Aug 2019 08:16:32 -0400 This week 10 Democratic candidates and one independent in the 2020 presidential race, including Senators Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren, addressed indigenous communities at the first-ever Frank LaMere Native American Presidential Forum in Sioux City, Iowa. During the two-day event, candidates individually answered questions from a panel of tribal leaders and Native American youth and elders on issues including treaty rights, voter suppression, and murdered and missing indigenous women. Headlines for August 22, 2019 Thu, 22 Aug 2019 08:00:00 -0400 Trump Administration Proposes Jailing Migrant Families Indefinitely, Federal Budget Deficit to Top $1 Trillion in 2020, Satellite Data Show Brazilian Amazon Burning at Record Pace, Brazilian President Bolsonaro Blames Environmentalists for Amazon Fires, Wildfires Rage in Alaska, Canary Islands, Siberia and Greenland, Gov. Jay Inslee, Champion of Climate Fight, Drops 2020 Presidential Bid, Activists Disrupt Event Honoring House Speaker Pelosi to Demand Trump's Impeachment, Abdalla Hamdok Sworn In as Sudan's Prime Minister, Hong Kong Pro-Democracy Activists Mark Anniversary of Subway Attack, Mexico's Zapatistas Expand Autonomous Indigenous Zones in Chiapas, Trump Calls Danish Prime Minister "Nasty" over Refusal to Discuss Greenland Sale, Trump Doubles Down on Calling Jews Who Vote for Democrats "Disloyal", California School Won't Say If Students Who Made Nazi Salutes Were Disciplined, Long Beach Police Find Arsenal in Home of Man Threatening Mass Murder, Survivors of Parkland High School Massacre Unveil Plan to Curb Gun Violence, WaPo: Eight Prison Officials Knew Jeffrey Epstein Was Not to Be Left Alone in Jail Cell, Texas Executes Man Who Proclaimed His Innocence Over 500 Lawsuits Already Filed Days After Child Victims Act in New York Goes into Effect Wed, 21 Aug 2019 08:46:43 -0400 This is Part 2 of our conversation with two New York state legislators, Senator Alessandra Biaggi and Assemblymember Yuh-Line Niou, who helped pass the Child Victims Act in New York. The state law, which went into effect last week, extends the statute of limitations on child sexual abuse and includes a "lookback period," giving survivors of any age a year to take legal action even if their cases had expired under the old statute of limitations. Over 500 lawsuits have already been filed. Both Biaggi and Niou are sexual abuse survivors, and they have spoken about the importance of the Child Victims Act in personal terms. Watch Part 1 by "clicking here":https://www.democracynow.org/2019/8/15/new_york_child_victims_act. Meet Alvaro Enciso, the Artist Placing Crosses in Sonoran Desert to Memorialize Migrant Deaths Wed, 21 Aug 2019 08:15:01 -0400 More than 3,000 human remains have been found in the Sonoran Desert, most of them of migrants fleeing their home countries to embark on an uncertain and perilous journey to the United States. On a recent visit to the Arizona borderlands, Democracy Now! accompanied Tucson-based artist Alvaro Enciso into the desert at the site where he placed four unique markers to honor four immigrants killed in a car accident years ago as they fled from Border Patrol. In the past five years, Enciso, who is originally from Colombia, has built and installed over 900 crosses across the treacherous Sonoran Desert in Arizona as part of his ongoing project Where Dreams Die. Rather than religious symbols, Enciso views his crosses as markings that visibilize deaths that are often ignored. This is part of Democracy Now!'s ongoing series, "Death and Resistance at the U.S.-Mexico Border." Headlines for August 21, 2019 Wed, 21 Aug 2019 08:00:00 -0400 Amazon Wildfires Spark Fears of Environmental Disaster as São Paulo Goes Dark from Smoke, Trump Expected to End Flores Agreement, Slashing Protections for Child Migrants, CBP Will Not Vaccinate Jailed Migrants as Doctors Say At Least 3 Detained Children Died from Flu, Lawsuits Allege "Torture" in Migrant Jails and Child Abuse in Foster Care, Italy in Turmoil as Prime Minister Resigns, Migrants Disembark from Rescue Ship in Italy After Being Stranded at Sea for 3 Weeks, Trump Cancels Denmark Visit over Refusal to Discuss Selling Greenland, Trump Attacks Tlaib & Omar, Says Jews Are "Disloyal" If They Vote Democrat, Bernie Sanders Says He Would Rescind Medals for Soldiers Who Took Part in Wounded Knee Massacre, Trump Backtracks on Gun Control Despite Calling for Background Checks After Dayton & El Paso Shootings, 2 Proud Boys Members Convicted of Assaulting Anti-Fascist Protesters in New York, Trump Considers Tax Cuts as Economists Warn of Possible Recession, States Sue to Block Trump Rule That Would Block Green Cards for Immigrants Using Public Services Deadly Bombings Devastate Afghanistan as U.S.-Taliban Peace Talks Continue Without Afghan Government Tue, 20 Aug 2019 08:49:11 -0400 In Afghanistan, a series of bomb attacks devastated restaurants and other public spaces Monday in the eastern city of Jalalabad, injuring at least 66 people. The explosions took place on Afghanistan's 100th Independence Day, following Saturday's bloody suicide bombing at a wedding in Kabul that killed 63 people, wounding around 200 others. ISIS claimed the attack, which was the deadliest this year in Afghanistan. The bombings came as the U.S. and Taliban are reportedly close to a peace deal after months of talks between the two parties. Top issues in the negotiations include a U.S. troop withdrawal from Afghanistan, where elections are set to take place next month. We speak with Lotfullah Najafizada, the news director of TOLOnews, a 24-hour news channel based in Kabul. Portland Rejects Proud Boys & Other Ultra-Right Groups as Trump Tries to Criminalize Antifa Tue, 20 Aug 2019 08:30:50 -0400 A crowd of white nationalists took to the streets of Portland, Oregon, over the weekend for what they dubbed the "End Domestic Terrorism" rally. But they were outnumbered by a massive response from counterprotesters, who gathered across the city as police escorted members of the Proud Boys, Patriot Prayer and other right-wing groups across one of the city's main bridges. Police arrested 13 people throughout the day and seized weapons but largely avoided "the worst-case scenario" Portland's Mayor Ted Wheeler said the city was prepared for. Portland Police put more than 700 officers on patrol, with more than one cop for every two of the estimated 1,200 protesters. Some Republican politicians have called for antifa to be recognized as a terror organization, and the FBI has found that the majority of domestic terror in the U.S. is caused by white supremacists. From Portland, we speak with Commissioner Jo Ann Hardesty, who this year became the first African-American woman on the Portland City Council, and Shane Burley, a freelance journalist and filmmaker based in Portland, Oregon, and author of "Fascism Today: What It Is and How to End It." Emerald Garner, Eric Garner's Daughter, Says Firing Pantaleo "Should Have Happened a Long Time Ago" Tue, 20 Aug 2019 08:14:56 -0400 Daniel Pantaleo, the police officer who killed Eric Garner in 2014 by using an illegal chokehold, was fired Monday and stripped of his pension benefits. The decision came more than five years after Pantaleo held Garner, an unarmed African-American man, in a chokehold until he dropped to the ground. Before dying, he gasped "I can't breathe" 11 times. Despite outcry from the family and community members, Pantaleo had remained on the police force on desk duty since the killing. Last month, on the fifth anniversary of Garner's death, the Justice Department declined to charge Pantaleo with a crime despite calls by the Garner family and their supporters that the city punish him and other officers involved. Over the years, Garner's case has helped drive the Black Lives Matter movement for police accountability. His family is continuing their fight for justice, calling on the New York City Police Department to fire the other officers involved in Garner's death, and vowing to block any appeals made by Pantaleo's attorney. We speak with Eric Garner's youngest daughter, Emerald Garner. Headlines for August 20, 2019 Tue, 20 Aug 2019 08:00:00 -0400 NYPD Fires Daniel Pantaleo 5 Years After He Killed Eric Garner, Planned Parenthood Rejects Federal Funds over Trump "Gag Rule" on Abortion Referrals, Fears of Renewed Arms Race as U.S. Tests Ground Missile and Questions Remain over Russian Blast, Sudan: Omar al-Bashir Heads to Court Days After Signing of Transitional Deal, Salvadoran Rape Survivor Cleared After Prior Conviction for Killing Stillborn, Twitter & Facebook Remove China-Linked Accounts over Hong Kong Protest Misinformation, Elizabeth Warren Apologizes to Indigenous Groups at Iowa Native American Forum, Standing Rock Sioux Tribe Asks Federal Court to Halt DAPL & Carry Out Review, Bernie Sanders Introduces Criminal Justice Reform Plan, Reps. Rashida Tlaib and Ilhan Omar Respond to Israel Travel Ban, 9th Circuit Rolls Back Part of Trump Asylum Ban Injunction, Prosecutors Move to Dismiss Epstein Charges But Vow to Keep Investigating, Trump Admin Attempts to Legalize Anti-Trans Workplace Discrimination, Tracy Single Is 15th Known Trans Woman of Color to Be Killed in 2019 "They Are Irreplaceable, and They Mattered": Group Identifies Human Remains Along the Border Mon, 19 Aug 2019 08:49:52 -0400 In a special broadcast from the Arizona-Sonora border, we look at how the bodies and bones of more than 3,000 people have been found in the Sonoran Desert since 2001, and speak with Robin Reineke, the co-founder of the Tucson-based organization Colibrí Center for Human Rights. Colibrí Center is dedicated to identifying the remains of people passing through the desert and, since its founding, has identified at least 100 migrants through meticulous forensic work and DNA data collection of people's remains and family members who are alive. In 2018, it launched the Bring Them Back Campaign to call for dignity and demand justice for disappeared migrants and their families. "Humanitarian Aid Is Never a Crime": No More Deaths Volunteers Drop Water in Desert to Aid Migrants Mon, 19 Aug 2019 08:40:23 -0400 Volunteers with the humanitarian aid group No More Deaths have been venturing into the harsh Sonoran Desert for years to leave life-saving supplies for migrants crossing the U.S.-Mexico border. Longtime volunteer Scott Warren was charged with three felonies for the alleged crime of providing food, water and shelter to migrants. After a hung jury in June, he is now facing retrial on two felony counts and faces a possible 10 years in prison. As he awaits his next trial as well as deals with misdemeanor charges in another case of aiding migrants, Democracy Now! followed him into the Sonoran Desert for his first trip in a year accompanying other No More Deaths volunteers who left water and food for migrants making the treacherous journey north. Activist Scott Warren, Facing Federal Charges for Aiding Migrants, Says He Won't Be Deterred Mon, 19 Aug 2019 08:13:02 -0400 We broadcast live from Tucson, Arizona, where the government recently put humanitarian activist Scott Warren on trial amid the ongoing policing of the U.S.-Mexico border, separation of families, and cruel and inhumane conditions at immigrant jails across the country. Warren, a longtime volunteer with the humanitarian aid group No More Deaths, was charged with three felony counts for his alleged crime of providing food, water and shelter to migrants in Ajo, Arizona. The immigrants had arrived at the doorstep of a humanitarian shelter after a perilous journey across the Sonoran Desert. At the same time, he and other volunteers also faced separate misdemeanor charges for leaving water jugs and food for migrants on a national wildlife refuge in the remote desert. The trial took eight days, and after hours of deliberation, the jury returned without a verdict. Eight found Scott Warren not guilty; the remaining four said he was. The government will now retry Warren in November. If convicted, he faces up to 10 years in prison. As he awaits his next trial, Democracy Now! followed him into the Sonoran Desert for his first trip in a year accompanying other No More Deaths volunteers who left water and food for migrants making the treacherous journey north. Headlines for August 19, 2019 Mon, 19 Aug 2019 08:00:00 -0400 Bombs Go Off on Afghan Independence Day, Following Wedding Attack That Killed 63, Largest Hong Kong Protest in Weeks Defies Threats, Intimidation by China, Kashmiris Protest Lockdown 2 Weeks After India Scraps Special Status, Gibraltar Releases Iranian Oil Tanker After U.S. Fails to Keep It Under Seizure, Israeli Soldiers Kill 3 People in Gaza, Rashida Tlaib and Ilhan Omar to Address Israeli Travel Ban, Far-Right and Anti-Fascist Protesters Take to Portland Streets, Authorities Arrest Men in 3 States After They Threaten Mass Shootings, Prison Guard Who Drove Truck into Jewish Activists Has Resigned, NYPD Judge: Pantaleo "Untruthful" in Account of Eric Garner's Killing The Great Land Robbery: How Federal Policies Dispossessed Black Americans of Millions of Acres Fri, 16 Aug 2019 08:47:09 -0400 Over the 20th century, black people in the U.S. were dispossessed of 12 million acres of land. Half of that loss — 6 million acres — occurred over just two decades, from 1950 to 1969, a period largely associated with the civil rights struggle. This mass land dispossession, which affected 98% of black agricultural land owners, is part of the pattern of institutional racism and discrimination that has contributed to the racial wealth gap in the United States. Many of the driving forces behind this land theft were legal and originated in federal policies, as documented by Vann Newkirk, staff writer at The Atlantic. His latest piece for the magazine is the September cover story: "The Great Land Robbery: The shameful story of how 1 million black families have been ripped from their farms." What Is Israel Trying to Hide? Reps. Tlaib & Omar Blocked from Taking Official Trip to West Bank Fri, 16 Aug 2019 08:14:29 -0400 Israel sparked outrage Thursday when it banned two freshman Democratic congresswomen of color — Reps. Rashida Tlaib of Michigan and Ilhan Omar of Minnesota — from entering the country. Following outcry from Democratic leaders and Palestinians, Israel granted permission for Tlaib to enter the country on "humanitarian" grounds to visit her family in the West Bank — though Tlaib said Friday she will not visit her family under such conditions. Israel originally denied entrance to Tlaib and Omar after President Donald Trump tweeted, "It would show great weakness if Israel allowed Rep. Omar and Rep.Tlaib to visit. They hate Israel & all Jewish people." Congressmembers Tlaib and Omar are the first two Muslim women elected to Congress, and were planning to tour East Jerusalem and the occupied West Bank. Both congresswomen have voiced support for the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions, or BDS, movement, a global solidarity campaign with the Palestinian people. The nonviolent movement seeks to use economic and cultural pressure to force Israel to end its occupation of Palestinian lands. We speak with Mustafa Barghouti, a member of the Palestinian Legislative Council and secretary general of the Palestinian National Initiative political party, and Rebecca Vilkomerson, executive director of Jewish Voice for Peace. Headlines for August 16, 2019 Fri, 16 Aug 2019 08:00:00 -0400 Israel Bars Reps. Omar & Tlaib from Official Trip to West Bank Due to Their Support for BDS, 11 Die in Kashmir as Pakistani & Indian Troops Exchange Fire, U.S. Puts Pressure on Crew of Iranian Oil Tanker Seized in July, North Korea Test-Fires Two Missiles as It Rejects New Talks with S. Korea, NOAA: July Was Officially the Hottest Month on Record, Australia Accused of Watering Down Pacific Island Climate Agreement, Study: Surge in Methane Gas Emissions Is Linked to Fracking Boom, 270 Die, 1 Million Displaced in India from Heavy Monsoon Rains, Federal Court: Trump Admin Can't Deny Soap & Toothpaste to Migrant Children, Dozens of Immigrant Families Plan to Sue over Family Separation & Abuse in Foster System, Prison Guard Drives Truck into Crowd of Jewish Protesters Outside Immigrant Detention Center, Dayton Police Release More Information on Response to Mass Shooting, Democratic Officials in Pennsylvania Push for New Gun Control Measures, Huawei Accused of Helping Uganda & Zambia Spy on Political Dissidents, Hickenlooper Drops Out of Presidential Race, May Run for Colorado Senate Seat, Greenland Is Not For Sale: Denmark Rejects Trump Proposal to Buy Territory Child Victims Act: Hundreds File Suits as New York Extends Statute of Limitations on Sex Abuse Cases Thu, 15 Aug 2019 08:49:14 -0400 Hundreds of child sex abuse victims filed lawsuits in New York on Wednesday under the Child Victims Act, a new state law that allows survivors of childhood sexual abuse in the state to bring their perpetrators to court who previously were barred due to statutes of limitations. Lawsuits were filed against the Catholic Church, the Boy Scouts, a number of schools and hospitals and the estate of Jeffrey Epstein. The Child Victims Act was signed into law in February. It allows prosecutors to bring criminal charges against alleged abusers until the accuser turns 28. Accusers can file a civil lawsuit until they reach the age of 55. In addition, the "lookback window" will allow accusers of any age to bring charges against their alleged perpetrators — no matter how long ago the abuse occurred — for a period of one year starting Wednesday. We speak with two New York legislators that spearheaded the new law, state Senator Alessandra Biaggi and Assemblywoman Yuh-Line Niou. They are both survivors of childhood sexual abuse. Jeffrey Epstein Is Dead. Civil Rights Lawyer Says Civil Charges Against His Estate Will Continue Thu, 15 Aug 2019 08:32:15 -0400 Charges and civil suits against Jeffrey Epstein are continuing following the death of the serial sex abuser, who was found dead in his jail cell on Saturday. Epstein had been arrested in July for allegedly running a sex trafficking operation by luring underage girls as young as 14 years old to his mansion in Manhattan. While the federal criminal charges against Epstein will likely end, prosecutors can still pursue suits against any of his accomplices, including his friend Ghislaine Maxwell. On Wednesday, one of Epstein's alleged victims, Jennifer Araoz, sued Epstein's estate, Maxwell and three other unnamed women who worked for Epstein. Araoz accuses Epstein of raping her when she was 15 years old and repeatedly sexually assaulting her. From Los Angeles, we speak with civil rights attorney Lisa Bloom, who is representing two other alleged victims of Jeffrey Epstein. Horror at MCC: "Gulag" Conditions at NYC Jail Were Known for Decades Before Jeffrey Epstein's Death Thu, 15 Aug 2019 08:14:32 -0400 Questions are mounting surrounding accused serial sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein's alleged suicide in his New York jail cell over the weekend. Epstein was found dead in his jail cell on Saturday morning at the Metropolitan Correctional Center, or MCC, in Manhattan, where authorities say he hanged himself. The warden at MCC has since been reassigned, and two guards who were tasked with monitoring Epstein were put on leave. Reports emerged Tuesday that the guards may have been asleep during their shift, failing to check on Epstein for hours and then falsifying time logs. MCC, which has housed many high-profile prisoners, has been plagued with reports of understaffing, overcrowding and dire conditions for years. Mexican drug lord Joaquín "El Chapo" Guzmán called the prison "psychological torture." A United Nations human rights expert as well as Amnesty International have also condemned conditions in parts of the jail, saying they are akin to torture and result in "cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment." We speak with Jeanne Theoharis, a professor of political science at Brooklyn College who has written extensively on the Metropolitan Correctional Center. Her latest book is titled "A More Beautiful and Terrible History: The Uses and Misuses of Civil Rights History." Headlines for August 15, 2019 Thu, 15 Aug 2019 08:00:00 -0400 Trump Administration Moves to Seize Iranian Tanker Held in Gibraltar, Chinese Paramilitaries Mass on Hong Kong Border as Pro-Democracy Protests Continue, Dow Jones Plunges 800 Points on Fears of Looming Recession, Study Finds CEO Pay Increased 1,000% Since 1978 While Wages Stagnated, Facebook Hired Hundreds to Listen In on Users' Audio Messages, Mexico City Police Officers Suspended over Rape of Two Teenagers, Italian Court Allows Rescued Migrants to Disembark as Hundreds More Remain Stranded at Sea, NBC News: ICE Now Jailing 8,000 Migrants in Mississippi, Louisiana, Federal Court Weighs Fate of Protected Status for 300,000 Immigrants, Philadelphia Mayor Blasts NRA After Gunman Shoots and Injures Six Police Officers, FBI Says Ohio Gunman Praised Mass Shootings, Plotted Planned Parenthood Attack, Iowa Rep. Steve King Says Rape and Incest Helped Populate the World, Planned Parenthood Says It's Being Forced to End Title X Family Planning Program, Newark Officials Suspend Bottled Water Distribution as Lead Crisis Grows, Scientists Warn Microplastic Pollution Has Gone Airborne, Threatening Human Health, Swedish Climate Activist Greta Thunberg Sets Sail for U.N. Conference "River of Fire": In New Memoir, Sister Helen Prejean Reflects on Decades of Fighting Executions Wed, 14 Aug 2019 08:39:12 -0400 The Trump administration is moving ahead with plans to resume the death penalty after a more than 15-year moratorium. This week Attorney General William Barr proposed fast-tracking executions in mass murder cases, and last month ordered the execution of five death row prisoners beginning in December. The federal government has executed just three people since 1963 — the last being in 2003. The death penalty is widely condemned by national governments, international bodies and human rights groups across the world. Experts say capital punishment does not help deter homicides and that errors and racism in the criminal justice system extend to those sentenced to death. We speak with Sister Helen Prejean, a well-known anti-death-penalty activist who began her prison ministry over 30 years ago. She is the author of the best-selling book "Dead Man Walking: An Eyewitness Account of the Death Penalty," which was turned into an Academy Award-winning film starring Susan Sarandon and Sean Penn. Her new book, "River of Fire: My Spiritual Journey," is out this week. "A Narco State Supported by the United States": How Crime & Corruption in Honduras Fuel Migration Wed, 14 Aug 2019 08:17:59 -0400 We speak with Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter Sonia Nazario, who has closely detailed why migrants from Central America are fleeing their homes in an attempt to seek asylum in the United States. Earlier this year, Nazario spent a month in Honduras documenting how corruption and gang violence are forcing many people to flee. Her piece, "Pay or Die," ran in The New York Times, where she is a contributing opinion writer. "Give Us Your Rich": Immigration Reporter Says Trump Admin Is Changing "Wholesale" Who Gets into U.S. Wed, 14 Aug 2019 08:13:50 -0400 "Give me your tired, your poor, Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, The wretched refuse of your teeming shore. Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me, I lift my lamp beside the golden door!" Those are the words of Emma Lazarus inscribed on the Statue of Liberty. But this week, acting Director of Citizenship and Immigration Services Ken Cuccinelli attempted to rewrite the poem to make a case for limiting immigration to the United States. He told NPR's Rachel Martin on Tuesday that the Statue of Liberty's message is "Give me your tired and your poor, who can stand on their own two feet and who will not become a public charge." Facing outrage, Cuccinelli then doubled down on his comments, telling CNN that the words on the Statue of Liberty are about "people coming from Europe." We speak with Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Sonia Nazario about the comments and recent moves by the Trump administration to thwart immigration and target immigrants already in the U.S. Nazario says, "It's a wholesale attempt to change who's allowed into this country: Give us your rich; don't give us your poor. And, of course, this is contrary to the entire tradition of immigration to the United States." Headlines for August 14, 2019 Wed, 14 Aug 2019 08:00:00 -0400 Hong Kong Airport Resumes Flights as Chinese Tanks on Border Raise Questions About Military Action, Ken Cuccinelli Butchers Iconic Statue of Liberty Poem While Defending Trump Immigration Rule, Epstein Collaborators Sued as Questions over His Suicide Swirl, Trump Delays Tariffs on Some Chinese Goods, Coalition of States and Cities Sue Trump Admin over Rollback of Coal Regulations, Indigenous Women Protest President Bolsonaro in Brasília, Pakistan Calls for U.N. to Step In over Kashmir Tensions as PM Imran Khan Visits Disputed Region, Family of Saudi Women Rights Activist Says She Was Offered Release from Prison If She Denied Torture, Multiple Women Accuse Opera Star Plácido Domingo of Sexual Misconduct, CBS and Viacom Announce Merger, New York's "Child Victims Act" Opens Doors for Sexual Abuse Survivors to Get Justice in Courts How to Be an Antiracist: Ibram X. Kendi on Why We Need to Fight Racism the Way We Fight Cancer Tue, 13 Aug 2019 08:30:00 -0400 In his new book, "How to Be an Antiracist," professor Ibram X. Kendi urges readers to break out of the false framework of "racist" and "not racist," instead laying out what it means to be antiracist: viewing racial groups as equals and pushing for policies that create racial equity. Kendi says, "We can't just talk about racism as an original sin. We have to talk about racism as the original cancer, as this original disease that has been killing America." Ibram X. Kendi: IQ Tests, SAT Scores and Other "Intelligence" Tests Propagate Racism Tue, 13 Aug 2019 08:21:50 -0400 Author and professor Ibram X. Kendi joins us to discuss his new book, "How to Be an Antiracist." He talks about the racist development of intelligence tests that blatantly discriminate against people of color under a veneer of scientific objectivity. "Even when we talk about antiracism, when most people think of who needs to be an antiracist, they think of Southerners. They think of people who voted for Trump," says Kendi. "They don't think of people who are advocating for the maintenance of these tests, which are denying access to some of the best schools in New York City to black and Latino kids." "Today the Lynch Mob Only Needs an Assault Rifle": Ibram X. Kendi on White Supremacist Violence Tue, 13 Aug 2019 08:14:48 -0400 This week marks two years since white supremacists descended on Charlottesville, Virginia, where a neo-Nazi drove his car into a crowd of antiracist protesters, killing 32-year-old activist Heather Heyer. Days later, President Trump claimed there were "very fine people on both sides." Since Charlottesville, white supremacists have committed at least 73 murders, according to the Anti-Defamation League. Just last week, a white supremacist in El Paso, Texas, opened fire in a crowded Walmart and killed 22 people. It's been described as the deadliest attack to target Latinos in modern American history. We speak with Dr. Ibram X. Kendi, founding director of the Antiracist Research and Policy Center at American University and author of the new book, "How to Be an Antiracist." Headlines for August 13, 2019 Tue, 13 Aug 2019 08:00:00 -0400 Trump Announces New Rule to Limit and Penalize Low-Income Immigrants, Trump Slashes Endangered Species Act, Hong Kong Protesters Shut Down Airport for Second Day, Flooding, Landslides Kill Hundreds Across South and Southeast Asia, Ebola No Longer "Incurable" After Success of Experimental Treatments, Reports: Director of Mexican Migrant Shelter Kidnapped, Racist Border Patrol Agent Who Intentionally Ran Over Guatemalan Man Pleads Guilty, Friend of Dayton Shooter Says He Bought and Stored Gun Parts and Ammunition Used in Massacre, WaPo Editor Responds to Sanders Claim That Paper Writes Negative Stories Because of Amazon Criticism, General Orders "Culture" Review After SEALs Accused of Drug Abuse, Sexual Violence, Water in Newark, NJ, Still Unsafe to Drink, Estate of Layleen Polanco Sues NYC over Her Death at Rikers, Anti-Amazon Protests Mount over Collaboration with Palantir and ICE "The Next Step Is the Kremlin": Why Moscow Protests Have Putin's Government Worried Mon, 12 Aug 2019 08:50:54 -0400 Up to 60,000 protesters gathered Saturday in Moscow in the largest demonstration Russia has witnessed in years. Although the protest was officially authorized, dozens of protesters were arrested in the capital, and dozens more were also arrested in demonstrations across the country. Saturday's protest was organized to denounce the recent barring of opposition candidates from running in an upcoming election for Moscow City Council. We speak with Nina Khrushcheva, professor of international affairs at The New School. She is the co-author of "In Putin's Footsteps: Searching for the Soul of an Empire Across Russia's Eleven Time Zones." Hong Kong Grounds Flights as Mass Sit-in Shuts Down Airport After Weekend of Protests Mon, 12 Aug 2019 08:39:08 -0400 All departing flights were grounded as chaos engulfed the Hong Kong International Airport Monday, after thousands of pro-democracy protesters filled the travel hub to protest police brutality. Many eventually left the airport, fearing threats of more police action, but hundreds of activists remain. The latest escalation follows a weekend of bloody clashes between the police and protesters. Confrontations turned especially violent on Sunday night as riot police fired tear gas inside a subway station and were filmed beating protesters with batons. Meanwhile, Beijing has escalated its rhetoric against the protesters, with a Chinese official saying their actions show signs of "terrorism." It's been 10 weeks since mass demonstrations erupted in Hong Kong, when millions took to the streets to demand the withdrawal of an extradition bill that would have sent people from Hong Kong to mainland China to face criminal charges. Demands quickly escalated for the resignation of Hong Kong's leader Carrie Lam, an independent investigation into police brutality against demonstrators, and pro-independence reforms. We speak with Mary Hui, a reporter for the business news outlet Quartz who has been covering the mass demonstrations for more than two months. Jeffrey Epstein Is Dead, But Victims Call for Probes of His Sex Trafficking Ring to Continue Mon, 12 Aug 2019 08:16:31 -0400 Jeffrey Epstein is dead. The accused serial sex trafficker who once counted President Trump and former President Bill Clinton among his high-profile friends was found dead in his Manhattan jail cell Saturday morning. Authorities say he hanged himself. Epstein had been put on suicide watch after he was found unconscious with marks on his neck in July, but authorities had removed him from suicide watch 11 days before his death. Epstein had been in jail since July, when he was arrested for allegedly running a sex trafficking operation by luring underage girls as young as 14 years old to his mansion in Manhattan. His death came less than 24 hours after hundreds of pages of court documents were unsealed with testimonies from former employees and new details of sexual abuse committed by Epstein, which also implicated a number of well-known figures. Men named in the papers include former New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson, former Senator George Mitchell, Alan Dershowitz and Prince Andrew. While the federal criminal prosecution of Epstein will likely end, prosecutors can still pursue charges against any of his accomplices. Civil suits will also continue against Epstein's multimillion-dollar estate. We speak with Casey Frank, the Miami Herald's senior editor for investigations. The newspaper's multipart series published in November is largely credited with reopening the Epstein case. Headlines for August 12, 2019 Mon, 12 Aug 2019 08:00:00 -0400 Investigations to Continue as Questions Mount Over Apparent Suicide of Jeffrey Epstein, Hong Kong Airport Shuts Down as Protests Rage for 10th Straight Week, Dozens Arrested as Pro-Democracy Protests Ramp Up in Russia, Questions Remain Over Deadly Russian Explosion as Threat of Nuclear Arms Race Looms, Norway Mosque Shooter Has Online History of Praising White Supremacists, Yemeni Foreign Minister Concedes Defeat to UAE After Southern Separatists Take Aden, Israeli Forces Storm Holy Site of Al-Aqsa Mosque on Eid, Right-Wing Candidate Alejandro Giammattei Wins Guatemala Presidency, Biden Under Fire After Saying "Poor Kids" as "Bright and Talented as White Kids", Trans Activist Gavin Grimm Wins 2-Year Fight Against Virginia School Board, Simone Biles Breaks New Records, Uses Platform to Speak Out Against Sexual Abuse, U.S. Athletes Protest Trump, U.S. Policies as They Win Golds at Pan American Games, Manfred Max-Neef, Acclaimed Chilean Economist and Environmentalist, Dies at 86 Documents Reveal Monsanto Surveilled Journalists, Activists & Even Musician Neil Young Fri, 09 Aug 2019 08:43:53 -0400 Explosive new documents reveal the U.S. agribusiness giant Monsanto ran a "fusion center" to surveil and discredit journalists and activists who criticized or wrote damning reports about Monsanto, as well as legendary singer-songwriter Neil Young, who released an album in 2015 called "The Monsanto Years." Monsanto monitored Young's Twitter activity and even analyzed the lyrics of his album. The fusion center also surveilled journalist Carey Gillam, who has done extensive research and writing about Monsanto and its popular pesticide Roundup, which has been linked to cancer. The corporation also targeted the nonprofit research group U.S. Right to Know, which submitted Freedom of Information Act requests about the company. From Kansas City, Missouri, we speak to Carey Gillam, a veteran investigative journalist and author of "Whitewash: The Story of a Weed Killer, Cancer, and the Corruption of Science," and from Berkeley, California, Gary Ruskin, co-founder of U.S. Right to Know. Supersizing Climate Change: U.N. Says Meat Production Destroys Land & Diminishes Key Water Sources Fri, 09 Aug 2019 08:36:30 -0400 The United Nations' top panel of climate scientists warns that humans are consuming land and water resources at an unprecedented rate, with the destructive effects of the climate crisis increasingly threatening the planet's biodiversity and the food security of hundreds of millions of people. In its latest climate change and land special report, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change warns that without dramatic action, extreme weather and rising temperatures will turn even more fertile land into desert, shrinking the global food supply, even as the world's population rises to more than 7.5 billion people. The IPCC recommends dramatic reductions in greenhouse gas emissions, along with more efficient farming methods and a shift in diets away from dairy and meat — which produce vast amounts of methane and carbon dioxide while using large amounts of land. We speak with Pamela McElwee, an associate professor in the Department of Human Ecology at the School of Environmental and Biological Sciences at Rutgers University and co-author of the IPCC report. Mass ICE Raids in Mississippi After Workers Fought for Better Conditions Leave Kids Without Parents Fri, 09 Aug 2019 08:14:05 -0400 Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents swept through seven poultry processing plants in Mississippi this week and arrested 680 people. It was the largest single-state raid in U.S. history.The mass arrests also came on the first day of the school year, and some children walked home from school only to find their doors locked and their family members missing. Wednesday's raids targeted chicken processing plants operated by Koch Foods, one of the largest poultry producers in the U.S. Last year, the company paid out $3.75 million to settle an Equal Employment Opportunities Commission class-action suit charging the company with sexual harassment, national origin and race discrimination, and retaliation against Latino workers at one of its Mississippi plants. Labor activists say it's the latest raid to target factories where immigrant workers have organized unions, fought back against discrimination or challenged unsafe and unsanitary conditions. We speak with Jackson, Mississippi, Mayor Chokwe Antar Lumumba and L. Patricia Ice, legal projects director at the Mississippi Immigrants Rights Alliance. Headlines for August 9, 2019 Fri, 09 Aug 2019 08:00:00 -0400 Mitch McConnell Says Senate Will Take Up Gun Bills, But Not Until September, President and First Lady Pose with Infant Orphaned in El Paso Massacre, Man with Guns and Body Armor Sparks Panic at Missouri Walmart, Home of Interracial Couple in Ohio Torched in Apparent Hate Crime, Over 100 Immigrant Hunger Strikers Tear-Gassed Inside ICE Jail, ICE Releases Some of the 680 Immigrants Swept Up in Massive Mississippi Raid, Mentally Ill Michigan Man with Diabetes Dies After Deportation to Iraq, ICE Agents, Lacking Warrant, Denied Entry to Brooklyn Homeless Shelter, Hundreds of Hong Kong Pro-Democracy Protesters Occupy Airport, Trump Names Joseph Maguire as Acting Director of National Intelligence, Report: Monsanto Ran Spying and Intimidation Campaign Against Critics, Brazil's Supreme Court Blocks "Unambiguous Act of Censorship" Against Glenn Greenwald, Judge Rejects New Hearing for Jailed Whistleblower Chelsea Manning as Fines Mount, Boycott Targets SoulCycle and Equinox as Lead Investor Stephen Ross Plans Trump Fundraiser, Prisoner-Turned-Advocate Susan Burton Pardoned by California Governor
In accordance with Title 17 United States Code Section 107, the material on this web page is distributed without profit to those who have shown prior interest in receiving the included information for research and educational purposes. |
|
• contact •
comments •
site developer •
