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DemocracyNow! headlines
"You Can't Be Neutral on a Moving Train": Remembering the People's Historian Howard Zinn at 100
Fri, 25 Nov 2022 08:12:29 -0500 In a special broadcast, we remember the legendary historian, author, professor, playwright and activist Howard Zinn, who was born 100 years ago this August. Zinn was a regular guest on Democracy Now!, from the start of the program in 1996 up until his death in 2010 at age 87. After witnessing the horrors of World War II as a bombardier, Zinn became a peace and justice activist who picketed with his students at Spelman College during the civil rights movement and joined in actions such as opposing the Vietnam War. He later spoke out against the U.S. wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. “I believe neutrality is impossible, because the world is already moving in certain directions. Wars are going on. Children are starving,” Zinn said in a 2005 interview. “To be neutral … is to collaborate with whatever is going on, to allow it to happen.” Black Friday Special: Howard Zinn & Voices of a People's History of the United States Fri, 25 Nov 2022 08:01:49 -0500 This year marks 100 years since the birth of the historian Howard Zinn. In 1980, Zinn published his classic work, “A People’s History of the United States.” The book would go on to sell over a million copies and change the way many look at history in America. We begin today’s special with highlights from a production of Howard Zinn’s “Voices of a People’s History of the United States,” where Zinn introduced dramatic readings from history. We hear Alfre Woodard read the words of labor activist Mother Jones and Howard’ son Jeff Zinn read the words of an IWW poet and organizer Arturo Giovannitti. Dr. Gabor Maté on "The Myth of Normal," Healing in a Toxic Culture & How Capitalism Fuels Addiction Thu, 24 Nov 2022 08:14:39 -0500 In an extended interview, acclaimed physician and author Dr. Gabor Maté discusses his new book, “The Myth of Normal: Trauma, Illness, and Healing in a Toxic Culture.” “The very values of a society are traumatizing for a lot of people,” says Maté, who argues in his book that “psychological trauma, woundedness, underlies much of what we call disease.” He says healing requires a reconnection between the mind and the body, which can be achieved through cultivating a sense of community, meaning, belonging and purpose. Maté also discusses how the healthcare system has harmfully promoted the “mechanization of birth,” how the lack of social services for parents has led to “a massive abandonment of infants,” and how capitalism has fueled addiction and the rise of youth suicide rates. Lakota Historian Nick Estes on Thanksgiving, Settler Colonialism & Continuing Indigenous Resistance Thu, 24 Nov 2022 08:01:32 -0500 Lakota historian Nick Estes talks about Thanksgiving and his book “Our History Is the Future,” and the historic fight against the Dakota Access pipeline at Standing Rock. “This history … is a continuing history of genocide, of settler colonialism and, basically, the founding myths of this country,” says Estes, who is a co-founder of the Indigenous resistance group The Red Nation and a citizen of the Lower Brule Sioux Tribe. Filipino Climate Activist Yeb Saño on COP27, Climate Reparations & Philippines' New President Marcos Wed, 23 Nov 2022 08:41:29 -0500 This week U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris visited the Philippines, where she said the U.S. would defend the Philippines "in the face of intimidation and coercion” from China and vowed to expand the U.S. military presence in the country even after former bases leaked toxic waste into the environment. We recently spoke about the environment and more with Filipino activist Yeb Saño at the U.N. climate summit in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt. He was previously the chief climate negotiator for the Philippines and is now executive director of Greenpeace Southeast Asia. Saño describes the “loss and damage” fund negotiated between the Global North and Global South as an “expression of human solidarity.” He also discusses Philippines President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s commitments to climate action, as well as the threats faced by Filipino environmental activists. Noam Chomsky on Legacy of Radical Historian Staughton Lynd, Who Protested Korea, Vietnam & Iraq Wars Wed, 23 Nov 2022 08:27:04 -0500 Noam Chomsky remembers the life and legacy of longtime peace and civil rights activist, lawyer and author Staughton Lynd, who has died at the age of 92. Lynd faced professional blowback after he was a conscientious objector during the Korean War and an outspoken critic of the Vietnam War, and later supported U.S. soldiers who refused to fight in Iraq. We feature an extended interview excerpt from when he appeared on Democracy Now! in 2006 to discuss the U.S. invasion and occupation of Iraq, his conscientious objector status and the 1993 Ohio prison uprising in Lucasville. Defiance in Iran: Despite Crackdown, Anti-Government Protests May Grow into "Nationwide Revolution" Wed, 23 Nov 2022 08:13:48 -0500 The situation in Iran is “critical” as authorities tighten their crackdown on the continuing anti-government protests after the September death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini in the custody of the so-called morality police. United Nations human rights officials report Iranian security forces in Kurdish cities killed dozens of protesters this week alone, with each funeral turning into a mass rally against the central government. “The defiance has been astounding,” says Middle East studies professor Nahid Siamdoust, who reported for years from Iran, including during the 2009 Green Movement, and calls the protests a “nationwide revolution.” Headlines for November 23, 2022 Wed, 23 Nov 2022 08:00:00 -0500 Six People Shot Dead at Walmart in Chesapeake, Virginia, Supreme Court OKs Release of Trump’s Tax Returns to Congress, Zelensky Accuses Russia of Turning Cold Winter into “Weapon of Mass Destruction”, Ukrainian Forces Raid 1,000-Year-Old Orthodox Monastery in Kyiv, On Trip to Moscow, Cuban President Denounces U.S. Sanctions on Russia & NATO Expansion, Turkey Threatens Ground Invasion of Northern Syria in Assault on Kurds, Brazil: Bolsonaro Contests Lula’s Victory, Alleging Voter Machine Problems, Colombia Resumes Peace Talks with ELN Guerrillas, Fatal Bomb Blasts Hit Jerusalem a Day After Deadly Israeli Raid in West Bank, China: Hundreds of Workers Walk Off Job at World’s Largest iPhone Factory, Biden Administration to Extend Pause of Student Loan Payments, Atlanta to Pay $1 Million to Family of Rayshard Brooks, Over 400 Groups Urge Biden to Expand TPS Protection for Haitians, Teachers Union Head Denounces Pompeo for Calling Her “The Most Dangerous Person in the World”, Starbucks Closes First Store to Unionize in Seattle, Elon Musk Has Lost $100 Billion in 2022 But Remains World’s Richest Person Family of British-Egyptian Political Prisoner Alaa Abd El-Fattah on Their Struggle for His Freedom Tue, 22 Nov 2022 08:11:02 -0500 In a wide-ranging interview recorded in Cairo, we speak with Laila Soueif and Sanaa Seif, the mother and sister of British-Egyptian political prisoner Alaa Abd El-Fattah, about his health, his case, his family and his hopes for freedom. After visiting him in prison, they describe how El-Fattah started a water strike on the first day of the U.N. climate conference in Sharm el-Sheikh to draw international attention to the country’s human rights violations and protest his seemingly indefinite imprisonment. He paused after collapsing and suffering a “near-death experience” when prison officials appeared reluctant to record his full water and hunger strike. Seif says they set a date to restart his hunger strike, once he regains physical and mental strength. Laila Soueif discusses how El-Fattah helped her raise his two younger sisters when her now-deceased husband was in jail for his own activism. They also describe his relationship with his son, Khaled, who is nonverbal and diagnosed with autism, calling El-Fattah a “patient, kind father.” Recalling his most recent trial, they lay out how he was sentenced to five years in prison last December, and explain how El-Fattah’s lawyers never had access to the case trial or were allowed to argue his case. “There is clearly a vendetta” against El-Fattah, notes Seif, who adds “it’s pointless to talk about the legal procedures [since] each step of it is a sham.” Seif also speaks about the mass imprisonment of other political prisoners and the major influence and responsibility the U.S. has in freeing El-Fattah and others. “This whole operation [in Egypt] is a U.S. operation,” says Soueif, who says she wants El-Fattah freed and deported to the U.K. to keep him safe. Headlines for November 22, 2022 Tue, 22 Nov 2022 08:00:00 -0500 Suspect in Colorado LGBTQ Nightclub Massacre Charged with Murder, Hate Crimes, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott Warns of Immigrant “Invasion,” Mirroring Language Used by El Paso Shooter, As Russian Attacks Leave Ukraine Without Power, WHO Warns “This Winter Will Be About Survival”, Kamala Harris Pledges “Unwavering Commitment” to Defend Philippines, Death Toll from Java Earthquake Rises to 268, 38 Workers Die as Fire Sweeps Through Factory in Central China, U.S. Rail Workers Reject Tentative Union Contract, Set Stage for Dec. 9 Strike, Alabama Governor Halts Executions After Third Botched Lethal Injection, Missouri Teen Asks to Attend Her Father’s Execution, Oregon Governor Pardons 45,000 People for Cannabis Convictions, Rights Groups Denounce FIFA for Banning Displays of LGBTQ+ Pride at World Cup World Cup in Qatar Is "Deadliest Major Sporting Event" in History, Built on a Decade of Forced Labor Mon, 21 Nov 2022 08:48:03 -0500 As the World Cup begins, we look at the host country of Qatar’s labor and human rights record. “This is the deadliest major sporting event, possibly ever, in history,” says Minky Worden of Human Rights Watch, who describes how millions of migrant workers from the world’s poorest countries have faced deadly and forced labor conditions working on the $2 billion infrastructure. By one count, 6,500 migrant workers have died in Qatar since 2010, when it was awarded the right to host the games. “These are unprecedented labor rights abuses,” says Worden, who claims “there’s no ability if you’re a migrant worker in Qatar to strike for your basic human rights.” "An Act of Hate": 5 Dead in Shooting at Colorado LGBTQ Club on Eve of Transgender Day of Remembrance Mon, 21 Nov 2022 08:31:32 -0500 A gunman wearing body armor and armed with an AR-15-style rifle attacked an LGBTQ nightclub in Colorado Springs late Saturday night, killing five people and injuring at least 25. Two Club Q patrons managed to disarm the shooter, a 22-year-old suspect with ties to an extremist family, before he was taken into police custody. The attack came on the the eve of Transgender Day of Remembrance, and police are investigating the attack as a potential hate crime. “This was an intentional act to push LGBTQ people back into the shadows,” says Denver mayoral candidate Leslie Herod, who is the first LGBTQ+ African American to hold office in the Colorado General Assembly and considers Colorado Springs her hometown. Herod describes a “clear connection” between hateful anti-gay rhetoric and violence toward the LGBTQ community. U.N. Climate Summit Agrees to Historic Loss and Damage Fund But Rejects Calls to Phase Out Fossil Fuels Mon, 21 Nov 2022 08:15:27 -0500 Rich countries agreed to establish a “loss and damage” fund at the close of the two-week-long U.N. climate summit in Egypt to help the Global South deal with the worst effects of the climate catastrophe. The fund is a major breakthrough for Global South countries, which have been demanding a similar mechanism for the past 30 years but faced opposition from the United States and other large polluting nations. Climate justice activist Asad Rehman says the fund is a “glimmer of hope” despite the summit ending with a massive expansion of carbon markets and delegates making “no progress” to phase out fossil fuels. Headlines for November 21, 2022 Mon, 21 Nov 2022 08:00:00 -0500 COP27 Delegates Agree on Historic “Loss and Damage” Deal But Make No Progress on Climate Catastrophe, Gunman Kills 5 in Attack on Colorado Springs LGTBQ Nightclub, U.N. Nuclear Body Warns Fighting Near Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Plant Is “Playing with Fire”, Earthquake Kills at Least 56 People in Indonesia, Beijing Reports First COVID Deaths in 6 Months Amid Public Unrest, World Cup Kicks Off Under Cloud of Rights Abuses; Iran Soccer Captain Backs Protests Back Home, Iranian Actresses Arrested After Supporting Protests and Appearing Publicly Without Hijabs, 11 Civilians Killed as Turkish Airstrikes Target Kurdish-Held Parts of Syria and Iraq, Twitter CEO Elon Musk Restores Donald Trump’s Banned Twitter Account, Ex-Justice Department Prosecutor Jack Smith Named Special Counsel in Trump Criminal Probes, Elizabeth Holmes Sentenced to 11 Years in Prison for Defrauding Theranos Investors, Calls Mount for Cryptocurrency Oversight After FTX Exchange Collapses, Biden Asks Supreme Court to Allow Student Debt Relief Program to Take Effect, Justice Alito Denies Whistleblower Claim He Leaked Landmark 2014 Decision Ahead of Ruling, New York Schools Banned from Using Native Mascots Without Consent, Hebe de Bonafini, Who Sought Justice for Victims of Argentina’s Dictatorship, Dies at 93 Exiled Russian Environmentalist: Russia's Uranium Sales to U.S. & Europe Help Putin Fund Ukraine War Fri, 18 Nov 2022 08:47:44 -0500 We continue our coverage from the U.N. climate conference in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, with prominent Russian environmentalist Vladimir Slivyak, co-chair of the Russian environmental organization Ecodefense and winner of the 2021 Right Livelihood Award for defending the environment and mobilizing grassroots opposition to the coal and nuclear industries in Russia. Slivyak says the Russian war in Ukraine, especially the Russian occupation of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, should serve as a warning to immediately transition to renewable energy sources, not nuclear energy, and to stop relying on fossil fuels. “As long as the United States and European Union continue to pay Vladimir Putin for uranium or fossil fuel, that means that this money will be used for the war in Ukraine. That means more people will die in Ukraine,” he adds. Ukrainian Climate Scientist Says Fossil Fuels Enabled Russian War in Ukraine Fri, 18 Nov 2022 08:38:08 -0500 We speak with prominent Ukrainian climate scientist Svitlana Krakovska at the U.N. climate conference in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, about how the Russian war in Ukraine has intensified calls to transition from fossil fuels to renewable energy. Krakovska is the head of the delegation of Ukraine to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, or IPCC. “Fossil fuels: it’s a root, it’s an enabler of the Russian war on Ukraine,” says Krakovska, adding that she feels hopeful that the conference will bring politicians and scientists together to instill positive change. "Fossil Fuels Fund Dictatorships": Ukrainian Climate Activist Suspended from COP27 over Russia Protest Fri, 18 Nov 2022 08:30:10 -0500 Ukrainian climate activist Svitlana Romanko joins us after she was suspended from the U.N. climate conference in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, when she accused Russian officials of war crimes and genocide at an event on Wednesday. Romanko is the founder and director of Razom We Stand, an organization demanding a total permanent embargo on Russian oil and gas. “It has been very clear that fossil fuels fund dictatorships all over the world,” says Romanko, who has since left Egypt for her own safety. “We wanted to use our freedom of speaking and freedom of attending public gathering to confront people who came from the country which is in open war and ... destroying our people.” "A Near-Death Experience": U.K.-Egyptian Activist Alaa Abd El-Fattah Almost Dies on Prison Hunger Strike Fri, 18 Nov 2022 08:12:30 -0500 The family of imprisoned British-Egyptian human rights activist Alaa Abd El-Fattah visited him on Thursday for the first time since he ended his full hunger and water strike, which they say occurred after he collapsed inside his prison shower last week. El-Fattah had intensified his strike on the first day of the U.N. climate conference in Sharm el-Sheikh to draw international attention to the country’s human rights violations and protest his seemingly indefinite imprisonment. We go to Cairo to speak with his aunt, Ahdaf Soueif, who was among the visitors and says El-Fattah may resume his hunger strike if the British government does not more aggressively demand his release. “It really breaks my heart to think of him going back on hunger strike when he is so thin and so weak,” but the campaign so far “has left no one in any doubt that Alaa should be free,” she says. Headlines for November 18, 2022 Fri, 18 Nov 2022 08:00:00 -0500 Negotiations over “Loss and Damage” Dominate Final Hours of COP27 Climate Summit, Nancy Pelosi, First Woman House Speaker, Steps Down from Democratic Leadership After 2 Decades, Democratic Rep. Katie Porter, Famous for Her “Whiteboard of Justice,” Wins Reelection, Reelection Bid of Far-Right Republican Rep. Lauren Boebert Headed for Recount, Kremlin Hints at Prisoner Swap Involving Brittney Griner and Viktor Bout, State Department Says Saudi Crown Prince Has Immunity from Lawsuit over Khashoggi Killing, Blaze Kills 21 People at Jabaliya Refugee Camp in Gaza, World Cup Kicks Off in Shadow of Qatar’s Human Rights, Labor Abuses, Adjunct Professors at NYC’s New School Launch Indefinite Strike, Starbucks Workers Walk Out Nationwide to Protest Chain’s Anti-Union Efforts , Hundreds of Twitter Workers Resign After Declining to Go “Hard Core” for Musk , Alabama Execution Called Off over Botched Attempt at Lethal Injection, Staughton Lynd, Civil Rights Activist and War Critic, Dies at Age 92 At COP27 Indigenous Land Defenders from Mexico, Guatemala Warn "Green Capitalism" Creates Violence Thu, 17 Nov 2022 08:45:16 -0500 We continue our coverage of the U.N. climate conference in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, by asking what Indigenous leaders at the frontlines of the climate crisis are calling for from world leaders. We speak to Andrea Ixchíu, a land defender from Guatemala, and Rosa Marina Flores Cruz, an Afro-Indigenous activist from Mexico, who are both part of the Futuros Indígenas collective. They discuss how their countries’ megaprojects and big business are devastating Indigenous communities. “Green capitalism is affecting our communities. It’s displacing people. It’s creating violence,” says Ixchíu. Amid the murder and persecution of climate activists across Latin America, “defend[ing] the land is one of the most difficult and dangerous activities that we can do,” says Cruz. Amazon Leader Welcomes Climate Vow from Brazil's Lula to End Deforestation with Indigenous Help Thu, 17 Nov 2022 08:31:40 -0500 Brazilian President-elect Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva addressed world leaders at the U.N. climate conference in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, on Wednesday, vowing to end deforestation of the Amazon rainforest and create a ministry to represent Indigenous peoples in his government. Brazil’s new approach to climate change aims to reverse outgoing far-right President Jair Bolsonaro’s policies that have devastated Indigenous lands. “With Lula’s support, we can fight against deforestation and support Indigenous peoples in protecting and confronting the threats they face, including assassinations and human rights violations,” says Gregório Mirabal, an Indigenous leader from the Venezuelan Amazon. His colleague Atossa Soltani, board president of Amazon Watch, translated for him. Indigenous Activists Tom Goldtooth & Eriel Deranger on the Link Between Colonialism & Climate Crisis Thu, 17 Nov 2022 08:13:40 -0500 Democracy Now! is broadcasting live from COP27, the U.N. climate conference in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, where hundreds of activists protested outside the plenary hall Thursday to demand climate justice. We speak to two Indigenous activists and land defenders at the summit, Eriel Tchekwie Deranger and Tom Goldtooth. “It is frontline communities, land defenders and Indigenous peoples that have experienced the loss of our territories at the hands of oil and gas and extractivism,” says Deranger, executive director of Indigenous Climate Action and member of the Athabasca Chipewyan First Nation. “Colonialism has to be addressed in these hallways, and there’s been lack of political will around that,” says Goldtooth, executive director of the Indigenous Environmental Network and member of the Diné and Dakota nations. Headlines for November 17, 2022 Thu, 17 Nov 2022 08:00:00 -0500 GOP Wins Narrow House Majority; McConnell Reelected Senate Minority Leader, Senate Advances Bill to Codify Marriage Equality into Federal Law, Iran Steps Up Violence Against Protesters, Sentences Five Activists to Death, Russian Missiles Fall Across Ukraine as Grain Export Deal Extended for 120 Days, Poland Blames Russia for Deadly Blast Near Border with Ukraine, Family of Alaa Abd El-Fattah Still Has Not Seen Imprisoned British-Egyptian Activist, U.S. Judge Gives Biden Administration 5Week Extension to End Title 42, Sen. Ossoff Grills ICE Official About Invasive Procedures Performed on Prisoners, Immigrant Rights Activists Welcome Migrants Bused to Philadelphia from Texas, Rep. Karen Bass Becomes First Woman, Second Black Person Elected as L.A. Mayor, NLRB Asks Court to Stop Starbucks from Firing More Workers as Retaliation for Unionizing, Joye Braun, Cheyenne River Sioux Water Protector and Policy Advocate, Dies at 53 "A Carbon Bomb": Movement Grows Against EACOP East African Pipeline Funded by France's Total & China Wed, 16 Nov 2022 08:47:18 -0500 COP27 in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, has been called the African COP, but many African climate activists cannot afford to attend. Broadcasting from the summit, we speak to Omar Elmawi, campaign coordinator for Stop the East African Crude Oil Pipeline, about the push to stop the construction of a major pipeline that would stretch 900 miles from Uganda to Tanzania. Key financial backers of the East African Crude Oil Pipeline include the French company Total and the China National Offshore Oil Company. “It’s a project that is strongly being opposed by people in Uganda and the whole world, because it’s going to be displacing over 100,000 people in East Africa, and it’s also going to be causing a lot of impacts to nature,” says Elmawi. He adds that the region should transition instead to renewable energy such as solar. "Climate Collateral": How Military Spending Fuels Environmental Damage Wed, 16 Nov 2022 08:29:55 -0500 As the U.N. climate conference in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, is underway, we look at how military spending accelerates the climate crisis. Wealthy nations’ investments in armed forces not only exacerbates pollution but also often surpasses their climate financing by as much as 30 times, according to a new report by the Transnational Institute. It shows the money is available, “but it’s been dedicated to military spending,” says co-author Nick Buxton. Governments that import arms, like Egypt, are motivated by the desire for legitimacy and the “power to crack down on the civil society,” adds Muhammad al-Kashef, human rights lawyer and migration activist. Who Should Pay for Climate Crisis? Global South Demands "Loss and Damage" from Wealthy Nations Wed, 16 Nov 2022 08:12:43 -0500 We are broadcasting from COP27, the U.N. climate conference in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, where poorer countries in the Global South that are weathering the worst effects of the climate crisis are calling for wealthy nations to pay reparations in the form of climate financing. “We need a global plan to phase out fossil fuels in a just and equitable manner,” says Harjeet Singh, head of global political strategy with Climate Action Network and global engagement director of the Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty. He adds that the United States is the main impediment to “loss and damage” climate financing. “Money is available, but [the] U.S. has always blocked money going to poor people who are suffering from climate impacts,” he says. Headlines for November 16, 2022 Wed, 16 Nov 2022 08:00:00 -0500 Poland Says Ukraine Likely Launched Missiles That Killed 2, Not a Deliberate Attack, Russian Missiles Rain Down on Ukraine as Zelensky Calls for G20 to Support Peace Plan, Judge Overturns Georgia Abortion Ban, Trump Announces 2024 Run Amid Ongoing Legal Troubles, Kevin McCarthy Wins GOP Nomination for House Speaker; Sen. Warnock Sues GA over Early Voting Rules, U.S. Judge Blocks Title 42, Which Has Expelled 2 Million Migrants Since 2020, Philadelphia Rights Activists Preparing for New Immigrant Bus from Texas, Intel Report Details How the UAE Spent Hundreds of Millions to Influence U.S. Foreign Policy, Lula Declares “Brazil Is Back” at COP27, Calls for Next Meeting to Take Place in Amazon, 11-Year-Old Licypriya Kangujam Confronts U.K. Minister over Criminalization of Climate Protests, Jennifer Siebel Newsom Testifies Harvey Weinstein Raped Her in 2005, Tesla Construction Workers Describe Exploitative, Dangerous Conditions at Texas Site, Sanitation Co. Accused of Using Child Labor in JBS Slaughterhouses, Walmart Agrees to $3.1 Billion Settlement over Opioids Crisis Vanessa Nakate Condemns Fossil Fuel Lobbying at U.N. Climate Talks as Global Warming Devastates Africa Tue, 15 Nov 2022 08:45:46 -0500 At the U.N. climate conference in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, we speak with prominent Ugandan climate activist Vanessa Nakate about the impact of the climate crisis on the continent of Africa. Earlier today she spoke at a COP27 event and blasted world leaders for not doing more. She describes the need for wealthy nations gathered at the U.N. climate conference, particularly the U.S., to finance loss and damage for poorer nations in the Global South. “For the current and historic emitters, they need to take responsibility for the climate crisis, and they need to pay for this crisis,” says Nakate. Hossam Bahgat on the "Full-Scale Human Rights Crisis" in Egypt as Country Hosts COP27 Tue, 15 Nov 2022 08:15:50 -0500 Broadcasting from COP27, the U.N. climate conference in Sharm el-Sheikh, we speak to leading Egyptian human rights advocate and journalist Hossam Bahgat about how authorities have launched a widespread crackdown on political dissent. Hundreds have been arrested, including lawyers and journalists, and police have been stopping people randomly on the streets of Cairo and other cities to search the contents of their phones. Meanwhile, imprisoned British-Egyptian activist Alaa Abd El-Fattah has sent a letter notifying his family that he has stopped his hunger strike and asked for them to visit on Thursday. Bahgat disagrees with calls to boycott COP27, and gained entry through asking a foreign environmental group to include him. “Sustained engagement with the Egyptian government in public and private about its catastrophic human rights record can actually lead to some change,” says Bahgat, executive director of the Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights. Headlines for November 15, 2022 Tue, 15 Nov 2022 08:00:00 -0500 U.N. General Assembly Calls on Russia to Pay Reparations for Ukraine Invasion, After Meeting Xi Jinping, Biden Says U.S. Won’t Provoke New Cold War with China, Egyptian Political Prisoner Alaa Abd El-Fattah Ends Hunger Strike, Israel Says It Won’t Cooperate with FBI Probe into Killing of Shireen Abu Akleh, Thousands Flee Fighting Between Congolese Army and M23 Rebels in Eastern DRC, Katie Hobbs Defeats GOP Election Denier Kari Lake to Win Arizona Governor Race, Arizona Voters Approve In-State College Tuition for Undocumented Immigrants, Second Federal Court Blocks Biden’s Student Debt Relief Program, Nearly 50,000 Student Workers Strike at All 10 University of California Campuses, UVA Lifts Shelter-in-Place Order After Police Arrest Alleged Gunman, Supreme Court Will Allow House Jan. 6 Committee to Subpoena Arizona GOP Leader, Pence Says He Was “Angered” by Trump’s “Reckless” Actions on January 6, 2021, Amazon Plans to Lay Off 10,000 Workers, Digital Currency Prices Plummet as Regulators Probe Collapse of FTX, Google to Pay $392 Million to Settle Probe into Unwanted Tracking of Users’ Locations, Climate Scientists Join Nonviolent Protests at Private U.S. Airports Greenpeace: As Egypt Hosts COP27, Country's Agricultural Sector Ravaged by Impact of Climate Crisis Mon, 14 Nov 2022 08:52:39 -0500 As the U.N. climate conference takes place in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, we look at the effects of the climate crisis for the host country, such as rising temperatures and sea levels in the Nile Delta. Ahmed El Droubi, Greenpeace regional campaign manager for the Middle East and North Africa, says “the most significantly impacted sector in Egypt is definitely the agricultural sector.” Egyptians are calling for wealthy nations to be held accountable for causing the bulk of the climate crisis, only to be met with “temporary solutions that do not address the core of the climate crisis,” he adds. Biden & Xi Meet in Bali; Could This Help Cool U.S.-China Tensions & Reduce Risk of a Military Clash? Mon, 14 Nov 2022 08:34:52 -0500 For the first time since taking office, President Biden met in person with Chinese President Xi Jinping Monday in Bali, Indonesia. We discuss how the meeting might affect rising tensions over Taiwan, where Nancy Pelosi visited earlier this year, and concerns over China’s human rights violations. The goals of the meeting should be “for the two leaders to find a way to cool those tensions down and to find ways to reduce the risk of a military clash arising in the Pacific,” says Michael Klare, defense correspondent at The Nation. As Chinese military drills near Taiwan threaten instability in the region, “the question is what’s the best way to deter China from doing anything,” says Orville Schell, director of the Center on U.S.-China Relations at the Asia Society. "No Climate Justice Without Human Rights": Groups Protest Inaction, Repression at U.N. Summit in Egypt Mon, 14 Nov 2022 08:14:40 -0500 Democracy Now! is in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, where the COP27 U.N. climate conference has entered its second week amid protests against the host government’s repression and world leaders’ inaction on the climate crisis. We speak with Asad Rehman, executive director of War on Want and lead spokesperson for the Climate Justice Coalition, who risked arrest to participate in a climate justice protest along with hundreds of others in Egypt on Saturday. “You can’t have the very people burning the planet sitting here and pretending to be drafting the solutions to it, and that’s exactly what’s happening in these climate negotiations,” says Rehman. He says imprisoned Egyptian-British activist Alaa Abd El-Fattah is “part and parcel of our struggle,” as calls to free El-Fattah continue after he sent proof of life in a letter for the first time since beginning a full hunger and water strike last week. We also speak with Nigerian environmentalist Nnimmo Bassey, who says the perception that this is an African COP is “a big misnomer,” as the African delegates feel largely excluded. Headlines for November 14, 2022 Mon, 14 Nov 2022 08:00:00 -0500 Democrats Retain Control of Senate After Narrow Victories in Arizona and Nevada, House of Representatives Remains Up for Grabs, But Democrats’ Path to Majority Narrows, GOP Election Deniers Lose Races for Key Offices in Battleground States, Ukraine Recaptures Kherson After Eight-Month Russian Occupation, At COP27, Biden Apologizes over Trump’s Actions on Climate, Doesn’t Mention Loss & Damage, Climate Activists Rally at COP27 for Climate Justice, Family of Egyptian Political Prisoner Alaa Abd El-Fattah Receives “Proof of Life” Letter, Biden Holds First Face-to-Face Meeting of Presidency with China’s Xi Jinping, Turkey Blames Kurdish Separatists for Istanbul Bomb Blast That Killed 6, Iranian Court Issues First Death Sentence over Protests That Erupted in September, U.N. Envoy Calls on U.S. and Allies to Lift Sanctions on Syria, Citing Harm to Civilians, Israeli Troops Kill 19-Year-Old Palestinian Woman During Raid in Occupied West Bank, Ethiopia Agrees to Allow Humanitarian Access to War-Torn Tigray, A Shooter Is at Large After Killing 3 People on University of Virginia Campus, Biden Admin Extends TPS for Hundreds of Thousands, Twitter Lays Off More Workers, Forced to Halt “Checkmark” Subscription as Fake Accounts Flood Site
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