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Updated 2025-10-07 07:47
Who Burned the Bronx? PBS Film "Decade of Fire" Investigates 1970s Fires That Displaced Thousands
The new documentary "Decade of Fire" looks back at the history of a crisis that unfolded in New York City in the 1970s, when the South Bronx faced a near-constant barrage of fires that displaced almost a quarter million people and devastated an entire community. Co-directors and producers Vivian Vázquez Irizarry and Gretchen Hildebran tell the story of the government mismanagement, landlord corruption and redlining that lit the Bronx ablaze. They also describe how the community fought back to save their neighborhoods. The film airs next week on PBS.
Chesa Boudin, Son of 1960s Radicals, Runs for San Francisco DA on Criminal Justice Reform Platform
Chesa Boudin is running for San Francisco district attorney as the latest candidate in a wave of decarceral prosecutors running for office across the United States. Bernie Sanders and other leading progressives have endorsed Boudin, who is a public defender and the child of Weather Underground activists Kathy Boudin and David Gilbert. His parents were imprisoned when Boudin was a toddler. These experiences have given him a first-hand view of "how broken our criminal justice system is," he says. "My earliest memories are going through steel gates and metal detectors just to see my parents, just to give them a hug." Boudin is running on a platform of ending cash bail and dismantling the War on Drugs, seeking to end "tough on crime" tactics and restore civil rights. Bay Area voters will cast their ballots Nov. 5.
Lebanon's Prime Minister Hariri Resigns, But Protests and Demands For a New Government Continue
Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri announced the resignation of his government on Tuesday following nearly two weeks of nationwide anti-government protests. In a televised address, al-Hariri said he had hit a "dead end" in resolving the crisis. Demonstrators “were congratulating each other while at the same time acknowledging that the struggle is very long,” says Lebanese journalist, Lara Bitar, who joins us from Beirut for an update. She says protesters have promised to stay in the streets until all of their demands are met, including the resignation of all top government officials, early parliamentary elections and the creation of a transitional cabinet of people unaffiliated with traditional political parties.
Headlines for October 30, 2019
Vindman: White House Transcript of Trump Phone Call Omitted Key Words, Boeing CEO Grilled by Senate Lawmakers Over 737 MAX Failures, Lebanese Prime Minister Resigns Amid Massive Protests, Tens of Thousands Pour into Baghdad’s Tahrir Square as Iraq Protests Continue, Anti-Government Protests in Haiti Enter their Seventh Week, Ceasefire Between Turkey and Syrian Kurds in Northern Syria Expires, House Votes for Resolution to Recognize Armenian Genocide, Journalist Max Blumenthal Says He Was Arrested on False Charges, National Weather Service Issues "Extreme Red Flag Warning" over Fires, Protesters Slam BlackRock for Investing in Coal and Oil
Protests in Chile Were Sparked By a Subway Fare Hike, But Come After "30 Years of a Social Crisis"
In Chile, a new set of mass protests took place Monday as President Sebastián Piñera fulfilled the promise to appoint new members to his cabinet. As Piñera addressed the nation Monday, hundreds of protesters had already gathered outside the presidential palace in Santiago, waving flags, honking horns and demanding for Piñera's resignation. The reshuffling of his cabinet came after more than a million people flooded the streets last Friday in massive peaceful demonstrations over inequality, high cost of living and privatization. The protest drew more than 5% of Chile’s population and followed days of widespread civil unrest and a violent police and military crackdown across Chile. At least 18 people have died, with more than 1,000 more protesters shot and wounded since the mobilizations erupted Oct. 19. We speak with Pablo Abufom, a member of the Solidarity Movement, an anti-capitalist and feminist organization in Chile. His recent article published in Jacobin magazine is titled "It's Not About 30 Pesos. It's About 30 Years."
As Death Toll Tops 220, Iraqi Protesters Stay in Streets Calling For End to Corrupt Government
In Iraq, masked gunmen shot dead 18 protesters overnight and injured more than 800 people in the Shiite holy city of Karbala on Monday. Nearly 225 Iraqis have been killed since a wave of anti-government protests swept the country last month. The protesters in Karbala were attacked while they camped out in the city’s Education Square to protest corruption, lack of jobs and poor public services. Meanwhile in Baghdad, hospital officials said four people died during protests on Monday, while another 109 were injured. On Monday, the Iraqi Parliament met for the first time since the protests began. Lawmakers voted to dissolve provincial councils and cut the salaries of some high-ranking officials. But the influential Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr dismissed the measures as a "sham" and called on the Iraqi government to announce early parliamentary elections. We speak with Yanar Mohammed, president of the Organization of Women’s Freedom in Iraq.
Fueled by Climate Change, California's Raging Wildfires Are Threatening Vulnerable Communities First
California is bracing for a day of strong winds as climate change-fueled wildfires continue to burn from Los Angeles to north of the Bay Area. After a chaotic weekend of mass evacuations and blackouts that left millions in the dark, firefighters in Sonoma, California, made headway Monday, containing 15% of the massive Kincade fire that has burned nearly 75,000 acres. But as high winds pick up again today, firefighters still face an uphill battle in combating the at least 10 blazes raging across the state, including the growing Getty fire, which erupted in one of Los Angeles's most opulent communities Monday. Fires in California are typical this time of year, but the length and severity of the state's fire season has grown due to climate change. We speak with Leah Stokes, an assistant professor of political science at the University of California, Santa Barbara, and researcher on climate and energy politics. We also speak with Ariel Kelley, the CEO of Corazón Healdsburg, a bilingual family resource center based in Northern Sonoma County.
Headlines for October 29, 2019
Pentagon: U.S. Will Fight for Control of Oilfields in Syria, Ukraine Expert Who Listened to Trump Phone Call to Testify in Impeachment Hearings, Iraq: Death Toll from Month of Anti-Government Protests Tops 220, Trump Officials Join Industry Executives at Davos in Desert, Boeing CEO to Testify to Congressional Committees, Sanders Endorses Chesa Boudin for San Francisco District Attorney, Facebook Workers Call on Zuckerberg to Reverse Policy of Allowing Politicians to Lie in Ads, North Carolina Court Rules Against State’s Gerrymandered Congressional Maps, U.S. Extends Deportation Relief to Salvadorans to 2021, Mexican Woman Dies in Border Patrol Custody, France: Man Attempts to Set Fire to Mosque, Shoots and Wounds 2 People, 15 Children Sue Canada over Climate Change, Peru: Graduate Student Makes History by Writing and Defending Thesis in Quechua, Protesters Gather for Day of Outrage over Police Killings of Black Women
One Million Take to Streets of Chile in the "Largest Mobilization Since the End of Dictatorship"
Chilean President Sebastián Piñera has announced a major cabinet shuffle after more than one million people flooded the streets Friday in massive peaceful demonstrations over inequality, high cost of living and privatization. The protest drew more than 5% of Chile's population and followed days of widespread civil unrest that sparked a violent police and military crackdown across the country. At least 18 people have been killed and hundreds more have been shot and wounded since protests erupted Oct. 19. The protests in Chile began in response to a subway fare hike and have grown into a mass uprising against the government. We speak with Professor Macarena Gómez-Barris, founder and director of the Global South Center and chairperson of Social Science and Cultural Studies at the Pratt Institute, and Alondra Carrillo Vidal, a spokesperson for Chile’s largest feminist advocacy group, Coordinadora Feminista 8M.
"People Have Reached the Limit": Lebanon Joins Wave of Anti-Government Protests Across Middle East
Tens of thousands of people in Lebanon joined hands on Sunday to form a human chain spanning north to south across the entire country. It was a symbolic display of unity across regional and sectarian divisions amid mass protests that have rocked the country in recent days. The protests sweeping Lebanon come amid a wave of similar anti-government protests in Iraq, Egypt and elsewhere in the Middle East. We speak with Rami Khouri, senior public policy fellow and journalist-in-residence at the American University of Beirut, and a columnist at The New Arab.
The Death of al-Baghdadi: ISIS Grew Out of U.S. Invasion of Iraq. What Will Happen Next?
President Trump announced Sunday that ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi was killed in a U.S. special forces raid on his compound in northwestern Syria. According to Trump, al-Baghdadi detonated an explosive vest he was wearing, killing himself and three of his children. The raid began early Sunday when eight U.S. military helicopters flew from a base near Erbil, Iraq, to northwestern Syria over airspace controlled by Syria and Russia. Baghdadi had led ISIS since 2010. In 2014, he proclaimed the creation of an Islamic State or caliphate during a speech in Mosul. At its peak, ISIS controlled a large swath of land across Syria and Iraq and maintained a force of tens of thousands of fighters recruited from more than 100 countries. The group also claimed responsibility for deadly attacks across five continents. We speak with three guests: Juan Cole, author and professor of history at the University of Michigan; Emma Beals, award-winning investigative journalist and researcher who has covered the Syrian conflict since 2012; and Rami Khouri, senior public policy fellow and journalist-in-residence at the American University of Beirut, and a columnist at The New Arab.
Headlines for October 28, 2019
ISIS Leader al-Baghdadi Reportedly Dies in U.S. Raid in Syria, California Declares State of Emergency over Wildfires, Chile: Over One Million Take to Streets in Protest Against Inequality, Dozens Killed in Iraq Amid Latest Round of Anti-Government Protests, Lebanese Form Human Chain Across Country as Protests Continue, Alberto Fernandez Wins Argentine Election in Defeat for Right-Wing Incumbent, Brexit Deadline Extended Until Jan. 31, Trump Booed, Taunted at World Series Game, Pentagon Hands Microsoft a $10 Billion Contract, Chicago Teachers Strike Continues, While Support Staff Reach Tentative Deal, UAW and General Motors Finalize Deal to End 40-Day Strike, Congresswoman Katie Hill Resigns after Relationship with Campaign Aide, DACA Recipients Launch 16-Day March from NYC to Washington, Pittsburgh Residents Mark One Year Since Massacre at Tree of Life Synagogue, Obama Praises Elijah Cummings at Funeral for Late Congressman, Longtime Michigan Congressman John Conyers Jr. Dies at 90
“State of Emergency”: Special Report on California’s Criminalization of Growing Homeless Encampments
In a _Democracy Now!_ special report, we look at the rise in homelessness in many major cities across the United States. California has become the poster-child for this economic and humanitarian disaster, with growing encampments in Los Angeles and the Bay Area as more people are forced onto the streets. The state is home to 12% of the country’s population but half of the country’s unsheltered people. As the crisis deepens, so has the criminalization of homelessness, with increasing efforts by city and state officials to crack down on unhoused people occupying public space. President Donald Trump made headlines this month for attacking California's politicians over the homelessness crisis, threatening to destroy encampments, increase police enforcement and even jail unhoused people. But advocates say California has already employed hostile policies that criminalize homelessness, from laws against unsheltered people sitting on sidewalks to frequent sweeps of the encampments that have popped up on thoroughfares and under freeways across the state's cities. One of these crackdowns is currently unfolding at a massive Oakland encampment that Democracy Now! visited just a few weeks ago.
Rashida Tlaib to Mark Zuckerberg: Why Haven't You Stopped Hate Groups From Organizing on Facebook?
We feature more highlights from the five-hour grilling of Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg this week on Capitol Hill, where Michigan Congressmember Rashida Tlaib said she feared that far-right hate groups were using Facebook event pages to incite violence against Muslims and other minorities — including death threats directed at her office. Tlaib asked to be seen not only as a Congresswoman, but also as "a mother that is raising two Muslim boys in this pretty dark time in our world." Meanwhile, California Congressmember Katie Porter pinned Zuckerberg down on Facebook’s privacy policies. “You are arguing in federal court that in a consumer data privacy lawsuit, in which your own lawyers admit that users’ information was stolen, that the plaintiffs fail to articulate any injury,” Porter said. “In other words, no harm, no foul. Facebook messed up, but it doesn’t matter. Is that your position?”
“You Won't Take Down Lies or You Will?”: AOC Grills Facebook’s Zuckerberg on Lies in Political Ads
This week, as Facebook said it will not fact check political ads or hold politicians to its usual content standards, the social media giant's CEO Mark Zuckerberg was grilled for more than five hours by lawmakers on Capitol Hill on the company's policy of allowing politicians to lie in political advertisements, as well as its role in facilitating election interference and housing discrimination. We play highlights from New York Congressmember Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, and Ohio Congressmember Joyce Beatty, who asked Zuckerberg about Facebook's record on civil rights, which she called “appalling and disgusting.” Beatty said the company “should have known better” and might have if “you had real diversity and inclusion on your team.”
Kings Bay Plowshares 7 Found Found Guilty of Conspiracy at Naval Base Housing Nuclear Arsenal
In Georgia, a federal grand jury on Thursday found seven Catholic peace activists guilty on three felony counts and a misdemeanor charge for breaking into the Kings Bay Naval Submarine Base on April 4, 2018. The activists, known as the Kings Bay Plowshares 7, entered the base armed with hammers, crime scene tape, baby bottles containing their own blood, and an indictment charging the U.S. government with crimes against peace. The base is home to at least six nuclear ballistic missile submarines, each of which carries 20 Trident thermonuclear weapons. The activists said they were following the prophet Isaiah's command to “beat swords into plowshares.” At this week's trial, the defendants were barred from citing their religious motivations or from mounting a "necessity defense" saying that their lawbreaking was necessary to prevent the far greater crime of a nuclear war. The activists will be sentenced within the next 90 days. They face more than 20 years in prison.
Headlines for October 25, 2019
Trump's Justice Department Opens Criminal Probe into Origins of Mueller Investigation, Trump Planning to Send Troops and Tanks to Eastern Syrian Oil Fields, U.N. to Probe Human Rights Abuses in Chile Amid Mass Protests, Ecuador's Indigenous Leaders Halt Talks with President Over Austerity Protests, Bolivia's Evo Morales Declares Election Victory as Opponents Cry Foul, Thousands March in Guinea to Oppose President's Bid for Third Term, Baltimore Congressmember Elijah Cummings Lies in State at U.S. Capitol, Joe Biden's Campaign Reverses Opposition to Super PACs, Protesters Demand New Jersey Offer Driver's Licenses to Undocumented Immigrants, Harvey Weinstein Confronted During Appearance in New York City Bar, Houston Astros Fire Manager Who Taunted Reporters Over Domestic Violence, MLB "Looking Into" Umpire Who Threatened Civil War Over Trump's Impeachment, Tens of Thousands Flee Homes as Wildfires Explode Across California, South Dakota to Drop "Riot Boosting" Law Targeting Pipeline Protesters, Top U.S. Student Loan Official Quits, Calling for Massive Debt Forgiveness
GOP Lawmakers Disrupt Impeachment Hearing As More Damaging Details Emerge About Trump’s Misconduct
Republican lawmakers stormed a closed hearing room Wednesday, disrupting the House impeachment investigation into President Donald Trump and delaying a Pentagon official's testimony. In an extraordinary chain of events, dozens of Republican congressmembers pushed into a secure hearing room as Laura Cooper, the U.S. defense official who oversees Ukraine and Russia matters, was due to testify. A five-hour stand-off ensued. The spectacle unfolded one day after Tuesday's explosive testimony by William Taylor, the top U.S. diplomat in Ukraine. Taylor told congressional lawmakers that the Trump administration held up $391 million in aid to Ukraine for the purpose of pushing Ukraine to incriminate Trump's political rivals, particularly presidential candidate former Vice President Joe Biden. We go to Capitol Hill to speak with Mitch Jeserich, the host of Letters & Politics heard on KPFA and Pacifica Radio. And we speak with retired colonel and Vietnam War veteran Andrew Bacevich, co-founder of the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft.
Ending Endless War: Andrew Bacevich on How Reckless Use of U.S. Military Power Caused Today’s Crisis
President Trump has announced sanctions will be lifted on Turkey as a ceasefire remains in place in northern Syria, where Turkey invaded earlier this month after Trump withdrew U.S. troops. On Tuesday Turkey reached an agreement with Russia that would force Syrian Kurdish forces to retreat from a wide swath of the Syrian-Turkish border. The United Nations is reporting Turkey's offensive in northern Syria has displaced over 176,000 people, including nearly 80,000 children. The Turkish assault also led to a number of former ISIS fighters escaping from jail in northern Syria. We speak with Andrew Bacevich, co-founder of the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft and author of several books. He is Professor Emeritus of International Relations and History at Boston University. "I think in any discussion of our wars, ongoing wars, it's important to set them in some broader historical context," Bachevich says. "To a very great extent, we created the problems that exist today through our reckless use of American military power."
Headlines for October 24, 2019
Trump Lifts Sanctions on Turkey, Citing Ceasefire Agreement, Republican Lawmakers Disrupt Closed-Door Impeachment Hearing, Trump's Lawyer Argues the President Can't Be Prosecuted for Murder, Death Toll in Chile Protests Rises to 18 as Human Rights Groups Allege Torture, Spain Removes Remains of Francisco Franco from National Mausoleum, Julian Assange Appears Frail and Confused in London Court Hearing, 39 Bodies Found in Tractor-Trailer in Southeast England, Honduran Woman's Lawsuit Claims Years of Sexual Assault by ICE Agent, Immigrant Worker Injured in New Orleans Hotel Collapse Arrested by ICE, California Utilities to Cut Power to Hundreds of Thousands Over Wildfire Fears, Trump Touts Natural Gas Fracking and "Beautiful Wall" in Colorado, Jewish Leaders Arrested For Protesting Trump One Year After Mass Shooting at Pittsburgh Synagogue, AOC Grills Mark Zuckerberg Over Cryptocurrency Plan and Political Ads
Big Tech Platforms Have Had a "Profound Negative Effect on Democracy." Is It Time to Break Them Up?
Facebook continues to face growing criticism and demands that it be broken up. Massachusetts senator and Democratic presidential candidate Elizabeth Warren has repeatedly called for Facebook and other big tech companies to be broken up on antitrust grounds. Roger McNamee, a Silicon Valley investor who went from being an early supporter of Facebook to a vocal critic, speaks with us about 2020 candidates' platforms on big tech. Antitrust regulation is "the one issue that seems to cut across the entire political spectrum," McNamee says. "People of all political stripes understand that there's a problem here."
Mark Zuckerberg's Former Mentor: I Tried to Raise Alarm Over Russian Interference But Was Ignored
Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg testifies on Capitol Hill Wednesday, where he is expected to face questioning about the company's cryptocurrency Libra, among other issues. Zuckerberg has faced scrutiny before, including for Facebook's role in the 2016 U.S. presidential election. A former mentor of Zuckerberg and longtime Silicon Valley investor Roger McNamee speaks out about the company's dismissal of Russian interference in the election. "They treated it like a PR problem, not a business issue," McNamee says.
Zucked: Early Facebook Investor Roger McNamee on How the Company Became a Threat to Democracy
Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg is testifying Wednesday on Capitol Hill as his company’s actions face escalating criticism. The focus of today's House Financial Services Committee hearing is on Facebook's plan to launch a cryptocurrency called Libra that would reshape the world's financial system. Meanwhile, New York Attorney General Letitia James announced Tuesday that her probe of Facebook for violating antitrust regulations is now backed by attorneys general from 47 states and territories. Facebook is also facing criticism from several Democratic presidential candidates for refusing to ban political ads from candidates containing false information. We speak with Roger McNamee, a former mentor to Mark Zuckerberg and early investor in Facebook, who has since become one of the company's most vocal critics. His recent book is titled, “Zucked: Waking Up to the Facebook Catastrophe.”
Headlines for October 23, 2019
Taylor Testifies Trump Tied Ukraine Aid to Investigation of Hunter Biden, Trump Tweets Impeachment is a “Lynching,” Sparking Widespread Condemnation, Turkey and Russia Reach Agreement on Northern Syria, Protests Erupt in Bolivia Over Allegations of Election Rigging, Chilean President Announces Reforms Aimed to Curb Massive Protests, Boris Johnson Loses Critical Brexit Vote, Canada’s New Anti-Immigrant Party Is Crushed in National Elections, UAW Member Dies After Being Struck by Car Near Picket Line, Chicago Teachers Head into Second Week of Strike, New York’s Probe of Facebook Backed by 46 Attorneys General, Mexican Immigrant Dies in Border Control Custody, Cop Fired for Threatening to Shoot Black Family after 4-Year-Old Girl Took a Doll from Family Dollar, Report: 95% of Baby Foods in U.S. Contain Toxic Heavy Metals, MLB Investigating Outburst to Female Reporter by Houston Astros’ Assistant GM, Boeing Ousts a Top Executive over Fatal Plane Crashes, Two Proud Boys Sentenced to 4 Years in Prison in New York
Keeanga-Yamahtta Taylor: Bernie Sanders Would "Transform the Lives of Poor and Working-Class People"
Keeanga-Yamahtta Taylor, an assistant professor at Princeton University, has just published a book about the racial wealth gap and falling rate of homeownership by African Americans. Her book is titled "Race For Profit: How Banks and the Real Estate Industry Undermined Black Home Ownership." Taylor speaks with us about the 2020 presidential candidates' platforms, including Senator Bernie Sanders's proposed wealth tax. She says Sanders's policies bring "to light the connection between the systemic forces that drive inequality and the impact that they have in people's lives."
Race for Profit: Keeanga-Yamahtta Taylor on How Banks & Real Estate Biz Undermined Black Homeowners
Recent U.S. census data reveals the homeownership rate for African Americans has fallen to its lowest level since before the civil rights movement. In the second quarter of this year, the rate fell to just 40% — the lowest level since 1950. Keeanga-Yamahtta Taylor's new book, "Race for Profit: How Banks and the Real Estate Industry Undermined Black Home Ownership," examines the roots of this crisis. The book has just come out and has been longlisted for the 2019 National Book Award. From Philadelphia, we speak with Keeanga-Yamahtta Taylor, an assistant professor at Princeton University.
"Unprecedented" Protests Rage Across Lebanon as People Demand PM's Resignation and End to Austerity
Mass protests in Lebanon have entered their sixth day as hundreds of thousands around the country are taking to the streets to demonstrate against dire economic conditions, austerity and corruption, demanding the country's leaders step down. The protests were sparked last week when the government announced a tax on WhatsApp calls, but the massive demonstrations have since grown into a call for revolution. More than a million demonstrators flooded the streets of Beirut, Tripoli and other cities over the weekend. Prime Minister Saad Hariri revoked the WhatsApp tax on Monday and announced a package of economic reforms, but protesters are continuing to call for his ouster. For more, we speak with independent Lebanese journalist Kareem Chehayeb, whose recent piece for The Washington Post is headlined "Lebanon's protests and wildfires tell the same grim story."
Headlines for October 22, 2019
Erdogan Meets with Putin as Turkish Ceasefire in Syria Expires, William Taylor Testifies in Impeachment Hearings, NYT: U.S. Has Quietly Pulled Thousands of Troops Out of Afghanistan, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau Held onto Power in Tight Elections, Israel: Netanyahu Fails to Form Coalition Government, Massive Protests Continue in Chile, Northern Ireland Decriminalizes Abortion & Legalizes Marriage Equality, Indonesia: Former General Prabowo Subianto to Join the Cabinet, ExxonMobil Goes on Trial in New York over Climate Change, Four Drug Companies Reach Settlement with Two Ohio Counties, Macy’s to Stop Selling Fur Products, 7 Arrested Protesting MoMA Trustee's Ties to Puerto Rican Debt
"We Want Democracy to Be Restored": Protesters in Chile Decry Inequality Amid Military Crackdown
In Chile, as many as eight people have died in widespread civil unrest that has brought Santiago to a standstill and sparked a violent police crackdown across the country. The protests began in response to a subway fare hike two weeks ago and have grown into a mass uprising against rising inequality, high cost of living and privatization. President Sebastián Piñera canceled the fee increase on Saturday, but protests are continuing, with a national strike called for today. Over the weekend, Piñera declared a state of emergency in Santiago and five other cities, imposing a curfew and sending the military into the streets in response to civil unrest for the first time since dictator Augusto Pinochet's regime. Military tanks rolled through Santiago this weekend, and at least 1,400 protesters have been detained. Francisca Perales, one of the leaders of the newly formed left-wing political party Social Convergence, and Andra Chastain, an assistant professor of history at Washington State University in Vancouver, join us for a conversation about the massive protests in Chile.
Kings Bay Plowshares 7: Trial Begins for Liz McAlister & Others for Breaking Into Nuke Sub Base
Seven Catholic peace activists are going on trial in Georgia today for breaking into the Kings Bay Naval Submarine Base on April 4, 2018. The activists, who are known as the Kings Bay Plowshares 7, face up to 25 years in prison if convicted. The activists entered the base armed with just hammers, crime scene tape, baby bottles containing their own blood and an indictment charging the U.S. government with crimes against peace. Over the past four decades activists in the Plowshares movement have taken part in about 100 similar actions at nuclear arms facilities, beginning in 1980 at the General Electric nuclear missile plant in King of Prussia, Pennsylvania. We recently spoke to Catholic nun Liz McAlister, who goes on trial today with her co-defendants Father Stephen Kelly, Mark Colville, Patrick O'Neill, Carmen Trotta, Clare Grady and Martha Hennessy, who is the granddaughter of Dorothy Day, the founder of the Catholic Worker movement. They all have been charged with three felonies and a misdemeanor.
Bernie's Back: AOC Backs Sanders as 26,000 Rally in NYC at Largest Presidential Rally of 2019
Vermont independent senator and 2020 presidential candidate Bernie Sanders held the largest campaign rally of the primary season so far on Saturday. An estimated 26,000 supporters packed into Queensbridge Park in New York City. The event was held in the shadow of the nation's largest public housing development. It was Sanders's first campaign rally since he suffered a heart attack earlier this month. Sanders was joined on stage by three prominent supporters: Carmen Yulín Cruz, the mayor of San Juan, Puerto Rico; filmmaker Michael Moore; and Congressmember Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who volunteered on Sanders's 2016 campaign before being elected to the House of Representatives in 2018. Ocasio-Cortez endorsed Sanders at the rally.
Headlines for October 21, 2019
U.S. Troops Leaving Syria Headed for Iraq, Anti-Government Protests Sweep the Globe, Bolivia Presidential Election Appears to Head for a Runoff, Brother of Honduran President Found Guilty of Cocaine Trafficking, Trump Says G7 Will Not Be Held at His Private Golf Course, Hillary Clinton Accuses Jill Stein, Tulsi Gabbard of Being Linked to Russia, Landmark Trial over Opioid Epidemic in Cleveland, Ohio, Tornado Rages Through Dallas, Leaving 100,000 Without Power, Judge Temporarily Blocks Florida Law Limiting Voting by Ex-Felons
Sentenced to Life in Prison as a Teen, How Cyntoia Brown Survived Sex Trafficking & Won Her Freedom
At the age of 16, she was arrested for killing a man who had picked her up for sex, after she had been forced into sexual slavery as a child. She was tried as an adult and sentenced to life in prison after being convicted of first-degree murder for shooting the man who bought her for sex when she feared for her life. Today Cyntoia Brown-Long joins us to share her experience, what has happened in the 15 years she was incarcerated, and how she won her release. In an incredible development, after a years-long campaign to win her freedom, Cyntoia was granted clemency in January after former Tennessee Governor Bill Haslam commuted her sentence. She was released from prison in August. We spend the hour discussing her experience as she recounts in her memoir, published this week, "Free Cyntoia: My Search for Redemption in the American Prison System."
Headlines for October 18, 2019
Under U.S. Deal, Turkish Occupation of Northern Syria Continues; Ethnic Cleansing Feared, "We Do That All the Time": Mulvaney Admits to Quid Pro Quo over Ukraine, Ambassador Sondland Confirms Giuliani Pushed Ukraine Policy, Energy Secretary Rick Perry to Resign, U.S. to Host G7 at Trump Resort in Possible Violation of Constitution, Civilian Casualties Reach New High in Afghanistan, Corbyn Urges Labour Party Members to Reject New Brexit Deal, Chicago Teacher Strike Enters Second Day, NYC City Council Backs Plan to Close Rikers as Activists Call for No New Jails, Cuban Asylum Seeker Dies in Solitary Confinement in Louisiana, General Strike Shuts Down Barcelona Following Sentencing of Catalan Separatist Leaders, Mass Protests Continue in Lebanon over Economic Crisis, Mexican Forces Release El Chapo's Son After Coming Under Deadly Attack by Cartels, Cuban Ballerina Alicia Alonso, 98, Dies
Rep. Ro Khanna: We Need a Responsible Withdrawal from Syria, Not One Oblivious to Human Life
As hundreds of thousands of civilians face displacement and violence amid Turkey's assault on Kurdish-controlled areas in northern Syria, the House of Representatives voted to condemn Trump's decision to withdraw U.S. support for the Kurds on Wednesday. The measure passed 354 to 60. We speak with Representative Ro Khanna, who says, "We can't just get involved in a place and then walk away and not have some moral responsibility. We have a moral responsibility not just to the Kurds who fought with us against ISIS. We have a moral responsibility to accept Syrian refugees. We have a moral responsibility to help rebuild a society that was ravaged by civil war, where we were involved." We also speak with Ozlem Goner, assistant professor of sociology and anthropology at the City University of New York. She is a member of the Emergency Committee of Rojava.
"Meltdown": Trump Defends Syria Withdrawal as House Votes 354 to 60 to Condemn His Actions
As the displacement of 300,000 civilians over Turkey's assault on Kurdish-controlled areas continues in northern Syria, the House of Representatives voted Wednesday to condemn President Trump's actions. Turkey invaded the region on October 9, shortly after Trump virtually greenlit the Turkey assault by abruptly withdrawing a small number of U.S. troops who were protecting Kurdish areas in northern Syria. Since then, the Kurds have aligned themselves with the Syrian government, and a number of former ISIS fighters who were being held by the Kurds have escaped. We speak with Ozlem Goner, assistant professor of sociology and anthropology at the City University of New York. She is a member of the Emergency Committee of Rojava.
30,000+ Chicago Teachers & Support Staff Go on Strike Calling on City to Invest More in Schools
More than 30,000 workers are walking out of Chicago Public Schools today to demand better pay and benefits, smaller class sizes and more nurses, counselors, social workers and librarians. The historic strike has brought the country's third-largest school system to a standstill, with classes canceled for more than 350,000 students. The strike was confirmed Wednesday when the Chicago Teachers Union rejected a final offer by the city's new mayor, Lori Lightfoot, following months of labor negotiations. The city offered pay raises of 16% over a five-year period, while union representatives have been calling for a 15% increase over three years. Seven thousand five hundred public school workers with the Service Employees International Union are also striking today after rejecting their own offer from the city. From Chicago, we speak with Stacy Davis Gates, executive vice president of the Chicago Teachers Union, and Science Meles, executive vice president of SEIU Local 73, about the strike and public school workers' demands.
Headlines for October 17, 2019
Trump Has "Meltdown" After Lawmakers Rebuke His Actions on Syria, Gordon Sondland to Testify in Impeachment Inquiry Today, Britain and European Union Reach Brexit Deal, Protests Continue in Catalonia After Sentencing of Separatist Leaders, Trump Admin Proposes Opening Up Tongass National Forest to Logging, 500,000 Kids Could Lose Free School Lunches Under Changes to Food Stamp Program, Chicago Public School Teachers on Strike Today, General Motors and UAW Reach Tentative Deal Aimed at Ending Strike, NYC Council Slated to Vote on $8 Billion Plan to Close Rikers & Build New Jails, Maryland Congressmember Elijah Cummings Dies
It Was the Longest Debate So Far, But CNN & NYT Asked No Questions on Climate Crisis & Immigration
Despite ongoing climate chaos and a sustained humanitarian disaster at the southern border, The New York Times and CNN failed to ask candidates directly about immigration or the climate crisis at Tuesday night's Democratic presidential debate. We speak with Marielena Hincapié, executive director of the National Immigration Law Center, who says the lack of attention to immigraton "was a major gap in the three-hour debate." We also speak with journalist Kate Aronoff about the debate's failure to address the climate crisis.
Democrats Decry Trump's Syria Policy But Fail to Address Palestine, Yemen, China & Other Issues
At Tuesday's debate, Democratic candidates took aim at President Trump's recent move to withdraw support from the Kurds in northern Syria, paving the way for Turkey to invade the region. We speak with Intercept contributor Mehdi Hasan, host of the "Deconstructed" podcast, about the candidates' foreign policy proposals.
Dem Debate: "Disingenuous" Attacks on Medicare for All Distract from Cost of Today's Broken System
Democratic candidates sparred at Tuesday's debate over their healthcare platforms and Medicare for All. We speak with Dr. Steffie Woolhandler, a professor at CUNY-Hunter College and the co-founder of Physicians for a National Health Program. Moderators in the CNN and New York Times debate repeatedly pressed Elizabeth Warren on whether taxes would increase under Medicare for All. "The framing of that question is crazy," says Dr. Woolhandler. "What really matters is how much a household is paying."
Warren and Sanders: A Wealth Tax Is Needed to Address Staggering Inequality
2020 progressive front-runners Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren pushed for a wealth tax at the fourth Democratic debate Tuesday night. We speak with senior contributor at The Intercept, Mehdi Hasan, who hosts their "Deconstructed" podcast, and David Cay Johnston, Pulitzer Prize-winning investigative reporter. He is the founder and editor of DCReport.org.
Mehdi Hasan: "There Should Only Be Two Front-Runners Right Now: Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren"
Twelve candidates took to the stage for the fourth round of the Democratic presidential debate in Westerville, Ohio, Tuesday to spar over healthcare, foreign policy, impeachment, gun violence, economic inequality and more. Senator Elizabeth Warren — who is now leading some national polls — repeatedly came under attack from her rivals. In the first debate since Senator Bernie Sanders suffered a heart attack two weeks ago, the Vermont senator advocated for a Green New Deal, Medicare for All and a wealth tax. Former Vice President Joe Biden attacked the proposals of both Sanders and Warren and faced scrutiny for his son Hunter's dealings in Ukraine. We host a roundtable with Intercept senior contributor Mehdi Hasan, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist David Cay Johnston and journalist Kate Aronoff.
Headlines for October 16, 2019
12 Democratic Candidates Take to the Stage in Ohio, Pence Heads to Turkey as Erdogan Vows No Ceasefire in Northern Syria, State Dept. Official: White House Put "Three Amigos" in Charge of Ukraine Policy, Activists Arrested in D.C. over Trump Plan to Gut Refugee Resettlement, British Family Detained for a Week After Mistakenly Driving Across U.S.-Canada Border, Egypt Tortured Journalist & Activist Esraa Abdel Fattah in Custody, Worst Fires in Decades Rage Across Lebanon, Mexican Senate Slated to Vote on Bill to Legalize Marijuana, Man Launches Hunger Strike Amid Mohawk Land Dispute with Real Estate Developers, California: Fuel Storage Tanks Explode at NuStar Facility Outside San Francisco, MSNBC's Chris Hayes Criticizes Own Network & Praises Ronan Farrow Book, Tarana Burke Launches #MeTooVoter Campaign Ahead of 2020
Homewreckers: How Wall Street, Banks & Trump's Inner Circle Used the 2008 Housing Crash to Get Rich
We speak with investigative reporter Aaron Glantz about his new book "Homewreckers," which looks at the devastating legacy of the foreclosure crisis and how much of the so-called recovery is a result of large private equity firms buying up hundreds of thousands of foreclosed homes. "Homewreckers: How a Gang of Wall Street Kingpins, Hedge Fund Magnates, Crooked Banks, and Vulture Capitalists Suckered Millions Out of Their Homes and Demolished the American Dream" reveals how the 2008 housing crash decimated millions of Americans' family wealth but enriched President Donald Trump's inner circle, including Trump Cabinet members Steven Mnuchin and Wilbur Ross, Trump's longtime friend and confidant Tom Barrack, and billionaire Republican donor Stephen Schwarzman. Glantz writes, "Now, ensconced in power following Trump's election, these capitalists are creating new financial products that threaten to make the wealth transfers of the [housing] bust permanent." Aaron Glantzis a senior reporter at Reveal from The Center for Investigative Reporting. He was a finalist for a Pulitzer Prize this year for his reporting on modern-day redlining.
Botham Jean, Then Atatiana Jefferson: Outrage in Texas as Police Kill Another Black Resident at Home
A white police officer in Fort Worth, Texas, has been arrested and charged with murder, after he shot and killed an African-American woman who was inside her own home. Officer Aaron Dean was responding to a non-emergency call for a wellness check after a neighbor had called the Fort Worth police to report that 28-year-old Atatiana Jefferson's front door was open at around 2:30 in the morning on Saturday. Soon after the officers arrived, Dean, who never identified himself to be a police officer, shouted through Jefferson's bedroom window to put her hands up, and then immediately opened fire, killing her. Minutes before the shooting, Jefferson had been playing video games with her 8-year-old nephew, who witnessed the shooting but was not physically injured. Atatiana Jefferson is the seventh person since June who has been killed by one of the police department’s officers. From Dallas, we speak with Lee Merritt, a civil rights attorney representing the family of Atatiana Jefferson.
Headlines for October 15, 2019
Syrian Troops Advance Across Northern Syria After Deal with Kurds, Ex-Top Russia Adviser Testified Bolton Called Giuliani a "Hand Grenade", 12 Democrats Will Take the Stage for Presidential Debate in Ohio Tonight, Fort Worth Cop Charged for Murder After Killing Atatiana Jefferson, Judge: Trump Broke Law by Declaring Emergency to Secure Border Funding, Arizona: Bulldozers Destroyed Protected Cacti to Clear Way for Trump Wall, 8-Year-Old Girl Easily Scales Replica of Trump's "Impenetrable" Border Wall, Protests Erupt at Barcelona Airport over Sentencing of Catalan Leaders, Mexico: 14 Police Officers Killed in Ambush in Michoacán, Hong Kong: Pro-Democracy Protesters Demand Support from U.S. Lawmakers, London Bans All Extinction Rebellion Protests, But Direct Actions Continue, Ecuador: President Signs Decree to Revert Fuel Prices Back to Subsidized Levels, General Motors Workers Enter Fifth Week of Strike, Native Americans Mark Indigenous Peoples' Day
Ethiopian PM Abiy Ahmed, Awarded Nobel Prize, Celebrated for "Remarkable Change" in Horn of Africa
Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed was awarded the 100th Nobel Peace Prize in an announcement Friday morning. The prime minister last year helped broker a historic peace deal between Ethiopia and Eritrea, where leaders of the neighboring countries signed a "Joint Declaration of Peace and Friendship" and declared an end to nearly two decades of a "state of war" that lasted from 1998 to 2000 and killed 70,000 people. Soon after the peace declaration was signed, the first direct flights between Ethiopia and Eritrea in 20 years took off from Addis Ababa, headed to Eritrea's capital Asmara. Ahmed has also lifted the state of emergency, released thousands of political dissidents from prison and appointed women to a record 50% of cabinet positions. We speak with Awol Allo, an associate professor at the Keele University School of Law in the U.K. His recent article for Al Jazeera is titled "Why I nominated Abiy Ahmed for the Nobel Peace Prize."
"We're Still Here": Indigenous Peoples' Day Celebration Reflects Ongoing Resistance to Colonization
Christopher Columbus arrived in the Bahamas 527 years ago this week, unleashing a brutal genocide that killed tens of millions of Native people across the hemisphere. Cities and states across the country are acknowledging this devastating history by rejecting the federal holiday of Columbus Day and celebrating Indigenous Peoples' Day instead to honor centuries of indigenous resistance. Alaska, Maine, Minnesota, New Mexico, North Carolina, South Dakota, Vermont and Wisconsin have all officially recognized Indigenous Peoples' Day. So have more than 130 cities and counties, from Los Angeles, San Francisco and Dallas to smaller places like Livingston, Kentucky, and Harpers Ferry, West Virginia. Last week, Washington, D.C., became one of the latest to recognize the holiday. Washington, D.C., the District of Columbia, takes its name from Columbus. We speak with Iakowi:he'ne' Oakes of the Snipe Clan. She is a Mohawk of the Haudenosaunee Confederacy. She is the executive director of the American Indian Community House in New York.
Kurds Turn to Bashar al-Assad for Protection as U.S. Abandons Former Allies to Turkish Assault
Syrian troops are massing near the Turkish border, one day after Bashar al-Assad's government reached a deal to help protect the Kurds from Turkey's deadly air and ground assault. On Sunday, the Kurds agreed, in a deal brokered by Russia, to hand over two border towns to the Syrian government in exchange for protection. The Kurds had been allied with the United States up until last week, when President Trump abruptly pulled U.S. troops from northern Syria, paving the way for Turkey's assault. More than 130,000 people have already been displaced over the past five days since Turkey invaded northern Syria. The death toll is unknown. Turkey is facing increasing international condemnation for invading northern Syria. The European Union has called on all member states to stop selling arms to Ankara. We speak with Ozlem Goner, an assistant professor of sociology and anthropology at the City University of New York and a member of the Emergency Committee of Rojava.
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