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Updated 2025-08-19 03:30
Stacey Abrams Runs to Become Georgia's First Black Governor as Her Opponent Suppresses the Vote
With the midterm elections just three weeks away, voting rights advocates are accusing Republican officials in several states of orchestrating a campaign of voter suppression targeting people of color. In Georgia, the Democratic candidate for governor, Stacey Abrams, is calling on her Republican opponent, Brian Kemp, to step down as secretary of state for placing 53,000 voter applications on hold. Seventy percent of the applicants are African-American. Abrams has accused Kemp of using the state's "exact match" system to disenfranchise voters. With exact match, even a minor discrepancy in a voter's registration and their official ID could bar them from casting a ballot. We speak with Carol Anderson, chair of the Department of African American Studies at Emory University in Atlanta. She is author of the new book "One Person, No Vote: How Voter Suppression Is Destroying Our Democracy."
Headlines for October 16, 2018
Saudi Officials to Offer New Narrative on Khashoggi Disappearance, Trump Floats "Rogue Killers" Narrative of Khashoggi Disappearance, President Trump Tours Areas Ravaged by Hurricane Michael, Florida Evacuates 4,000 from Hurricane-Damaged Prisons, Georgia County Rejects Nearly 1 in 10 Mail-In Ballots, BuzzFeed: UAE Used U.S. Mercenaries to Kill Yemeni Politicians, Syrian Rebels Refuse to Surrender Idlib Buffer Zone, Burmese Military Led Social Media Hate Campaign Against Rohingya, Nigeria: Boko Haram Kills 2nd Captive Aid Worker, Honduran Caravan of 1,600 Migrants Makes Way to U.S. Border, France: Worst Storm in Over a Century Kills At Least 12, Native Americans Criticize Sen. Warren's DNA Test as Trump Denies Donation Promise, Almost All Public Comments Were Pro-Net Neutrality Before FCC Repeal
Vatican Canonizes Salvadoran Archbishop Óscar Romero, Who Was Killed by a U.S.-Backed Death Squad
Pope Francis has named Salvadoran Archbishop Óscar Romero a saint. Romero was a champion for the poor and oppressed who was murdered by a U.S.-backed right-wing death squad in 1980 at the beginning of the brutal U.S.-backed military campaign in El Salvador. Wearing the blood-stained rope belt that Romero wore when he was assassinated, Pope Francis praised Romero for disregarding his own life "to be close to the poor and to his people." We speak with Matt Eisenbrandt, a human rights lawyer and the author of "Assassination of a Saint: The Plot to Murder Óscar Romero and the Quest to Bring His Killers to Justice." Eisenbrandt served on the trial team that brought the only court verdict ever reached for Romero's murder.
Trump Admin Hints It May Resume Family Separation at Border; ACLU Says "Public Outcry Is Critical"
The Trump administration is reportedly considering plans to resume its policy of forcibly separating migrant children from their families along the U.S.-Mexico border, even as the full number of people torn apart the last time it carried out the widely condemned practice remains unclear. A new report by Amnesty International suggests immigration officials separated some 6,000 families between April and August, a far higher number of children and parents torn apart than previously thought. Trump administration officials are now considering plans to detain asylum-seeking families together for up to 20 days and then force parents to choose either to stay detained together for months or years while their immigration case proceeds or to allow their children to be taken to a government shelter where their relatives or others can seek custody. We speak with Lee Gelernt, deputy director of the ACLU Immigrants' Rights Project. He is the lead lawyer on the ACLU's national challenge to the Trump administration's family separation practice.
Former Saudi Political Prisoner: Khashoggi's Disappearance Is Sending a Gruesome Message to Critics
Saudi Arabia will allow Turkey to search its consulate in Istanbul Monday afternoon, nearly two weeks after prominent journalist and Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi disappeared after entering the consulate on October 2. He has not been seen since. This news comes amid mounting international outcry that Saudi Arabia explain Khashoggi's shocking disappearance, after Turkish officials accused the Saudis of assassinating Khashoggi, dismembering him and smuggling body parts out of the consulate. In an interview with CBS's "60 Minutes," President Trump said Saudi Arabia would suffer "severe consequences" if it was found responsible. But Trump has repeatedly said he opposes ending U.S. weapons sales to the kingdom, which he claims are worth $110 billion to U.S. companies. The Saudi Foreign Ministry has responded to Trump's threats, saying if it "receives any action, it will respond with greater action." The Saudis deny Khashoggi was killed in their consulate. We speak with Ali al-Ahmed, a Saudi dissident and founder and director of the Institute for Gulf Affairs. He was a political prisoner in Saudi Arabia when he was 14 years old—the youngest political prisoner at that time.
Headlines for October 15, 2018
Trump Rejects Ending Saudi Arms Sales over Journalist's Disappearance, Corporate Executives Pull Out of Saudi Investment Summit, Yemen: U.S.-Backed, Saudi-Led Airstrike Kills 19 and Injures 30, U.S. Death Toll from Hurricane Michael at 19 as Dozens Remain Missing, Trump Doubles Down on Climate Change Denial on "60 Minutes", Senate Confirms Former BP Oil Defender as Top Environmental Lawyer, Tens of Thousands March in Europe Demanding Action on Climate, Somalia: Al-Shabab Suicide Bombers Kill 20, Injure 40, Nigeria: Anti-Boko Haram Militia Releases Children It Held Captive, Gaza: Israeli Forces Kill 7 Palestinians, Injure 250 at Friday Protest, Turkey: 22 Migrants Killed in Truck Accident While Fleeing to Greece, Germany: Merkel's Party Loses Power, Greens and Far-Right Party Gain, Pope Francis Canonizes Murdered Salvadoran Archbishop Óscar Romero, WaPo: White House Considering New Plan to Separate Immigrant Families, NYT: Jared Kushner May Have Paid Almost No Federal Income Tax, Ethics Watchdog Says Press Secretary's Kanye Tweet Broke Federal Law, Sen. Elizabeth Warren Releases Evidence of Native American Ancestry, National Parks Service Plan Would Make Organizers Pay for WH Protests, Senate Democrats Agree to Confirm 15 of Trump's Judicial Nominees, New York: White Supremacists Unleash Violence on Manhattan Street, Ashes of Murdered Gay Student Matthew Shepard Interred at National Cathedral
Decades After Taking Henrietta Lacks's Cells Without Consent, Johns Hopkins Names Building After Her
Johns Hopkins University has announced plans to name a new research building after Henrietta Lacks, an African-American woman who permanently changed modern medicine nearly 70 years ago when it was discovered that her cells could live forever. These "immortal cells" have helped scientists produce remedies for numerous diseases, including the first polio vaccine, that have saved hundreds of thousands of lives. But Lacks's cells were taken without her consent when she was a patient at Johns Hopkins University Hospital in 1951. For decades, the woman whose cells would transform modern medicine was unknown. Instead, her cells were simply known as "HeLa"—the first two letters of Henrietta Lacks's first and last name. We speak with Rebecca Skloot, author of the best-selling book "The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks," and Jeri Lacks Whye, the granddaughter of Henrietta Lacks.
Rep. Ro Khanna Introduces Internet Bill of Rights as Facebook & Google Admit Privacy Breaches
Facebook and Google recently admitted major privacy breaches. Facebook says the personal information of nearly 50 million users were exposed after an online attack. Meanwhile, Google is shutting down its social network Google Plus after revelations of a data breach that exposed the private data of hundreds of thousands of users. The breach was discovered in March but was not disclosed to the public. We speak to Rep. Ro Khanna, who recently introduced an Internet Bill of Rights.
Rep. Ro Khanna Condemns Saudi Barbarity from Disappearance of Saudi Journalist to War in Yemen
President Donald Trump is rejecting calls to cut off arms sales to Saudi Arabia following the disappearance and probable murder of the Saudi-born Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi. The Washington Post is reporting the Turkish government told U.S. officials it has audio and video evidence that Khashoggi was killed last week inside the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul. Officials say the recordings confirm that a Saudi security team detained Khashoggi after he walked into the consulate on October 2, before killing him and dismembering his body. We speak with Ro Khanna, Democratic congressmember from California. He is calling for congressional hearings into Khashoggi's disappearance. Khanna has been a leading critic of U.S. support for the Saudi-led war in Yemen.
Headlines for October 12, 2018
Hurricane Michael Flattens Florida Towns as It Rips Through Southeast, Turkish Gov't Says It Has Video Evidence of Khashoggi's Murder at Saudi Consulate, President Trump Rejects Calls to Cut Off Arms Sales to Saudi Arabia, Report: Trump Administration Separated 6,000 Families in 4 Months, AP: U.S. Army Discharged 500 Immigrant Recruits, Kanye West Praises Trump During 10-Minute Oval Office Tirade, Pop Star Taylor Swift Tells Fans to Vote in Midterms, Washington Archbishop Resigns Amid Growing Church Sex Abuse Crisis, Syrian Rebels Withdrawing Heavy Weapons from Idlib Under Turkey-Russia Deal, HRW: Egyptian-American Man Detained and Tortured in Egypt, Colombia: Environmental Leader Assassinated Amid Spate of Activist Murders, Justice Roberts Ethics Complaints Against Kavanaugh Referred to Colorado Court, Trump Attacks Federal Reserve Amid Stock Market Plunge, Washington State Abolishes Death Penalty, NY Judge Drops One Sexual Assault Charge Against Harvey Weinstein, Georgia Voter Suppression Efforts Under Fire in Heated Governor Race, Report: AR Sheriff Forced Prisoners to Pose in Nike T-Shirts to Mock Colin Kaepernick
"How Fascism Works": Jason Stanley on Trump, Bolsonaro and the Rise of Fascism Across the Globe
In his new book "How Fascism Works: The Politics of Us and Them," Yale professor Jason Stanley warns about the dangers of normalizing fascist politics, writing, "What normalization does is transform the morally extraordinary into the ordinary. It makes us able to tolerate what was once intolerable by making it seem as if this is the way things have always been." We speak with Jason Stanley in New York.
Owner of Limo Involved in Deadly NY Crash Spent Years as FBI Informant Entrapping Muslim Men
When a limousine crashed in upstate New York this weekend, killing 20 people, investigators quickly uncovered a series of shoddy practices by the limo company that owned the vehicle, including a record of repeated safety violations. The limousine that crashed in Schoharie, New York, in the deadliest U.S. transportation disaster since 2009 had failed an inspection last month and was not licensed to be on the road. Now it's been revealed that the owner of Prestige Limousine Chauffeur Service is a Pakistani immigrant named Shahed Hussain, an FBI informant with a long history of entrapping Muslim men on behalf of the U.S. government. On Wednesday, state officials arrested his son Nauman Hussain, who operates his father's limo service, and charged him with criminally negligent homicide. In Pittsburgh, we speak with a man who was entrapped by Hussain, Khalifah al-Akili. We also speak with Lyric Cabral, co-director of "(T)ERROR," a documentary that follows a sting operation targeting Khalifah al-Akili. In New York, we speak with Sam Braverman, an attorney who represented one of the "Newburgh Four," four black Muslim men who were convicted in 2010 of plotting to shoot down U.S. military planes based on testimony from Shahed Hussain.
Hurricane Michael Pummels Communities in Florida, a State Led by a Climate Change-Denying Governor
At least two people have died since Hurricane Michael made landfall in Florida and Georgia on Wednesday. It is the third most powerful storm to ever hit the U.S. mainland, and meteorologists say it is supercharged by warmer-than-usual water in the Gulf of Mexico. But Florida Governor Rick Scott has a long history of denying climate change. In 2011, his administration reportedly banned state employees in Florida's Department of Environmental Protection from using the terms "climate change," "global warming" and "sea level rise." We speak with Gloria Horning, a social and environmental justice advocate. She serves on the Environmental Advisory Board for Pensacola, Florida.
Headlines for October 11, 2018
Category 4 Hurricane Michael Slams Florida & Georgia on Way to Carolinas, Floods Kill At Least 10 in Mallorca, Spain, Indonesia: Tsunami Death Toll Tops 2,000 as New Quake Rocks East Java, Bali, U.N. Report: Extreme Weather Cost $2.9 Trillion over Last 2 Decades, WaPo: Saudi Prince Ordered Operation to Lure Khashoggi to Saudi Arabia, Brazil: Protesters Take to Streets to Denounce Right-Wing Candidate Jair Bolsonaro, WSJ Endorses Far-Right Brazilian Presidential Candidate Bolsonaro, Shipwreck Kills 8 Refugees Off Turkish Coast, 25 Still Missing, Moroccan Navy Shoots at Migrant Boat, Injuring Teenage Boy, Burma: 3 More Journalists Arrested After Criticizing Government, Peru: Keiko Fujimori Arrested over Corruption, Dow Jones Drops More Than 800 Points as Tech Companies' Stocks Plunge, DOJ Approves $69 Billion Merger Between CVS and Aetna, Enbridge Pipeline Explodes in Canada, Forcing First Nations Community to Evacuate, Family of Mexican Teen Killed by Border Patrol Agent Demands Justice 6 Years After His Death, U.S. and Russian Astronauts Safe After Emergency Landing, Activists Turn BrettKavanaugh.com into Resource for Sexual Assault Survivors
Ex-NASA Scientist Dr. James Hansen: We Need to Act Now to Preserve Our Planet for Future Generations
As Hurricane Michael barreled down on Florida, famed climate scientist Dr. James Hansen traveled to Minnesota earlier this week to testify on the imminent danger of climate change. He was supposed to be an expert witness at the trial for the "valve turners," the anti-pipeline activists who staged an unprecedented coordinated action to shut down the flow of oil from Canada to the United States in 2016. But the judge ruled she would not allow witnesses like Dr. Hansen to testify on the clear and present danger posed by climate change. On Tuesday, valve turner activists Annette Klapstein and Emily Johnston were acquitted. We speak with Hansen in Minneapolis about the valve turners, the recent IPCC report about the imminent threat of climate change and what must be done to save the planet from destruction. Hansen is the former top climate scientist at NASA. He is now the director of Climate Science, Awareness and Solutions at Columbia University's Earth Institute. We also speak with Klapstein and Johnston.
Valve Turners on Trial: Judge Acquits Three Climate Activists Who Shut Down Tar Sands Pipelines
A month before the 2016 election, anti-pipeline activists staged an unprecedented coordinated action to shut down the flow of oil from Canada to the United States. On October 11, 2016, activists in North Dakota, Washington, Montana and Minnesota turned the manual safety valves on four pipelines, temporarily halting the flow of nearly 70 percent of the crude oil imported to the United States from Canada. They came to be known as the "valve turners." What followed was a lengthy legal battle that ended with some of the activists in jail. But on Tuesday, three valve turners who broke into an oil pipeline facility in Minnesota on that day in 2016 were acquitted. We speak with the valve turners themselves, Annette Klapstein and Emily Johnston, about their acquittal. Johnston is a poet and co-founder of 350Seattle.org, and Klapstein is a retired attorney for the Puyallup Tribe and member of the Raging Grannies. We also speak with their attorney, Kelsey Skaggs.
Rashid Khalidi on the U.S. Backing of Brutal Saudi Regime & the Disappearance of Jamal Khashoggi
It's been more than a week since Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi disappeared after entering the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul last Tuesday, sparking international concern. Now, a Turkish official has told The New York Times that Khashoggi was assassinated inside the consulate by a team of 15 Saudi operatives who used a bone saw to dismember his body before smuggling body parts out of the building. We speak with Rashid Khalidi, Edward Said professor of Arab studies at Columbia University. He is the author of several books, including "Brokers of Deceit: How the U.S. Has Undermined Peace in the Middle East."
Rashid Khalidi: From Iran to Palestine, Nikki Haley Put a Nice Face on Trump's "Horrific" U.S. Policies
U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley has announced she is resigning her post at the end of the year. The former South Carolina governor—one of the few women in Trump's Cabinet—gave no reason for her departure. During Nikki Haley's time as U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, the United States withdrew from the Paris climate accord; the U.N. Human Rights Council; the Iran nuclear deal; UNRWA, the U.N. agency that provides humanitarian aid to Palestinians; and UNESCO, the U.N. educational and cultural agency. We speak with Rashid Khalidi, Edward Said professor of Arab studies at Columbia University, about the significance of Haley's departure and the role of the United States at the United Nations. Khalidi is the author of "Brokers of Deceit: How the U.S. Has Undermined Peace in the Middle East." His next book, titled "The Hundred Years' War on Palestine," will be out in May.
Headlines for October 10, 2018
Hurricane Michael Barrels Toward Florida as Category 4 Storm, U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley Resigns, Trump Considers Nikki Haley's Replacement at U.N., Praises Ivanka, Turkish Official: Saudis Used Bone Saw to Dismember Body of Jamal Khashoggi, U.N.: 40 Percent of North Koreans Undernourished and in Need of Aid, Charges Dropped Against MN Pipeline Activists in Landmark Trial, AP: Deported Parents Could Lose Children to U.S. Adoption, Court Upholds Deposition Order for Wilbur Ross in Census Case, SCOTUS Rules for ND Voter ID Law, Disenfranchising Some Native Voters, Trump Rolls Back Ethanol Gasoline Limits & Attacks Dianne Feinstein, Former White House Communications Chief Hope Hicks to Join Fox, Google Drops Bid for Pentagon Project Under Employee Pressure, Acting EPA Head Andrew Wheeler Amplified Racist & Conspiracy Posts on Social Media, "Nuns on the Bus" Launch National Tour for Tax Justice
2017 Nobel Peace Laureate: Amid Talks with North Korea, It's Time for U.S. to Abandon Nukes, Too
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo met with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un in Pyongyang over the weekend in talks meant to further steps toward nuclear disarmament. Pompeo hailed the meeting as a success, saying both sides were "pretty close" to agreeing to details for a second summit between Kim and President Donald Trump. He also told reporters Kim has agreed to let international inspectors into a North Korean missile engine test facility and nuclear testing site where the country conducted its six nuclear tests. However, Pompeo did not say whether North Korea would allow inspectors to visit a site where the country produces fuel for nuclear weapons. We speak with Beatrice Fihn, executive director of the 2017 Nobel Peace Prize-winning International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons, about the ongoing negotiations on the Korean Peninsula, the U.S. nuclear stockpile and the path to an international ban on nuclear weapons. She is in New York to deliver The Nation Institute's third annual Jonathan Schell Memorial Lecture on the Fate of the Earth "tonight at The New School.":http://fateoftheearth.org/
Climate Scientist: As U.N. Warns of Global Catastrophe, We Need a "Marshall Plan" for Climate Change
A new report from the United Nations' climate panel warns humanity has only a dozen years to mitigate global warming and limit the scope of global catastrophe. Otherwise, millions will be imperiled by increasing droughts, floods, fires and poverty. The sweeping report by the U.N. Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change urges immediate and unprecedented changes to global policy in order to keep global warming at a maximum of 1.5ºC. We speak with Kevin Anderson, Zennström professor in climate change leadership at the Centre for Environment and Development Studies at Uppsala University and chair of energy and climate change at the Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research at the University of Manchester in Britain. He says that the IPCC report fails to hold the world's highest emitters accountable, and argues a "Marshall Plan" for climate change is necessary to save the planet from destruction. "About 70 percent of global emissions of carbon dioxide come from about 20 percent of the world population. … When we try to address climate change and reduce our emissions by focusing on all 7.5 billion people, I think it misunderstands where the actual responsibility of emissions resides," Anderson says. "We're not developing policies that need to be tailored to that particular 20 percent."
Brazil's Eroding Democracy: Rise of Far-Right Demagogue Follows Ouster of Dilma & Jailing of Lula
In a stunning upset that may radically alter the political landscape of Latin America, far-right leader Jair Bolsonaro won 46 percent of the vote in Sunday's presidential election in Brazil in a far more decisive victory than expected. The former Army officer has a long history of making racist, homophobic and misogynistic comments and has openly praised Brazil's military dictatorship. He will now face Fernando Haddad of the leftist Workers' Party in a runoff on October 28. Haddad won 29 percent of the vote Sunday. Many are warning that the future of democracy in Brazil hangs in the balance. We speak with Maria Luísa Mendonça, director of the Network for Social Justice and Human Rights in Brazil, who says Bolsonaro is a "fascist" and that his election would create "a very dangerous situation in Brazil."
Headlines for October 9, 2018
Hurricane Michael Kills 13 in Central America, Approaches U.S. Coast, Trump Apologizes to Kavanaugh During Ceremonial SCOTUS Swearing-In, Beijing Strikes Hostile Tone at Pompeo Visit Amid U.S.-China Tensions, China Detains Interpol Police Chief, Accusing Him of Corruption, NYT: Ex-Trump Campaign Aide Rick Gates Was In Touch with Israeli Psy-Group, Turkey Searching for Van in Case of Missing Saudi Journalist, Social Network Google+ to Shut Down After Massive Data Breach, NYC Vigil Held for Uber Driver Who Died by Suicide, Owner of Company Behind Deadly NY Limo Crash Was FBI Informant, New York Governor Cuomo, President Trump Celebrate Columbus Day, Columbus, Ohio, Cancels Columbus Day as L.A. Celebrates Indigenous People, Minnesota: Water Protectors' Encampment Challenges Line 3 Pipeline, Landmark Trial Begins for Activists Who Cut Oil Pipeline Flow, Prize-Winning Economist: U.S. Opposition to Climate Science Will End, Johns Hopkins to Name Building for Henrietta Lacks, 67 Years After Stealing Her Cells for Research
Alleged Saudi Murder of Washington Post Columnist Prompts Calls to Halt U.S. Relations with Regime
Fears are growing over the fate of missing Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi, who Turkish officials say they believe was murdered in the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul last week. Khashoggi, a columnist for The Washington Post who had been living in self-imposed exile in the United States, entered the Saudi Consulate in Turkey seeking a document he needed to get married and has not been seen since. The Washington Post reports a Turkish investigation has revealed that a group of about 15 Saudi men traveled to Istanbul to kill Khashoggi as he visited the consulate. Saudi officials have denied the report and say they don't know the journalist's whereabouts. Khashoggi is a critic of the Saudi regime. "This is a horrific escalation in the crown prince's campaign to silence dissent, to silence any criticism, even the mildest of criticism, from Saudis at home or abroad," says columnist for The Intercept Mehdi Hasan, who is also host of "UpFront" at Al Jazeera English, where he interviewed Khashoggi earlier this year. We're also joined by Medea Benjamin, co-founder of CodePink, who knew Khashoggi and is the author of "Kingdom of the Unjust: Behind the U.S.-Saudi Connection."
Where Does #MeToo Go from Here? Women Are "On Fire" with Rage as Kavanaugh Joins Supreme Court
Thousands of women protested outside the U.S. Capitol and across the country on Saturday as Brett Kavanaugh was sworn in as an associate justice of the United States Supreme Court, just hours after the Senate voted to confirm him. "I hope that it is deep enough that it is forming a strong, cohesive movement among people that will resonate through this country and change the culture," says Medea Benjamin, co-founder of CodePink, who joined the protests. We also speak with longtime feminist activist and writer Soraya Chemaly, author of the new book, "Rage Becomes Her: The Power of Women's Anger." She says conservatives' biggest fear since the "Me Too" movement is that women are telling the truth. "And if women are telling the truth," Chemaly notes, "then it's not just an indictment of a few bad apples, but an indictment of the entire system."
"They Did Not Care": How the GOP Dismissed Assault Accusations & Confirmed Kavanaugh
Brett Kavanaugh was sworn in Saturday as an associate justice of the United States Supreme Court, just hours after the Senate voted to confirm him amid massive protests outside the Capitol. He will begin hearing cases Tuesday and could vote as early as Tuesday or Wednesday on a case that tests how much power courts would wield over the executive branch. His nomination came under intense public scrutiny after accusations of attempted rape and sexual assault surfaced. We begin our coverage with Jodi Jacobson, president and editor-in-chief of Rewire, who wrote a piece this weekend headlined "A 'Titanic Fraud': Susan Collins, the 'Moderate' Who Never Was." Senator Collins "went on the floor of the Senate to literally gaslight the entire nation about both the process and the nominee himself," Jacobson says, responding to Collins's vote to confirm Kavanaugh.
Headlines for October 8, 2018
Kavanaugh Confirmed and Sworn In to SCOTUS After Bitter Fight, Mass Anti-Kavanaugh Protests Continue, with 164 Arrested in D.C., U.N. Climate Panel: Only 12 Years Left to Mitigate Climate Catastrophe, Indonesia Tsunami Death Toll Tops 1,900 with 5,000 Still Missing, Haiti: 12 Dead, 200 Injured After 5.9 Magnitude Earthquake Hits Island, Brazil: Far-Right Bolsonaro Wins First Round of Presidential Election, Turkey Believes Missing Saudi Journalist Jamal Khashoggi Was Murdered, Afghanistan: 54 People Killed on 17th Anniversary of U.S. Invasion, Israeli Forces Kill 3 as Palestinians Protest Near Gaza Barrier, Sara Netanyahu, Wife of Israeli PM, on Trial for Fraud, Bulgaria: Journalist Viktoria Marinova Found Raped and Murdered, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo Meets North Korean Leader in Pyongyang, Germany: Court Orders Halt to Destruction of Forest Near Coal Mine, Chicago: Officer Jason Van Dyke Guilty of Murdering Laquan McDonald, Eric Reid Takes a Knee During National Anthem After Returning to NFL
Could Brazil Return to a Dictatorship? Glenn Greenwald on Possible Election of Far-Right Demagogue
Voters in Brazil head to the polls on Sunday in an election that could reshape the political landscape of South America. Polls show the current front-runner is the far-right Jair Bolsonaro, a former Army officer who has openly praised Brazil's military dictatorship, which lasted from 1964 to 1985. Bolsonaro has a long history of making racist, misogynistic and homophobic comments, and has risen in the polls since September 8, when he was stabbed while campaigning. His campaign directly benefited from the jailing of former President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva in April, who had been leading in all presidential polls before being forced to drop out of the race. Lula's handpicked successor, Fernando Haddad, is currently placing second in most polls. We speak with Glenn Greenwald, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and one of the founding editors of The Intercept. He has been covering the election from Rio de Janeiro.
Eve Ensler: Nobel Peace Prize for Mukwege & Murad Is an Award for Every Rape Survivor in the World
After a landmark year for the "Me Too" movement, which ignited an international conversation on sexual assault, the Nobel Peace Prize was awarded Friday morning to two champions of women's rights who have built their careers fighting sexual violence: physician Denis Mukwege and human rights activist Nadia Murad. Dr. Denis Mukwege founded the Panzi Hospital in the Democratic Republic of Congo in 1999. The clinic receives thousands of women each year, many of them requiring surgery as a result of sexual violence. Nadia Murad is a 25-year-old Yazidi Kurdish human rights activist from Iraq. She was kidnapped and held by the Islamic State for almost three years. During her captivity she was repeatedly raped. We speak with Eve Ensler, award-winning playwright and author of "The Vagina Monologues" and the founder of V-Day, a movement to end violence against women and girls. She is a good friend of Dr. Mukwege and has also worked with Nadia Murad.
Eve Ensler to White Women Supporting Kavanaugh: Stand with Survivors & Fight This Nomination
Opposition to Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh is growing across the country as the Senate prepares to vote on his nomination, just one day after senators were given their first chance to see the FBI's new investigation into Dr. Christine Blasey Ford's claims that Kavanaugh attempted to rape her when she was a teenager. More than 300 protesters were arrested Thursday during a massive sit-in on Capitol Hill against Kavanaugh, who has been accused of sexual assault and misconduct by multiple women. The Senate is planning to hold a key procedural vote on his confirmation Friday morning. A final vote on Kavanaugh's confirmation is expected on Saturday. The decision rests on four senators who have not yet announced how they will vote: Republican Senators Susan Collins of Maine, Jeff Flake of Arizona and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, as well as Democrat Joe Manchin of West Virginia. We speak with Eve Ensler, award-winning playwright and author of "The Vagina Monologues." She is also the founder of V-Day, a movement to end violence against women and girls. She recently published "A Letter to White Women Who Support Brett Kavanaugh" in Time magazine. She says to sexual assault survivors watching the Kavanaugh nomination unfold, "Your pain matters. Your experience matters. The trauma that you have faced matters. And there are many of us, many of us supporting you, loving you, holding you as you try to heal from this experience."
Headlines for October 5, 2018
Senate Set to Close Debate on Kavanaugh Supreme Court Nomination, Coalition of 100,000 U.S. Churches Opposes Kavanaugh Nomination, Kavanaugh Defends His Record in Unprecedented WSJ Op-Ed, Retired Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens Opposes Kavanaugh, 300 Arrested on Capitol Hill as Thousands March Against Kavanaugh, Yemen: Tens of Thousands Protest Economic Collapse Amid Bombing, Bloomberg: China Hacked U.S. Companies, Including Amazon, Apple, VP Pence Accuses China of Interfering in Midterms, Undermining Trump, U.S. Indicts Russians for Hacking Anti-Doping Orgs, Targeting Nuclear Sites, Dutch Officials Say Russia Hacked Anti-Chemical Weapons Organization, India Signs Major Weapons Deal with Russia as Trump Threatens Sanctions, Brazilians to Vote on Sunday; Far-Right Leader Bolsonaro Ahead in Polls, Nobel Peace Prize Laureates Announced, Leon Lederman, 1988 Nobel Physics Laureate, Dies at 96, MacArthur Fellows Announced as Recipient Rev. Barber Arrested at Protest
Trump Faces Probe into Tax Fraud After NYT Exposes How He Helped Parents Scam Millions from Gov't
The New York State Department of Taxation and Finance has opened an investigation into President Trump for fraud and tax evasion following a major exposé by The New York Times revealing that Trump inherited nearly half a billion dollars of his family's wealth through tax dodges and outright fraud. New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio has also called for a city probe, and Democratic Senator Ron Wyden has urged the IRS to investigate the president. The Times' 13,000-word investigative report found the late Fred and Mary Trump transferred more than $1 billion in wealth to their children, paying less than 5 percent of the $550 million in taxes they should have paid under inheritance tax rates. Donald Trump also helped his parents undervalue real estate holdings by hundreds of millions of dollars on IRS tax returns in order to reduce taxes. We speak with David Barstow, three-time Pulitzer Prize-winning investigative reporter for The New York Times and the lead author on the new investigation, "Trump Engaged in Suspect Tax Schemes as He Reaped Riches from His Father." Barstow shares a byline with Susanne Craig and Russ Buettner.
NYT Exposé: "Self-Made Billionaire" Donald Trump Built Empire on Father's Money, Tax Dodging & Fraud
President Donald Trump built his personal brand and presidential candidacy on the claim that he was a self-made billionaire whose only head start was a "small loan of a million dollars" from his father. But a New York Times exposé has revealed that Trump inherited much of his family's wealth through tax dodging and outright fraud, receiving at least $413 million in inflation-adjusted dollars from his father's real estate empire. We speak with David Barstow, three-time Pulitzer Prize-winning investigative reporter for The New York Times and the lead author on the new investigation, "Trump Engaged in Suspect Tax Schemes as He Reaped Riches from His Father." Barstow shares a byline with Susanne Craig and Russ Buettner.
Headlines for October 4, 2018
As FBI Probe Wraps Up, Senate Could Vote on Kavanaugh on Saturday, Key GOP Senators Criticize Trump for Mocking Christine Blasey Ford, Over 1,200 Law Professors Sign Letter Opposing Kavanaugh Nomination, U.N.: Yemen Sees 10,000+ New Cases of Cholera Every Week, Trump Suggests Saudi Monarchy Would Collapse Without U.S. Support, Saudi Dissident Journalist Missing After Visit to Consulate in Turkey, Israeli Forces Kill Palestinian Teenager at Gaza Protest, U.S. Quits 1955 Iran Treaty After U.N. Court Rules Against Sanctions, Judge Halts Termination of Protected Status for 300,000 Immigrants, Report: DHS Was Unprepared to Enforce "Zero Tolerance" Border Policy, Texas: Jailed Families End Hunger Strike at Karnes Detention Center, DOJ Tries to Shield Wilbur Ross from Deposition in Census Lawsuit, Pope Condemns "Clericalism" as Root of Church Sexual Abuse Scandal, Peru: Judge Reverses Pardon for Ex-Dictator Alberto Fujimori, Louisiana: Water Protectors Slow Bayou Bridge Pipeline Construction, Defense Rests in Murder Trial of Chicago Cop Who Shot Laquan McDonald, Exiled Former President Mohamed Nasheed to Return to the Maldives
Lift Us Up: Meet the Activists on the Front Lines of the Battle for Educational Justice in America
As Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh objects to being held accountable for his behavior in high school, we look at the criminalization of black and brown students that has led to what is known as the school-to-prison pipeline. We speak with a roundtable of community activists engaged in the fight to save schools and push for alternatives to punishment and privatization. Their voices are highlighted in a new book titled "Lift Us Up, Don't Push Us Out! Voices from the Front Lines of the Educational Justice Movement." In Chicago, we speak with 
Jitu Brown, the national director of the Journey for Justice. In Washington, D.C., we speak with Zakiya Sankara-Jabar, the co-founder of Racial Justice NOW! and field organizer for the Dignity in Schools Campaign. And in New York City, we speak with high school teacher and restorative justice coordinator E.M. Eisen-Markowitz and Mark Warren, co-author of "Lift Us Up, Don't Push Us Out!"
Is Donald Trump Mentally Fit to Be President? Dr. Bandy Lee Questions Trump's Capacity to Govern
As questions swirl around Brett Kavanaugh's eligibility to join the Supreme Court, some are asking if President Donald Trump should have had the power to nominate him in the first place. We speak with Dr. Bandy Lee, forensic psychiatrist on the faculty of Yale School of Medicine, about Trump's mental state and the possibility of removing him from office using the 25th Amendment. Dr. Lee is an internationally recognized expert on violence. She is the editor of the best-selling book, "The Dangerous Case of Donald Trump: 27 Psychiatrists and Mental Health Experts Assess a President."
Mental Health Experts Demand Psychological Assessment of Kavanaugh for Drinking, Instability
Donald Trump openly mocked Dr. Christine Blasey Ford at a rally Tuesday, casting doubt on her claims that Brett Kavanaugh had tried to rape her in high school, just days after calling her a very credible witness. As the FBI continues its investigation into Dr. Blasey Ford's claims, a group of mental health experts are calling for Kavanaugh to undergo a full psychological and substance abuse assessment before the Senate votes on his confirmation. We speak with Dr. Bandy Lee of the Yale School of Medicine, the lead author of a letter titled "Mental Health Experts Urge Examination Based on Warning Signs in Kavanaugh Testimony." The letter reads, "Judge Kavanaugh exhibited behavior that, if engaged in during his possible tenure as a Supreme Court Justice, would yield a dangerous combination of instability and power." Dr. Lee is a forensic psychiatrist on the faculty of Yale School of Medicine and Yale graduate who has taught at Yale Law School for the past fifteen years.
Headlines for October 3, 2018
Indonesia: Tsunami Death Toll Tops 1,400 as Volcano Erupts on Sulawesi, NYT: Trump's Wealth Comes from Family, Fraud and Tax Dodging, FBI Wrapping Up Kavanaugh Probe Without Interviewing Key Witnesses, Trump: "It's a Very Scary Time for Young Men in America", World Court: U.S. Must Lift Humanitarian Sanctions Against Iran, Suicide Bomb in Afghanistan Kills 13, Injures Dozens, Ethiopia: 44 Killed in Ethnic Violence, FLOTUS Visits Former Slave Trading Fortress in Ghana, U.S. Admitted 22,000 Refugees in FY 2018, Lowest Number in 40 Years, Shipwreck Off Morocco Kills 34 Refugees Heading to Spain, Presidential Alert Test to Light Up Cellphones Around Country, Four Men Charged in Deadly 2017 Unite the Right Rally in Charlottesville, Donna Strickland Becomes Third Woman Ever to Win Nobel Physics Prize, Mexicans Commemorate 50th Anniversary of Tlatelolco Massacre
What Does Trump's "New NAFTA" Trade Deal Signal for Workers, Corporate Power & the Environment?
The United States and Canada have reached a tentative agreement to save NAFTA, the North American Free Trade Agreement, with a new trilateral deal that will be known as the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement. The Trump administration is touting the agreement as a victory for American dairy farmers, since Canada has agreed to open part of its dairy market to U.S. imports. But the Trans-Pacific Partnership, which Trump withdrew from last year, would have provided the same opening. The new deal does not resolve a dispute over U.S. tariffs on Canada's steel and aluminum exports. The proposed deal must now be ratified by lawmakers in the three countries. We speak with Lori Wallach, director of Public Citizen's Global Trade Watch and author of "The Rise and Fall of Fast Track Trade Authority."
Trump Admin Sends 1,600 Kids to Texas Tent City as Number of Detained Children Hits Record High
The Trump administration is transferring detained migrant children from shelters across the country to a barren tent city in West Texas. The New York Times reports that hundreds of children are being sent each week from shelters to the tent city, which currently houses 1,600 children. The facility reportedly has no school, and children have only limited access to legal services. The U.S. government is now detaining a record 13,000 migrant children. We speak with Louise Melling, deputy legal director at the ACLU, who says, "We have more children in detention now than ever before."
ACLU Formally Opposes Kavanaugh, Citing Credible Sexual Assault Allegations & Partisan Temperament
The American Civil Liberties Union has come out against the confirmation of Judge Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court. It is only the fourth time in the organization's 98-year history that its national board of directors has voted to oppose a Supreme Court nominee. ACLU President Susan Herman said in a statement, "As a nonpartisan organization, the ACLU does not oppose Judge Kavanaugh based on predictions about how he would vote as a Justice. We oppose him in light of the credible allegations of sexual assault against him." The ACLU has now launched a $1 million ad campaign across four states urging key swing-vote senators to vote against Kavanaugh's confirmation. We speak with Louise Melling, deputy legal director at the ACLU and director of its Center for Liberty.
Kavanaugh Schoolmate Urges Georgetown Prep Grads to Break Silence on Sexual Assault, Party Culture
As the FBI presses forward with a limited investigation into allegations against Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh, a group of alumni from his all-male high school Georgetown Prep are calling for graduates to come forward if they have information about sexual assaults committed by their former classmate. In 2015, Kavanaugh told an audience at Catholic University's Columbus School of Law that "What happens at Georgetown Prep stays at Georgetown Prep." But the petition implores graduates of the elite prep school, "Please do not remain silent, even if speaking out comes at some personal cost." We speak with Bill Barbot, who was a freshman at Georgetown Prep when Brett Kavanaugh was a senior. Barbot co-authored a petition calling on fellow graduates to come forward if they have information about any sexual assaults possibly committed by the Supreme Court nominee.
Headlines for October 2, 2018
White House Expands Kavanaugh FBI Probe, NBC: Kavanaugh Contacted Ex-Classmates to Refute 2nd Accuser's Claims, Former Kavanaugh Classmate Recalls 1985 Drunken Bar Fight, Kavanaugh Protesters Take to the Streets, Confront Senators, President Trump to ABC News's Cecilia Vega: "You're Not Thinking", SCOTUS Opens Session with 8 Judges, Rejects Uranium Mining Appeal, Indonesia: Death Toll from Earthquake and Tsunami Tops 1,200, Iran Fires Missiles into Syria in Response to Sept. 22 Ahvaz Attack, Israel Injures Scores of Protesters in Occupied Territories Clashes, FLOTUS Melania Trump Starts Solo Visit to African Continent, Barcelona: Protesters Clash with Police on Catalan Referendum Anniversary, Japan: Okinawa Elects Governor Opposed to U.S. Military Bases, Mourners Remember Las Vegas Mass Shooting 1 Year Later, California Enacts New Gun Control Measures, Sweden: Photographer Linked to Nobel Literature Prize Convicted of Rape, Sidelined Football Star Eric Reid Continues Protests as He Returns to NFL, Amazon to Raise Minimum Wage to $15/Hour for U.S. Workers, Trump Travel Ban Reporting Wins Emmy Award
Kimberlé Crenshaw: How Society Embraces Male Denials, from Clarence Thomas to Brett Kavanaugh
When President Trump's Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh testified last week before the Senate Judiciary Committee, he called Dr. Christine Blasey Ford's accusations against him and the subsequent fallout a "circus" orchestrated by the Democrats. His language echoed Clarence Thomas, who nearly 30 years ago said of the Anita Hill trials, "This is a circus. It's a national disgrace. … It is a high-tech lynching for uppity blacks who in any way deign to think for themselves." We speak with Kimberlé Crenshaw, professor of law at UCLA and Columbia University who assisted Anita Hill's legal team. She is the founder of the African American Policy Forum. Her piece for The New York Times last week was headlined "We Still Haven't Learned from Anita Hill's Testimony."
Ex-Senate Aide: Judge Brett Kavanaugh Has Lied Every Time He Has Testified Under Oath
The FBI is investigating Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh after Dr. Christine Blasey Ford testified last week that he attempted to rape her in 1982. But Democrats say the FBI's probe is too limited, and critics claim that Kavanaugh has repeatedly committed perjury by lying during his testimony about his drinking habits, the content of his yearbook and a spate of other topics. We speak with Lisa Graves, co-director of Documented, which investigates corporate influence on democracy. She is the former chief counsel for nominations for the ranking member of the Senate Judiciary Committee and was deputy assistant attorney general in the Department of Justice. Her recent article for Slate is titled "I Wrote Some of the Stolen Memos That Brett Kavanaugh Lied to the Senate About."
Meet One of the Sexual Assault Survivors Who Confronted Jeff Flake & Triggered FBI Kavanaugh Probe
Republican Senator Jeff Flake of Arizona was on his way to cast his vote, shortly after announcing his intentions to confirm Trump's Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh, when he was confronted in an elevator by two women who are sexual assault survivors. The women held open the elevator door, telling Flake, through their tears, that he was dismissing their pain. Soon after, Flake surprised his colleagues on the Senate Judiciary Committee by advancing Kavanaugh's nomination but asking for an FBI investigation before the full Senate vote. President Trump has now ordered an FBI investigation into Kavanaugh. We speak with Ana María Archila, one of the women credited with helping to delay Kavanaugh's confirmation.
Headlines for October 1, 2018
FBI Reopens Probe into Kavanaugh After Demand by Republican Sen. Flake, Flake Demanded FBI Probe Soon After Being Confronted by Sexual Assault Survivors, White House Accused of Placing Limit on FBI Probe, Kavanaugh Friend: "When Brett Got Drunk, He Was Often Belligerent and Aggressive", Indonesian Earthquake & Tsunami Death Toll Reaches 844, Expected to Rise, U.S. & Canada Reaches Tentative Deal to Save NAFTA, Tens of Thousands Protest Far-Right Brazilian Presidential Candidate Jair Bolsonaro, In Gaza, Israeli Troops Fatally Shoot 7 Palestinians Dead, 500 Others Injured, Palestinians Launch General Strike to Protest Israel's Jewish Nation-State Law, "We Fell in Love": President Trump Praises Kim Jong-un, Amal Clooney Calls for Release of Reuters Reporters Jailed in Burma, Trump Admin to Weaken Mercury Emissions & Offshore Drilling Regulations, U.S. Transferring Hundreds of Detained Migrant Children to Tent City in Texas, Judge: Congressional Democrats Can Move Forward with Trump Lawsuit, Justice Department Sues California over New Net Neutrality Law, New California Law Requires Publicly Traded Companies to Have Female Board Members, Elizabeth Warren Vows to Take "Hard Look" at Running for President in 2020, Protests Honor Slain Texas Man Shot by Police Officer in His Own Apartment
Dr. Christine Blasey Ford: I Am 100% Certain Brett Kavanaugh Attempted to Rape Me in 1982
We feature excerpts from the questioning at Thursday's historic hearing, when Dr. Christine Blasey Ford testified she was "100 percent positive" that Brett Kavanaugh attempted to rape her in the summer of 1982 during Thursday's Senate Judiciary Committee hearing, as both Blasey Ford and Kavanaugh faced hours of questioning. Not one of the 11 Republican senators on the Senate Judiciary Committee, who are all white men, questioned Dr. Blasey Ford directly. Instead, they ceded their time to Arizona sex crimes prosecutor Rachel Mitchell, who Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell called a "female assistant." Mitchell was also scheduled to question Kavanaugh on behalf of Republican senators, but they quickly stopped her line of questioning after she asked Kavanaugh about details of the parties he attended in the summer of 1982. Kavanaugh repeatedly refused to call for an FBI investigation into Dr. Blasey Ford's claims during the hearing. Senator Richard Blumenthal said that President Trump's failure to call for an FBI investigation is "tantamount to a cover-up."
Brett Kavanaugh Barely Controls His Rage in Combative Testimony Denying Sexual Assault Allegations
Dr. Christine Blasey Ford testified against President Trump's Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh Thursday morning, saying with certainty that it was Kavanaugh who attempted to rape her when they were in high school in 1982. Judge Kavanaugh repeatedly denied Blasey Ford's allegations, denouncing her testimony with barely controlled rage and repeatedly choking up with tears in his eyes. He singled out Democrats on the committee and accused them of staging a "circus" aimed at derailing his confirmation. We feature an excerpt from Kavanaugh's opening statement.
Despite Gut-Wrenching Testimony from Dr. Blasey Ford, GOP Moves Forward with Vote on Kavanaugh
The Republican-led Senate Judiciary Committee is preparing to vote on the confirmation of Supreme Court justice nominee Brett Kavanaugh after an extraordinary day of testimony from Kavanaugh and Dr. Christine Blasey Ford, who testified she is "100 percent positive" that Kavanaugh attempted to rape her at a high school party in 1982. During the hearing, Kavanaugh said he was innocent, and claimed he was the victim of a left-wing plot of "revenge on behalf of the Clintons." We play Dr. Blasey Ford's full opening statement.
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