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DemocracyNow! headlines

Supreme Court Weighs Voting Rights Case Based on Fringe Theory That Could Upend Democracy
Thu, 08 Dec 2022 08:48:48 -0500
The Supreme Court is considering a North Carolina redistricting case that could have far-reaching implications for voting rights in the 2024 election and beyond. At stake in Moore v. Harper is whether North Carolina Republican lawmakers had the authority to overturn a state Supreme Court ruling that redrew the state’s congressional map due to partisan gerrymandering. The plaintiffs want the Supreme Court to embrace the notion of “independent state legislature theory,” a radical conservative reading of the Constitution that claims state lawmakers have sweeping authority to override courts, governors and state constitutions. “The stakes are really, really high,” says law professor Franita Tolson, who teaches at the University of Southern California Gould School of Law.

"Russia Is Losing the War": Russian Marxist Boris Kagarlitsky on Ukraine & What Comes After Putin
Thu, 08 Dec 2022 08:27:03 -0500
Russian President Vladimir Putin acknowledged this week that the war in Ukraine has taken longer than expected, and predicted the conflict could be a “long process.” He also warned the risk of nuclear war is increasing, but vowed not to use nuclear weapons first. Putin’s comments come as Russia continues pounding civilian targets across Ukraine, including energy infrastructure, leaving much of the country in the dark and cold with winter approaching. The United Nations reports more than 17,000 civilians have been killed since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February, including 419 children. For more, we go to Moscow and speak with Russian dissident Boris Kagarlitsky, who says war fatigue is sweeping Russian society. “It will end badly for us in Russia,” says Kagarlitsky, who adds that Russian elites are increasingly uncomfortable. “Russia is losing the war, and Russia is going to lose the war inevitably.”

Peruvian President Pedro Castillo Is Ousted & Arrested in Latest Episode of Peru's "Enduring Crisis"
Thu, 08 Dec 2022 08:11:25 -0500
Peruvian President Pedro Castillo was ousted from power Wednesday and arrested hours after he moved to dissolve the country’s Congress, with Vice President Dina Boluarte sworn in to replace him. Castillo is a left-leaning former teacher and union leader who was in office for less than a year and a half, during which time he faced sustained attacks from his political opponents for corruption. His announcement Wednesday that he would dissolve Congress came as lawmakers were preparing for a third time to impeach him. Peruvian scholar Javier Puente, associate professor and chair of Latin American and Latino studies at Smith College, says this week’s dramatic events are just the latest in an “enduring crisis” in Peru that started with dictator Alberto Fujimori in the 1990s. “This is yet another manifestation of the lack of institutional stability that the country has experienced for at least three decades as a result of the legacy of Fujimorismo,” says Puente.

Headlines for December 8, 2022
Thu, 08 Dec 2022 08:00:00 -0500
Supreme Court Hears Case That Could Upend Federal Election Rules, Peruvian Lawmakers Remove President Pedro Castillo from Office and Arrest Him, U.N. Says Over 17,000 Civilians Have Been Killed Since Russia Invaded Ukraine, Mohammed bin Salman Welcomes Chinese President Xi Jinping to Saudi Capital, Israeli Forces Kill 3 Palestinians in Jenin RaidÂ , 2 Killed as Iraqi Forces Open Fire on Protesters Demanding Freedom for Jailed Activist, Iran Announces First Execution of Person Arrested in Recent Protests, Ex-Guatemalan President and VP Found Guilty of Fraud & Conspiracy, Sentenced to 16 Years, 1,100 NYT Workers Walk Out in Biggest Labor Action at Newspaper in 40 Years, Daniel Ellsberg Says Assange Gave Him Chelsea Manning War LogsÂ , Brittney Griner Freed by Moscow in Exchange for Russian Arms Dealer Viktor Bout

Futuro Media Probes Deadly U.S. Border Policy & NY Drug Trafficking Trial of Mexico's Former Top Cop
Wed, 07 Dec 2022 08:31:44 -0500
In “Death by Policy,” the newly launched investigative unit of Pulitzer Prize-winning Futuro Media reveals how the U.S. Border Patrol’s policies push migrants attempting to cross from Mexico to the U.S. into dangerous areas, especially the Sonoran Desert in Arizona. The longstanding “prevention through deterrence” approach, which funnels people into unsafe migration routes, has contributed to thousands of deaths since the 1990s. For more, we speak to Futuro Media’s Maria Hinojosa, who hosts the new podcast on Latino USA and draws connections to the new bipartisan immigration Senate reform bill. We also speak with Peniley Ramírez, co-host of the unit’s new five-part podcast series ”USA v. García Luna,” which looks at Mexico’s former secretary of public security, García Luna, who will soon become the highest-ranking Mexican official ever to face trial in the United States for his alleged role in drug trafficking. “This person was at the same time, according to the accusation, working for the Mexican government, working for the Sinaloa Cartel and cooperating with U.S. agencies, especially the DEA,” says Ramírez.

"The People Have Spoken": Sen. Warnock Wins in Georgia in Victory Over GOP Voter Suppression Efforts
Wed, 07 Dec 2022 08:11:29 -0500
Senator Raphael Warnock makes history defeating Republican Herschel Walker in Georgia’s closely watched Senate runoff, becoming the first Black senator to be elected to a six-year term in Georgia. His victory in Tuesday’s special election will give Democrats control of 51 seats in the Senate. It also marks a major defeat for former President Donald Trump, who had handpicked Walker, a former football star who had no political experience, to be the standard-bearer in Georgia. Walker is the eighth Trump-backed Senate candidate to lose this year, despite earlier predictions that Republicans would regain control of the Senate. Warnock received 51.4% of the vote compared to Walker’s 48.6%. LaTosha Brown, co-founder of the Black Voters Matter Fund, says intense on-the-ground organizing was able to put Warnock over the top, but she warns that the tight result is a “red flag” signaling the continued threat from Trump. “We’re still fighting voter suppression. We’re still fighting fascism,” says Brown.

Headlines for December 7, 2022
Wed, 07 Dec 2022 08:00:00 -0500
Raphael Warnock Wins Reelection, Makes History as First Full-Term Black GA Senator, Trump Org Guilty of Tax Fraud and Other Charges After 3-Year Manhattan DA Probe, House Jan. 6 Cmte. to Make Criminal Referrals to DOJ; Lawmakers Honor Responding Officers, Special Counsel Investigating Trump Subpoenas AZ, MI, PA and WI Officials, SCOTUS Hears Pivotal Election Case with Far-Reaching Implications, Judge Sentences Michael Avenatti to 14 Years for Stealing Money from Clients, Germany Arrests 25 People from Far-Right Group for Plotting to Overthrow Gov’t, China Eases Zero-COVID Policy After Mounting Public Anger, Argentinian Vice President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner Sentenced to 6 Years for Corruption, Indonesia Passes New Criminal Code Cracking Down on Free Speech, LGBTQ Community, U.S. Judge Dismisses Suit Against MBS over Jamal Khashoggi Murder, Prosecutors Charge Club Q Mass Shooter with Hate Crimes, San Francisco Reverses Decision to Allow Police to Use Killer Robots, Washington, D.C., Poised to Offer Free Bus Service, Indigenous Activists Interrupt Speech by Canadian PM Trudeau at U.N. Biodiversity Conference

Warnock vs. Walker, Round 2: Georgia Breaks Voting Records in Senate Runoff Election
Tue, 06 Dec 2022 08:52:06 -0500
Voters in Georgia cast their ballots Tuesday in the closely watched runoff election between Senator Raphael Warnock and Republican challenger Herschel Walker. A victory for Warnock would give Democrats a 51st seat in the Senate. The election has seen a record number of early votes, especially in communities of color, but Black Voters Matter co-founder and executive director Cliff Albright says that is “partially a function of the voter suppression” in the state. A new voting law passed by Georgia last year, known as SB 202, reduced the early voting period from three weeks to one and introduced a range of other restrictions.

Publishing Is Not a Crime: NYT, The Guardian & More Urge Biden Admin to Drop Charges Against Assange
Tue, 06 Dec 2022 08:49:24 -0500
The New York Times and four major European newspapers — The Guardian in Britain, Le Monde in France, Der Spiegel in Germany and El País in Spain — recently urged the Biden administration to drop all charges against WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange. In a joint letter, the newspapers said, “This indictment sets a dangerous precedent, and threatens to undermine America’s First Amendment and the freedom of the press.” The letter ends with the words “Publishing is not a crime.” Assange, who is jailed in Britain, faces up to 175 years in a U.S. prison on espionage and hacking charges for exposing U.S. war crimes in Afghanistan and Iraq. The five publications had partnered with WikiLeaks in 2010 to report on documents leaked by Chelsea Manning. “The prosecution of Assange ... would set a clear and devastating precedent in the United States that could be applied to any of these organizations’ journalists, going forward,” says Carrie DeCell, senior staff attorney at the Knight First Amendment Institute at Columbia University.

Pegasus Spyware Maker NSO Group Sued in U.S. Court by El Faro Journalists
Tue, 06 Dec 2022 08:35:36 -0500
A group of journalists working for the award-winning Central American independent news outlet El Faro have filed a lawsuit in U.S. court against NSO Group, the Israeli company that operates the Pegasus spyware used to monitor and track journalists, human rights activists and dissidents across the globe. The journalists of El Faro, which is based in El Salvador, allege that Pegasus software was used to infiltrate their iPhones and track their communications and movements. “We’re of course of the belief that it was the government of El Salvador who engaged in these attacks. This is weapons-grade software that is sold exclusively to governments,” says Roman Gressier, a French American staff reporter with El Faro English and one of 15 plaintiffs in the lawsuit. We also speak with Carrie DeCell, senior staff attorney at the Knight First Amendment Institute at Columbia University and the lead lawyer in the lawsuit, who says part of the goal is to force the courts to confirm who NSO Group’s client was. “That would send a signal to other government clients around the world that they can no longer rely on NSO Group’s assurances of secrecy when they ... intimidate and persecute journalists, civil rights activists, human rights activists around the world,” says DeCell.

Jeffrey Sachs: A Negotiated End to Fighting in Ukraine Is the Only Real Way to End the Bloodshed
Tue, 06 Dec 2022 08:12:43 -0500
With the war in Ukraine now in its 10th month, Russian President Vladimir Putin and U.S. President Joe Biden have both expressed openness to peace talks to end the fighting, as have leaders in France, Germany and elsewhere. This comes as millions of Ukrainians brace for a winter without heat or electricity due to Russian strikes on Ukrainian civilian infrastructure. “This war needs to end because it’s a disaster for everybody, a threat to the whole world,” says economist and foreign policy scholar Jeffrey Sachs, director of the Center for Sustainable Development at Columbia University. He says four major issues need to be addressed to end the war: Ukraine’s sovereignty and security, NATO enlargement, the fate of Crimea and the future of the Donbas region.

Headlines for December 6, 2022
Tue, 06 Dec 2022 08:00:00 -0500
Russian Missiles Fall Across Ukraine After Drones Strike Air Bases Deep Inside Russia, Vladimir Putin Signs Bill Expanding Russia’s Anti-LGBTQ+ Laws, Supreme Court Hears Case Pitting Religious Freedom Against LGBTQ+ Protections, Biden Administration Expands Temporary Protected Status for Haitian Refugees, U.S. Senators Reportedly Nearing Deal on Immigration Bill, CDC Encourages People Wear Masks Amid Surge of Flu, RSV and COVID-19, Ethiopian Troops Accused of Massacring Tigrayan Prisoners of War, Congolese Protesters Demand Peace as M23 Rebels Are Accused of Massacring 272 Civilians, Al Jazeera Asks International Criminal Court to Prosecute Shireen Abu Akleh’s Killers, Protesters in Mongolia’s Capital Decry Coal Industry and Government Corruption, Georgia Holds Runoff Election Pitting Sen. Raphael Warnock Against Herschel Walker, Judge Dismisses Murder Charge Against Domestic Abuse Survivor Tracy McCarter, 17 Arrested as Striking University of California Academic Workers Stage Sit-In Protest

The Jailscraper vs. Chinatown: NYC Residents Fight Construction of World's Tallest Jail
Mon, 05 Dec 2022 08:42:42 -0500
Residents of New York’s Chinatown are speaking out against the construction of a new megajail in the neighborhood that would be a third as high as the Empire State Building, which would likely make it the tallest jail in the world, if finished. The so-called jailscraper is part of an $8 billion plan to build new jails across the city in order to retire the infamous Rikers Island facility, but opponents say that money would be better spent on social services, harm reduction and other initiatives that would better serve the community. Jan Lee, co-founder of the community group Neighbors United Below Canal, says Chinatown residents are interested in “creating a more humane environment for those who are incarcerated.” We also speak with Christopher Marte, who represents the area on New York City Council, and Jon Alpert, co-founder of the community media center DCTV, based in Chinatown for half a century, who has been documenting the struggle.

Abandoned? Meet a Student Suing Yale for Pressuring Those with Mental Health Needs to Withdraw
Mon, 05 Dec 2022 08:16:26 -0500
A group of current and former Yale students is suing the Ivy League university over what they say is “systemic discrimination” against students struggling with mental health issues. In a lawsuit filed last week, they say school administrators routinely pressure students to withdraw from Yale rather than accommodating their mental health needs, a practice that disproportionately hurts students of color, those from poor or rural backgrounds and international students. For more, we speak with Alicia Abramson, a current Yale student and one of the named plaintiffs in the lawsuit, who says she was pushed to withdraw while dealing with an eating disorder, depression and insomnia, which led her to lose her health insurance and most of her tuition. “It certainly felt like Yale was abandoning me when I was in need of the most help,” says Abramson. We also speak with attorney Monica Porter, with the Bazelon Center for Mental Health Law, and Miriam Heyman, a researcher at the Lurie Institute for Disability Policy at Brandeis University.

Headlines for December 5, 2022
Mon, 05 Dec 2022 08:00:00 -0500
Early Voting Breaks Records Ahead of Georgia’s Crucial Senate Runoff, DNC Agrees to New Presidential Primary Calendar, Making South Carolina First State to Vote, G7 Price Cap on Russian Oil Goes into Effect as European Countries Grapple with Energy Crisis, Intense Fighting Continues in Eastern Ukraine; Global Arms Sales Continue to Rise, Targeted Shooting at North Carolina Power Stations Triggers Curfew, Cuts Power to 45,000 Customers, Biden Signs Law Thwarting Rail Strike, Depriving Workers of Paid Sick Leave, South Korean Trade Unions Rally in Solidarity with Striking Truckers, Iran’s Morality Police Could Be Suspended Following 3 Months of Anti-Government Protests
, U.N. Envoy Calls for Probe After Video Captures Israeli Soldier Killing Palestinian Man, Syrian Troops Open Fire on Rare Anti-Government Protest, Killing 2, Sudan’s Military Rulers Sign Deal to Gradually Transition to Civilian Rule, Tens of Thousands of Congolese March to Demand Peace in DRC, Donald Trump Calls for “Termination” of U.S. Constitution, “Fire Drill Friday”: Climate Protesters Target Sen. Manchin’s “Dirty Deal” on Permits

The New McCarthyism: Angela Davis Speaks in New York After Critics Shut Down Two Events
Fri, 02 Dec 2022 08:44:16 -0500
When high school students in Rockland County, New York, invited renowned activist and professor Angela Davis to speak, the event got shut down in two different venues over protests that she was “too radical.” But the students persevered, and Angela Davis addressed a packed church Thursday night. “I talked about the importance of recognizing that through struggle, through organized struggle, through the efforts of people who come together and join hands and join their voices together, we’ve made changes in this country,” says Davis. We also speak with community activist Nikki Hines, who supported students at Rockland County High School when they invited Davis to speak and who says “misinformation” drove the protests.

Inside Israel's Cover-up & U.S. Response to Murder of Palestinian American Journalist Shireen Abu Akleh
Fri, 02 Dec 2022 08:11:39 -0500
More than six months since the Palestinian American journalist Shireen Abu Akleh was killed while reporting in the occupied West Bank, “there is still no accountability in what happened,” says journalist Sharif Abdel Kouddous. He is the correspondent on a new Al Jazeera documentary for the program “Fault Lines” that investigates Abu Akleh’s May killing. It draws on videos and eyewitness accounts of Abu Akleh’s killing to establish that Abu Akleh was fatally shot in the head by Israeli forces, a finding supported by numerous other press investigations. The Biden administration also recently opened an FBI probe into her killing, but Israel is refusing to cooperate and has continued to deny responsibility. Abu Akleh, who was one of the most recognizable faces in the Arab world, had worked for Al Jazeera for 25 years and held U.S. citizenship. We play excerpts from the Al Jazeera documentary, “The Killing of Shireen Abu Akleh,” and hear from Shireen’s niece Lina Abu Akleh. “We want there to be accountability. We want there to be justice,” she says.

Headlines for December 2, 2022
Fri, 02 Dec 2022 08:00:00 -0500
Senate Votes to Impose Contract on Rail Workers, Rejecting Paid Sick Leave, Supreme Court to Keep Biden Student Debt Relief Plan on Hold as It Considers Challenge, Biden Says He Is Prepared to Meet Putin Under Certain Conditions, Benjamin Netanyahu Coalition Deal Puts Far-Right Party in Charge of Illegal Settlements, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa’s Future Uncertain After Damning Report, Guatemalan Newspaper El Periódico Ceases Print Edition After Being Targeted by Government, Amnesty Report Reveals Systematic Sexual Abuse by Colombian Police Against 2021 Protesters, Biden Proposes Change to Presidential Primary Schedule to Give Voters of Color More Power, Appeals Court Halts Special Master Review of Trump Mar-a-Lago Documents, Uvalde Survivors and Grieving Families Sue over Catastrophic Failures of Local Authorities

Rights Advocates to NYC Mayor Adams: You Can't Arrest Your Way Out of Housing & Mental Health Crisis
Thu, 01 Dec 2022 08:44:59 -0500
New York Mayor Eric Adams announced this week that police and emergency medical workers will start hospitalizing people with mental illness against their will, even if they pose no threat to others. Rights groups and community organizations have slammed the move as inhumane and are demanding better access to housing and other support for people struggling with mental illness and homelessness. “That does require funding. That does require investment. Unfortunately, we don’t get that,” says Jumaane Williams, New York City’s public advocate, who says officials are too quick to use policing as a solution to social inequality. We also speak with Jawanza Williams of social justice group VOCAL-NY, who says Mayor Adams and his administration are intent on obscuring issues of homelessness and mental illness rather than solving them. “Hiding, disappearing people experiencing homelessness, dismantling encampments, preventing people from taking photographs inside of the shelters will not prevent the truth from coming out,” he says.

David Dayen on Rail Contract Bill, Respect for Marriage Act, Debt Ceiling & What a GOP Congress Means
Thu, 01 Dec 2022 08:28:22 -0500
With a new Congress being sworn in next month, Democratic lawmakers have a busy lame-duck session during which they will try to pass as many bills as possible before losing their majority in the House of Representatives. The Senate has just passed the historic Respect for Marriage Act in a 61-36 vote that protects marriage equality, and lawmakers are also moving to impose a controversial contract on the freight rail industry to avert a possible strike by thousands of rail workers who are demanding sick days and other improvements. Meanwhile, a fight is looming over a funding bill to avoid a government shutdown. For more, we speak with journalist David Dayen, whose recent piece for The American Prospect is headlined “Reconciliation Is Available to End Debt Limit Hostage-Taking.”

Oath Keepers Founder Guilty of Seditious Conspiracy for Plotting to Violently Overthrow U.S. Gov't
Thu, 01 Dec 2022 08:13:03 -0500
Jurors in Washington, D.C., on Tuesday found Oath Keepers founder Stewart Rhodes guilty of seditious conspiracy for plotting to keep Donald Trump in power after the 2020 election, resulting in the deadly January 6 insurrection at the Capitol. Kelly Meggs, who led the Florida chapter of the Oath Keepers, was also convicted of seditious conspiracy, and three other insurrectionists were found guilty of other felonies. The case marks the first time in nearly three decades that a federal jury has convicted defendants of seditious conspiracy, the crime of conspiring to overthrow, put down or destroy by force the government of the United States. “It’s a win for the Justice Department, and it also sends a message that illegal actions against the government will not go unpunished,” says Kristen Doerer, managing editor of Right Wing Watch. Doerer also discusses other upcoming trials for insurrectionists and how extremist groups have infiltrated military and law enforcement circles.

Headlines for December 1, 2022
Thu, 01 Dec 2022 08:00:00 -0500
House Passes Bill to Block Rail Strike at Urging of President Biden, House Democrats Elect Hakeem Jeffries to Head Party, China Moves to Lift Some COVID Restrictions as Protests Continue, Russian Lawmakers Approve Expanding Anti-LGBTQ Law, Palestinian Activist Arrested After Filming Israeli Solider Assaulting Israeli Activist, U.S. Citizen Faces Extradition from UAE to Egypt for Criticizing el-Sisi, Appeals Court Denies Biden Admin Request to Reinstate Student Loan Relief Plan, U.S. Gov’t to Close Berks Immigrant Prison, Which Once Locked Up Asylum-Seeking Families, ICE Posts Personal Data of Asylum Seekers Online, Putting Thousands at Risk, Students with Mental Health Disabilities Sue Yale for Discrimination, Cryptome Founder Says He Should Be Prosecuted with Julian Assange for Publishing Classified Docs, Biden Announces Plan to Help Tribal Communities Respond to Climate Crisis, Including Relocation, DOJ Sues City of Jackson for Failing to Provide Residents with Safe Drinking Water, Coterra Energy Acknowledges Fracking Polluted Water of PA Residents, Will Pay $16 Million, 2022 Right Livelihood Awards Honors Activists from Somalia, Ukraine, Uganda and Venezuela, U.N. Calls for Renewed Push to Combat AIDS, Address Inequalities

Meet Puerto Rican Journalist Bianca Graulau, Featured in Viral Bad Bunny Video on Injustices in PR
Wed, 30 Nov 2022 08:50:23 -0500
Puerto Rico’s financial oversight board has voted to extend a contract with LUMA Energy — the private U.S.-Canadian corporation that took over the island’s power grid and is widely denounced by residents on the island for its inconsistent service and high prices. The privatization of Puerto Rico’s power grid, supported by an unelected board appointed by the U.S. government, represents the “everyday consequences of colonialism,” says independent reporter Bianca Graulau, whose latest documentary is called “País de Apagones,” or “Country of Blackouts.”

Striking Univ. of California Grad Students Speak Out on Nation's Largest-Ever Higher Education Strike
Wed, 30 Nov 2022 08:30:57 -0500
The largest higher education strike in U.S. history has entered its third week in an effort to secure livable wages, more child care benefits, expanded family leave and other demands. Some 48,000 academic workers at all 10 University of California campuses are on strike, including teaching assistants, postdoctoral scholars, graduate student researchers, tutors and fellows. We speak with a professor and graduate students at three campuses in the UC system, as a tentative deal with postdoctoral scholars and academic researchers was announced Tuesday by the University of California that does not cover graduate student employees who make up the vast majority of those on strike. “We are the ones who are producing the work. We’re teaching the classrooms. And yet, most of these student workers qualify for food stamps,” says UCLA doctoral student and local union head Enrique Olivares Pesante. UC Davis student researcher Aarthi Sekar describes how international graduate students have also been impacted. We also speak with Nelson Lichtenstein, director of the Center for the Study of Work, Labor, and Democracy at UC Santa Barbara.

"Enough Is Enough": Rail Workers Decry Biden's Push to Impose Strike-Breaking Labor Deal
Wed, 30 Nov 2022 08:11:51 -0500
President Biden is pushing Congress to block a pending nationwide rail strike and push through a contract deal that includes no sick days and is opposed by four of the 12 rail unions. Biden’s latest request is an attempt to “legislate us basically back to work, before we’ve even had a chance to strike,” says locomotive engineer and Railroad Workers United organizer Ron Kaminkow. “Workers should have the right to take off work for a reasonable amount for whatever reason they need it,” says labor professor Nelson Lichtenstein, who urges the rail workers to strike anyway.

Headlines for November 30, 2022
Wed, 30 Nov 2022 08:00:00 -0500
Senate Passes Marriage Equality Act in Bipartisan Vote, House to Impose Deal Blocking Rail Strike Despite Objections from Workers, Progressive Dems, U.S. Announces Ukraine Infrastructure Aid as Europe Calls for Tribunal for Russian War Crimes, Oath Keepers Founder Stewart Rhodes Found Guilty of Seditious Conspiracy, Qatari World Cup Official Says 400-500 Migrant Workers Died While Working on FIFA Tournament, Former Chinese President Jiang Zemin Dies at 96, Blast at Religious School in Northern Afghanistan Kills at Least 15
, Missouri Executes Kevin Johnson After SCOTUS Denies Stay
, Democratic Congressmember Donald McEachin Dies, Hawaii’s Mauna Loa Erupts for First Time in Almost Four Decades
, NYC to Start Involuntarily Hospitalizing People with Mental Illness, 16 Communities in Puerto Rico File Climate Lawsuit Against Big Oil

NYC DA Asks Judge to Drop Murder Charges Against Domestic Abuse Survivor Tracy McCarter
Tue, 29 Nov 2022 08:46:20 -0500
In a remarkable courtroom scene, Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg asked a New York judge Monday to dismiss murder charges against Tracy McCarter, who says she acted in self-defense when her estranged husband died from a stab wound in the chest in 2020. Bragg campaigned on a promise to fight to free McCarter of murder charges, though, when elected, advocates say his actions initially fell short. This comes as pressure is growing in New York to end the criminalization of domestic abuse survivors, which happens at a disproportionate rate against Black women. Advocates say 90% of women who are incarcerated in New York have been subjected to domestic violence. McCarter “had done everything we tell domestic abuse survivors to do,” says journalist Victoria Law, who has closely followed McCarter’s case, but the nurse still finds herself “in legal limbo, waiting to see if she can try to start picking up the pieces of her life or if she will be facing trial for murder.”

"Sportswashing & Greenwashing": Ex-Soccer Player Jules Boykoff on Qatar Hosting World Cup
Tue, 29 Nov 2022 08:33:15 -0500
We speak with author Jules Boykoff about the climate and political implications of the 2022 World Cup. The soccer tournament is being played in the winter for the first time due to Qatar’s extreme summer temperatures. Boykoff says Qatar and FIFA have greenwashed the event by erroneously claiming the World Cup is “fully carbon neutral” despite blocking an independent review of the games. Boykoff also says Qatar is participating in “sportswashing” by using the games to deflect attention from labor abuses. Boykoff’s article in Scientific American is “The World Cup in Qatar Is a Climate Catastrophe.”

Abdullah Al-Arian on First Middle East World Cup & Western Media's "Orientalist Outlook"
Tue, 29 Nov 2022 08:14:18 -0500
As the 2022 World Cup plays out in Qatar, the first Arab country to host the major sporting event, we speak with history professor Abdullah Al-Arian, who says the international media is projecting an “Orientalist outlook” in its coverage of the games. Al-Arian says despite mainstream discourse, football in the Middle East has historically been used by nationalist movements as “a means of organizing collectively on the basis of achieving their own liberation against colonial rule.” His recent New York Times opinion piece is “Why the World Cup Belongs in the Middle East.”

Headlines for November 29, 2022
Tue, 29 Nov 2022 08:00:00 -0500
NATO Pledges More Support for Ukraine as Some in Europe Accuse U.S. of Profiting from the War, China Eases Some COVID Restrictions as It Moves to Block New Protests, In Blow to Taiwanese Gov’t, Voters Back Opposition Nationalist Party in Local Elections, Biden Sides with Big Business & Asks Congress to Block Potential Rail Strike, Teenage Gunman Pleads Guilty in Mass Shooting at Buffalo Supermarket in Black Neighborhood, Chesapeake, Virginia, Holds Vigil for Walmart Workers Shot Dead by Store Manager, Five Police Officers in New Haven, CT, Arrested After Man Is Paralyzed in Police Van, Arizona Sues Republican-Led County for Refusing to Certify 2022 Election Results, “Publishing Is Not a Crime”: Major Newspapers Urge Biden to Drop Charges Against Julian Assange, Biden Eases Sanctions on Venezuela and Allows Chevron to Resume Oil Pumping, Israeli Military Demolish Palestinian Primary School Near Hebron, Israel Kills Four Palestinians as U.N. Warns Occupied West Bank Is “Reaching a Boiling Point”, Former British Soldier Convicted of Shooting Irish Man in Back in 1988 During the Troubles, Missouri Supreme Court Refuses to Halt Execution of Kevin Johnson, Mike Pence & White House Condemn Trump for Hosting White Supremacist at Mar-a-Lago, Houston Lifts Boil Water Notice for 2 Million Residents, Judge Orders Amazon to Stop Retaliating Against Union Organizing Efforts, Two Peet’s Coffee Stores Move to Become Chain’s First Unionized Stores

"A Forgotten Conflict": Sahrawi Activists Slam Moroccan Greenwashing Amid Western Sahara Occupation
Mon, 28 Nov 2022 08:44:58 -0500
As climate Sahrawi activists in occupied Western Sahara accuse Morocco of greenwashing, the Spanish Film Academy, the Spanish equivalent to the Oscars, has just given its social justice award to the Western Sahara International Film Festival and its film school. We feature our interview at the U.N. climate summit with Mahfud Bechri, who explains how Morocco sells the natural resources and wealth of Western Sahara without the consent of the Sahrawi people as part of an effort to greenwash its military occupation of Western Sahara, and his larger campaign to demand companies end complicity with the occupation. The new social justice award from the Spanish Film Academy recognizes how Spanish support for the Moroccan occupation has led to “a complete media blockade” of the conflict, says María Carrión, executive director of FiSahara, the Western Sahara International Film Festival.

Will Missouri Stay Execution of Kevin Johnson, Case Tainted by Racism, or Let Daughter Witness Death?
Mon, 28 Nov 2022 08:30:35 -0500
Pressure is growing for Missouri to stop the execution of Kevin Johnson set for Tuesday. At a hearing Monday before Missouri’s Supreme Court, a special prosecutor will request a stay in order to fully investigate how the case was tainted by racism. Meanwhile, Johnson’s 19-year-old daughter has been barred from witnessing his lethal injection because she is under 21. “We understand that the death penalty does not solve anything,” says Michelle Smith, co-director of Missourians for Alternatives to the Death Penalty, who says Johnson is being “punished more severely” because of his race. Lawmakers are also urging Missouri’s governor to grant Johnson clemency.

From Xinjiang to Shanghai, Protests Grow in China over COVID Restrictions After Fatal Apartment Fire
Mon, 28 Nov 2022 08:14:05 -0500
Unprecedented protests have erupted in multiple Chinese cities over President Xi Jinping’s strict zero-COVID policies, which have resulted in extended strict lockdowns across the country. The protests were triggered by a deadly fire Thursday at an apartment building in Urumqi, the capital of Xinjiang, where local COVID restrictions reportedly prevented firefighters from reaching the trapped residents. This comes as hundreds of workers at the world’s largest iPhone factory, Foxconn, clashed last week with police over restrictions that have forced many workers to live at the factory. “China now for three years has seen a level of lockdown that is simply inconceivable,” says Cornell labor scholar Eli Friedman, who calls the cross-class, cross-ethnic protests a “movement against surveillance.” Friedman says although China enforces the country’s COVID restrictions, top U.S. corporations like Apple and Tesla are implicated in upholding the closed-loop management system at Foxconn and other Chinese manufacturers.

Headlines for November 28, 2022
Mon, 28 Nov 2022 08:00:00 -0500
COVID Protests Spread Across China as Lockdown Anger Boils Over, Zelensky Warns of Further Russian Attacks on Energy Infrastructure as Ukrainians Face Harsh Winter, Ayatollah’s Niece Voices Support for Mass Protests as Iran Cracks Down on Public Figures, Extremist Itamar Ben-Gvir to Head Nat’l Security in Incoming Israeli Gov’t, Anwar Ibrahim Confirmed as Malaysia’s New Prime Minister, Hong Kong Convicts 6 Pro-Democracy Activists over Protest Fund, São Tomé and Príncipe PM Says Gov’t Thwarted Coup, Fragile Ceasefire Takes Effect in DRC as Local Groups Tell Foreign Forces to Leave Country, Rescue Teams Search for Missing People After Ischia Landslide Kills at Least 7, Greta Thunberg and 600+ Swedish Youth Activists Sue Gov’t over Climate Inaction, New Regulations for Preservation of Sharks and Other Species Announced at Int’l Conservation Summit, Georgians Start Voting in Dec. 6 Senate Runoff; GA Supreme Court Reinstates Abortion Ban, Twitter Says It Will Reinstate Suspended Accounts as Advertisers Have Withdrawn en Masse, E. Jean Carroll Sues Trump for Sexual Assault Using New York’s Adult Survivors Act, 70,000+ U.K. University Staff Walk Out; British Nurses Prepare for Historic Strike, Amazon Workers Walk Out on Black Friday over Poor Working Conditions and Low Wages

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