JustWord

The Great Land Robbery: How Federal Policies Dispossessed Black Americans of Millions of Acres
Fri, 16 Aug 2019 08:47:09 -0400
Over the 20th century, black people in the U.S. were dispossessed of 12 million acres of land. Half of that loss — 6 million acres — occurred over just two decades, from 1950 to 1969, a period largely associated with the civil rights struggle. This mass land dispossession, which affected 98% of black agricultural land owners, is part of the pattern of institutional racism and discrimination that has contributed to the racial wealth gap in the United States. Many of the driving forces behind this land theft were legal and originated in federal policies, as documented by Vann Newkirk, staff writer at The Atlantic. His latest piece for the magazine is the September cover story: "The Great Land Robbery: The shameful story of how 1 million black families have been ripped from their farms."

What Is Israel Trying to Hide? Reps. Tlaib & Omar Blocked from Taking Official Trip to West Bank
Fri, 16 Aug 2019 08:14:29 -0400
Israel sparked outrage Thursday when it banned two freshman Democratic congresswomen of color — Reps. Rashida Tlaib of Michigan and Ilhan Omar of Minnesota — from entering the country. Following outcry from Democratic leaders and Palestinians, Israel granted permission for Tlaib to enter the country on "humanitarian" grounds to visit her family in the West Bank — though Tlaib said Friday she will not visit her family under such conditions. Israel originally denied entrance to Tlaib and Omar after President Donald Trump tweeted, "It would show great weakness if Israel allowed Rep. Omar and Rep.Tlaib to visit. They hate Israel & all Jewish people." Congressmembers Tlaib and Omar are the first two Muslim women elected to Congress, and were planning to tour East Jerusalem and the occupied West Bank. Both congresswomen have voiced support for the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions, or BDS, movement, a global solidarity campaign with the Palestinian people. The nonviolent movement seeks to use economic and cultural pressure to force Israel to end its occupation of Palestinian lands. We speak with Mustafa Barghouti, a member of the Palestinian Legislative Council and secretary general of the Palestinian National Initiative political party, and Rebecca Vilkomerson, executive director of Jewish Voice for Peace.

Headlines for August 16, 2019
Fri, 16 Aug 2019 08:00:00 -0400
Israel Bars Reps. Omar & Tlaib from Official Trip to West Bank Due to Their Support for BDS, 11 Die in Kashmir as Pakistani & Indian Troops Exchange Fire, U.S. Puts Pressure on Crew of Iranian Oil Tanker Seized in July, North Korea Test-Fires Two Missiles as It Rejects New Talks with S. Korea, NOAA: July Was Officially the Hottest Month on Record, Australia Accused of Watering Down Pacific Island Climate Agreement, Study: Surge in Methane Gas Emissions Is Linked to Fracking Boom, 270 Die, 1 Million Displaced in India from Heavy Monsoon Rains, Federal Court: Trump Admin Can't Deny Soap & Toothpaste to Migrant Children, Dozens of Immigrant Families Plan to Sue over Family Separation & Abuse in Foster System, Prison Guard Drives Truck into Crowd of Jewish Protesters Outside Immigrant Detention Center, Dayton Police Release More Information on Response to Mass Shooting, Democratic Officials in Pennsylvania Push for New Gun Control Measures, Huawei Accused of Helping Uganda & Zambia Spy on Political Dissidents, Hickenlooper Drops Out of Presidential Race, May Run for Colorado Senate Seat, Greenland Is Not For Sale: Denmark Rejects Trump Proposal to Buy Territory

Child Victims Act: Hundreds File Suits as New York Extends Statute of Limitations on Sex Abuse Cases
Thu, 15 Aug 2019 08:49:14 -0400
Hundreds of child sex abuse victims filed lawsuits in New York on Wednesday under the Child Victims Act, a new state law that allows survivors of childhood sexual abuse in the state to bring their perpetrators to court who previously were barred due to statutes of limitations. Lawsuits were filed against the Catholic Church, the Boy Scouts, a number of schools and hospitals and the estate of Jeffrey Epstein. The Child Victims Act was signed into law in February. It allows prosecutors to bring criminal charges against alleged abusers until the accuser turns 28. Accusers can file a civil lawsuit until they reach the age of 55. In addition, the "lookback window" will allow accusers of any age to bring charges against their alleged perpetrators — no matter how long ago the abuse occurred — for a period of one year starting Wednesday. We speak with two New York legislators that spearheaded the new law, state Senator Alessandra Biaggi and Assemblywoman Yuh-Line Niou. They are both survivors of childhood sexual abuse.

Jeffrey Epstein Is Dead. Civil Rights Lawyer Says Civil Charges Against His Estate Will Continue
Thu, 15 Aug 2019 08:32:15 -0400
Charges and civil suits against Jeffrey Epstein are continuing following the death of the serial sex abuser, who was found dead in his jail cell on Saturday. Epstein had been arrested in July for allegedly running a sex trafficking operation by luring underage girls as young as 14 years old to his mansion in Manhattan. While the federal criminal charges against Epstein will likely end, prosecutors can still pursue suits against any of his accomplices, including his friend Ghislaine Maxwell. On Wednesday, one of Epstein's alleged victims, Jennifer Araoz, sued Epstein's estate, Maxwell and three other unnamed women who worked for Epstein. Araoz accuses Epstein of raping her when she was 15 years old and repeatedly sexually assaulting her. From Los Angeles, we speak with civil rights attorney Lisa Bloom, who is representing two other alleged victims of Jeffrey Epstein.

Horror at MCC: "Gulag" Conditions at NYC Jail Were Known for Decades Before Jeffrey Epstein's Death
Thu, 15 Aug 2019 08:14:32 -0400
Questions are mounting surrounding accused serial sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein's alleged suicide in his New York jail cell over the weekend. Epstein was found dead in his jail cell on Saturday morning at the Metropolitan Correctional Center, or MCC, in Manhattan, where authorities say he hanged himself. The warden at MCC has since been reassigned, and two guards who were tasked with monitoring Epstein were put on leave. Reports emerged Tuesday that the guards may have been asleep during their shift, failing to check on Epstein for hours and then falsifying time logs. MCC, which has housed many high-profile prisoners, has been plagued with reports of understaffing, overcrowding and dire conditions for years. Mexican drug lord Joaquín "El Chapo" Guzmán called the prison "psychological torture." A United Nations human rights expert as well as Amnesty International have also condemned conditions in parts of the jail, saying they are akin to torture and result in "cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment." We speak with Jeanne Theoharis, a professor of political science at Brooklyn College who has written extensively on the Metropolitan Correctional Center. Her latest book is titled "A More Beautiful and Terrible History: The Uses and Misuses of Civil Rights History."

Headlines for August 15, 2019
Thu, 15 Aug 2019 08:00:00 -0400
Trump Administration Moves to Seize Iranian Tanker Held in Gibraltar, Chinese Paramilitaries Mass on Hong Kong Border as Pro-Democracy Protests Continue, Dow Jones Plunges 800 Points on Fears of Looming Recession, Study Finds CEO Pay Increased 1,000% Since 1978 While Wages Stagnated, Facebook Hired Hundreds to Listen In on Users' Audio Messages, Mexico City Police Officers Suspended over Rape of Two Teenagers, Italian Court Allows Rescued Migrants to Disembark as Hundreds More Remain Stranded at Sea, NBC News: ICE Now Jailing 8,000 Migrants in Mississippi, Louisiana, Federal Court Weighs Fate of Protected Status for 300,000 Immigrants, Philadelphia Mayor Blasts NRA After Gunman Shoots and Injures Six Police Officers, FBI Says Ohio Gunman Praised Mass Shootings, Plotted Planned Parenthood Attack, Iowa Rep. Steve King Says Rape and Incest Helped Populate the World, Planned Parenthood Says It's Being Forced to End Title X Family Planning Program, Newark Officials Suspend Bottled Water Distribution as Lead Crisis Grows, Scientists Warn Microplastic Pollution Has Gone Airborne, Threatening Human Health, Swedish Climate Activist Greta Thunberg Sets Sail for U.N. Conference

"River of Fire": In New Memoir, Sister Helen Prejean Reflects on Decades of Fighting Executions
Wed, 14 Aug 2019 08:39:12 -0400
The Trump administration is moving ahead with plans to resume the death penalty after a more than 15-year moratorium. This week Attorney General William Barr proposed fast-tracking executions in mass murder cases, and last month ordered the execution of five death row prisoners beginning in December. The federal government has executed just three people since 1963 — the last being in 2003. The death penalty is widely condemned by national governments, international bodies and human rights groups across the world. Experts say capital punishment does not help deter homicides and that errors and racism in the criminal justice system extend to those sentenced to death. We speak with Sister Helen Prejean, a well-known anti-death-penalty activist who began her prison ministry over 30 years ago. She is the author of the best-selling book "Dead Man Walking: An Eyewitness Account of the Death Penalty," which was turned into an Academy Award-winning film starring Susan Sarandon and Sean Penn. Her new book, "River of Fire: My Spiritual Journey," is out this week.

"A Narco State Supported by the United States": How Crime & Corruption in Honduras Fuel Migration
Wed, 14 Aug 2019 08:17:59 -0400
We speak with Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter Sonia Nazario, who has closely detailed why migrants from Central America are fleeing their homes in an attempt to seek asylum in the United States. Earlier this year, Nazario spent a month in Honduras documenting how corruption and gang violence are forcing many people to flee. Her piece, "Pay or Die," ran in The New York Times, where she is a contributing opinion writer.

"Give Us Your Rich": Immigration Reporter Says Trump Admin Is Changing "Wholesale" Who Gets into U.S.
Wed, 14 Aug 2019 08:13:50 -0400
"Give me your tired, your poor, Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, The wretched refuse of your teeming shore. Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me, I lift my lamp beside the golden door!" Those are the words of Emma Lazarus inscribed on the Statue of Liberty. But this week, acting Director of Citizenship and Immigration Services Ken Cuccinelli attempted to rewrite the poem to make a case for limiting immigration to the United States. He told NPR's Rachel Martin on Tuesday that the Statue of Liberty's message is "Give me your tired and your poor, who can stand on their own two feet and who will not become a public charge." Facing outrage, Cuccinelli then doubled down on his comments, telling CNN that the words on the Statue of Liberty are about "people coming from Europe." We speak with Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Sonia Nazario about the comments and recent moves by the Trump administration to thwart immigration and target immigrants already in the U.S. Nazario says, "It's a wholesale attempt to change who's allowed into this country: Give us your rich; don't give us your poor. And, of course, this is contrary to the entire tradition of immigration to the United States."

Headlines for August 14, 2019
Wed, 14 Aug 2019 08:00:00 -0400
Hong Kong Airport Resumes Flights as Chinese Tanks on Border Raise Questions About Military Action, Ken Cuccinelli Butchers Iconic Statue of Liberty Poem While Defending Trump Immigration Rule, Epstein Collaborators Sued as Questions over His Suicide Swirl, Trump Delays Tariffs on Some Chinese Goods, Coalition of States and Cities Sue Trump Admin over Rollback of Coal Regulations, Indigenous Women Protest President Bolsonaro in Brasília, Pakistan Calls for U.N. to Step In over Kashmir Tensions as PM Imran Khan Visits Disputed Region, Family of Saudi Women Rights Activist Says She Was Offered Release from Prison If She Denied Torture, Multiple Women Accuse Opera Star Plácido Domingo of Sexual Misconduct, CBS and Viacom Announce Merger, New York's "Child Victims Act" Opens Doors for Sexual Abuse Survivors to Get Justice in Courts

How to Be an Antiracist: Ibram X. Kendi on Why We Need to Fight Racism the Way We Fight Cancer
Tue, 13 Aug 2019 08:30:00 -0400
In his new book, "How to Be an Antiracist," professor Ibram X. Kendi urges readers to break out of the false framework of "racist" and "not racist," instead laying out what it means to be antiracist: viewing racial groups as equals and pushing for policies that create racial equity. Kendi says, "We can't just talk about racism as an original sin. We have to talk about racism as the original cancer, as this original disease that has been killing America."

Ibram X. Kendi: IQ Tests, SAT Scores and Other "Intelligence" Tests Propagate Racism
Tue, 13 Aug 2019 08:21:50 -0400
Author and professor Ibram X. Kendi joins us to discuss his new book, "How to Be an Antiracist." He talks about the racist development of intelligence tests that blatantly discriminate against people of color under a veneer of scientific objectivity. "Even when we talk about antiracism, when most people think of who needs to be an antiracist, they think of Southerners. They think of people who voted for Trump," says Kendi. "They don't think of people who are advocating for the maintenance of these tests, which are denying access to some of the best schools in New York City to black and Latino kids."

"Today the Lynch Mob Only Needs an Assault Rifle": Ibram X. Kendi on White Supremacist Violence
Tue, 13 Aug 2019 08:14:48 -0400
This week marks two years since white supremacists descended on Charlottesville, Virginia, where a neo-Nazi drove his car into a crowd of antiracist protesters, killing 32-year-old activist Heather Heyer. Days later, President Trump claimed there were "very fine people on both sides." Since Charlottesville, white supremacists have committed at least 73 murders, according to the Anti-Defamation League. Just last week, a white supremacist in El Paso, Texas, opened fire in a crowded Walmart and killed 22 people. It's been described as the deadliest attack to target Latinos in modern American history. We speak with Dr. Ibram X. Kendi, founding director of the Antiracist Research and Policy Center at American University and author of the new book, "How to Be an Antiracist."

Headlines for August 13, 2019
Tue, 13 Aug 2019 08:00:00 -0400
Trump Announces New Rule to Limit and Penalize Low-Income Immigrants, Trump Slashes Endangered Species Act, Hong Kong Protesters Shut Down Airport for Second Day, Flooding, Landslides Kill Hundreds Across South and Southeast Asia, Ebola No Longer "Incurable" After Success of Experimental Treatments, Reports: Director of Mexican Migrant Shelter Kidnapped, Racist Border Patrol Agent Who Intentionally Ran Over Guatemalan Man Pleads Guilty, Friend of Dayton Shooter Says He Bought and Stored Gun Parts and Ammunition Used in Massacre, WaPo Editor Responds to Sanders Claim That Paper Writes Negative Stories Because of Amazon Criticism, General Orders "Culture" Review After SEALs Accused of Drug Abuse, Sexual Violence, Water in Newark, NJ, Still Unsafe to Drink, Estate of Layleen Polanco Sues NYC over Her Death at Rikers, Anti-Amazon Protests Mount over Collaboration with Palantir and ICE

"The Next Step Is the Kremlin": Why Moscow Protests Have Putin's Government Worried
Mon, 12 Aug 2019 08:50:54 -0400
Up to 60,000 protesters gathered Saturday in Moscow in the largest demonstration Russia has witnessed in years. Although the protest was officially authorized, dozens of protesters were arrested in the capital, and dozens more were also arrested in demonstrations across the country. Saturday's protest was organized to denounce the recent barring of opposition candidates from running in an upcoming election for Moscow City Council. We speak with Nina Khrushcheva, professor of international affairs at The New School. She is the co-author of "In Putin's Footsteps: Searching for the Soul of an Empire Across Russia's Eleven Time Zones."

Hong Kong Grounds Flights as Mass Sit-in Shuts Down Airport After Weekend of Protests
Mon, 12 Aug 2019 08:39:08 -0400
All departing flights were grounded as chaos engulfed the Hong Kong International Airport Monday, after thousands of pro-democracy protesters filled the travel hub to protest police brutality. Many eventually left the airport, fearing threats of more police action, but hundreds of activists remain. The latest escalation follows a weekend of bloody clashes between the police and protesters. Confrontations turned especially violent on Sunday night as riot police fired tear gas inside a subway station and were filmed beating protesters with batons. Meanwhile, Beijing has escalated its rhetoric against the protesters, with a Chinese official saying their actions show signs of "terrorism." It's been 10 weeks since mass demonstrations erupted in Hong Kong, when millions took to the streets to demand the withdrawal of an extradition bill that would have sent people from Hong Kong to mainland China to face criminal charges. Demands quickly escalated for the resignation of Hong Kong's leader Carrie Lam, an independent investigation into police brutality against demonstrators, and pro-independence reforms. We speak with Mary Hui, a reporter for the business news outlet Quartz who has been covering the mass demonstrations for more than two months.

Jeffrey Epstein Is Dead, But Victims Call for Probes of His Sex Trafficking Ring to Continue
Mon, 12 Aug 2019 08:16:31 -0400
Jeffrey Epstein is dead. The accused serial sex trafficker who once counted President Trump and former President Bill Clinton among his high-profile friends was found dead in his Manhattan jail cell Saturday morning. Authorities say he hanged himself. Epstein had been put on suicide watch after he was found unconscious with marks on his neck in July, but authorities had removed him from suicide watch 11 days before his death. Epstein had been in jail since July, when he was arrested for allegedly running a sex trafficking operation by luring underage girls as young as 14 years old to his mansion in Manhattan. His death came less than 24 hours after hundreds of pages of court documents were unsealed with testimonies from former employees and new details of sexual abuse committed by Epstein, which also implicated a number of well-known figures. Men named in the papers include former New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson, former Senator George Mitchell, Alan Dershowitz and Prince Andrew. While the federal criminal prosecution of Epstein will likely end, prosecutors can still pursue charges against any of his accomplices. Civil suits will also continue against Epstein's multimillion-dollar estate. We speak with Casey Frank, the Miami Herald's senior editor for investigations. The newspaper's multipart series published in November is largely credited with reopening the Epstein case.

Headlines for August 12, 2019
Mon, 12 Aug 2019 08:00:00 -0400
Investigations to Continue as Questions Mount Over Apparent Suicide of Jeffrey Epstein, Hong Kong Airport Shuts Down as Protests Rage for 10th Straight Week, Dozens Arrested as Pro-Democracy Protests Ramp Up in Russia, Questions Remain Over Deadly Russian Explosion as Threat of Nuclear Arms Race Looms, Norway Mosque Shooter Has Online History of Praising White Supremacists, Yemeni Foreign Minister Concedes Defeat to UAE After Southern Separatists Take Aden, Israeli Forces Storm Holy Site of Al-Aqsa Mosque on Eid, Right-Wing Candidate Alejandro Giammattei Wins Guatemala Presidency, Biden Under Fire After Saying "Poor Kids" as "Bright and Talented as White Kids", Trans Activist Gavin Grimm Wins 2-Year Fight Against Virginia School Board, Simone Biles Breaks New Records, Uses Platform to Speak Out Against Sexual Abuse, U.S. Athletes Protest Trump, U.S. Policies as They Win Golds at Pan American Games, Manfred Max-Neef, Acclaimed Chilean Economist and Environmentalist, Dies at 86

Documents Reveal Monsanto Surveilled Journalists, Activists & Even Musician Neil Young
Fri, 09 Aug 2019 08:43:53 -0400
Explosive new documents reveal the U.S. agribusiness giant Monsanto ran a "fusion center" to surveil and discredit journalists and activists who criticized or wrote damning reports about Monsanto, as well as legendary singer-songwriter Neil Young, who released an album in 2015 called "The Monsanto Years." Monsanto monitored Young's Twitter activity and even analyzed the lyrics of his album. The fusion center also surveilled journalist Carey Gillam, who has done extensive research and writing about Monsanto and its popular pesticide Roundup, which has been linked to cancer. The corporation also targeted the nonprofit research group U.S. Right to Know, which submitted Freedom of Information Act requests about the company. From Kansas City, Missouri, we speak to Carey Gillam, a veteran investigative journalist and author of "Whitewash: The Story of a Weed Killer, Cancer, and the Corruption of Science," and from Berkeley, California, Gary Ruskin, co-founder of U.S. Right to Know.

Supersizing Climate Change: U.N. Says Meat Production Destroys Land & Diminishes Key Water Sources
Fri, 09 Aug 2019 08:36:30 -0400
The United Nations' top panel of climate scientists warns that humans are consuming land and water resources at an unprecedented rate, with the destructive effects of the climate crisis increasingly threatening the planet's biodiversity and the food security of hundreds of millions of people. In its latest climate change and land special report, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change warns that without dramatic action, extreme weather and rising temperatures will turn even more fertile land into desert, shrinking the global food supply, even as the world's population rises to more than 7.5 billion people. The IPCC recommends dramatic reductions in greenhouse gas emissions, along with more efficient farming methods and a shift in diets away from dairy and meat — which produce vast amounts of methane and carbon dioxide while using large amounts of land. We speak with Pamela McElwee, an associate professor in the Department of Human Ecology at the School of Environmental and Biological Sciences at Rutgers University and co-author of the IPCC report.

Mass ICE Raids in Mississippi After Workers Fought for Better Conditions Leave Kids Without Parents
Fri, 09 Aug 2019 08:14:05 -0400
Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents swept through seven poultry processing plants in Mississippi this week and arrested 680 people. It was the largest single-state raid in U.S. history.The mass arrests also came on the first day of the school year, and some children walked home from school only to find their doors locked and their family members missing. Wednesday's raids targeted chicken processing plants operated by Koch Foods, one of the largest poultry producers in the U.S. Last year, the company paid out $3.75 million to settle an Equal Employment Opportunities Commission class-action suit charging the company with sexual harassment, national origin and race discrimination, and retaliation against Latino workers at one of its Mississippi plants. Labor activists say it's the latest raid to target factories where immigrant workers have organized unions, fought back against discrimination or challenged unsafe and unsanitary conditions. We speak with Jackson, Mississippi, Mayor Chokwe Antar Lumumba and L. Patricia Ice, legal projects director at the Mississippi Immigrants Rights Alliance.

Headlines for August 9, 2019
Fri, 09 Aug 2019 08:00:00 -0400
Mitch McConnell Says Senate Will Take Up Gun Bills, But Not Until September, President and First Lady Pose with Infant Orphaned in El Paso Massacre, Man with Guns and Body Armor Sparks Panic at Missouri Walmart, Home of Interracial Couple in Ohio Torched in Apparent Hate Crime, Over 100 Immigrant Hunger Strikers Tear-Gassed Inside ICE Jail, ICE Releases Some of the 680 Immigrants Swept Up in Massive Mississippi Raid, Mentally Ill Michigan Man with Diabetes Dies After Deportation to Iraq, ICE Agents, Lacking Warrant, Denied Entry to Brooklyn Homeless Shelter, Hundreds of Hong Kong Pro-Democracy Protesters Occupy Airport, Trump Names Joseph Maguire as Acting Director of National Intelligence, Report: Monsanto Ran Spying and Intimidation Campaign Against Critics, Brazil's Supreme Court Blocks "Unambiguous Act of Censorship" Against Glenn Greenwald, Judge Rejects New Hearing for Jailed Whistleblower Chelsea Manning as Fines Mount, Boycott Targets SoulCycle and Equinox as Lead Investor Stephen Ross Plans Trump Fundraiser, Prisoner-Turned-Advocate Susan Burton Pardoned by California Governor

Emergency Doctor to Trump: You Are Wrong, Mental Illness Is Not to Blame for Gun Violence Epidemic
Thu, 08 Aug 2019 08:48:45 -0400
President Trump went to Dayton, Ohio, and El Paso, Texas, Wednesday, where he was met by hundreds of protesters condemning his presence after the mass shootings over the weekend, which killed at least 32 people. Prior to his visits, Trump hinted at the need to strengthen background checks for gun purchases, and doubled down on what some healthcare professionals say is dangerous rhetoric linking illness to mass shootings. Numerous other political figures have pointed to mental illness as a contributing factor in mass shootings. From Montreal, we speak with Dr. Megan Ranney, an associate professor of emergency medicine at Alpert Medical School, Brown University, and chief research officer of AFFIRM Research, a nonprofit focused on firearm injury reduction.

Kashmir Under Siege: India Moves to Annex Territory, Heightening Tensions with Nuclear Rival Pakistan
Thu, 08 Aug 2019 08:15:29 -0400
Tensions are escalating over the disputed region of Kashmir following India's revocation earlier this week of its special status, which granted the area some autonomy. Kashmir remains on lockdown, with internet and other communications blocked and leaders placed under house arrest. The Modi government has also deployed tens of thousands of additional troops in Kashmir. Pakistan announced Wednesday it would expel India's ambassador and stop its newly appointed envoy from assuming his position in New Delhi. It also announced it was cutting off all bilateral trade with India. We speak with three guests: Sanjay Kak, a New Delhi-based Kashmiri documentary filmmaker; Mirza Waheed, journalist and award-winning Kashmiri novelist; and Siddhartha Deb, award-winning Indian author and journalist.

Headlines for August 8, 2019
Thu, 08 Aug 2019 08:00:00 -0400
U.N. Scientists Warn Rapid Global Warming Threatens Food Supply, 680 Mississippi Poultry Workers Arrested in Massive Immigration Raid, ICE Raids Targeted Company Whose Workers Won Discrimination Lawsuit, Trump Visits Dayton and El Paso, Sites of Weekend Mass Shootings, El Paso Protesters Link Trump's Racist Rhetoric to Gunman's Manifesto, Trump Supporter with Loaded Pistol, Knife Arrested Outside El Paso Immigrant Center, Trump Suggests Antifa Shares Equal Blame for Deadly Violence, Democratic Presidential Candidates Say Trump Enables White Supremacists, SPLC: State Department Employee Secretly Worked as White Nationalist, Fox News Host Tucker Carlson Calls White Supremacy a Hoax, Amnesty International Travel Advisory Warns of U.S. Gun Violence, Report: Sibling Killed by Dayton Shooter Was Transgender Man, Mother of El Paso Shooter Warned Police of Son's Assault Rifle, Wanda Vázquez Sworn In as Puerto Rico's Governor Amid Succession Crisis, Afghan Taliban Truck Bomb Attack in Kabul Kills 14, Wounds 145, Boston Police Destroy Wheelchairs of Homeless Residents

"Toni Morrison Will Always Be with Us": Angela Davis, Nikki Giovanni & Sonia Sanchez Pay Tribute
Wed, 07 Aug 2019 08:17:27 -0400
Toni Morrison, one of the nation's most influential writers, died this week at the age of 88 from complications of pneumonia. In 1993, Morrison became the first African-American woman to receive the Nobel Prize for Literature. She also won a Pulitzer Prize in 1988 for her classic work "Beloved." Much of Morrison's writing focused on the Black female experience in America, and her writing style honored the rhythms of Black oral tradition. Her work was deeply concerned with race and history, especially the sin of transatlantic slavery and the potentially restorative power of community. In 2012, President Obama awarded Morrison the Presidential Medal of Freedom. We speak with three legendary writers and close friends of Toni Morrison: Angela Davis, author and activist; Nikki Giovanni, poet, activist and educator; and Sonia Sanchez, award-winning poet.

Headlines for August 7, 2019
Wed, 07 Aug 2019 08:00:00 -0400
Dems and Grieving Communities Voice Resistance to Trump Visits to El Paso and Dayton, FBI Investigating Gilroy Mass Shooting as Domestic Terror, Dems Call on Congressional Leaders to Pass Bills Addressing White Supremacy, Civil Rights Groups Rally Against Gun Violence and White Supremacy at White House, Walmart Workers Plan Walkout to Protest Gun Sales, Toni Morrison, Visionary Author and Nobel Laureate, Dies at 88, Nigerian Journalist and Political Activist Omoyele Sowore Arrested After Calling for Revolution, U.S Warns Turkey Against Syria Attacking Kurdish Forces in Syria, 25% of World's Population Under "Extremely High Water Stress", Progressive Insurgent Tiffany Cabán Concedes to Melinda Katz in Queens DA Race, Students Win Legal Fight Against Fordham University in Bid to Create Club for Palestinian Rights, Dartmouth Reaches $14 Million Settlement with Women Who Accused 3 Profs of Sex Crimes, Judge Halts Arkansas 18-Week Abortion Ban, Cyntoia Brown Released from Prison After 15 Years, Vows to Fight for Other Sexual Abuse Survivors

Puerto Rico in Political Crisis: Senate Sues over Appointment of New Governor Pierluisi
Tue, 06 Aug 2019 08:55:31 -0400
The political crisis in Puerto Rico continues as its Senate has sued against the appointment of Pedro Pierluisi as the new governor following Ricardo Rosselló's resignation last week. Pierluisi was sworn in despite not having been confirmed by the Puerto Rican Senate. But he argues that he is in the line of succession for governor after being nominated as secretary of state by Rosselló last week. San Juan Mayor Carmen Yulín Cruz also sued after his swearing-in. We speak with Democracy Now! co-host Juan González for his analysis of the current political climate.

Parents of Parkland Victim Planned to Unveil a Mural in El Paso. Then Another Mass Shooting Happened
Tue, 06 Aug 2019 08:45:22 -0400
During this weekend's deadly gun violence in El Paso, Texas, Manuel and Patricia Oliver were in the vicinity because they were planning on commemorating what would have been the 19th birthday of their son, Joaquin Oliver. Joaquin was one of the 17 people gunned down during the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School massacre in Parkland, Florida, on Valentine's Day last year. Manuel and Patricia had traveled to Ciudad Juárez, across the U.S. border into Mexico, to visit an immigrant shelter in honor of their deceased son, saying no child should ever be separated from their parents by either gunfire or immigration agents. They planned to travel to El Paso the next day, where they were going to paint a mural commemorating their son's life and passion for immigration rights, when they got word of the mass shooting at the Walmart. From Ft. Lauderdale, we speak with Manuel and Patricia Oliver.

"Fascism Will Not Go Away by Itself": George Ciccariello-Maher on Confronting White Supremacy
Tue, 06 Aug 2019 08:30:56 -0400
Just before the mass shooting at a crowded El Paso Walmart this weekend, the gunman wrote in a lengthy manifesto saying that the massacre was in response to what he described as a "Hispanic invasion of Texas." He also prompted a white supremacist conspiracy theory known as "great replacement" that has been cited by other mass shooters. From Mexico City, we speak with George Ciccariello-Maher, visiting scholar at NYU's Hemispheric Institute. In December 2017, Ciccariello-Maher resigned from Drexel University after a year of harassment and death threats from right-wing white supremacists. The threats stemmed from a 2016 tweet that said, "All I want for Christmas is white genocide," mocking the white supremacist ideology that white people are being replaced by communities of color and non-white immigrants.

"We Can't Wait for McConnell": Advocates Call for Bold Action to Curb Gun Violence Epidemic
Tue, 06 Aug 2019 08:10:08 -0400
The death toll in Saturday's anti-immigrant shooting rampage at a Walmart in El Paso has risen to 22, after two more injured victims died Monday. Just before the shooting, the gunman published a manifesto claiming his actions were being done in response to what he described as a "Hispanic invasion of Texas." Most of the dead in El Paso were Latino, including eight Mexican nationals. Thirteen hours after the massacre in El Paso, a gunman in Dayton, Ohio, killed nine people, including his own sister, after opening fire outside a bar. We speak with Kris Brown, president of Brady, formerly the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence, and Igor Volsky, the executive director of Guns Down America.

Headlines for August 6, 2019
Tue, 06 Aug 2019 08:00:00 -0400
Trump Condemns White Supremacy After El Paso Massacre Despite His Own Anti-Immigrant Rhetoric, Trump Supporter Who Sent Pipe Bombs to CNN and Democrats Sentenced to 20 Years, Tensions Mount over Kashmir as Pakistan Reacts to Revocation of Special Status, Puerto Rican Senate, San Juan Mayor Sue over Pierluisi's Appointment as Governor, China Weakens Currency, Halts U.S. Crop Imports as Trade War Ratchets Up, U.S. Imposes Economic Embargo Against Venezuela, Drone Attack Kills 42 People in Libya, R. Kelly Charged with Prostitution and Solicitation of a Minor, Galveston Police Apologize for Shocking Photo Showing Mounted Officers with Handcuffed Black Man, GateHouse Media Acquires Gannett, Creating Newspaper Behemoth

Search argument: [https://www.democracynow.org/democracynow.rss]

Available results have been displayed.

In accordance with Title 17 United States Code Section 107, the material on this web page is distributed without profit to those who have shown prior interest in receiving the included information for research and educational purposes.
View Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107