Read more about the article “Racism Plays a Major Part”: Like in Flint, Lead Pipes Leave Benton Harbor, Michigan, with Toxic Water
Democracy Now (U.S.A)

“Racism Plays a Major Part”: Like in Flint, Lead Pipes Leave Benton Harbor, Michigan, with Toxic Water

This is a rush transcript. Copy may not be in its final form.AMY GOODMAN: This is Democracy Now!, democracynow.org, The War and Peace Report. I’m Amy Goodman. Officials in Michigan have warned residents in the predominantly Black city of Benton Harbor not to use tap water for drinking, cooking or brushing their teeth, due to lead contamination. Tap water in the city has contained lead levels up to 60 times the federal limit since 2018. Advocates are calling for officials to declare a state of emergency and for the EPA to intervene. Free cases of water are being given out to households, but some distribution sites don’t have…

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18 October 2021
Read more about the article “Unfit to Lead”: NY State Sen. Biaggi Says Gov. Cuomo Impeachment Proceedings Should Start Now
Democracy Now (U.S.A)

“Unfit to Lead”: NY State Sen. Biaggi Says Gov. Cuomo Impeachment Proceedings Should Start Now

Lawmakers in New York are preparing impeachment proceedings against Democratic Governor Andrew Cuomo after the state attorney general found Cuomo harassed at least 11 women in violation of the law — including unwanted touching and kissing, and inappropriate remarks. Cuomo’s former executive assistant, Brittany Commisso, has filed a criminal complaint against him, and other cases are expected to follow. “The governor is unfit to lead,” says New York state Senator Alessandra Biaggi, who first called on Cuomo to resign in February. She says the damage Cuomo has inflicted goes beyond sexual harassment and includes the state’s COVID relief programs, nursing homes deaths, transit funding and more. “It is…

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10 August 2021
Read more about the article After 140 Years, Native Youth Lead Return of 10 Children’s Remains from Carlisle Indian School in PA
Democracy Now (U.S.A)

After 140 Years, Native Youth Lead Return of 10 Children’s Remains from Carlisle Indian School in PA

The remains of nine Indigenous children were buried by the Rosebud Sioux in South Dakota after being transferred back from the former Carlisle Indian School in Pennsylvania, where the children were forcibly sent over 140 years ago. Carlisle was the first government boarding school off reservation land, and it set the standard for other schools with its motto, “Kill the Indian, Save the Man.” The schools were known for their brutal assimilation practices that forced students to change their clothing, language and culture. The Rosebud Sioux Tribe negotiated the return of the children’s remains buried at the school, and a caravan of Rosebud Sioux youth returned them to…

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19 July 2021
Read more about the article Ex-Cop Eric Adams Takes Lead in NYC Mayoral Race in City’s First Election with Ranked-Choice Voting
Democracy Now (U.S.A)

Ex-Cop Eric Adams Takes Lead in NYC Mayoral Race in City’s First Election with Ranked-Choice Voting

This is a rush transcript. Copy may not be in its final form.AMY GOODMAN: New Yorkers voted in its highly anticipated primary election Tuesday. In the heated mayoral race, Brooklyn borough president, former New York police officer Eric Adams is leading with over 31% of the vote, but it will likely take several weeks to announce a winner with the new ranked-choice voting system. Civil rights attorney Maya Wiley is currently in second place with 22% of the vote, followed closely by former Sanitation Commissioner Kathryn Garcia. 2020 presidential candidate Andrew Yang has conceded after receiving less than 12% of the tallied vote. Journalist Ross Barkan, who has…

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23 June 2021
Read more about the article Socialist Teacher Takes Lead in Peruvian Election as Nation Reels from Pandemic & Political Crisis
Democracy Now (U.S.A)

Socialist Teacher Takes Lead in Peruvian Election as Nation Reels from Pandemic & Political Crisis

We get an update from Peru, where socialist candidate Pedro Castillo has pulled ahead of his right-wing rival Keiko Fujimori in the country’s presidential election on Sunday. Castillo is the son of peasant farmers, and a union leader who led a nationwide teachers’ strike in 2017. Fujimori is the daughter of former dictator Alberto Fujimori, who is in prison for human rights abuses and corruption. Political scientist Carlos León Moya discusses the history of the two candidates and describes how the election took place amid a years-long political crisis. “You have most of the Peruvian political elite charged by corruption,” he says. “Keiko Fujimori was in prison herself…

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8 June 2021
Read more about the article Another week, another total failure from the Tory government to ‘lead the world’ on climate crisis
The Canary UK

Another week, another total failure from the Tory government to ‘lead the world’ on climate crisis

The UK government requested that the International Energy Agency (IEA) produce a report on how the world can meet its net zero commitments to instruct the COP26 climate talks in November. The IEA has recently published that report, entitled Net Zero by 2050: A Roadmap for the Global Energy Sector. One of the IEA’s most eye-catching demands for achieving zero emissions is the end of all new exploration for fossil fuels immediately. As the instigator of the report, and the host of the COP26 climate talks, the UK government has responded to its findings. That response shows, yet again, that the country is not ‘leading the world’ on…

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19 May 2021
Read more about the article Countries’ latest emissions targets will still lead to catastrophic climate change
The Canary UK

Countries’ latest emissions targets will still lead to catastrophic climate change

New targets announced by countries to drive down greenhouse gas emissions are projected to curb global warming to 2.4C by 2100, analysis suggests. This is considerably higher than the 1.5C the world is supposedly aiming for to avert catastrophic climate change. Not good enough An “optimistic scenario” in which countries deliver fully on their promises to cut emissions to net zero by around mid-century could limit warming to 2C, the assessment by Climate Action Tracker (CAT) said. But pledges made by countries to tackle pollution still leave the world well off track to meet the tougher limit of 1.5C under the international Paris Agreement, to avoid the most…

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4 May 2021
Read more about the article Remembering LaDonna Brave Bull Allard: Standing Rock Elder Helped Lead 2016 Anti-DAPL Uprising
Democracy Now (U.S.A)

Remembering LaDonna Brave Bull Allard: Standing Rock Elder Helped Lead 2016 Anti-DAPL Uprising

LaDonna Brave Bull Allard, Standing Rock Sioux tribal historian, has died of cancer at the age of 64, and we look back on her work, through interviews on her land and in the Democracy Now! studio. Allard co-founded the Sacred Stone Camp on Standing Rock Sioux land in April 2016 to resist the Dakota Access pipeline, to which people from around the world traveled, making it one of the largest gatherings of Indigenous peoples in a century. “We say mni wiconi, water of life. Every time we drink water, we say mni wiconi, water of life. We cannot live without water,” LaDonna Brave Bull Allard said in a…

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12 April 2021
Read more about the article ‘Drastic cuts’ to railway jobs could lead to ‘catastrophic consequences for rail safety’
The Canary UK

‘Drastic cuts’ to railway jobs could lead to ‘catastrophic consequences for rail safety’

Rail union leaders are warning of a national dispute over fears that thousands of maintenance jobs are set to be axed because of massive cuts in spending. The Rail, Maritime and Transport union (RMT) is seeking urgent talks with the Government over the future of Network Rail, as well as safety and maintenance standards on the railways. RMT officials said they have been told that “drastic” cuts are being planned, with an announcement expected in the coming weeks. The union said it was moving to a “dispute footing” to fight any job cuts, warning that NR was also planning to freeze pay and change working practices. “Kick in…

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19 March 2021