Empire Files

There are 26 registered lobbyists for every elected representative on the hill, with experts suggesting the true amount is closer to 100,000.

Yet transparency laws that people believe help combat this system of pay-to-play politics have been weaponized against them to further cement corporate control.

Congressional researcher James D’Angelo argues how the Legislative Reorganization Act of 1970, which opened up politicians voting records–has only helped special interests and corporations.

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On top of overtly genocidal threats, the Trump Administration has announced new terms: that they "will never accept a nuclear North Korea." But, the Democratic Peoples' Republic of Korea already has nuclear weapons. Does that mean a war is imminent?

While the bipartisan warmongering is receiving no push-back from the mainstream media, Abby Martin interviews Tim Shorrock--journalist and expert on US-Korea relations--to learn what is left out of the debate and the potential cost of a new war.

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Nov. 7, 2017 marks the 100th anniversary of the seizure of power by workers and peasants in the Russian Revolution, regarded as the most world-altering event in the history of civilization.

To understand the context of this first socialist experiment, how it happened and what caused the many problems it faced, Abby Martin sits down with Brian Becker, long-time socialist organizer and co-author of the new book “Storming the Gates: How the Russian Revolution Changed the World.”

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At Trump's inauguration, around 200 protesters and journalists were mass arrested and now face up to 70 years in prison on baseless charges. Many other legal assaults on civil liberties are in the works around the country, from treating anti-fascists as "domestic terrorists", to legislation protecting drivers who run over peaceful marchers.

To explore what this means for U.S. activists today, Abby Martin sits down with constitutional rights lawyer Mara Verheyden-Hilliard, head of the Partnership for Civil Justice Fund (JusticeOnline.org), a premiere legal organization defending protest rights. Verheyden-Hilliard has litigated, and won, several cases against the U.S. government for mass arrests and other types of repression.

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After uncovering total failure by the U.S. government to meet the needs of communities suffering in the wake of Hurricane Harvey, Abby Martin meets the people who filled the void.

Speaking with volunteers who mobilized from out-of-state, to community leaders who organized relief efforts, this final installment of the Empire Files' investigation shows how people came together to replace the failures of the system.

Featuring interviews with anarchist Scott Crow of the Common Ground Collective, the Black Women's Defense League, Altruist Relief Kitchen and other autonomous decentralized relief groups.

LISTEN TO PART I: http://bit.ly/2Biz2is

LISTEN TO PART II: http://bit.ly/2BhIrHa

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In this second installment of special coverage Hurricane Harvey's aftermath, Abby Martin explores how the petrochemical industry dominates the city and why its low-income, Black and Latino areas are in the highest-risk areas for flooding and pollution, earning them the name "sacrifice zones."

Abby explores Houston's unique lack of zoning and regulations that maximized the impact of the storm, the "fence-line communities" deliberately put in harm's way, inhumane treatment of incarcerated people in the disaster, and how the ownership of the city by Big Oil puts thousands of lives in peril.

Featuring interviews with Dr. Robert Bullard, professor of Urban Planning and Environmental Policy at Texas Southern University; Azzurra Crispino, co-founder of Prison Abolition Prisoner Support (PAPS); and Yvette Arellano of the Texas Environmental Justice Advocacy Series.

LISTEN TO PART I: http://bit.ly/2Biz2is

LISTEN TO PART III: http://bit.ly/2AZ36LT

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After a flurry of media attention, the devastation in Houston, Texas from Hurricane Harvey faded from public view. But after unprecedented floods and widespread destruction, the story is far from over.

In Part 1 of her investigation, Abby Martin travels to Houston one month later, and visits one of the most devastated neighborhoods. Victims there give harrowing testimony about nearly drowning and having zero assistance to this day from local or state officials.

This first installment reveals the untold stories of how, while abandoned by the state, the community banded together to save lives and rebuild their homes.

LISTEN TO PART II: http://bit.ly/2BhIrHa

LISTEN TO PART III: http://bit.ly/2AZ36LT

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Renowned Afro-Latinx activist and scholar Rosa Clemente sits down with Abby Martin to discuss her experiences running for Vice President, organizing under Obama versus under Trump, advice for new activists, identity politics and more.

In the face of a resurgent far-right movement, backed by unleashed reactionary state forces, Clemente gives valuable insight into the challenges, strategies and tactics for a new era of organizing.

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On the streets of Jerusalem, Abby Martin interviews Jewish Israeli citizens from all walks of life. In several candid interviews, disturbing comments reveal commonly-held views about Palestinians and their future in the region.

Israeli-born human rights activist and anti-Zionist, Ronnie Barkan, explains why these attitudes dominate Israeli society.

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On October 15, Venezuelans went to the polls for its gubernatorial election. The United Socialist Party of Venezuela won 18 out of 23 states.

It was a resounding democratic defeat for the opposition movement, the US Empire and corporate media, all which have asserted for months that the Maduro government is so unpopular that foreign-led regime change was needed.

In Caracas, Venezuela, Abby Martin sat down with Professor Chris Gilbert to understand why the Chavez movement remains so strong in Venezuela despite all the attacks, the history behind it, and the threats it faces today.

Gilbert is a historian and professor of political science at the Universidad Bolivariana de Venezuela. His articles on the struggle in Venezuela appear on CounterPunch.org and more.

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