President Donald Trump vetoed a bi-partisan Congressional war powers resolution to stop US support for the Saudi war on Yemen. In a statement to the Senate on Tuesday Trump explained his justification for the veto saying, “This resolution is an unnecessary, dangerous attempt to weaken my constitutional authorities, endangering the lives of American citizens and brave service members, both today and in the future.” He also apparently used his veto based on the fact that there are no US troops, “commanding, participating in, or accompanying military forces of the Saudi-led coalition against the Houthis in hostilities in or affecting Yemen.” The bill was based on Congress’ authority under the War Powers resolution and passed the House 247-175 and the Senate 54-46. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said in a statement on Tuesday night, “The conflict in Yemen is a horrific humanitarian crisis that challenges the conscience of the entire world. Yet the President has cynically chosen to contravene a bipartisan, bicameral vote of the Congress and perpetuate America’s shameful involvement in this heartbreaking crisis.” On Monday The Intercept published an investigative piece revealing classified documents showing that, “Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates are overwhelmingly dependent on Western-produced weapon systems to wage their devastating war in Yemen.”

Attorney General William Barr on Tuesday announced a new rule barring detained asylum seekers from posting bail as part of the Trump administration’s war on immigrants. The DOJ order could result in thousands of detainees remaining incarcerated while awaiting their paperwork. The New York Times explained that, “For more than a decade, migrants who are deemed to have a ‘credible fear’ of persecution in their home countries have been allowed to request a bond hearing so they can be released on bail while they wait for their asylum cases to be heard, sometimes months or years later.” In fact a federal judge just earlier this month reaffirmed the rights of asylum seekers to post bail within seven days of their request. Now, with Barr’s new rule, those rights could be denied. The rule will go into effect within 90 days unless legally challenged – which is likely.

In other news, Attorney General Barr plans to release his redacted version of the Special Counsel’s report on Thursday. But already Democrats are planning to subpoena the redactions as early as Friday. Last month the House voted 420 to 0 to see the full un-redacted report by Robert Mueller. The Washington Post reported that Mr. Barr plans on redacting four types of information: “grand jury material; details whose public disclosure could jeopardize ongoing investigations; details that could ‘compromise sources and methods’ used in intelligence gathering; and anything that would ‘unduly infringe on the personal privacy and reputational interests of peripheral third parties’ associated with Mueller’s investigation.” Democrats plan to use the full subpoena power of Congress to obtain the information. Leaders of other House committees have already issued multiple subpoenas to access information about Trump’s personal and business finances.

FEATURING PROF. RICHARD WOLFF – ‘Socialism’ has become the new old bogeyman of the conservative monied classes in the US. The fear of socialism stems directly from its growing popularity among those left behind by our current capitalist system.

The ideas behind socialism and capitalism go back centuries and most of us today lack a clear understanding of these systems. Now, one of the leading Marxist economists in the US has written a new book exploring the ideas of Karl Marx.

It has been more than 200 years since Marx’s birth, more than 170 years since the publication of his book The Communist Manifesto with Fredrich Engels, and more than 150 years since his own seminal and influential book Das Kapital. Yet Marx remains misunderstood to this day.

Richard Wolff, visiting professor at the New School University, New York and professor of economics emeritus at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, author of a number of books including ‘Democracy at Work: A Cure for Capitalism’, ‘Occupy the Economy: Challenging Capitalism’, ‘Imagine: Living in a Socialist USA’, and ‘Capitalism’s Crisis Deepens: Essays on the Global Economic Meltdown.’ His latest book is called ‘Understanding Marxism’.

This story originally aired on 03/05/2019

Leading Presidential contender Bernie Sanders accepted an invitation to a televised town hall meeting hosted by Fox News that aired on Monday. By all accounts Sanders’ gamble to appear on the right wing propaganda outlet paid off. Perhaps the most noteworthy moment was when hosts Brett Baer and Martha MacCallum asked the audience about healthcare. Sanders was also asked about his recently released tax returns and he quickly pivoted to President Trump’s tax returns. Sanders also pointed out how most of the benefits of Trump and the GOP’s tax reform bill went to the wealthiest Americans.

A new national poll found Sanders leading the crowded field of Democratic contenders, with former Vice President Joe Biden emerging second, and South Bend, Indiana mayor Pete Buttegieg third. On Tuesday the New York Times published a piece entitled, “‘Stop Sanders’ Democrats Are Agonizing Over His Momentum,” which detailed how centrist Democrats are considering launching a negative campaign against their own party’s frontrunner.

Meanwhile President Donald Trump headed to Minnesota on Monday for an official White House visit that ended up looking and sounding more like a campaign stop aimed at flipping the blue state to red in 2020. He visited a trucking company in a suburb of Minneapolis called Burnsville and touted his tax reform law at an economic roundtable. Trump also spoke of wanting to help mining operations in the state that one local publication explained, “has been found to produce sulfuric acid that could poison the area’s pristine waters and wildlife.” Trump spoke favorably of a proposed copper and nickel mining operation on the border of Boundary Waters which would be overseen by a company named Twin Metals, owned by a Chilean firm with a history of toxic spills. Outside Trump’s event, supporters of Minnesota Congresswoman Ilhan Omar protested the President’s racist comments. Trump has been tweeting dog-whistle posts toward Omar that could provoke violence against her.

France was in mourning on Monday with the famed Notre Dame Cathedral having caught fire and badly burned. Investigations have begun into how the fire started and the Paris prosecutor who is leading the probe said, “Nothing at this stage suggests a voluntary act.” Workers had been engaged in repairing the 850 year-old church when the fire broke out. From across the Atlantic President Trump tweeted his expert advice to Parisian firefighters, saying, “Perhaps flying water tankers could be used to put it out. Must act quickly!” The New York Times described the fire as having, “destroyed the wood-and-lead roof and lacy spire [that] also left three ‘holes’ in the sweeping vaulted ceiling.” French President Emanuel Macron vowed to rebuild the church on Monday and ...

FEATURING ALEXANDRA ELLERBECK – Ecuador’s President Lenin Moreno has accused Wikileaks founder Julian Assange of turning the Ecuadorian embassy in London into a center for spying. He reportedly said, “We cannot allow our house, the house that opened its doors, to become a center for spying.” Moreno has been accused of ending asylum to Assange as retaliation after Wikileaks published personal information about the President.

Assange was arrested at the Embassy by British authorities last week in preparation for extradition to the US. He had been living at the Embassy since 2012. The single charge on which US authorities have indicted him is conspiracy to break into a government computer – a charge which carries a maximum penalty of up to 5 years, and which centers around Wikileaks’ role in obtaining classified war documents from Chelsea Manning.

Assange is a controversial figure accused of rape in Sweden, hailed as a hero of press freedom among some on the left, and dismissed by others for being a tool of Russian authorities in helping President Donald Trump win the 2016 election. Regardless, the basis of his arrest has worried advocates of press freedom.

Read Alexandra’s article HERE.

Alexandra Ellerbeck, North America program coordinator with the Committee to Protect Journalists, previously worked at Freedom House and was a Fulbright teaching fellow at the State University of Pará in Brazil. She recently co-wrote an article with Avi Asher-Schapiro called Why the prosecution of Julian Assange is troubling for press freedom.

FEATURING ARIEL GOLD – Minnesota’s freshman Congresswoman Ilhan Omar has become a leading target of rightwing threats, with her office reporting this week that death threats have surged after President Donald Trump posted a video of her. Trump wrote the words “WE WILL NEVER FORGET” in capital letters alongside a video of Omar speaking at a CAIR event about the attacks on Muslim civil rights in the wake of the 9-11 terrorist attacks.

Earlier in April a man who takes Trump’s words seriously and who was arrested for threatening her, told press that he loves Trump and that he, “hates radical Muslims in our government.” Trump made no attempt whatsoever to distance himself from the man. Instead he has doubled down in a way that many worry is an open call to his supporters to use violence against her.

Tens of thousands of people have signed a petition calling on Facebook and Twitter to permanently suspend Trump’s accounts saying, “We don’t have to give hate a platform.”

Sign the petition HERE.

Ariel Gold, national co-director of CODEPINK. She manages the organization’s campaigns for Palestinian rights.

 

Minnesota Congresswoman Ilhan Omar has reported a surge in death threats after President Donald Trump on Friday tweeted a video of her speech at a recent event discussing the impacts to Muslim civil rights after the 9/11 terrorist attacks. Trump wrote the words “WE WILL NEVER FORGET” in capital letters alongside the video. The tweet, which was originally pinned to the top of his feed was eventually unpinned after he came under criticism for provoking violence against Omar. Also on Friday Trump re-tweeted a post from a right wing account calling Omar a “sick monster,” and asking the question, “How is this woman walking the halls of Congress.” House Speaker Nancy Pelosi chastised the President saying, “This is endangering lives…It has to stop.” She has also taken steps to ensure that Omar’s security detail is adequate but critics have said it is not enough. The Women’s March and Code Pink have launched a petition calling on Facebook and Twitter to suspend the President’s social media accounts saying, “We don’t have to give hate a platform.” Last week a New York man was arrested for threatening Omar with violence.

In other news the Justice Department announced that the Special Counsel’s report would be released this Thursday. Attorney General William Barr will publish a redacted version of the report to the public and likely set off what is sure to be another legal battle over the hidden details of the report. The House Judiciary Committee has authorized a subpoena of the un-redacted report to be turned over to Committee chair Jerrold Nadler. The New York Times reported that Trump’s strategy appears to be elevating Barr’s 4-page summary of the report over the actual report itself. According to the paper, “Mr. Trump is purposefully escalating his language, people who know him said, expressly to enliven his base of supporters and to enrage his political rivals and the news media. He has revived an idea that his administration rejected — sending immigrant detainees to so-called sanctuary cities — in part, people close to him said, to distract from the report.” Meanwhile news emerged on Monday that Trump has raised a whopping $30 million for his 2020 reelection campaign in the first three months of this year alone – the largest of any Presidential contender.

CBS’s 60 Minutes interviewed House Speaker Nancy Pelosi on Sunday during which Pelosi shared with interviewer Leslie Stahl her opinion on the power of her position.  She was also asked about the internal divisions within the Democratic Party. 

Reuters reported on Monday that immigrant visa applications are being denied, especially for Mexican nationals, based on their dependence on the US welfare system. Apparently, “One reason for the rise in refusals are little-known changes last year in the State Department’s foreign affairs manual that gave diplomats wider discretion in deciding visa denials on ...

FEATURING GISELLE GONZALEZ AND JENNIFER WONG – On Monday April 15th a week of events taking place in major cities around the world aims to draw attention to the existential climate crisis that we face. Extinction Rebellion, born in the UK last year, uses direct action to make demands of governments. Now, spreading to countries like Germany, France, South Africa, New Zealand, Canada, and the US, the climate activists of Extinction Rebellion have a singular message of declaring “an international non-violent rebellion against the world’s governments for criminal inaction on the ecological crisis.” They want a zero emissions energy economy in five years.

For information about the actions from April 15 – April 22 in the United States, visit https://extinctionrebellion.us.

Giselle Gonzalez and Jennifer Wong, organizers with Extinction Rebellion LA.

FEATURING STEPHEN ZUNES – Sudan’s long-time president Omar Al-Bashir was ousted by a military coup. Months of mass protests during which dozens of people were killed by security forces, paved the way for the ouster. Al Bashir had himself come to power more than 30 years ago as the result of a military coup.

In addition to national anger over Al Bashir’s decades of rule, the ousted President was charged by the International Criminal Court over genocide in Darfur. Sudan’s Defense Minister Awad Ibn Auf has declared himself interim leader, saying that there would be a 2-year transition period during which the military would remain in charge. Already the military has begun cracking down however, with the imposition of a month-long curfew.

Dr. Stephen Zunes is a Professor of Politics and International Studies at the University of San Francisco, where he serves as coordinator of the program in Middle Eastern Studies. He also serves as a senior policy analyst for Foreign Policy in Focus, a project of the Institute for Policy Studies. He is also an associate editor of Peace Review.

The Washington Post reported that according to Department of Homeland Security officials speaking anonymously the Trump administration last November considered busing undocumented immigrants apprehended at the border to so-called sanctuary cities in the US. According to the paper the move was part of a plan to, “retaliate against President Trump’s political adversaries,” and that, “House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s district in San Francisco was among those the White House wanted to target.” Officials at the Immigration and Customs Enforcement Agency (ICE) were apparently alarmed by this idea and rejected the plan. Although a White House official told the paper that the idea was briefly discussed and no longer under consideration, President Donald Trump on Friday tweeted, “Due to the fact that Democrats are unwilling to change our very dangerous immigration laws, we are indeed, as reported, giving strong considerations to placing Illegal Immigrants in Sanctuary Cities only…” A spokesperson for House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said, “The extent of this administration’s cynicism and cruelty cannot be overstated…Using human beings — including little children — as pawns in their warped game to perpetuate fear and demonize immigrants is despicable.”

In other immigration news, NBC News reported on Friday morning that at a gathering of national security advisers this week Trump officials considered using the US military to build tent encampments to hold migrants in detention and discussed whether it was legal to let the military run the camps. Meanwhile Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell on Thursday called for talks with Democrats to take on immigration laws. He said, “What we need to do is sit down in a serious, adult, bipartisan basis and try to fix the problem, because the problem is pretty obvious…Border security is a part of it, but that doesn’t solve the asylum issue, and that can’t be solved, I don’t think, without some kind of statutory adjustment.” President Trump has claimed that immigrants are surging at the border – a claim that some critics call a “manufactured crisis.” He has also attempted to force DHS officials to break asylum laws. News also emerged that Trump is reportedly considering Julie Kirchner, the former executive director of the Federation for American Immigration Reform, to head the US Citizenship and Immigration Services. Kirchner’s organization was deemed a hate group by the Southern Poverty Law Center.

In other news a federal judge sentenced a man named W. Samuel Patten on Friday to probation for, “steering $50,000 from a pro-Russian Ukrainian politician to Trump’s [inaugural] committee.” Patten was a political consultant hired by the Trump campaign and the case involving him was one of many that have spun off from the Special Counsel’s investigation. Patten pleaded guilty to the charge of moving a $50,000 contribution from a Ukrainian politician backed by Russia. His probation sentence lasts 3 years and includes community service and a nominal fin...

FEATURING DAVID TURNBULL – President Donald Trump has just signed two executive orders to, “help American energy companies avoid unnecessary red tape” as they build oil and gas pipelines across the US. The move is intended to make it harder for government agencies to regulate the fossil fuel industry. It would also undermine existing laws such as the Clean Water Act.

Appearing at the International Union of Operating Engineers International Training and Education Center in Texas, Trump took advantage of a photo-op featuring oil and gas workers to make his case for the Executive orders. 

For more information visit www.oilchangeus.org.

David Turnbull, Strategic Campaigns Director with Oil Change U.S.