FEATURING SONALI KOLHATKAR – The recent midterm elections offered an opportunity for America’s moneyed elites to spend their ridiculous wealth on a catalog of their favorite causes and candidates. We are locked in a vicious cycle, where billionaires continue to amass wealth due to policies their influence has bought, which in turn enrich them with even more resources with which to shift the American polity in their favor.

Part of the problem is that billionaires’ control over our democracy is largely invisible. As a recent study by The Guardian showed, high-profile wealthy elites like Warren Buffett or Bill Gates are anomalies. To that point, “[M]ost of the wealthiest US billionaires have made substantial financial contributions—amounting to hundreds of thousands of reported dollars annually, in addition to any undisclosed ‘dark money’ contributions—to conservative Republican candidates and officials who favor the very unpopular step of cutting rather than expanding social security benefits,” write the report’s authors. “Yet, over the 10-year period we have studied, 97% of the wealthiest billionaires have said nothing at all about social security policy.”

Read Sonali Kolhatkar’s entire column HERE.

The Wall Street Journal reported that the White House would continue churning through staff with the news on Tuesday of the possible firing of Gen. John Kelly and Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen. The Journal also broke the news that the deputy National Security Adviser Mira Ricardel would be let go, and indeed she was just hours after publication. Extraordinarily it was First Lady Melania Trump’s office that demanded she be removed. In a statement Mrs. Trump’s spokesperson said about Ricardel, “It is the position of the Office of the First Lady that she no longer deserves the honor of serving in this White House.” But one White House official anonymously told the newspaper, “Mira Ricardel is one of the highest ranking women in the Trump administration,” and she, “has never met the first lady.”

Meanwhile the Associated Press reported on Wednesday morning that, “Nielsen was thought to be out as soon as this week, according to two people with knowledge of the issue, but she is now likely to remain in the post for a longer period because there is no obvious successor in place.” And, “Trump is also discussing replacing Kelly with Vice President Mike Pence’s chief of staff, Nick Ayers.”

The death toll from Northern California’s “Camp Fire“ has jumped to 44 as search and rescue crews find more bodies. The fire itself has also continued to grow and has so far consumed 8,800 structures. The size of the record-breaking blaze is about 130,000 acres – that’s larger than the city of Atlanta. In Southern California the Woolsey and Hill Fires continue to burn as well but are 40% and 90% contained respectively.

Hundreds of activists held a sit-in at the Washington DC offices of House Minority leader Nancy Pelosi, demanding she take strong climate action and back a new “Green” economy. They were joined briefly by the New York Congresswoman elect Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.  Later she spoke with reporters about how she was there to support Pelosi after showing solidarity with climate activists. More than 50 people were arrested a few hours after their protests began. Pelosi later tweeted that she was, “deeply inspired” by the activists and posted a statement saying she wanted to reinstate a House committee on climate change.

In Georgia protests continued over demands that all votes in the midterm elections be counted, especially in regard to the Governor’s race, which has a razor-thin margin of difference between the two candidates. Among those protesting at the Georgia State Capitol on Tuesday were several Democratic state legislators. Police arrested state Senator Nikema Williams along with about a dozen protesters. After she was released Williams spoke to the press saying she had been singled out. Her colleague, state representative David Dreyer also attended the same protest but the white male lawmaker was not arrested and acknowledged to reporters that police treated him differently than his black female colleague. Georgia has struggled with racial tensions throughout the midterm election campaign and it remains to be seen how the vote count commences.

But racism is a growing issue nationwide as well,

FEATURING J. KĒHAULANI KAUANUI – The leadership of many of progressive movements for justice over the past several years has been dominated by indigenous activists, from the Standing Rock confrontation over the Dakota Access Pipeline, to Climate Justice marches at the United Nations, and the movement to protect Bears Ears National Monument in Utah.

But that is no coincidence, given the hard work being done in indigenous communities for years that often goes unreported and that has laid the groundwork for high-profile actions.

Now an academic who has studied indigenous movements for years, and has hosted a radio show featuring many native leaders, has compiled a book exploring their powerful activism.

J. Kēhaulani Kauanui, Professor of American Studies and Anthropology, Director of the Center for the Americas, and chair of the American Studies Department at Wesleyan University. She is also the editor of the new book Speaking of Indigenous Politics: Conversations With Activists, Scholars, and Tribal Leaders.

FEATURING ANDREA CRISTINA MERCADO – Although the midterm elections have been over for more than a week, in Florida the races for Governor and Senator continue with a historic contentious recount battle. The difference in votes between Ron DeSantis and Andrew Gillum for Governor and between Rick Scott and Bill Nelson for Senator, are so close that they triggered automatic recounts. But because the initial vote counts were in favor of the Republican candidates, President Donald Trump is rattled over the possibility of Democrats winning the seats via the recount.

Trump and his Republican colleagues have been tweeting and giving interviews claiming without evidence that Democrats are trying to “steal the election,” even though it is their efforts that amount to potential election theft. Trump supporters have been protesting in front of the Broward County election supervisor Brenda Snipes’ office chanting “Lock Her Up.”

Governor Rick Scott, who has a serious conflict of interest in counting votes for his Senate race, has launched 5 lawsuits against County election officials. Voting rights groups are now suing him. And the state Democratic Party has called on his recusal. The races that began with highly charged political campaigns now continue toward a tense finish whose outcome remains unknown.

For more information visit www.newfloridamajority.org.

Andrea Cristina Mercado, Executive Director of New Florida Majority. She co-founded the National Domestic Workers Alliance where she was the Director of Campaigns for five years.

The death toll from all of California’s recent wildfires has jumped to 44 after the discovery of 13 more bodies in the area burned by the Camp Fire in Butte County. The confirmed dead from the Camp Fire alone are 42 making it the deadliest fire in California history. There are still 228 people missing, many of them seniors with mobility issues. The hardest hit area was the town of Paradise, a low-income retirement community, that is utterly destroyed. Search crews continue to comb through the area looking for bodies and survivors.

In election news, a contentious recount battle is developing in Florida with both the Governor’s race and the Senate race still in question. President Donald Trump, clearly rattled over the possibility of Democrats winning the seats, tweeted on Monday, “The Florida Election should be called in favor of Rick Scott and Ron DeSantis in that large numbers of new ballots showed up out of nowhere, and many ballots are missing or forged. An honest vote count is no longer possible-ballots massively infected. Must go with Election Night!”

Even though Trump is calling for an end to the recount, according to Reuters, “state rules allow election officials to wait 10 days for absentee ballots submitted by registered voters living outside the United States, including active-duty military personnel.” Governor Rick Scott, a Republican who is vying for Democrat Bill Nelson’s Senate seat, has ordered all voting machines to be seized by law enforcement. But a judge rejected his request for extra security. In response, Democrats are suing to prevent Scott from being involved in the recount citing his conflict of interest. This is Democratic Florida Representative Ted Deutch speaking to reporters on Monday.  Gov. Scott has filed a whopping five lawsuits against election officials. He now faces a lawsuit by a coalition of organizations including Protect Democracy, the League of Women Voters of Florida and Common Cause Florida.

In Georgia where another controversial fight over the Governor’s race is taking place, the newly seated Secretary of State Robyn Crittenden has ordered officials to count all absentee ballots including those that might be missing a date of birth. Crittenden replaced Brian Kemp who ran against Democrat Stacey Abrams and who is declaring victory despite Abrams’ refusal to concede. The deadline to finish the count is looming fast and Abrams’ campaign has asked for an extension.

In other election news, the Arizona Senate race has finally ended with Democrat Krysten Sinema declaring victory over Republican Martha McSally. The initial vote count showed McSally with a slight lead over Sinema. But after all votes were counted the Democrat prevailed. It is the first time since 1994 that Arizona elected a Democratic Senator. Sinema also becomes Arizona’s first-ever female Senator. The one-time Green Party activist, who is also openly bisexual, served as a House Representative for 6 years. According to the Associated Press, “Sinema built one of most centrist records in the Democratic caucus,

FEATURING DANI HEFFERNAN – More than 30 people have died and hundreds remain missing in California from the deadly wildfires that ripped through parts of the Northern and Southern parts of the state for the past several days. The majority of deaths – 29 – took place in the Northern California town of Paradise where the “Camp Fire” has now been declared one of the deadliest fires in the state’s recorded history. More than 6,700 buildings and structures have been destroyed.

President Donald Trump approved a federal emergency declaration, which allows the state to access critical resources. But he also tweeted a threat to withhold future funds saying, “Billions of dollars are given each year, with so many lives lost, all because of gross mismanagement of the forests. Remedy now, or no more Fed payments!”

There has been no mention from the White House about the role of climate change.

Dani Heffernan, US Communications Coordinator with 350.org.

FEATURING ISA BLUMI – The Trump Administration last Friday announced that the US would stop the refueling of Saudi warplanes used in the brutal years long war in Yemen. The move came after months of pressure over mounting civilian casualties in the Gulf Arab’s poorest nation, and a United Nations warning of a catastrophic famine. The apparent American slap on the wrist is also a response to the brutal Saudi killing of dissident Jamal Khashoggi. But critics point out that the move will do little to stop the Saudis.

Saudi Arabia has led a massive air and ground assault on the Yemeni port city of Hodeidah just days after the US called for a ceasefire. The latest reports on Monday from that assault claim that 149 people have been killed in just 24 hours. That number includes civilians. There have been about 600 deaths since the assault on Hodeidah began on November 1st.

Isa Blumi, Associate Professor in the Department of Asian, Middle Eastern, and Turkish Studies at Stockholm University. He is the author of Ottoman Refuges, 1878-1939, Foundations of Modernity, and Reinstating the Ottomans. His latest book is called ‘Destroying Yemen: What Chaos In Arabia Tell Us About the World’.

31 people have died and 200 remain missing in California from the deadly wildfires that ripped through parts of Northern and Southern California for the past several days. The majority of deaths – 29 – took place in the Northern California town of Paradise where the “Camp Fire” has now been declared one of the deadliest fires in the state’s recorded history – alongside the 1933 Griffith Park disaster. Fire crews continue to search the area around Paradise for bodies while more than 6,700 buildings and structures have been destroyed.

In Southern California, where this program is based, the ‘Woolsey Fire’ has claimed two lives and caused the evacuation of tens of thousands of residents. The dreaded Santa Ana winds have kicked in and out, feeding the fires but as of Monday morning, authorities say that fire has now been ten percent contained. A third, smaller blaze called the ‘Hill Fire’ also continues to burn in Southern California. Ventura County Chief Mark Lorenzen on Sunday warned residents not to ignore evacuation orders. 

President Donald Trump approved a federal emergency declaration, which allows the state to access critical resources. But, as he has done before, the President considering himself an expert on fire management, tweeted a threat to withhold funds saying, “Billions of dollars are given each year, with so many lives lost, all because of gross mismanagement of the forests. Remedy now, or no more Fed payments!”  He received major push back from state authorities with Governor Jerry Brown calling his comments “inane and uninformed, and a spokesman for the firefighters union saying they were, “dangerously wrong.” On Sunday Trump dug his heels in and tweeted, “With proper Forest Management, we can stop the devastation constantly going on in California. Get Smart!”

Trump was tweeting from Paris, France where he spent the weekend to mark the 100th anniversary of the end of World War I alongside dozens of other world leaders. At the Armistice Day celebrations that Trump attended, French President Emmanuel Macron said that the soldiers who sacrificed their lives in the war did so for the, “universal values” of France and to reject the “selfishness of nations only looking after their own interests. Because patriotism is exactly the opposite of nationalism.”  President Macron’s words were seen as a pointed rebuke to Trump who had recently called himself a “nationalist” during a political rally. Macron also said, “By putting our own interests first, with no regard for others, we erase the very thing that a nation holds dearest, and the thing that keeps it alive: its moral values.”

On Saturday, Trump canceled his attendance of a ceremony at a cemetery in France where American soldiers who fought in World War I were buried. The reason for the cancelation was apparently rain. After he came under fire for hypocrisy toward the military and veterans, Trump attended another event at a different American cemetery on Sunday.

The state of

On Saturday November 10th hundreds of sexual assault survivors and their allies marched and rallied in Hollywood, California for the second annual #MeToo Survivors march. From noon to 3 pm, women spoke, marched, and made impassioned calls for justice. What made the action unique was its intersectional approach to sexual assault, centering the experiences of low-income women of color.

Ahead of the march, Brenda Gutierrez, the #MeToo March International Founder said, “We’ve all read the headlines about the rich, famous, and powerful men accused of sexual assault and harassment. What about the survivors from marginalized and underserved communities whose stories have not been told and who’ve have been forced to stay silent?”

Sonali Kolhatkar was honored to have been invited as one of the speakers, to make links to India’s burgeoning #MeToo movement. Today, as part of our series, Rising Up In the Streets, we bring you a report back from the second annual #MeToo march.

More details have emerged about the mass shooter at the Borderline Bar and Grill in Thousand Oaks, California who shot 12 people including a law enforcement officer, before apparently taking his own life. Twenty eight year old Ian David Long was a former Marine combat veteran who only months ago attracted police attention and even a mental health assessment. Media outlets have dug deep into his background in order to make sense of the shooting and find a motive – a courtesy that is rarely if ever offered to non-white shooters.

Meanwhile details are also emerging about the victims and survivors of the attack. Among those who survived are people who lived through the worst mass shooting in American history when Stephen Paddock – another white man – massacred 58 people at an outdoor music concert in Las Vegas. One Southern California resident named Nicholas Champion told the New York Times, “I was at the Las Vegas Route 91 mass shooting as well as probably 50 or 60 others who were in the building at the same time as me tonight.” Among the victims was Telemachus Orfanos, who survived the Vegas shooting but was gunned down in Thousand Oaks. His mother told the Times, “the two words I want you to write are: Gun control. Right now — so that no one else goes through this. Can you do that? Can you do that for me? Gun control.”

In other news, White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders is under fire for posting a doctored video of a tense exchange between President Donald Trump and CNN reporter Jim Acosta that took place at the White House on Wednesday morning. Sanders tweeted a video edited by the right wing conspiracy website Infowars saying that Acosta’s, “inappropriate behavior” is “clearly documented in this video.” The behavior in question is a young White House intern attempting to take away his microphone and Acosta resisting. The White House is now spinning a clearly false narrative that Acosta somehow assaulted the intern. But media outlets including the Washington Post have displayed the edited and real video side-by-side to expose the lie. Some journalists are now wondering out loud whether it is time for a boycott of White House press conferences.

Thousands of people protested in cities across the country on Thursday evening demanding that the Special Counsel’s investigation led by Robert Mueller be protected from Trump’s political machinations. The protests took place in Washington DC, New York City, Chicago, as well as Greensboro, North Carolina; Chattanooga, Tennessee; and Las Vegas. The protests were sparked by Trump’s decision to fire Attorney General Jeff Sessions over his recusal in oversight of the Mueller probe, and replace him with a biased insider named Matt Whitaker. 

Earlier in the day Republican Senator Lindsey Graham was questioned on Fox News about comments he had made just over a year ago warning that Republicans would not tolerate Sessions’ firing. 

Meanwhile the