FEATURING JEFF COHEN – The election analysis outlet FiveThirtyEight.com has released its forecast for the midterms this Fall and concluded that the Democratic Party has a 75% chance of taking control of the House of Representatives. With this news surely boosting party leaders, the Democratic National Committee will meet next week in Chicago at a seminal meeting where they decide on the party’s direction.

Already progressives are upset at the party’s reversal of a ban on accepting money from fossil fuel corporations. DNC Chair Tom Perez justified the move using workers rights as a pretext.

My guest Jeff Cohen has just penned an essay saying, “This country needs a serious opposition party that can defeat both corporate power and the GOP. Nothing else will do.”

For more information visit https://democraticautopsy.org and www.rootsaction.org.

Jeff Cohen, media critic, writer and journalism professor who founded the media watch group FAIR, co-founder of Rootsaction.org, Founding Director of Park Center for Independent Media.

**This segment was originally broadcast on August 16, 2018.

FEATURING JESSE LITTLEWOOD – With just months to go before midterm elections that could reshape American politics, an activist organization has launched a new campaign to hold politicians’ feet to the fire on issues critical to our democracy.

All across the US voting rights are under attack under Donald Trump’s Administration as the Justice Department allows voter roll purges and other attacks on voting rights. Dark money flows into negative and misleading advertising campaigns from untraceable corporate coffers thanks to Citizens United.

Common Cause is asking candidates around the country to fill out a questionnaire as part of its Our Democracy 2018 campaign. Several have already done so giving voters helpful information on how to make their choices in November.

To find out more visit www.democracy2018.org.

Jesse Littlewood, National Campaigns Director of Common Cause.

**This segment was originally broadcast on August 13, 2018.

When Donald Trump took office in early January, undocumented immigrants all over the nation felt a palpable sense of fear at a regime that had demonized them. That fear was well-founded as the first few months of Trump’s tenure has seen a sharp jump in the number of immigrants, especially those with no criminal record, arrested by enforcement agents and deported. Brave New Films has just created a short video showcasing how all of us with a conscience can help turn the US into a sanctuary nation for immigrants.

Watch the film and share it at www.bravenewfilms.org.

**This segment was originally broadcast on May 9, 2017.

Senator Cory Booker and former National Intelligence Director James Clapper are the latest targets of the pipe bomber who has been sending suspicious packages to many of President Donald Trump’s favorite political targets. The packages addressed to Booker in New Jersey was discovered in Florida on Friday morning and the one sent to Clapper was found at a mail sorting facility in New York. This now brings to 12 the total number of such pieces of mail found this week. The FBI is engaged in a nationwide manhunt for the perpetrator. It is not yet clear if the intention was to actually cause damage or to sow fear. Authorities have traced the mail back to a US mail distribution center at Opa-Locka, northwest of Miami, in Miami-Dade County, Florida. According to Reuters, “Authorities called the parcel bombs an act of terrorism. They were sent less than two weeks before national elections that could alter the balance of power in Washington.”

Larry Johnson, former head of criminal investigations for the Secret Service spoke with Associated Press. On Thursday, California Representative Maxine Waters, who is one of the recipients of the suspicious mail, issued a video response. Trump has dug in his heels and refused to tone down his angry rhetoric, saying on Twitter on Friday, “Funny how lowly rated CNN, and others, can criticize me at will, even blaming me for the current spate of Bombs and ridiculously comparing this to September 11th and the Oklahoma City bombing, yet when I criticize them they go wild and scream, ‘it’s just not Presidential!'” 

In other news, a 51-year old white man named Gregory Bush has been arrested in Louisville, Kentucky for the murder of two African Americans, 69-year old Vickie Lee Jones, and 67-year old Maurice Stallard, in a supermarket. Bush was charged on Thursday with two counts of murder and 11 counts of “wanton endangerment.” According to the New York Times, “surveillance video had recorded Mr. Bush’s unsuccessful attempt to enter the nearby First Baptist Church of Jeffersontown shortly before the attack.” Journalist Shaun King, who has been closely following the story wrote in The Intercept: “When Ed Harrell, a white man in the parking lot, saw Bush coming toward him, he pulled out his own revolver, and yelled to ask what was going on. According to Harrell, Bush replied, “Don’t shoot me. I won’t shoot you. Whites don’t shoot whites.'” King wrote, “It was racism. These killings were hate crimes. Saying otherwise is not only an insult to the victims and their families, but to the entire black community of Louisville, which is reeling right now from this.”

Caitlin Jenner has written an op-ed in the Washington Post taking back her support for Trump. The prominent transgender celebrity and author had backed Trump in the earl...

FEATURING JOSE ARTIGA – The thousands of migrants heading to the US in caravan are still hundreds of miles from the border with Mexico. The numbers swelled from 2,000 when the caravan first commenced from Honduras, to more than 7,000 in Mexico. But now, as fatigue and sickness sets in among the many families that are traveling, some with children, the numbers are reportedly dwindling.

Still, President Donald Trump, who has sought to make political hay of the caravan ahead of the midterm elections, has reportedly ordered 800 troops to the border. He has repeatedly blamed the Democratic Party for the migrant caravan with no evidence, and made no mention of the fact that Republicans have controlled all three branches of government for two years and failed to pass immigration reform laws. He has referred to the caravan as a “national emergency.”

Read the report on human rights abuses in Honduras called ‘The Struggle for Human Rights and Transformation in Honduras: A Faith Delegation’s Observations,’ HERE.

Jose Artiga, Executive Director of SHARE El Salvador, co-author of a new report on human rights abuses in Honduras.

FEATURING JULIE MILLICAN – President Donald Trump and the White House staff have rushed to express unity and denounce the acts of potential violence related to suspicious packages being sent to a number of people around the country this week. On Wednesday Trump read a statement at the White House saying federal law enforcement was on the case.

But the strong pattern that has emerged from the pipe bombs and envelopes of white powder is that they are all aimed at people Trump has spent years attacked, vilifying, and encouraging violence against: former President Barack Obama, Vice President Joe Biden, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, CIA Director John Brennan, and current House Representative Maxine Waters, and even actor Robert DeNiro. The package aimed at Brennan was delivered to CNN’s New York office – CNN has also been one of Trump’s favored targets.

Right wing media have jumped to turn the tables on the story, claiming that conservatives are the ones targeted for violence, and even going as far as implying liberals were behind the incidents in order to undermine the GOP’s midterm election chances.

Julie Millican, Vice President of Media Matters for America.

Former Vice President Joe Biden and actor Robert DeNiro are the latest targets of a mysterious perpetrator who seems to have targeted critics of President Donald Trump with pipe bombs and suspicious packages containing white powder. According to the Washington Post on Thursday morning, “The new packages, which resemble those sent to figures including former president Barack Obama and former secretary of state Hillary Clinton, were located in Delaware and New York. The discoveries mean that authorities have recovered nine similar packages as part of the investigation.” Democratic House Representative and frequent target of Trump’s vitriol, Maxine Waters is also reported to have been sent two suspicious packages intercepted by the FBI – one addressed to her Los Angeles office, and one to her Washington DC office. A package containing what may be a pipe bomb was also sent to the New York offices of CNN, although it was addressed to former CIA Director James Brennan. Brennan is an analyst for NBC and authorities suspect the CNN package might have been mistakenly sent.

Trump on Wednesday read a statement about the suspicious packages and pipe bombs and called for unity on Wednesday at the White House, responding to the reports of pipe bombs and packages of white powder found to have been mailed to the very people he frequently targets on Twitter and at his rallies. Trump’s calls for unity were short lived however. Later on Wednesday he appeared at a political rally in Wisconsin, which he began by saying that Americans should, “come together in peace and harmony,” and then minutes later slipped into his familiar demonizing of immigrants and blaming Democrats for the immigration problem. Even before he began speaking, members of the gathered crowd were chanting “lock her up“ – a familiar refrain going back to 2016 aimed at Hillary Clinton, one of the targets of the packages.

CNN spokesperson Jeff Zucker laid the blame for the packages at the President’s feet saying, “The president, and especially the White House press secretary, should understand their words matter. Thus far, they have shown no comprehension of that.” Trump has routinely blasted CNN, and his supporters have broken out into chants aimed at CNN during Trump rallies. Mr. Brennan also blamed Trump for creating a climate where such actions are encouraged. He said, “Trump too often has helped to incite some of these feelings of anger, if not violence …His rhetoric too frequently, I think, fuels these feelings and sentiments that now are bleeding over into potential acts of violence.” The far-right media on the other hand implied that the packages were a, “false-flag” operation, intended to hurt Republican chances ahead of the midterms and that they might have been planted by leftwing activists.

In other news, Saudi Arabia has yet again changed its story o...

FEATURING RICHARD WOLFF – The year 2018 marked the 200th birthday of Karl Marx, a Western philosopher who changed global perspectives on the economy and the value of labor and goods. Sensing an increasing attraction to the ideas of socialism among the American public, Donald Trump’s Council of Economic Advisors released a bizarre document entitled “The Opportunity Costs of Socialism.”

The report attempted to make an empirical case for why socialism does not work. In doing so, the authors inadvertently make the case for a single payer system that conservatives have derided as “socialist.” Vox’s Sarah Cliff pointed out that a chart intended to show longer wait times for seniors seeking healthcare in various countries includes the US having the shortest wait times. But of course seniors in the US enjoy the benefits of Medicare – a single payer system just for those over the age of 65.

Many point out that the report is intended to counteract the growing popularity of a Medicare-for-all system among the public and politicians, especially Democrats, as well as the popularity of socialism as an economic system.

For more information about Richard Wolff’s ‘Economic Update’ program visit www.democracyatwork.info/tags/economic_update.

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.’

FEATURING SCOTT SIMPSON – A new report called ‘Running on Hate’ has found widespread Islamophobia in the election campaigns of 2018. The report, which was commissioned by the group Muslim Advocates, found about 80 campaigns run by almost exclusively Republican candidates that have engaged in anti-Muslim rhetoric and messaging.

The report’s authors say it, “attempts to make sense of this new wave of anti-Muslim conspiracy theorists by documenting their campaigns, their messages, their wins and their losses. It also dives deep into original public opinion research to understand the narrow sliver of the electorate these candidates hope to influence.”

Much of the Islamophobic rhetoric echoes President Donald Trump’s language. Despite the report’s disturbing findings, there is a record number of Muslim Americans running for office this year.

Find the report ‘Running on Hate’, HERE.

Scott Simpson, Public Advocacy Director, Muslim Advocates.

President Trump spoke to reporters in the White House on Tuesday and remarked on the killing of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi, calling it “the worst cover-up in history.”  Trump has echoed the Saudi monarchy’s story that the killing was carried out by rogue members of the Saudi security forces and that Crown Prince Mohammad Bin Salman had nothing to do with it. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announced that the US would be revoking the visas of some of the suspects arrested in connection with Khashoggi’s murder. Meanwhile Khashoggi’s sons Salah and Saleh were invited to the Saudi palace on Tuesday where they shook hands with the crown price while cameras snapped photos. News media have reported that Salah Khashoggi has been banned from leaving Saudi Arabia and several outlets speculated on the grim nature of what appears to be a public relations stunt.

In news about the migrant caravan headed to the US from Central America, one man has died among the thousands that originated from Honduras – when he fell off a crowded bus filled with migrants. A number of those traveling are struggling with health problems as they make the long and arduous journey largely on foot across thousands of miles looking for a better life. Many have developed respiratory problems and some children are running high temperatures.

As the thousands-strong caravan heads to the US, the numbers of Central American families crossing the US border has remained steady despite the horrendous Trump Administration policy of family separation earlier this year that left thousands of parents and children traumatized and scarred, and some indefinitely separated. The Trump administration is desperately trying to make the influx of refugees at the US border an election issue, claiming that it is the fault of Democrats.

In the border state of Texas a record number of voters have begun casting their ballots early. Early voting began on Monday and Texas-based news outlets have reported that the hometown of Democratic Senate candidate Beto O’Rourke saw a record high number of early voters. Meanwhile students at a historically black college are suing the state of Texas for what they say is voting discrimination. The students, who are enrolled at Prairie View A&M University, filed the suit in federal court after noting that not a single early voting polling place was opened on their campus. According to the Huffington Post, “The suit says the limited early voting in Prairie View, home to Prairie View A&M and where 79 percent of the voting-age population is black, is illegal because nearby towns in the county with more voters who are white and less who are ages 18 to 21 have more early voting opportunities. They say the county’s early voting locations violate the Voting Rights Act as well as the 14th, 15th and 26th amendments, the last of which guarantees the right to vote to anyone over 18.”

The two major party candidates for the gubernatorial race in Georgia debated on Tuesday in what is turning out to be a very contentious race. Secretary of State Brian Kemp who is backed by Trump and who, by virtue of his job, controls the election systems, is running against progressive Democrat Stacey Abrams who could become the state...