Sojourner Truth Radio

Today on Sojourner Truth, our first roundtable discussion of 2020.

We dig into the latest on the U.S.-Iran crisis, the impeachment of Donald Trump and the U.S. presidential election. Our panelists will also share a story on their radar, but under-reported in 2019. Our panelists are Jackie Goldberg, Laura Carlsen and Khury Petersen-Smith.

Jackie Goldberg is a governing board member for the Los Angeles School Board - District 5. She is a former member of the California State Assembly. Goldberg had previously served as a member of the Los Angeles City Council. Before being elected to the council, she served on, and was later president of, the Los Angeles School Board.

Laura Carlsen is the Director of the Americas Program for the Center for International Policy. Based in Mexico City, she is a regular contributor to CounterPunch, Fortune, Americas Updater, Foreign Policy in Focus, and several Spanish-language publications. Laura is also a television host and commentator on NAFTA, the Drug War, immigration and gender issues for various international news outlets.

Khury Petersen-Smith is the Michael Ratner Middle East Fellow at the Institute for Policy Studies in Washington, DC. He researches U.S. empire, borders and migration.

Today on Sojourner Truth, our first roundtable discussion of 2020.

We dig into the latest on the U.S.-Iran crisis, the impeachment of Donald Trump and the U.S. presidential election. Our panelists will also share a story on their radar, but under-reported in 2019. Our panelists are Jackie Goldberg, Laura Carlsen and Khury Petersen-Smith.

Jackie Goldberg is a governing board member for the Los Angeles School Board - District 5. She is a former member of the California State Assembly. Goldberg had previously served as a member of the Los Angeles City Council. Before being elected to the council, she served on, and was later president of, the Los Angeles School Board.

Laura Carlsen is the Director of the Americas Program for the Center for International Policy. Based in Mexico City, she is a regular contributor to CounterPunch, Fortune, Americas Updater, Foreign Policy in Focus, and several Spanish-language publications. Laura is also a television host and commentator on NAFTA, the Drug War, immigration and gender issues for various international news outlets.

Khury Petersen-Smith is the Michael Ratner Middle East Fellow at the Institute for Policy Studies in Washington, DC. He researches U.S. empire, borders and migration.

Today on Sojourner Truth, our first roundtable discussion of 2020.

We dig into the latest on the U.S.-Iran crisis, the impeachment of Donald Trump and the U.S. presidential election. Our panelists will also share a story on their radar, but under-reported in 2019. Our panelists are Jackie Goldberg, Laura Carlsen and Khury Petersen-Smith.

Jackie Goldberg is a governing board member for the Los Angeles School Board - District 5. She is a former member of the California State Assembly. Goldberg had previously served as a member of the Los Angeles City Council. Before being elected to the council, she served on, and was later president of, the Los Angeles School Board.

Laura Carlsen is the Director of the Americas Program for the Center for International Policy. Based in Mexico City, she is a regular contributor to CounterPunch, Fortune, Americas Updater, Foreign Policy in Focus, and several Spanish-language publications. Laura is also a television host and commentator on NAFTA, the Drug War, immigration and gender issues for various international news outlets.

Khury Petersen-Smith is the Michael Ratner Middle East Fellow at the Institute for Policy Studies in Washington, DC. He researches U.S. empire, borders and migration.

Today on Sojourner Truth:

We discuss the history and culture of Iran, the continued protests and general strikes still rocking France since late last year, and for our weekly Earth Watch, why protecting forests are vital for saving the environment. Our guests are Dr. Assal Rad, Benoit Martin and Adam Colette.

Dr. Assal Rad graduated with a PhD in Middle Eastern History from the University of California, Irvine in 2018. She joined the National Iranian American Council as a Research Fellow in January 2019.

Benoit Martin is based in France and the U.K. He has written about and met with Yellow Vest protesters and has been closely following that movement as well as the recent strikes. He is a member of Payday, a network of men working with the Global Women's Strike.

Adam Colette is the Program Director of Dogwood Alliance, which mobilizes diverse voices to protect Southern forests and communities from destructive industrial logging. Adam has a passion for organizing people and fighting the corporations whose practices destroy our earth.

Today on Sojourner Truth:

We discuss the history and culture of Iran, the continued protests and general strikes still rocking France since late last year, and for our weekly Earth Watch, why protecting forests are vital for saving the environment. Our guests are Dr. Assal Rad, Benoit Martin and Adam Colette.

Dr. Assal Rad graduated with a PhD in Middle Eastern History from the University of California, Irvine in 2018. She joined the National Iranian American Council as a Research Fellow in January 2019.

Benoit Martin is based in France and the U.K. He has written about and met with Yellow Vest protesters and has been closely following that movement as well as the recent strikes. He is a member of Payday, a network of men working with the Global Women's Strike.

Adam Colette is the Program Director of Dogwood Alliance, which mobilizes diverse voices to protect Southern forests and communities from destructive industrial logging. Adam has a passion for organizing people and fighting the corporations whose practices destroy our earth.

Today on Sojourner Truth:

We discuss the history and culture of Iran, the continued protests and general strikes still rocking France since late last year, and for our weekly Earth Watch, why protecting forests are vital for saving the environment. Our guests are Dr. Assal Rad, Benoit Martin and Adam Colette.

Dr. Assal Rad graduated with a PhD in Middle Eastern History from the University of California, Irvine in 2018. She joined the National Iranian American Council as a Research Fellow in January 2019.

Benoit Martin is based in France and the U.K. He has written about and met with Yellow Vest protesters and has been closely following that movement as well as the recent strikes. He is a member of Payday, a network of men working with the Global Women's Strike.

Adam Colette is the Program Director of Dogwood Alliance, which mobilizes diverse voices to protect Southern forests and communities from destructive industrial logging. Adam has a passion for organizing people and fighting the corporations whose practices destroy our earth.

Today on Sojourner Truth:

We discuss the history and culture of Iran, the continued protests and general strikes still rocking France since late last year, and for our weekly Earth Watch, why protecting forests are vital for saving the environment. Our guests are Dr. Assal Rad, Benoit Martin and Adam Colette.

Dr. Assal Rad graduated with a PhD in Middle Eastern History from the University of California, Irvine in 2018. She joined the National Iranian American Council as a Research Fellow in January 2019.

Benoit Martin is based in France and the U.K. He has written about and met with Yellow Vest protesters and has been closely following that movement as well as the recent strikes. He is a member of Payday, a network of men working with the Global Women's Strike.

Adam Colette is the Program Director of Dogwood Alliance, which mobilizes diverse voices to protect Southern forests and communities from destructive industrial logging. Adam has a passion for organizing people and fighting the corporations whose practices destroy our earth.

Today on Sojourner Truth:

We discuss the history and culture of Iran, the continued protests and general strikes still rocking France since late last year, and for our weekly Earth Watch, why protecting forests are vital for saving the environment. Our guests are Dr. Assal Rad, Benoit Martin and Adam Colette.

Dr. Assal Rad graduated with a PhD in Middle Eastern History from the University of California, Irvine in 2018. She joined the National Iranian American Council as a Research Fellow in January 2019.

Benoit Martin is based in France and the U.K. He has written about and met with Yellow Vest protesters and has been closely following that movement as well as the recent strikes. He is a member of Payday, a network of men working with the Global Women's Strike.

Adam Colette is the Program Director of Dogwood Alliance, which mobilizes diverse voices to protect Southern forests and communities from destructive industrial logging. Adam has a passion for organizing people and fighting the corporations whose practices destroy our earth.

Today on Sojourner Truth:

On Tuesday, January 7, Iran openly struck two U.S. military sites in Iraq that housed U.S. military forces. Today, it is being reported that Iran gave prior warning to the Iraqi government of the strikes, which helped to avoid casualties. Iran launched Operation Soleimani Martyr, but announced hope that the escalation between the U.S. and Iran begun with the U.S. assassination of General Qassem Soleimani and nine others on Iraqi soil would now begin a process of de-escalation. Donald Trump is to address the U.S. today. We speak with Medea Benjamin of Code Pink about the possibility of a pending U.S.-Iran war and the response from the anti-war movement in the U.S. Also, Dr. Gerald Horne joins us to put U.S.-Iran relations in a historical context.

Meanwhile in Venezuela, following the failure thus far of the U.S.-backed opposition at regime change, Juan Guido, who has seen the opposition in Venezuela split and his popularity dropping in the polls, has once again made a move to re-energize the opposition to the democratically-elected government of President Nicolas Maduro. We speak with Venezuela-based political analyst and journalist Lucas Koerner.

Also, the Los Angeles Police Department has yet again been found to violate the rights of Angelenos by falsifying records and wrongfully labeling people as gang members. For our Campaigners for Black Lives Series, we speak with Paula Minor of Black Lives Matter - Los Angeles.

Finally, our weekly Earth Minute is back, courtesy of the Global Justice Ecology Project.

Today on Sojourner Truth:

On Tuesday, January 7, Iran openly struck two U.S. military sites in Iraq that housed U.S. military forces. Today, it is being reported that Iran gave prior warning to the Iraqi government of the strikes, which helped to avoid casualties. Iran launched Operation Soleimani Martyr, but announced hope that the escalation between the U.S. and Iran begun with the U.S. assassination of General Qassem Soleimani and nine others on Iraqi soil would now begin a process of de-escalation. Donald Trump is to address the U.S. today. We speak with Medea Benjamin of Code Pink about the possibility of a pending U.S.-Iran war and the response from the anti-war movement in the U.S. Also, Dr. Gerald Horne joins us to put U.S.-Iran relations in a historical context.

Meanwhile in Venezuela, following the failure thus far of the U.S.-backed opposition at regime change, Juan Guido, who has seen the opposition in Venezuela split and his popularity dropping in the polls, has once again made a move to re-energize the opposition to the democratically-elected government of President Nicolas Maduro. We speak with Venezuela-based political analyst and journalist Lucas Koerner.

Also, the Los Angeles Police Department has yet again been found to violate the rights of Angelenos by falsifying records and wrongfully labeling people as gang members. For our Campaigners for Black Lives Series, we speak with Paula Minor of Black Lives Matter - Los Angeles.

Finally, our weekly Earth Minute is back, courtesy of the Global Justice Ecology Project.