Sojourner Truth Radio

The fate of Brazil's upcoming presidential race hangs in the balance, as the most popular candidate, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva of the Workers' Party, faces a decision on a corruption charge against him " a charge that many on the left argue is flimsy. Is this the latest step in the undermining of Brazils democracy? What does this mean for the future of the government, and of the Brazilian people, who are currently facing austere cuts to social programs and attacks on labor rights? Our guest is Mark Weisbrot of the Center for Economic and Policy Research.

Donald Trump has slapped tariffs on up to 50 percent of imported washing machines, as well as on solar cells and modules. South Korea and China will be hit by the tariffs. A big winner in this is Whirlpool, which has international headquarters in Benton Harbor, Michigan, a Black, poverty-stricken community. The company plays a huge role in local politics, and they have been up against the community: grabbing land, silencing the Black community and more. To give us the latest, we speak with the Reverend Edward Pinkney of the Black Autonomy Network Community Organization in Benton Harbor.

After years of organizing by Black Lives Matter Los Angeles, challenging the lack of accountability in the Los Angeles Police Department for the hundreds of lives that have been lost at the hands of officers in recent years " LAPD Chief Charlie Beck has announced he's retiring early. What does this spell for the future of the movement? For our campaigners of Black Lives segment, were joined by Black Lives Matter L.A. organizer Melina Abdullah.

The Womens Marches around the nation and around the world, which took place the weekend of January 20, 2018, shocked many by the large turnouts. Six hundred thousand marches attended in Los Angeles, while Chicago's turnout grew from last year's inaugural march and Las Vegas held a major Power to the Polls rally. What made this years events different? What were the reasons for the large turnout? What controversies took place? Our guests are Emiliana Guereca, a key organizer of the Women's March Los Angeles, the largest march held that weekend; and Debroah Agre, who works with the Middle East Childrens Alliance.

The Womens Marches around the nation and around the world, which took place the weekend of January 20, 2018, shocked many by the large turnouts. Six hundred thousand marches attended in Los Angeles, while Chicago's turnout grew from last year's inaugural march and Las Vegas held a major Power to the Polls rally. What made this years events different? What were the reasons for the large turnout? What controversies took place? Our guest is Emiliana Guereca, a key organizer of the Women's March Los Angeles, the largest march held that weekend.

The Womens Marches around the nation and around the world, which took place the weekend of January 20, 2018, shocked many by the large turnouts. Six hundred thousand marches attended in Los Angeles, while Chicago's turnout grew from last year's inaugural march and Las Vegas held a major Power to the Polls rally. What made this years events different? What were the reasons for the large turnout? What controversies took place? Our guest is Debroah Agre, who works with the Middle East Children's Alliance.

As the United States government hurtles towards a possible shutdown, a battle over immigrants rights remains front and center.

A new NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll shows that Trump has a historically low national job approval rating of 39 percent, the lowest recorded after any modern president's first year in office. And it doesn't stop there: Internationally, a new report shows that across 134 countries, the Trump administration has 30-percent approval.

But does Trump care? None of this seems to matter to him or his likeminded team. He is not only pressing the Supreme Court to rule on and strike down the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals' ruling protecting DACA, but his Department of Health and Human Services is establishing a Conscience and Religious Freedom Division in its Civil Rights Office, clearly an attack on women's right to choose and on the LGBT community. Trump is also refusing to apologize for his "s***hole countries" comments directed at African countries and Haiti.

Meanwhile, North and South Korea are getting closer, China's economy continues to grow, and it seems like the Trump team is looking around for somewhere to start a war.

Weighing in on all of this and more are our panelists: Laura Carlsen, Jackie Goldberg and Dr. Gerald Horne.

Freedom fighter and undocumented rights campaigner Maru Mora Villalpando has been threatened with deportation by the Trump administration's Immigration and Customs Enforcement. She is one of several immigrants' rights campaigners who have either been deported or who are under threat of deportation. This, as Congress hurls towards a government shutdown over immigration "specifically, whether DREAMers who were protected under President Omaba will be forced out of the country "and the Trump administration's insistence on building a wall between the United States and Mexico. Villalpando joins us to discuss.

Then, we dive into the the inter-relationship between art and politics. For our Weekly Earth Watch, we speak with musician and activist Alas; afterwards, we wrap up the show with Native American actress Irene Bedard.

Today, we dive into the the inter-relationship between art and politics. For our Weekly Earth Watch, we speak with musician and activist Alas; afterwards, we wrap up the show with Native American actress Irene Bedard.

Today, we broadcast a recent conversation between Black Lives Matter co-founder Patrisse Khan-Cullors and asha bandele, award-winning author, journalist and organizer. The conversation was held at the California African American Museum, where the book they co-authored, "When They Call You a Terrorist: A Black Lives Matter Memoir," was launched. The conversation was moderated by Dr. Melina Abdullah, chair of the Pan-African Studies department at California State University, Los Angeles and founder of Black Lives Matter Los Angeles.

On January 15, 2018, Martin Luther King, Jr. would have been 89 years old had he not been assassinated. Today, we look at how Dr. King's legacy has influenced movements of today – specifically the Movement for Black Lives and the Poor People's Campaign: A National Call for Moral Revival. We also listen to the words of Dr. King himself.

Our guests are three women active with the Movement for Black Lives: Ash-Lee Woodard Henderson, co-executive Director of the Highlander Research and Education Center; Jessica Byrd, founder of Three Point Strategies; and Thenjiwe McHarris, co-founder of Blackbird, a policy and advocacy support group focused on anti-racist movement building.

On today's weekly roundtable:

Trump admits to using "tough" language in a meeting with bipartisan senators on immigration. He reportedly referred to Haiti and Africa as "s***hole" countries. We discuss Trump's racist remark with Kumi Naidoo, launch director of Africans Rising. Our roundtable panelists "Laura Carlsen, Jackie Goldberg and Dr. Gerald Horne "also weigh in.

Then, we weigh in on the Trump administration's controversial move to allow "workfare" for Medicaid. We also look towards the 2018 midterms. Can Democrats take the House or Senate? What are the states to watch?