Sojourner Truth Radio

A coup is underway in Zimbabwe, where Robert Mugabe, the longtime prime minister of the country, is being held under house arrest. What does this mean for the continent? Our guests are Kumi Naidoo, human rights activist and launch director of Africans Rising; and Dr. Gerald Horne, historian and professor at the University of Houston.

Then: the latest on the GOP tax plan. Our guest is Dean Baker, co-director of the Center for Economic and Policy Research in Washington, D.C.

For this week's Earth Watch, we speak with Tetet Lauron, climate justice program manager for IBON International. Lauron is in Bonn, Germany for the COP23 climate talks.

Even as universities raise tuitions and rake in millions, the army of postdocs and Research Assistants who contribute to the work and prestige of the university are all too often underpaid. At the University of Washington, which has a reputation for being liberal, there is a move to unionize by postdocs – a move being undermined by the administration of the university. Our guest is Max Friedfeld, a research associate in the Department of Chemistry at the University of Washington and a member of UW Postdocs United.

For our Weekly Earth Watch, we return to our coverage of Puerto Rico, where the majority of residents are still facing an unprecedented humanitarian disaster of their island home in the wake of Hurricane Maria. Increasing numbers of residents have become environmental refugees fleeing the island, and now FEMA has announced that they will transport refugees from PR to the U.S. Our guest is Dezaray Lyn, a social, economic and climate justice organizer who recently returned from an aid delivery trip to Puerto Rico with the grassroots network Mutual Aid Disaster Relief.

On our weekly roundtable, we discuss Trump's trip to Asia, the impact of Tuesday's election results, the GOP House of Representatives and Senate's respective tax plans, and the rising allegations of sexual assault and harassment surrounding men in power. Our panelists are Jackie Goldberg, Laura Carlsen and Dr. Gerald Horne.

Tuesday's election results have boosted hope for progressives that the tide is turning away from Trumpism. Democrats took the governorships in Virginia and New Jersey, and several transgender candidates won seats: Danica Roem of Virginia has become the first openly transgender person elected to a state legislature. And in Minneapolis, two Black transgender representatives were elected to City Council.

Among the wave of progressives getting elected today, we focus on the contentious District Attorney race in Philadelphia. Civil rights advocate and anti-death penalty proponent Larry Krasner overwhelming won his race as the new DA in the city. Krasner considers himself a movement lawyer who supports criminal justice reform, opposes Trumps moves against immigrants, and calls for an end to mass incarceration. He has garnered support among young people, communities of color and low-income women. Are we seeing an uptick of progressive DAs in other cities across the U.S.? Is this an example that sticking to ones progressive principles can mean victory? What role did progressive movements play in Krasners election, and how was a broader electorate so convinced that Krasner defeated his GOP opponent with a whopping 75 percent of the vote? Our guest is Kairol Rosenthal, who was a Neighborhood Engagement Coordinator with the Krasner campaign.

For our Weekly Earth Watch, we return to our coverage of Puerto Rico, where the majority of residents are still facing an unprecedented humanitarian disaster of their island home in the wake of Hurricane Maria. Increasing numbers of residents have become environmental refugees fleeing the island, and now FEMA has announced that they will transport refugees from PR to the U.S. Our guest is Dezaray Lyn, a social, economic and climate justice organizer who recently returned from an aid delivery trip to Puerto Rico with the grassroots network Mutual Aid Disaster Relief.

And "as the new Poor Peoples Campaign is on the rise in the United States, we are taking a look at the hidden poor: people because they have a professional job and therefore not seen as poor. Even as universities raise tuitions and rake in millions, the army of postdocs and Research Assistants who contribute to the work and prestige of the university are all too often underpaid. And at the University of Washington, which has a reputation for being liberal, there is a move to unionize by postdocs "a move being undermined by the administration of the University. Our guest is Max Friedfeld, a research associate in the Department of Chemistry at the University of Washington and a member of UW Postdocs United.

Tuesday's election results have boosted hope for progressives that the tide is turning away from Trumpism. Democrats took the governorships in Virginia and New Jersey, and several transgender candidates won seats: Danica Roem of Virginia has become the first openly transgender person elected to a state legislature. And in Minneapolis, two Black transgender representatives were elected to City Council.

Among the wave of progressives getting elected today, we focus on the contentious District Attorney race in Philadelphia. Civil rights advocate and anti-death penalty proponent Larry Krasner overwhelming won his race as the new DA in the city. Krasner considers himself a movement lawyer who supports criminal justice reform, opposes Trumps moves against immigrants, and calls for an end to mass incarceration. He has garnered support among young people, communities of color and low-income women. Are we seeing an uptick of progressive DAs in other cities across the U.S.? Is this an example that sticking to ones progressive principles can mean victory? What role did progressive movements play in Krasners election, and how was a broader electorate so convinced that Krasner defeated his GOP opponent with a whopping 75 percent of the vote?

Our guest is Kairol Rosenthal, who was a Neighborhood Engagement Coordinator with the Krasner campaign.

On our weekly roundtable:

The GOP is debuting their tax reform bill, which a New York Times article called a "permanent corporate tax cut." Meanwhile, there are other Trump troubles; for example, the Mueller investigation and the charges against those previously on Trump's campaign. Two of those who have been charged thus far are under house arrest.

Senator Elizabeth Warren and Donna Brazile are saying the Democratic National Committee was rigged for Hillary Clinton and against Bernie Sanders. What's going on inside the party, and what is the potential impact of these revelations?

On the international front, Trump leaves for Asia on Friday with North Korea on his mind. What are the concerns and worries as a nervous world watches and fears what he'll do next?

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

Confusion is brewing in Kenya following a general election essentially featuring only one candidate. What are the implications, and what is next for the country? Our guest is Tanzania-based Ezra Mbogori, founding director of the Akiba Uhaki Foundation and founding chairperson of the Kenya NGO Council.

November 2, 2017 marks the anniversary of the Balfour Declaration. We focus on that history with our guest, journalist, author and Palestine Chronicle editor Dr. Ramzy Baroud.

On October 4, four U.S. soldiers were killed in an ambush in Niger. The incident sparked a lot of questions, including, for many people: what exactly is the U.S. military doing in Africa? Our guest, Emira Woods of the Institute for Policy Studies, breaks down AFRICOM and the U.S. military's history on the continent.