Sojourner Truth Radio

California is now ground zero in the Presidential race. Bill and Hillary Clinton have planned 30 events across the state today, while Bernie Sanders continues to draw large crowds in Northern, Central and Southern California. The latest polls shows a dead heat between Clinton and Sanders in California. But what challenges may independent voters may face on Tuesday's primary? Our guest is Dorothy Reik, president of the Progressive Democrats of the Santa Monica Mountains.

Meanwhile, Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff has been removed. Now it has emerged that the plotters against Rousseff did so to quash a vast corruption investigation that implicated them. We speak to Maria Luisa Mendonca, director of Brazil s Network for Social Justice and Human Rights.

Plus, we bring you our weekly Earth Watch. Dan Bacher tells us about the struggles of California Central Valley s Hoopa Valley Tribe to reserve their water in the face of agribusiness.

Breaking news from Haiti: The Haitian grassroots were able to beat back pressure from the U.S. State Department, the Clintons, the European Union, the United Nations and the OAS to accept last fall's fraudulent presidential election. As a result of continued grassroots protests, an interim government was set up, which established a commission to investigate the elections – and the results are back. Our guest is Kevin Pina, journalist, filmmaker and expert on Haiti.

In the context of next Tuesday's California primary, a justice fair is being held to focus on how people can get criminal records expunged, get traffic ticket amnesty, and more. It will also feature a panel of judicial candidates running for office. We speak with Susan Burton, founder of a New Way of Life, an organizer of the event.

Bernie Sanders presidential campaign continues to hold sway, with a recent rally in Oakland attended by over 30,000 people, as well as a meeting at a Black church in Oakland. What is the state of his campaign in Southern California? We speak with Erika Andiola, the National Press Secretary for Latino/a Outreach for Bernie Sanders.

Then, we speak with filmmaker Damani Baker, director of "The House on Coco Road."

Sojourner Truth: May 31, 2016 - Rev. Edward Pinkney, Middle East Borders, Debbie Wasserman Schultz by sojournertruthradio

We speak in depth with James Schneider, spokesperson for Momentum, a massive political movement taking the United Kingdom by storm, sparked by the revolutionary election of Labour Party Leader Jeremy Corbyn.

Today, we debut our one-hour interview with Honduran and Garifuna human rights activist and Vice President of the Black Fraternal Organization of Honduras, Alfredo Lopez.

Another verdict in the Freddie Gray cases: Officer Edward Nero, the second Baltimore police officer to be tried, was acquitted. We get reaction and commentary from Eddie Conway, former member of the Black Panther Party and journalist for the Baltimore-based Real News Network.

President Obama will be the first sitting U.S. President to visit Hiroshima, where the United States dropped a nuclear weapon during World War II. Over 70 prominent scholars and activists are calling on Obama to meet with atomic bomb survivors and to announce initiatives to reduce nuclear weapons. Our guest is Kevin Martin, President of Peace Action.

And: the Bernie Sanders campaign sets its sights on California, the June 7th state primary with the largest number of delegates. Our guest is Symone Sanders, National Press Secretary for the Sanders campaign.

Plus, our weekly “Earth Minute” returns.

For our weekly roundtable: on the international front, we return to the turmoil and proxy wars in Syria, including the simmering new "cold war" between the U.S. and Russia. Also, Joe Biden pays a surprise pre-Ramadan visit to Iraq under tight security due to anti-U.S. sentiment. There is renewed talk about breaking up Iraq into separate territories. And the U.S. recently announced it was sending more combat troops into Iraq and Syria.

In the Americas, we see left-leaning governments in trouble and a rise of the right. What, if anything, has been the U.S. role in this? And in Cuba, Fidel Castro has pretty much given a farewell speech, saying he will die soon. In Haiti, the grassroots movement has thus far managed to hold back recent U.S. plans to control who Haitians elect as their next president. And: the U.S. drug war is being exposed for what it is. How will all of this impact the balance of power in the region as well as the power of countries of the global south?

On the presidential election front, we discuss the reasons for the rise of Trump and what the Sanders campaign tells us about the future of the Democratic Party. Plus, a riot breaks out after a Trump rally in Orange County, California. Young Latinos and Latinas took to the streets to let Trump know he and his anti-immigrant agenda are not welcome.

Our panelists are Jackie Goldberg, Laura Carlsen, Tom Hayden and Pennsylvania based journalist Linn Washington.

Protesters hit the streets in Baltimore to mark the one year anniversary of the original protests surrounding the death of Freddie Gray; and yesterday, a 14-year-old boy carrying a toy gun was shot by the city's police. Plus, journalist and former Black Panther Eddie Conway speaks with Black community members in Baltimore about what -- if anything -- has changed since Freddie Gray's death.

Tuesday marked the 30th anniversary of Chernobyl, the world s largest nuclear power accident that affected more than half a billion people. Our guest is nuclear power expert Arnie Gunderson, the Chief Engineer at Fairewinds Energy Education.

For our weekly Earth Watch: activists shut down the main entrance of State Street Corporation s headquarters in Boston, protesting against fracking. We speak with Sherrie Anne Andre of FANG: Fighting Against Natural Gas.

Also, we bring you our daily Sojourner Truth Election Watch.

Yesterday was yet another Super Tuesday: Hillary Clinton took four of five states, and Trump swept all five. National polls still show Bernie Sanders as the best candidate to beat Trump. We hear from residents of Baltimore, Maryland about their concerns in this election cycle, Philadelphia based journalist Linn Washington, Bruce Carter of Black Men for Bernie, and Billy Taylor with Philly Socialist Alternative.

And: a federal court in North Carolina has upheld its voter suppression law. Our guest is attorney Barbara Arnwine, a longtime voting rights champion and President of the Transformative Justice Coalition. She also served as President and Executive Director for the Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights Under the Law.

Also: Congolese musician Papa Wemba has died; his loss mourned across Africa.

Today, we debut our one hour special with David Cole, noted constitutional law and civil rights lawyer, news correspondent, and the author of many books, including this year's "Engines of Liberty: The Power of Citizen Activists to Make Constitutional Law."