democracynow.org
Stories:
Cornel West: Why I Endorse Green Party's Jill Stein Over "Neoliberal Disaster" Hillary Clinton
Cornel West is heading to Philadelphia next, where he will serve on the Democratic Platform Drafting Committee, but he has announced he won’t be backing the party’s presumptive nominee. West talks about why he is backing the Green Party’s Jill Stein over Hillary Clinton.
TRANSCRIPT
This is a rush transcript. Copy may not be in its final form.
AMY GOODMAN: You are endorsing Dr. Jill Stein. You were a surrogate for Bernie Sanders. You spoke all over the country for him.
CORNEL WEST: Yes, yes, yes.
AMY GOODMAN: What made you decide to support the Green Party presidential candidate as opposed to Hillary Clinton?
CORNEL WEST: Well, I’ve never been tied to one party or one candidate or even one institution. And that’s true even with one church as a Christian. I’m committed to truth and justice. And Brother Bernie, no doubt, was the standard-bearer for truth and justice during the primary at a national level, at a highly visible level. Once he endorsed Hillary Clinton, who, for me, is a neoliberal disaster, it was clear—
AMY GOODMAN: What do mean by that?
CORNEL WEST: A neoliberal disaster is one who generates a mass incarceration regime, who deregulates banks and markets, who promotes chaos of regime change in Libya, supports military coups in Honduras, undermines some of the magnificent efforts in Haiti of working people, and so forth. That’s the record of Hillary Clinton. So there was no way—when my dear brother, who I love very deeply, Bernie Sanders said she will make an outstanding president, I said, "Oh, I disagree with my brother. I think she’ll—I don’t think she’ll make an outstanding president at all." She’s a militarist. She’s a hawk. She could take us into war with Russia. She could take us into war with Iran. So, I mean, I think she’s—she’s dangerous in terms of her neoliberal ideology—not as a woman, because I’m supporting, of course, my dear sister Jill Stein.
I think after a magnificent campaign of Bernie Sanders, the next step is a green step. The next step is a progressive step. And when you’re calling for reparations, you’re calling for the release of prisoners who have been historically unfairly treated, especially tied to nonviolent crimes, and then saying they should vote and that vote should never be taken away, when you’re calling—putting people and planet and peace before profits, Sister Jill Stein, for me, is somebody that’s worth fighting for. And she’s not a spoiler. You know, a lot of people use that term "spoiler." If Hillary Clinton can’t make the case to progressives, she doesn’t deserve our vote.
Now, Trump is a neofascist in the making. There’s no doubt about that.
AMY GOODMAN: Donald Trump.
CORNEL WEST: Yeah. Oh, there’s no doubt about that. But the thing is, is that you can’t just be a non-Trump and deserve one’s vote. If Hillary Clinton wants the vote of progressives, she better be real about it. But I don’t think she has the capacity to be real about it. She’s so tied to Wall Street. She’s so tied to the corporate elite.
AMY GOODMAN: Why do you say he’s a neofascist, Donald Trump, the—
CORNEL WEST: Because neofascism in the United States takes the form of big money, big banks, big corporations, tied to xenophobic scapegoating of the vulnerable, like Mexicans and Muslims and women and black folk, and militaristic policies abroad, with strongman, charismatic, autocratic personality, and that’s what Donald Trump is.
And we should know. This is why I salute you, my dear sister. Corporate media has played a fundamental role in the making of Donald Trump—$2 billion free time. They made big profits. They put their profits ahead of the public interest. They covered every speech, every word in Twitter for the last 14 months, just to make big money. Even this convention, even this—they can’t wait. They’re salivating for the profits. And what do they do? They throw out this mediocre, dumbed-down xenophobic-speaking brother, who—I mean, he’s a human being like anybody else, so, I mean, you know, he’s made in the image of God, in terms of my own Christian faith and so forth, but he’s a neofascist in the making. And corporate media is going to have to acknowledge the tremendous responsibility they have of making sure Donald Trump was center stage. If Bernie Sanders had received one-half of that kind of attention, we’d be in a very different place. If they would put more stress on what Jill Stein is saying, the unbelievable fairness, subtlety of analysis, moral passion of Sister Jill—corporate media won’t touch her with a 10-foot pole, for the most part. But it’s changing. It’s going to change.
AMY GOODMAN: What does Dr. Jill Stein represent? What—why are you drawn to the Green Party platform, now that Bernie Sanders has conceded?
CORNEL WEST: Well, one, in the language of Coltrane, she’s a major force for good, accenting the role of poor and working people being center stage. She’s green in terms of trying to save the planet in the face of corporate greed. She’s fundamentally concerned with issues of racial justice, legacies of white supremacy as well as male supremacy. She’s concerned about empowering working people. She opposes TPP, trying to make sure we don’t have the corporate reshaping of the world economy—the kind of policies, of course, Democratic Party has supported, President Obama has supported. It’s hard to find somebody at the national level who provides a certain kind of hope, given the unbelievable spiritual decline and moral decay. And by spiritual decline and moral decay, I mean greed and indifference and contempt in the driver seat among our elites vis-à-vis all working people and poor people. It’s just sad to see so many fellow working people and fellow citizens supporting a pseudo-populist and neofascist like Donald Trump. They’re in pain. The pain is very real, but they’re moving in a right-wing direction.
AMY GOODMAN: What happened with the Democratic platform? You were one of the people on the committee. A lot of people don’t know how this stuff is made, how the sausage is made. Explain what happened. What did you win? What did you lose?
CORNEL WEST: Well, I was blessed to be put on the committee by Brother Bernie Sanders. We had wonderful deliberations. Brother Elijah Cummings was very fair. He was the chairperson. But we lost TPP. We lost Medicare for all. We lost, of course, Israeli occupation and Israeli settlements included within the platform, keeping track while precious Palestinian brothers and sisters—
AMY GOODMAN: What about them? You lost—what do you mean, you lost them?
CORNEL WEST: We lost them, in that we made the case, and we lost the vote.
AMY GOODMAN: What were you looking for?
CORNEL WEST: We were looking to include them within the platform, so at least it was on paper. Now, of course, putting it on paper is different than putting it in practice. A declaration is different from the execution. But we lost over and over again, because the Clinton people lined up and voted against it. That’s why I, of course, abstained, initially, at the move from writing the draft, and then we took it to the platform committee in Orlando. I was also a member of the platform committee. And I had to abstain again, because—even though they didn’t allow for abstention; it was just no or yes. But there’s no way, based on moral grounds, those based on my own moral conscience, that I could support that platform.
And once my dear brother moved into his endorsement, his strong endorsement of the neoliberal disaster that Sister Hillary represents, there was no way that I could stay with Bernie Sanders any longer, had to break with the two-party system. The duopoly has to come to an end. I was hoping we could bring the neoliberal era to a close, because a year ago, populist, Bernie Sanders; neofascist with Trump, or neoliberalism limps on with Hillary Clinton. Right now the Democratic Party still run by big corporations, big lobbyists and so forth, from AIPAC to a host of other lobbyists of big money, and it looks like they want to hold on for dear life. And it’s a sad thing to see, because the country is having a nervous breakdown. And you just hope that there can be enough people with compassion and courage to hold onto justice, keep the legacy of Martin Luther King Jr. and Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel and Edward Said and Dorothy Day alive.
AMY GOODMAN: Finally, when you look at what Donald Trump is calling for—the wall on the border with Mexico, banning Muslims from coming in—barring Muslims from coming into the country, hesitating to disavow the support of the white supremacist David Duke and other issues—for those who say it’s only Hillary Clinton who could defeat that, what is your response?
CORNEL WEST: My response is, and when you actually look at the mass incarceration policies, when you actually look at the reinforcement of the new Jim Crow and the segregation of our educational systems and so forth, that occurred under Democrats. It would persist under Hillary Clinton. What Donald Trump talks about in the abstract has actually been concretely enacted under neoliberal regimes of the Democratic Party.
Same would be true in terms of foreign policy. Foreign policy, for me, is very, very important in terms of the no-fly zones in Syria that can lead toward war, the kind of encirclement of Russia. I mean, can you imagine Russian troops in Mexico and Canada? What would the U.S. response be? Oh, my god. Well, that’s very much what NATO troops are vis-à-vis Russia. Now, we know Russia is run by autocratic Putin, but that kind of provocation for Russia, who has nuclear arms, is the kind of thing that Hillary Clinton, of course, supported. And her connection to the Robert Kagans and Henry Kissingers, of course, are just frightening in regard to militaristic orientations.
And so, this idea that somehow we’ve got to opt for a neoliberal disaster as the only option vis-à-vis the neofascist catastrophe, as a blues man, I appreciate you playing that blues, said I can deal with catastrophe, not by panicking and being driven by fear, but I can look the catastrophe in the face and still tell the truth and still go down swinging with a smile and, most importantly, love, Coltrane’s love—and for me, Jesus’s love—at the center of how we proceed.
AMY GOODMAN: We’re going to leave it there, but we’ll be talking to you through the week, Dr. Cornel West, professor at Union Theological Seminary. He endorsed Bernie Sanders for president last summer and was appointed by Sanders to serve on the Democratic platform committee, author of a number of books, most recently Black Prophetic Fire, now is endorsing Dr. Jill Stein, Green Party presidential candidate.
This is Democracy Now! When we come back, we go to Istanbul and stay right here to talk about the attempted coup over the weekend. Stay with us. ... Read More →
Cornel West: Justice and Accountability are Necessary to End Tension over Killings by Police
We discuss the killing of three police officers in Baton Rouge and the recent nationwide protests against police brutality with Cornel West. Cornel West is a professor at Union Theological Seminary. "When I hear the authorities call for peace," West says, "I say, yes, but it’s not the absence of tension. It’s got to be the presence of that justice and accountability."
TRANSCRIPT
This is a rush transcript. Copy may not be in its final form.
AMY GOODMAN: This is Democracy Now!, democracynow.org, The War and Peace Report. I’m Amy Goodman. We are "Breaking with Convention: Power, Politics and the Presidency." Every day, we’re broadcasting for two hours, this week from Cleveland during the Republican National Convention, which opens later this afternoon, and next week from Philadelphia.
To talk more about the killing of the three police officers in Baton Rouge and the recent nationwide protests against police brutality and why he’s here in Cleveland at the Republican National Convention for the week, we’re joined by professor Cornel West. Dr. West is a professor at Union Theological Seminary. He endorsed Bernie Sanders for president last summer, was appointed by Sanders to serve on the Democratic platform committee, author of numerous books, including Black Prophetic Fire.
Welcome to Democracy Now! It’s great to have you with us right here in Cleveland.
CORNEL WEST: In the midst of the madness here, my dear sister.
AMY GOODMAN: The killings—the killings of the police officers in Baton Rouge, before that, in Dallas, the killing of the African-American residents Alton Sterling as well as Philando Castile?
CORNEL WEST: Yeah, yeah. Well, there will never, ever be peace without justice. There will never be calmness without accountability. There will never be order without fairness. So when I hear the authorities call for peace and call for calmness and call for order, I say, yes, but it’s not the absence of tension. It’s got to be the presence of that justice and accountability and that fairness. When I hear the authorities—even President Obama says, well, the attack on the police is an attack on all of us. I said, OK, but an attack on black people, especially black youth, is also attack on all of us. If, in fact, the attack on the police is an assault on all of us, then when the police unfairly maims and murders civilians, the police is killing on behalf of all of us. Well, I don’t want the police killing on behalf of me. I want the police to be treated with respect and fairly, and I want black youth and brown youth, black men and black women to be treated fairly.
And that’s why I came here to Cleveland. I’ve come here. We’ve already marched with Brother Malik Zulu Shabazz, with my precious black nationalist brothers and sisters. We marched Ninth Avenue all the way to—from 12th Avenue all the way to 71st Avenue, Second Ebenezer Baptist Church, Reverend A.L. Owens. I’m here with Reverend Jawanza Colvin at the great historic Mount Olivet Institutional Baptist Church. We’re going to have a gathering with Sister Nina, our dear sister Nina, who’s here, who’s just magnificent in terms of her presence, you know, here in Cleveland.
AMY GOODMAN: Nina Turner?
CORNEL WEST: Yeah, the great Nina Turner. And then the AIDS Healthcare Foundation last night, with Raheem DeVaughn and Mary Mary and The Roots. You know, and, see, 49 years ago yesterday was the death of John Coltrane. And for me, that’s crucial, because it’s really about a love supreme, it’s really about the giant steps that we have to take. But we have to hit the streets. We’ve got to preserve the resistance and let the young folk know, see the tears of our dear sister, the aunt. You know, stop the killing. Stop killing black people. Stop killing working people. Because it’s not just a racial thing. They’re killing a lot of white brothers and sisters, too, but it’s disproportionately chocolate. And, yes, you’ve got to stop killing the police, but we’re in this together. We got social neglect. You’ve got economic abandonment. Every day, you’ve got poor black people who are wrestling with unbelievably oppressive conditions. And we’ve got to be able to speak candidly and honestly about that and come up with some ways of rechanneling a lot of this rage and anger. ... Read More →
Three Police Officers Shot Dead in Baton Rouge Two Weeks After Officers Killed Alton Sterling
In Baton Rouge, three police officers were killed and three others were wounded in a shooting rampage on Sunday following more than a week of protests against police violence that were sparked by the fatal shooting of Baton Rouge resident Alton Sterling by police. According to reports, the officers were responding to a 911 call of shots fired when they were ambushed by a gunman. Officials identified the gunman as Gavin Long of Kansas City, Missouri. Long, who was African-American, served in the Marines from 2005 to 2010, reaching the rank of sergeant. He deployed to Iraq from June 2008 to January 2009, according to military records, and was awarded several medals, including one for good conduct, and received an honorable discharge. We go to Baton Rouge, where we are joined by LaMont Cole, city councilmember for District 7 in Baton Rouge, the area where Alton Sterling was killed by police this month.
TRANSCRIPT
This is a rush transcript. Copy may not be in its final form.
AMY GOODMAN: In Baton Rouge, three police officers were killed and three others wounded in a shooting rampage Sunday. The shooting began just before 9:00 a.m. at a gas station on the city’s Airline Highway, a mile from the Baton Rouge Police Department headquarters. The police department has been the site of more than a week of protests against police violence. The demonstrations were sparked by the fatal shooting of Baton Rouge resident Alton Sterling by police. According to reports, Baton Rouge officers were responding to a 911 call of shots fired when they were ambushed by a gunman. Colonel Michael Edmonson of the Louisiana State Police described the scene.
COL. MICHAEL EDMONSON: At approximately 8:40 a.m., Baton Rouge PD officers at a convenience store observed the individual. He was wearing all black, standing behind a beauty supply store, holding a rifle. At approximately 8:42 a.m., reports received of shots fired. At approximately 8:44 a.m., reports received of officers down on the scene. At 8:45, reports received of more shots being fired. At 8:46 a.m., reports received of the suspect, again, that was wearing all black, standing near a car wash located right next to the convenience store. At 8:48, our emergency EMS units started arriving at the scene. They were staging so they could start approaching and getting the bodies that were at the scene to render first aid. Officers engaged in subject at that particular time, and he ultimately died at the scene. That was officers that were responding to the scene itself.
AMY GOODMAN: The slain officers were identified as Montrell Jackson and Matthew Gerald of the Baton Rouge Police Department and Deputy Brad Garafola of the East Baton Rouge Parish Sheriff’s Office.
Officials identified the gunman as Gavin Long of Kansas City, Missouri. Long, who was African-American, served in the Marines from 2005 to 2010, reaching the rank of sergeant. He deployed to Iraq from June 2008 to January 2009, according to military records. Long was awarded several medals, including one for good conduct, and received an honorable discharge. Initial reports were that two persons of interest had been detained. But late on Sunday, the Louisiana State Police said they were released without charge. Authorities are now looking into Long’s online identity, Cosmo Setepenra. On a website published under the alias, Long described himself as, quote, "Freedom Strategist, Mental Game Coach, Nutritionist, Author and Spiritual Advisor." Long turned 29 on Sunday, the day of the rampage. Earlier this month, after Army veteran Micah Johnson shot dead five police officers in Dallas, Long wrote a message online saying, quote, "With a brother killing the police you get what I’m saying—it’s justice."
The shootings of the officers in Baton Rouge and Dallas follow the police killings earlier this month of Alton Sterling in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, and Philando Castile in Falcon Heights, Minnesota. Speaking Sunday, President Obama called for national unity.
PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA: We, as a nation, have to be loud and clear that nothing justifies violence against law enforcement. Attacks on police are an attack on all of us.
AMY GOODMAN: We go now to Baton Rouge, where we’re joined by LaMont Cole, city councilman for District 7 in Baton Rouge. It’s the area where Alton Sterling was killed by police this month.
We welcome you to Democracy Now! Can you talk about what happened this weekend, just yesterday, Sunday, Baton Rouge time about 9:00 in the morning, the killing of the three officers?
LAMONT COLE: Good morning. Thank you for having me. Yes, on yesterday, I was—I had just left church. I went to the early service, and I was driving down the street, and a friend of mine who works in law enforcement called me and said, "Have you heard?" And I said, "Heard what?" And he told me that there was a shooting taking place right then and there with officers down on the scene, and that if he could, he would give me a call back a little bit later. I got home, I turned the television on, and the local news stations were already reporting, and then the national news stations picked it up. And so, I followed it on television like everyone else.
Immediately, I was disturbed by the images. I was disturbed by the information we were receiving relative to the officers being down. And before I jumped to judgment, I took my phone out and started texting officers that I know who are friends of mine that work for the state police, the East Baton Rouge Parish Sheriff’s Office, as well as the Baton Rouge City Police Department, just to make sure they were OK. I soon realized I have over 20 friends that work in law enforcement here in the city. And all of them, fortunately, were OK. Of course, we recognize now that three officers were gunned down in our streets, and we’re sympathetic, empathetic and saddened by this tragedy in our city, and our hearts and prayers are with the families of those officers.
And I think, for our city, it’s challenging, because we’ve experienced two killings in the streets over the last two weeks, 13 days, that have received national attention, and I think it speaks to some of the ills that we have in our society at large. But more importantly, when things like this happen in your city, it’s an opportunity for us to move forward and be better as a result of it.
AMY GOODMAN: I wanted to turn to this clip, turn to Alton Sterling’s aunt, Veda Washington-Abusaleh, speaking on Sunday after learning about the shooting that left the three officers dead and the others wounded, one critically. This is what she said.
VEDA WASHINGTON-ABUSALEH: We don’t call for no bloodshed. That’s how this all started—with bloodshed. We don’t want no more bloodshed. So if you’re not in accord with us, leave, go home, go wherever you come from. This is our house. You can’t come in our house, killing us. That’s what you’re doing, because at the end of the day, when these people call these families and they tell them that their daddies and their mamas not coming home no more, I know how they feel, because I got the same phone call. No justice. No justice, no peace! That’s what we’re calling for. Stop this killing! Stop this killing! Stop this killing!
AMY GOODMAN: That is Veda Washington-Abusaleh, who is the aunt of Alton Sterling. LaMont Cole, can you talk about her call for peace and for justice?
LAMONT COLE: You know, my heart goes out to she, as well as the other members of the Sterling family. Sandra Sterling, one of his aunts, and I are very good friends and have talked every day since. And, you know, I agree with her that bloodshed is what is leading to many of the tense nature that we have in the city, and is leading to some of the challenging times that we’re experiencing in our country, and is leading to more bloodshed. So I agree with her that this is not what we want to see. This is not with the family wanted to see. This is not what they are about. The Sterling family is extremely large here in our city, and they’re a great group of people. All of the Sterlings that I know are a great group of people. And this is nothing that any of them would want. So, the passion, the pain in her voice, the tears, they’re real. And she feels for those families, and she understands what they’re experiencing, because, you know, 13 days ago, she and her family experienced the same thing. So I think we’re all on the same page in terms of not wanting to see this type of tragedy take place in our city on behalf of the police department as well as our citizens.
I think we have to get to a point where we work to keep our communities safe, and then we have to work extremely hard to keep our police officers say. I mean, this may sound a bit selfish, but, ultimately, who am I supposed to call when I feel unsafe, if I can’t make sure, if I’m not working or if I’m not discussing how we keep those who have been charged with protecting us—how we keep those individuals safe? And as I said before, so many friends of mine work in law enforcement, and I don’t want to see any of them killed in the street, doing such a dangerous job and putting their life on the line every single day. So I echo what Miss Sterling is saying, and I sincerely hope that we can work together to make sure that we come up with solutions that are going to make our community better.
AMY GOODMAN: Let me ask you about the mayor. Many are calling for him to resign, Kip Holden, protests outside the police department. So many attended Alton Sterling’s funeral on Friday, the memorial service, but not the mayor—inexplicable absence. Do you think he should have been there? Do you feel he should resign, City Councilman?
LAMONT COLE: That’s a tough question. I know the mayor very well. I’ve known him a long time. And I think it’s just a very challenging position for him to be in as the leader of this city, as the three-term—as the first three-term mayor, as the first African-American mayor. And so, I do understand the frustration some may have with the decision that he made. But I will say this: I can’t speak for him. I was at the funeral. I have attended many of the protests here in the city. All of the protests that I’ve attended have been extremely peaceful. I’ve visited with the family. I’ve attended the store, visited the store at least eight of the last 13 days, to be there with the people. And I think, in leadership, the right move to make is always to be with the people that elected you to be in office.
As it relates to him choosing to resign, that’s a tough decision for him. He’s said publicly that that’s something he’s not going to do. He’s not going to resign from office. And I know people are angry, and I know people are frustrated with some of the choices he’s making. But I will simply say this: Decisions we make dictate the life we lead, and I wouldn’t want to be him right now at this moment.
AMY GOODMAN: Do you know why, since you know him well, he chose not to attend? And apparently, though I can’t confirm this, he hasn’t even called the Sterling family. President Obama called the family.
LAMONT COLE: No, you know, I do know him well, but we’ve not spoken in about two-and-a-half months. So I’m not sure why he’s choosing to do some of the things that he’s doing. And I’m not judging. Please understand, I’m not judging any of the decisions that our mayor is making. But what I am saying is that in a situation like this—I myself have been in a position where I was elected by the people who live in that community—I made sure I visited with the family, I contacted the family, I offered my condolences, I made sure that we sent something from our office to the funeral. I made sure to be with the family on the day of the funeral, just to offer condolences and support. And I’ve made sure to stay in contact with those members of the family that I know well. So, you know, again, I can’t speak to any decisions he’s made. He’d have to answer for those himself. But what I will say is that, you know, during the rest of his term, with three months left on his term, I think that he and the rest of us need to start working towards real solutions in terms of how to keep our community safe and as well how to keep our police department safe.
AMY GOODMAN: One of the officers killed in Baton Rouge has been identified as 32-year-old Montrell Jackson, married father of a new baby boy. Jackson, who described himself as humble and kind, was a 10-year veteran of the Baton Rouge Police Department. He responded to the police killing of Alton Sterling in Baton Rouge as well as the shooting of Dallas police officers, in a Facebook post, which was dated July 8th. He wrote, quote, "I’m tired physically and emotionally. ... Thank you to everyone that has reached out to me or my wife it was needed and much appreciated. I swear to God I love this city but I wonder if this city loves me. In uniform, I get nasty hateful looks and out of uniform some consider me a threat. I’ve experienced so much in my short life and these last 3 days have tested me to the core. ... Finally I personally want to send prayers out to everyone directly affected by this tragedy. These are trying times. Please don’t let hate infect your heart. This city MUST and WILL get better. I’m working in these streets so any protesters, officers, friends, family, or whoever, if you see me and need a hug or want to say a prayer, I got you." Again, those are the words of the officer who was gunned down on Sunday. Your thoughts on this, City Councilmember LaMont Cole?
LAMONT COLE: Every single time someone reads that on television or I read it myself, I get a lump in my throat. He summed up the situation so eloquently. I think the passion in his words is evident. I think that officer cared about this city, cared about the people he was charged with working with. And I think it was extremely challenging. And I understand some of what he was saying, being an African-American male living in the city who does work every day with young people and tries to make sure we’re doing the right types of things to move the city forward.
I’ve seen Montrell on duty and working in the community. I don’t know him personally, but I’ve seen him. Baton Rouge is a big small town. And so, I recognized that everyone he came in contact with, from my observation, he was—he treated with the ultimate respect. I think that—I work in the school system here in the city, as well, and so I come in contact with law enforcement quite often at various different extracurricular activities. And so I’ve seen him at various different events. He was a good man, from observation. And I think his words spoke to his character, the integrity that he carried as he wore the uniform, and the way he carried himself in our community.
And so, I think this city has lost a great individual, has lost it from a tragic incident. A young baby won’t grow up knowing his father. And I think it’s extremely unfortunate. But to sum up his words, it’s amazing to me that he had that thought process so soon after such tragic events and not knowing what his fate would be, going forward. And so, it’s great to have an individual express himself so well and to be remembered by those words. And so, I commend him for the life that he lived, and I hope that we can celebrate him in death.
AMY GOODMAN: Very quickly, can you respond to the so-called Blue Lives Matter law and also the fact that after Sterling—Alton Sterling’s death, close to 200 people were arrested? The ACLU has filed suit, saying unnecessary force, excessive arrests. What are your thoughts on this, Councilman?
LAMONT COLE: Well, I think that this is the first time that we have experienced anything like this in our city. And I think people were on edge and responded the best way they knew how. And I take caution with what I observed in news media, what I saw on social media videos, in terms of how police were interacting with our residents. And I had some concerns about that. I think it was extremely tough, not only for the police department, but for the protesters, as well. I think people were angry. I think people were frustrated. I know I was angry. I know I was frustrated. I know I was one of the participants of many protests. And I just think that people reacted in a way based on emotion. And I think oftentimes when we act on emotion without the benefit of intellect, we make decisions sometimes that we regret.
And I think that over 180 people being arrested was a bit excessive in terms of trying to keep our city safe. But I also recognize that the police department was doing the best it could during this extremely challenging time. Do I agree with 180 people being arrested during a protest? Not at all. Let me state that for the record: not at all. But I do understand that they were doing the best that they could based on all of the information they were receiving about the protests. I’ve met with the chief of police, state superintendent, as well as our sheriff, to discuss our concerns about what was happening. And based on their conversation, you know, I may not agree with the way they went about addressing the matter, but I do understand, in those positions of leadership, there are tough decisions to be made, and they made the ones that they thought were going to keep the community safe.
AMY GOODMAN: LaMont Cole, I want to thank you for being with us, city councilman in Baton Rouge, where Alton Sterling was killed by police. I want to thank you for being with us. When we come back from break, Dr. Cornel West joins us, professor at Union Theological Seminary. He is here in Cleveland at the Republican National Convention. We’ll find out why. Stay with us. ... Read More →
Medea Benjamin: Why Is Government Downplaying Saudi-9/11 Docs After Keeping Them Secret for Years?
The Obama administration has finally declassified 28 pages from the September 11 report detailing possible ties between the Saudi government and the 9/11 attacks. The report states: "Prior to September 11th, the FBI apparently did not focus investigative resources on [redacted text] Saudi nationals in the United States due to Saudi Arabia’s status as an American 'ally.'" Fifteen of the 19 men who hijacked planes on 9/11 were from Saudi Arabia. Speaking on Friday, White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest downplayed the importance of the declassified documents. The declassified documents raise new questions about the role of Fahad al-Thumairy, a Saudi consular official based in the Los Angeles area. Al-Thumairy personally helped two of the hijackers after they arrived in Los Angeles in early 2000. The document also reveals details about an incident in 1999 when a flight from Phoenix to Washington, D.C., was forced to make an emergency landing after a Saudi man attempted to enter the cockpit twice. We speak to CodePink co-founder Medea Benjamin. Her forthcoming book is "Kingdom of the Unjust: Behind the U.S.-Saudi Connection."
TRANSCRIPT
This is a rush transcript. Copy may not be in its final form.
AMY GOODMAN: We move from Turkey to Saudi Arabia. This is Democracy Now!, democracynow.org, The War and Peace Report. I’m Amy Goodman. The Obama administration has finally declassified 28 pages from the September 11th report detailing possible ties between the Saudi government and the 9/11 attacks. The report states, quote, "Prior to September 11th, the FBI apparently did not focus investigative resources on [redacted text] Saudi nationals in the United States due to Saudi Arabia’s status as an American 'ally.'" Fifteen of the 19 men who hijacked planes on 9/11 were from Saudi Arabia. Speaking Friday, White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest downplayed the importance of the declassified document.
PRESS SECRETARY JOSH EARNEST: And the conclusion of the 9/11 Commission is—or was, as they wrote, they found, quote, "no evidence that the Saudi government as an institution or senior Saudi officials individually funded" al-Qaeda. And the 9/11 Commission was able to draw on the information that’s been declassified today, as they wrote their report. They were able to do follow-up interviews and to further investigate those leads. Those leads didn’t really turn up anything as it relates to specific evidence about the Saudi government, as an institution, or senior Saudi officials individually funding al-Qaeda.
AMY GOODMAN: The declassified document raises new questions about the role of Fahad al-Thumairy, a Saudi consular official based in the Los Angeles area. Al-Thumairy personally helped two of the hijackers after they arrived in Los Angeles in early 2000. The document also reveals details about an incident in 1999 when a flight from Phoenix to Washington, D.C., was forced to make an emergency landing after a Saudi man attempted to enter the cockpit twice. Despite these findings, Josh Earnest said the report found no links between the Saudis and al-Qaeda.
PRESS SECRETARY JOSH EARNEST: This information, even as it’s now publicly available, does not change the assessment of the U.S. government that there’s no evidence that the Saudi government, as an institution, or senior Saudi officials individually funded al-Qaeda.
AMY GOODMAN: We are now joined by Medea Benjamin. She’s co-founder of CodePink. Her new book is called Kingdom of the Unjust: Behind the U.S.-Saudi Connection. It will be out in August.
Welcome to Democracy Now!, Medea.
MEDEA BENJAMIN: Thank you, Amy.
AMY GOODMAN: I saw you outside protesting, quite a major scene there with police on horseback pushing you women of CodePink forward with their horses as you were singing for peace. But we’ll talk about that in a minute. Let’s talk about Saudi Arabia first. This is hardly getting any attention, clearly deliberately by the Obama administration, because it came out on Friday, when, at the time—this is before so much took place on Friday—but at the time, it was believed Donald Trump was going to be announcing his running mate, Governor Pence. Talk about the 28 pages that you have been demanding, among many people, including the former governor and senator from Florida, Bob Graham, released. It finally was.
MEDEA BENJAMIN: Well, you’re right to put it in the context of they tried to hide this as much as they could. I mean, a Friday afternoon, when Congress is going on its summer vacation, when the conventions are starting. They really wanted to bury this.
What is in the 28 pages? Well, I think the way the administration and the Saudi officials tried to downplay it, you have to question: Well, then why they were hiding it for 14 years? What we see in the 28 pages is 10 different Saudi individuals who were named and details about their connections to the Saudi government and their connections to helping the hijackers. This is mostly, Amy, the ones that were living in San Diego. Two-thirds of the hijackers, though, were living in Florida. We don’t have any information that’s released about them. And there’s, according to Bob Graham, 8,000 pages of documents that he and others are still trying to get released.
You talked about the dry run that was in 1999. It was actually two Saudis that were on their way to a party at the Saudi Embassy, with tickets paid for by the Saudi government, that tried to get into the cockpit twice, with an emergency landing, and then the FBI decided not to further investigate it. You mentioned Thumairy. Thumairy was allowed to go back to Saudi Arabia. When he was interviewed again in Riyadh in 2004, he denied that he had any contact with the hijackers, despite being presented with phone records. There are so many connections between individuals related to the Saudi government and these hijackers that it’s hard to even see why the U.S. government, whether it’s under the Bush administration or the Obama administration, continues to consider Saudi Arabia an ally. Of course, if you look deeper into it, you see things like $97 billion worth of weapon sales, so there’s a lot of money involved in this alliance.
AMY GOODMAN: Talk about that. Talk about the U.S.-Saudi relationship.
MEDEA BENJAMIN: The U.S.-Saudi relationship right now, I would say, is not based on oil, because only 12 percent of the oil from the United States comes from Saudi Arabia. It’s based on weapon sales. It’s the largest purchaser, by far, of U.S. weapons—$97 billion worth now in the works; under the Obama administration, the largest sales of weapons to any country ever in the history of the United States going to Saudi Arabia, Saudi Arabia using those weapons to commit war crimes in Yemen, with not only U.S. weapons, but the logistical support of the United States. And Saudi Arabia, let’s remember, is the country that is spreading extremism throughout the world. It is a country that is based on the most intolerant form of Islam, Wahhabism, and it has been using billions of dollars of petrodollars to spread that extremism all over the world. So, it is quite extraordinary.
AMY GOODMAN: I want to turn to the Saudi foreign minister, Adel al-Jubeir, speaking after the 28 pages were released on Friday.
ADEL AL-JUBEIR: The CIA director, the director of national intelligence came out and said that there is no involvement of the Saudi government, of Saudi officials, in the events of 9/11. The Senate Intelligence Committee did its own investigation, came to the same conclusion. And so, the matter is now finished.
AMY GOODMAN: There you have the Saudi foreign minister. Your response to what he’s saying, that this proves that there isn’t a connection?
MEDEA BENJAMIN: I think it’s insane. I think the Saudi government employs eight different lobby groups in the United States. The foreign minister came to the U.S. when this was being released. They had a full-court press out to get the mainstream press to downplay this. I think the only thing I saw was The New York Times had actually said it was a far more substantial document than the Saudi and the American officials tried to indicate. But for most of the press, they either didn’t even cover this, or they covered it the way the U.S. government and the Saudi government wanted it to be covered, not the way the 9/11 families or people like Senator Graham himself wanted it to.
AMY GOODMAN: Let me ask you this. You’re here protesting at the Republican convention. We’ll talk about that in a minute. I saw you last night out on the streets. But it’s Donald Trump who has called out the Saudi regime. Talk about Donald Trump versus Hillary Clinton on this issue, not to mention the Libertarians and Green Party candidate, as well.
MEDEA BENJAMIN: Donald Trump really wants the Saudis to just pay more. I mean, Donald Trump would be happy with the relationship with Saudi Arabia as long as the Saudis paid more for their own—what he calls their defense. He wants the Saudis to get more involved in the Middle East conflicts. So, yes, he has said some things about wondering if they really are friends of the United States. But in the end, I don’t think we should be under any illusion that Donald Trump is going to cut off the Saudis. He just wants a better deal. In fact, Donald Trump has many dealings himself personally with the Saudi government and Saudi princes.
AMY GOODMAN: The—Hillary Clinton?
MEDEA BENJAMIN: Hillary Clinton has an even worse record. In fact, her foundation has received somewhere between $10 [million] and $25 million from the Saudi government. She has had very intimate dealings with the Saudis, calls them the great ally of the United States. And it was when she was secretary of state that the highest amount of weapon sales was approved to the Saudi government.
AMY GOODMAN: And why you’re here in Cleveland, Medea Benjamin?
MEDEA BENJAMIN: I’m here because I’m protesting both Donald Trump, the RNC, and I’ll be protesting Hillary Clinton at the DNC. I think we have a terrible choice of presidential candidates, and we have a system that is so corrupt. And one little part of that is this continued alliance with a repressive Saudi regime that’s repressing its own people, that is spreading extremism around the world. And we have to question: Why in the world is our government and our two political parties continuing this alliance?
AMY GOODMAN: The approach that the police took to you, all dressed up as pink Lady Liberties, the CodePink women, with signs that talked about immigration rights and ending endless war, and then moving in on you on horseback last night?
MEDEA BENJAMIN: Quite extraordinary. I mean, we very consciously tried to look very welcoming and warm. In fact, we were welcoming the people who were coming to the convention, but we were saying, "Let’s stop the hatred. Let’s open our arms to people who are fleeing oppression, whether it’s from Syria or people fleeing from Latin America." And the response of the police was overwhelming and ridiculous.
AMY GOODMAN: Well, we will continue to follow the protests, of course, on the ground this week. Medea Benjamin, thanks for being with us, co-founder of CodePink. Her latest book, coming out in August, Kingdom of the Unjust: Behind the U.S.-Saudi Connection.
When we come back, FBI knocking on the door of people they perceive to be would-be protesters here in Cleveland. Then Rashad Robinson of Color of Change on the corporations that won’t be supporting the Republicans. Stay with us. ... Read More →
"My Heart Aches": Sen. Nina Turner, from Family of Police Officers, Responds to Baton Rouge Attack
Following Sunday’s killing of three police officers in Baton Rouge on Sunday, after a week of protests sparked by the fatal shooting by police of resident Alton Sterling, we speak with former Ohio State Senator Nina Turner, who is in Cleveland, where Democracy Now! is covering the Republican National Convention. Her son is a police officer, and her husband is a retired police officer. "Good police officers prop up bad police officers, and they won’t tell, they won’t talk about what is wrong within this system," Turner says. "We have to have good police officers call out their sisters and brothers who may be doing things wrong."
TRANSCRIPT
This is a rush transcript. Copy may not be in its final form.
AMY GOODMAN: This is Democracy Now!, democracynow.org. This is "Breaking with Convention: War, Peace and the Presidency." I’m Amy Goodman. In Baton Rouge, three police officers were killed, three others wounded, in a shooting rampage Sunday. The shooting began just before 9:00 a.m. at a gas station on the city’s Airline Highway, a mile from the Baton Rouge police headquarters. According to reports, Baton Rouge officers were responding to a 911 call of shots fired when they were ambushed the gunman. The slain officers were identified as Montrell Jackson and Matthew Gerald of the Baton Rouge Police Department and Deputy Brad Garafola of the East Baton Rouge Parish Sheriff’s Office.
Officials identified the gunman as Gavin Long of Kansas City, Missouri. Long, who’s African-American, served in the Marines from 2005 to 2010, reaching the rank of sergeant. He deployed to Iraq from 2008 to 2009. Long had a prolific online presence. Earlier this month, he commented on the killing of five police officers in Dallas, writing, quote, "With a brother killing the police you get what I’m saying—it’s justice," unquote.
On Sunday afternoon, I spoke with former Ohio State Senator Nina Turner here in Cleveland. I met up with her at her former high school, John F. Kennedy High School. Her son is a police officer, and her husband is a retired police officer. I asked her to talk about what happened in Baton Rouge.
NINA TURNER: My son is in law enforcement, and my heart just skipped beats. And the first thing that I did was my mother instinct kicked in, and I called my son. I just wanted to make sure he’s all right. He is here right now with the RNC. And, you know, that was already, in some ways, probably going to be—I won’t say—well, "volatile" is not necessarily the word, but, you know, charged. And then, to have this happen on the heels of Dallas, on the heels of what happened to Sterling and what happened to Castile, you know, my son could have been in any of those scenarios. He is a young African-American man in America. He could have been Sterling. He could have been Castile. He could have been those Dallas police officers. And, my god, today, he could have been the law enforcement officers in Baton Rouge.
My heart aches beyond what I can put into words, in terms of people targeting police officers. That cannot happen in a civilized society. And all of the concerns, the legitimate concerns that the African-American community has about injustice within the justice system, it is valid. It’s been valid for a very, very long time; I would say since my—since the first Africans were shipped over here, it has been valid. And we have never quite dealt with it as a nation. But for anybody to target law enforcement officers is absolutely wrong and totally unacceptable. So I grieve. I mean, I almost started crying. I had just gotten off the set with Joy Reid this morning, and I had to keep myself from crying, because I thought about those families, but I thought about my son. And my husband was a former police officer, so I get this on both sides. I get it from the pain, you know, the things my son has to endure out of uniform and now the things that he has to endure in uniform. And so, my heart goes out to all the law enforcement folks all over this country. It is wrong. And we’ve got to get it together.
And, Amy, this is more than talk now. What else has to happen before people understand? It is a powder keg. It almost reminded me of Lyndon B. Johnson, remember, when he commissioned the Kerner Report. And if you read that report today, they talked about the volatile situation between the African-American community and police. It is the same thing in 2016. But what is totally unacceptable is the gunning down of law enforcement officers. It just cannot be tolerated.
AMY GOODMAN: What do you think needs to happen? I mean, we’re about to go with you to see where Tamir Rice was killed by police.
NINA TURNER: Power brokers in this country have to come together with civic-minded folks and our faith leaders, and do something. People are really tired of all the talk. And that’s all they’ve gotten, until another situation happens, and then another situation happens, and then another situation happens. How many flipping situations do we have to have happen before people come together and take action?
You know, I’m fortunate that Governor John Kasich created a task force, at my request and two of my other colleagues in the Legislature, after the death, the shooting of Tamir Rice and John Crawford III in Beavercreek, outside of Cincinnati—or Dayton area, outside of the Dayton area. And we said, "Governor, you have to do something." And the governor didn’t hesitate, Amy. He created that task force. You and I have talked about that task force before, where we got together and traveled this entire state to give people the opportunity to have voice, not people on high, not people on titles, talking to them, but them talking to us. And from that 600-page report, we put together a list of recommendations to the governor, and then the governor turned that task force into a collaborative, so that we have action. And for the first time in Ohio’s history, our police, our law enforcement agencies, which there are almost 1,000 of them, will have standards about the use of force, the use of deadly force. We’re now looking at cameras.
And we’re also looking at implicit bias, which brings me to what happened to Tamir Rice and what happened to John Crawford III and what happened to Mr. Sterling and Castile. A lot of that may have to do with some implicit biases that some law enforcement officers—and, dare I say, the entire country, because it really is unfair, in a way, to put all this at the feet of law enforcement, when all of us are recovering—recovering in this country in terms of how we see African-American men, in particular, but it happens to women, too. And so, African—the police officers are faced with having to deal with those implicit biases in everyday actions. They have taken an oath of office to protect and serve, but oftentimes that protecting and serving stops when it comes to the African-American community.
But I’m proud in Ohio that we’ve had no incidences or outbreaks of violence or anything, even after the Brelo case. You may recall that in Cleveland in 2012 two unarmed African Americans, a woman and a man, 137 shots into their car. Officers said they thought they were shooting at them, and it turns out that the car was—backfired. But you shoot at them 137 times? The last time something like that happened in the United States of America—
AMY GOODMAN: These were police officers shooting at them.
NINA TURNER: These were police officers shooting. Cleveland police officers followed this car. At some point, you had to realize you were not being shot at. But two African Americans, unarmed, 137 shots. The last time something like that happened in this country, it was Bonnie and Clyde. This happened in 2012. Only one officer was brought to trial, Officer Brelo, and he was acquitted. So, time and time again, the African-American community is feeling like, "Where is the justice?"
AMY GOODMAN: That case, where both of those individuals were killed in the car, gunned down more than a hundred times, led to the consent decree between Justice Department and Cleveland police, which they’re under today.
NINA TURNER: They’re under today. But people don’t see that consent decree. And even though there’s a group of people working, a group of everyday citizens working with police and with the federal government, everyday people don’t even know that that is going on. And so, that is why we need tangible things to happen.
One of the recommendations from the task force that came from the people was accountability and transparency. Folks are not asking for more than what they deserve. They do deserve that. And one of the things, Amy, I will never forget that a young millennial said to us as we were traveling the state, he said, "There is a no-snitch culture among the criminal element, and law enforcement always want us to kind of penetrate that: Tell. If you see something, say something. If somebody’s breaking the law, say something." He said, "But what about the no-snitch culture in the police?" That, in other words, good police officers prop up bad police officers, and they won’t tell. They won’t talk about what is wrong within this system. I believe another thing that we have to do is—to repair that divide is to have good police officers call out their sisters and brothers who may doing things wrong.
AMY GOODMAN: That’s former Ohio State Senator Nina Turner, who represents Cleveland. I met up with her at her old high school, John F. Kennedy High School. Her son is a police officer, as was her husband. We then went over to where Tamir Rice was killed; we’ll be playing that later in the week. Tamir Rice would have turned 14 on June 25th.
This is Democracy Now!, democracynow.org, The War and Peace Report. When we come back, we’ll be talking about Turkey, the attempted coup this weekend. We’ll be talking about the FBI visiting homes of people they thought might be protesting this week here in Cleveland. We’ll talk about the corporations that have refused to support the Republican convention here. And we’re going to talk about the newly released document, something like 13 years in the waiting, around Saudi Arabia and 9/11. Stay with us. ... Read More →
Meet the RNC Activists Questioned by Authorities Ahead of This Week's Convention
As the Republican National Convention opens today here in Cleveland, Ohio, we look now at the protests in the street. The FBI, the Department of Homeland Security and the Secret Service have reportedly knocked on the doors of dozens of Cleveland activists, demanding to know if they are organizing protests at the Republican National Convention. Law enforcement agents have reportedly also made phone calls to relatives, neighbors and places of employment, asking about the activists’ whereabouts. Many of the activists say they have no involvement in the RNC protests and are being targeted for their prior work with the local chapter of Black Lives Matter and the Occupy Wall Street movement. On Sunday, Democracy Now!'s Deena Guzder and Elizabeth Press spoke to activists Robin Adelmann and Samuel Carpenter, who say they were targeted by the FBI. Democracy Now! also sat down with the NAACP's Michael Nelson and National Lawyers Guild’s Jocelyn Rosnick.
TRANSCRIPT
This is a rush transcript. Copy may not be in its final form.
AMY GOODMAN: We are "Breaking with Convention: Power, Peace and the Presidency," two weeks of two-hour daily coverage, first from the Cleveland Republican convention all this week and then from Philadelphia, the Democratic convention next week. I’m Amy Goodman.
As the Republican convention opens today here in Cleveland, we look now at the protests in the streets. The FBI, the Department of Homeland Security and the Secret Service have reportedly knocked on the doors of dozens of Cleveland activists, demanding to know if they’re organizing protests here the RNC. Law enforcement agents have reportedly also made phone calls to relatives, neighbors and places of employment, asking about the activists’ whereabouts.
Many of the activists say they have no involvement in the RNC protests and are being targeted for their prior work with the local chapter of Black Lives Matter and the Occupy Wall Street movement. Several activists say they believe they came on the radar of local law enforcement after attending a 2015 protest following the acquittal of Cleveland police officer Michael Brelo for a fatal shooting of two [unarmed] African Americans in their car, Timothy Russell and Malissa Williams.
In a statement to The Cleveland Plain Dealer, FBI spokeswoman said agents were conducting community outreach as a part of their security planning for the RNC. However, activists say the visits are intimidating and designed to discourage people from engaging in lawful First Amendment activities, a claim supported by the Ohio chapters of the National Lawyers Guild, the ACLU and the NAACP.
Well, on Sunday, Democracy Now!’s Deena Guzder and Elizabeth Press spoke to activists who say they were targeted by the FBI.
ROBIN ADELMANN: My name is Robin Adelmann. And a few years back, I was part of Occupy Cleveland, doing activism. And most recently, a year ago, I was arrested downtown for protesting the Michael Brelo verdict, and was a part of that activism. And then, so, just recently, the FBI and the Cleveland detectives, two weeks ago, came to my apartment looking for information. They knocked on my door right when I was walking to open it to leave for work, and they had a clipboard with my mugshots on it, because I’d been arrested before. So, I instantly saw that and thought that they were there for me, so I was instantly scared. And in my kind of like panicky feeling, I like invited them right in and stuff. And I was really cooperative, but they just didn’t seem to—like, when I was telling them that I didn’t really—they wanted information, like what’s going to happen. "Do you know where there’s going to be protests? Like, where is this going to be? Where is that going to be?" And I honestly didn’t know. So I was like, "I don’t know."
SAMUEL CARPENTER: My name is Samuel Carpenter. I work at the bookstore named Guide to Kulchur. We have a press, and we print books of poetry. We have a couple of novels, a magazine and a creative journal. I’ve done work with Food Not Bombs before in the past. It’s a volunteer gig. You’re just giving people food that can’t always get it.
DEENA GUZDER: Samuel, what happened late last month, when an FBI agent and a police detective came to your house?
SAMUEL CARPENTER: They came to my house, expressed that they were canvassing about this anarchist bookstore named Guide to Kulchur, which it is not, and basically just like scared my mother, freaked her out, because, you know, they’re saying that they’re looking for radical anarchists. The FBI agent expressed that he’s done counterterrorist unit work overseas. And, you know, it was just like ridiculous. Is it 1984 now, that we’ve—we’re getting approached by people of the law because you read books?
MICHAEL NELSON: Michael Nelson, president, the Cleveland branch, NAACP. I’ve been asked whether or not I believe police and other law enforcement are targeting Black Lives Matter and other activists. No doubt.
DEENA GUZDER: I want to ask you about one of your clients, Jasmine Bruce. Can you tell us who she is and what happened to her?
MICHAEL NELSON: A Cleveland police officer, along with a partner, went to the home of her parents, knocked on the door, asked to speak to Jasmine. Her stepfather came to the door to ask, "Well, is she in trouble?" "Oh, no, no, she’s not in trouble. We just want to talk to her." "Well, she’s not here." The mother overheard this conversation, came to the door and said, "Why do you want to talk to my daughter?" "Well, we just want to ask some questions about anything she knows about protests." She says, "What do you mean? My daughter is in school." As I indicated, Jasmine was involved in one protest, that was brought on by the outrage of this Brelo acquittal. She’s not been involved in anything since then. And if she did know, she wasn’t going to tell them. But the fact of the matter, she was not aware of anything, nor is she active with respect to the RNC.
JOCELYN ROSNICK: My name is Jocelyn Rosnick, and I’m co-coordinator of the Ohio chapter of the National Lawyers Guild. About three weeks ago, prior to the RNC, we started to receive messages from a variety of different community members and activists, letting us know that various special agents were showing up at their door asking them questions. We know that they have cast a pretty wide net in their so-called intelligence gathering. It’s not just the FBI special agents, but also agents with the Department of Homeland Security, the Secret Service, as well as Cleveland Division of Police officers. And they’re reaching out to a number of different groups and organizations. Some individuals who have received door knocks simply hang out at the wrong bookstore. Other individuals who have been targeted by these door knocks are individuals who were arrested after the acquittal of Michael Brelo, May of 2015, as well as some individuals who really haven’t been active in any sort of protest activity for a number of years. So the fact that law enforcement agencies is asking individuals questions and simply knocking on doors is not illegal, it’s not unconstitutional; however, we are concerned that their intelligence gathering has crossed the line from asking questions and trying to gather information to intimidation and, in some cases, harassment, where they are repeatedly knocking on the same door, very loud, very aggressively, as well as returning to the same home multiple days in a row.
DEENA GUZDER: Jocelyn, the RNC is about to kick off, and your group has been giving legal advice and holding civil rights trainings for protesters who are going to be involved in the numerous demonstrations throughout the week. What should a protester who has a run-in with a cop do?
JOCELYN ROSNICK: So, individuals should do everything they can to de-escalate the situation themselves. If they are stuck in a bad situation, if things have escalated and there might be a mass arrest and they’re trapped and they cannot get out of that situation, then they should know to call the jail support hotline at (216) 5050-654, or NLG. Additionally, we do have individuals that will be out on the streets with demonstrators. We train and dispatch legal observers, who are the eyes and the ears of the legal team. They’re not out there demonstrating themselves. They’re third-party observers, and they are identifiable by wearing a bright lime green baseball hat that says "National Lawyers Guild Legal Observer," or a bright lime green T-shirt.
AMY GOODMAN: National Lawyers Guild, Jocelyn Rosnick. Special thanks to Democracy Now!’s Deena Guzder and Elizabeth Press. ... Read More →
Dozens of Companies Withdraw Funding from RNC as Trump Headed to Nomination
Here at the Republican National Convention in Cleveland, at least 19 corporations that usually sponsor the event have dramatically scaled back or canceled their commitments, citing Donald Trump’s controversial comments about women, immigrants and minorities. Last week, a leaked letter from the Cleveland host committee asked billionaire backer Sheldon Adelson to help cover a $6 million shortfall, and listed more than a dozen corporate and individual donors who have withdrawn their pledges, including Coca-Cola, Pepsi, FedEx and Visa. Other companies who sponsored the 2012 RNC but say they will not be returning this year include Apple, Wells Fargo, UPS, Motorola, JPMorgan Chase, Walgreens and Ford. We speak to Rashad Robinson, executive director of Color of Change.
TRANSCRIPT
This is a rush transcript. Copy may not be in its final form.
AMY GOODMAN: We are broadcasting from the Republican National Convention here in Cleveland, Ohio, for the week. This is "Breaking with Convention: War, Peace and the Presidency."
At least 19 corporations that usually sponsor the RNC have dramatically scaled back or canceled their commitments, citing the presumptive nominee Donald Trump’s controversial comments about women, immigrants and people of color. Last week, a leaked letter from the Cleveland host committee asked billionaire backer Sheldon Adelson to help cover a $6 million shortfall, and listed more than a dozen corporate and individual donors who have withdrawn their pledges, including Coca-Cola, Pepsi, FedEx and Visa. Other companies who sponsored the 2012 RNC, but say they won’t be returning this year, include Apple, Wells Fargo, UPS, Motorola, JPMorgan Chase, Walgreens and Ford. This comes as the civil rights group Color of Change has pressured corporations not to endorse Trump’s, quote, "hateful and racist rhetoric," unquote, or face a boycott.
For more, we’re joined by Color of Change’s executive director, Rashad Robinson.
Welcome back to Democracy Now!
RASHAD ROBINSON: Thanks for having me.
AMY GOODMAN: So, tell as what you did, Rashad.
RASHAD ROBINSON: Well, back in February, early february, we started to see the tea leaves of Donald Trump. And we’ve been watching Donald Trump for years. Five years ago, we ran our first campaign against Donald Trump, when he was doing his birther rant and asking for transcripts from President Obama. But his work spans even before that, with the Central Park Five. And so, we recognized that this convention was going to be coming up. And even if he wasn’t the winner at the time, he was threatening riots if he wasn’t. He was saying there could be potentially riots.
And we were looking at the list of corporations, so we started to do some research, and we looked into the corporations that had sponsored four years ago and eight years ago. We have a big problem with campaign finance. And we have—we need a systemic, long-term work around this, not just this particular campaign, because most corporations—any corporation doesn’t have to disclose 'til 60 days after the convention. So we had to spend a lot of time researching. But we started behind-the-scenes conversations. We would send letters, and then we would start with conversations behind the scenes, with Coca-Cola and others, while also starting a public campaign with our members, telling them about what these corporations do, the access they're trying to buy and the relationship that they’re trying to have. And through the back-and-forth conversations, we were able to get Coca-Cola to leave. We actually had to go public on Coca-Cola a little bit, as well. And after Coca-Cola decided that they were going to pull out over $500,000 less than sort of what they had given previously, we moved to Microsoft and other corporations.
As we started to hear back from corporations, corporations would say things to us like, "We give to both sides. This is about civic engagement." And we would say, "This is not about left or right, but about right or wrong." We used a whole lot of really creative tactics, everything from running ads through IP addresses to Silicon—within Silicon Valley to employees of corporations. Where we didn’t get what—we didn’t hear what we wanted to hear from the leadership, we would go in directly to the staff, and we would say, you know, "You all are working for a place. You may care about climate. You may care about diversity. You may care about women’s rights or LGBT rights or Black Lives Matter. But you all are working for a place that’s supporting Donald Trump and is going to be helping to support a celebration."
AMY GOODMAN: And so, how did these corporations tell you they were pulling out? And did all pull out—and we named Ford, Walgreens, JPMorgan Chase, Motorola, UPS, Wells Fargo Apple—or did they simply give less?
RASHAD ROBINSON: So, a mix of them gave less. A mix of them, by the time our corporate campaign had started, had already given some cash or had already moved some money, and so they couldn’t get the money back. So, Coca-Cola was an example where they had given $75,000 back in 2015 to start off and had probably a plan of giving upwards of a million dollars total. Once we started our campaign, they shut off all additional money. Some corporations had already committed to giving things that were in kind and who already signed contracts around that, but we were able to get them to pull back on cash. And then some corporations, like Apple and others, HP, decided no money whatsoever and gave nothing.
AMY GOODMAN: And then you had a hundred executives from tech companies writing an open letter against Donald Trump’s nomination?
RASHAD ROBINSON: And leveraging that, right? When they started to write these letters and then—and then, at the same time, we’re seeing these corporations still give money, we say there’s a disconnect between your language of saying, "We don’t like Donald Trump," but that you’re going to actually support a celebration for him, with streamers and balloons and Confederate flags. And we were very clear. We drew up ads that we never had to run. We ran billboards in Silicon Valley. At every point, corporations would try to find a way to sort of slow-walk us or say, "You know, we’re still trying to make our decision," and we would give them timelines and deadlines. We also worked to build a multiracial coalition of organizations to really support this campaign, from Muslim advocates to Latino Victory Fund to UltraViolet, a women’s organization, LGBT organizations and progressive groups like MoveOn and CREDO, building a coalition of folks that, once we started this campaign, came on board and helped to build a movement to say to corporations, "You can’t come for our money by day and support Trump by night."
AMY GOODMAN: Rashad Robinson, after the Dallas shootings, and now we have the Baton Rouge police shootings, not to mention the shootings of residents, you were invited to the White House for a summit with President Obama when he came back from the Dallas memorial service.
RASHAD ROBINSON: Mm-hmm.
What happened there? And what are you demanding?
RASHAD ROBINSON: You know, it was a four-hour meeting with law enforcement and civil rights leaders. I specifically brought the demands that Color of Change has, which is to defund police departments that are simply unable to value black lives. We’re here in Cleveland, where the Cleveland Police Department now has riot gear that they’re going to get to keep afterwards, even though they’re under [consent] decree. You know, we—
AMY GOODMAN: So let’s just talk about that.
RASHAD ROBINSON: Yes.
AMY GOODMAN: They’re under a Justice Department consent decree.
RASHAD ROBINSON: Yes.
AMY GOODMAN: They’re being watched by the Justice Department. They got $50 million for the Republican National Convention, covering it. Twenty million will go to the riot gear, that they get to keep afterwards.
RASHAD ROBINSON: Absolutely. And, you know, we’ve—I’ve been on the ground in places like Ferguson and Baltimore, and watched the militarization of our police departments. We’ve watched Baton Rouge—the Baton Rouge—the police department has gotten $3 million from the Justice Department over the last five years, even while having multiple civil rights investigations. We continue to see the fact that we are not changing the incentive structure between federal government money and what local enforcement do.
So we went to the White House because we continue to bring demands to the White House, and we’re always willing to have conversation and dialogue. But more than conversation and dialogue, we need action, because without action, we will continue to be in this place five, 10, 15 years from now. So, as we work to mobilize our members, I brought the concerns of our—and I also had a real back and forth with the head of Fraternal Order of Police, who unfortunately will continue to come to these conversations, but never offer up a demand.
AMY GOODMAN: We’re going to find out what you said and post it online at democracynow.org.
RASHAD ROBINSON: Yes.
AMY GOODMAN: Rashad Robinson, executive director of Color of Change, thanks so much for being with us. That concludes our two hours of daily broadcast the first day from the Republican National Convention here in Cleveland. Tune in every day and tell your friends. Special thanks to David Prude and Denis Moynihan. Happy birthday to Laura Gottesdiener and Paul Huckeby. I’m Amy Goodman. Thanks so much for joining us. ... Read More →
Many Who Opposed Coup in Turkey Came Out in Support of Democratic Process, not the President
Turkey remains in a state of crisis three days after soldiers staged an attempted coup commandeering tanks, attack helicopters and fighter jets in a bid to seize power. The coup began while Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan was vacationing at a seaside resort. The mutinous faction of the military said it had taken action to protect democracy from Erdogan. In the midst of the coup, Erdogan spoke to the nation via the FaceTime app on his iPhone after he narrowly escaped being captured by soldiers who arrived at his seaside hotel just after he left. He called on his supporters to take to the streets in protest, and returned to Istanbul. Since the coup failed, Turkey has arrested 6,000 people, including senior members of the judiciary and military. We go to Istanbul to speak with Koray Çaliskan, associate professor of political science at Bogaziçi University. "It may be an opportunity to build democratic institutions of this country, after the country has stood firmly together," Çaliskan says.
TRANSCRIPT
This is a rush transcript. Copy may not be in its final form.
AMY GOODMAN: Turkey remains in a state of crisis three days after soldiers staged an attempted coup, commandeering tanks, attack helicopters and fighter jets in a bid to seize power. More than 290 people were killed, around 1,400 wounded, Friday night. The coup began while Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan, Recep Tayypip Erdogan, was vacationing at a seaside resort. The mutinous faction of the military said it had taken action to protect democracy from Erdogan. In the midst of the coup, Erdogan spoke to the nation via the FaceTime app on his iPhone after he narrowly escaped being captured by soldiers, who arrived at his seaside hotel just after he left. Once the coup was defeated, he addressed the nation again.
PRESIDENT RECEP TAYYIP ERDOGAN: [translated] There is no power that is above national will in this country. As the president of this country, I can say that members of the party that I am the founder of will be hand in hand with our people in the city squares, and punish those that are responsible. The people of this country also want to punish them, and custody orders are out also. Turkey is neither a country that can be celled easily with these riots, nor a country that can be managed by Pennsylvania. Only our 45 million voters can manage this country. Like our prime minister just said, these tanks are not theirs. They are this country’s. And we know how to stop them. We are not afraid of them.
AMY GOODMAN: Since the coup failed, Turkey has arrested 6,000 people, including senior members of the judiciary and military. President Erdogan blamed U.S.-based Muslim cleric Fethullah Gülen for orchestrating the attempted coup. Gülen, who lives in Pennsylvania, has denied any involvement. President Erdogan has said his government may consider reinstating the death penalty to punish those responsible. More than 6,000 people were arrested.
To talk more about the attempted coup and its implications, we’re going directly to Istanbul, where we’re joined by Koray Çaliskan, professor of political science at Bogaziçi University.
Welcome back to Democracy Now!, Koray Çaliskan.
KORAY ÇALISKAN: Good morning, Amy.
AMY GOODMAN: Can you talk about what happened this weekend?
KORAY ÇALISKAN: Good morning, Amy.
AMY GOODMAN: It’s good to have you with us. Can you talk about what happened over the weekend, the attempted coup?
KORAY ÇALISKAN: On Friday night at around 10:00, we began to hear rumors that the army blocked the main bridges in Istanbul, the two bridges, which are like Verrazano and George Washington bridges in New York, which was kind of strange because of traffic blocks. I mean, these bridges are only blocks; no one can cross them because of the traffic. And then it turned out that a small group within the army kidnapped chiefs of staff and plotted a coup in the country by controlling parts of the gendarmerie—rural police, rural military police force and a part of the air force. Immediately after they tried that, the head of the army in Istanbul, the general who is commanding the largest army in Istanbul, said that the army was against the coup, and they did not represent soldiers and the chiefs of staff. And he single-handedly cleaned the airport in Istanbul and contacted Erdogan, while he was vacationing with his family, to leave the place and then move to Istanbul, escorted by F-16 fighter jets. And this is how they managed to save Erdogan and bring him to Istanbul. If they didn’t, we learned later, that 62 minutes after Erdogan left, three Sikorsky helicopters arrived in the hotel that he was staying and stormed the hotel, killed two security guards and tried to find where Erdogan was, and bombed the place where he stayed.
So, this coup, actually, the first aim of the coup was not to control the entire country, because the Gülenist plotters were not powerful enough to control the country, even put together a coup, even to convince the majority of the army to be able to pursue their ends. I believe their main objective was to create chaos by either kidnapping or assassinating the president, so that the country could be in turmoil, after which they hoped to control the government and the rest of the army, which wouldn’t happen in any case, because Turkish civil society, Turkish political society, pro-Kurdish party, Nationalist party, Social Democratic Party, they all sided with democracy, condemned the coup attempt, and they showed a great democratic maturity to stand against the coup. All they could have managed was to create a huge turmoil, an unbelievable turmoil in this country, and careless, which would claim thousands of people in front of tanks, panicking soldiers.
Many of the soldiers who were on the streets didn’t know that it was a coup. They were told that there was a terror attack. They were told that there were military maneuvers. And they were also clearly shocked. So this was mostly planned, it seems, by elite Gülenist officers in the army, supported some by officers who thought that they might have benefited from this coup d’état. However, the majority of the army, the entire civil society, the media, pro or against Erdogan media, and the political society stood firmly against this coup attempt. And this was the second failed coup attempt in the history of Europe after 1981 coup attempt, a failed coup attempt, in Spain, as you’d remember. So, I believe we saved this beautiful country, and things may develop differently. After today, it may be an opportunity to build democratic institutions of this country, after the country stood firmly together against this terrible coup attempt that started on Friday night and ended in the early hours of Saturday.
AMY GOODMAN: Finally—finally, the call by Erdogan for the extradition of Gülen from the Poconos in Pennsylvania, who he says is behind the coup? And we just have 30 seconds.
KORAY ÇALISKAN: United States already told Turkish government that they are expecting a firm proof that Gülenists were against it. I don’t recall any large critique of such a perspective in the country. Those who are pro or against Erdogan seem to be—arrived at the conclusion that Gülenists were behind that coup. And the government is going to present the U.S. government with proofs of that plot. If this happens, I believe the United States should have to send Gülen to Turkey.
AMY GOODMAN: Koray Çaliskan, we want thank you very much for being with us, associate professor of political science at Bogaziçi University in Istanbul. In our second hour, we’ll get another perspective. That does it for our show. Happy birthday to Paul Huckeby. I’m Amy Goodman. Thanks so much for joining us. ...Read More →
Kurdish Activist: Erdogan Should Be Pushed Out, But by the People, Not the Military
Turkey remains in a state of crisis three days after soldiers staged an attempted coup commandeering tanks, attack helicopters and fighter jets in a bid to seize power. We speak to Kurdish activist Kani Xulam, director of the American Kurdish Information Network.
TRANSCRIPT
This is a rush transcript. Copy may not be in its final form.
AMY GOODMAN: Turkey remains in a state of crisis three days after soldiers staged an attempted coup, commandeering tanks, attack helicopters, fighter jets in a bid to seize power. Close to 300 people were killed, around 1,400 wounded, Friday night. The coup began when the Turkish president, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, was vacationing at a seaside resort. The mutinous faction in the military said it had taken action to protect democracy from Erdogan. Since the coup failed, Turkey has arrested 6,000 people, including senior members of the judiciary and the military. Erdogan blamed U.S.-based Muslim cleric Fethullah Gülen for orchestrating the attempted coup. Gülen, who lives in the Poconos in Pennsylvania—yes, here in the United States—has denied any involvement. President Erdogan has said his government may consider reinstating the death penalty to punish those responsible, and he’s asking for Gülen to be extradited back to Turkey.
To talk more about all these issues, we’re joined here in Cleveland by Kani Xulam, who is director of the American Kurdish Information Network.
Welcome to Democracy Now! It’s great to have you back again with us, Kani.
KANI XULAM: Thank you.
AMY GOODMAN: Talk about what happened in Turkey.
KANI XULAM: A coup happened. Its object was to take over the government. It wanted to topple Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Even the best of the Turkish generals would have been a disaster for Turkey, even though Erdogan is a dictator-wanna-be leader right now. So, the fact that the coup failed is good news for the people of Turkey. But the people that should have led the coup would have been the people themselves. If they had led this attempt to topple Erdogan, who was acting like a dictator, it would have been better, like in Philippines, like in Romania. That didn’t happen. Erdogan now is—feels like he’s the sultan. He wants to—he is arresting people, left and right. Internet access has been suspended. My hunch is he will continue acting like this.
Just this morning, John Kerry said, if he continues like this, NATO’s—Turkey’s membership of NATO could be suspended. I wish he had also said the same when some five cities were bombarded last year, turned into rubbles. Some 7,000 people were killed—Kurds, some fighters. He didn’t say anything about suspending Turkey’s membership in NATO then, and now that some of the military officers and some of the judges are arrested, he’s talking about Turkey needs to be a democracy to be a part of NATO.
AMY GOODMAN: Where do the Kurds fit into this picture?
KANI XULAM: The Kurds, they didn’t want this military coup, either. They came out against it. But there’s a war going on, for a whole year now. Erdogan wants to consolidate his power, and he wants to—he kind of thinks that, in adversity, people come together. And if there’s a war against the Kurds, if some soldiers die, then the country will unite behind him. That’s his strategy. But you don’t make progress by declaring war on a minority like the Kurds.
AMY GOODMAN: Where—what is Erdogan’s Syria policy? And is that what motivated the generals?
KANI XULAM: Well, the generals have been unhappy with him, because he has tried to reorient the direction of the country towards Mecca and Medina, if you will. Atatürk, the founder of Turkey, a general with many shortcomings, but he at least said the country should reorient itself towards Europe, should separate the mosque from the state. On his watch, he served for life, but he at least had some semblance of institutions that you could say were working and were making progress towards a European open society, rule of law. But with Erdogan’s coming to power, initially he was open to that, but after his breakup with Fethullah Gülen, he is now literally acting like a one-man show. And he doesn’t like criticism. He doesn’t like—
AMY GOODMAN: Now, let’s talk about Fethullah Gülen, who lives in the Poconos in Pennsylvania. He’s demanding his extradition.
KANI XULAM: Correct.
AMY GOODMAN: Kerry says he hasn’t—the secretary of state—put in the requisite documents for his extradition. But you just pointed out that Gülen and Erdogan were close allies until just a few years ago.
KANI XULAM: They were. They actually defanged the military. A lot of Gülen’s supporters were in the Turkish police, and they helped Erdogan to send the army back to the barracks, if you will. And that was good. The bad news came when Erdogan then—he and Erdogan broke up, and then Erdogan decided to act like a dictator, to throw journalists in prison, to open a war, declare a war on the Kurds.
And then, in terms of his Syria policy, Turkey became a jihadi highway, if you will. Some 35,000 foreign troops, foreign fighters, many from Southeast Asia, from Africa, from Europe, some from Europe, some from Caucasus in the former Soviet Union, they would come to Turkey, they would then cross the border. Erdogan didn’t like Assad. He’s an Alawite. He’s a minority Alawite sect. Erdogan himself is Sunni. He thought he would—Syria would become a satellite state. That didn’t work out. And now there are talks that he might actually talk to us, so that the two could put the Kurdish autonomy six feet under, if you will, because the Kurds in the north of the country have established a federal entity where two-and-a-half million Kurds live.
AMY GOODMAN: Finally, the death penalty—Erdogan has arrested 6,000 people and is calling for reinstatement of the death penalty. What do you see happening?
KANI XULAM: Well, if he—he says the people want this. His fans came out, and many of them didn’t really say, "Long live democracy." Many of them would say, you know, "Sharia." Some would say, "Allahu Akbar." So the signs aren’t really good. This mood, this democracy, was saved, but democracy itself is sick. Democracy itself is not really healthy. If he hangs these generals, I think the army, which remains a bastion of Kemalist, Atatürkist secular commanders, I think the country will go further towards a crisis and break up.
AMY GOODMAN: Well, Kani Xulam, I want to thank you very much for being with us, director of the American Kurdish Information Network. Why are you here, by the way?
KANI XULAM: I’m here to educate the Americans who are here to elect a leader, who then will become—will be voted as the president of this country. And I thought they should know about the Kurds, about the Middle East. And, unfortunately, I fear that the world is going towards that crisis, and many people think Trump could address these issues. And I thought, if that becomes the reality, then his people should know who the Kurds are, what the Kurds want in the Middle East.
AMY GOODMAN: Kani Xulam, thanks so much for being with us. ... Read More →
Headlines:Ex-Marine Kills 3 Police Officers in Baton Rouge, Louisiana
In Baton Rouge, Louisiana, a former marine has killed three police officers. The shooting began just before 9 a.m. on Sunday at a gas station on the city’s Airline Highway, a mile from the Baton Rouge Police Department headquarters. The police department has been the site of more than a week of protests against police violence. The demonstrations were sparked by the fatal shooting of Baton Rouge resident Alton Sterling by police. On Sunday, Baton Rouge officers were reportedly responding to a 911 call of shots fired when they were ambushed by a gunman. Three officers were killed, and three others were wounded. One is in critical condition. Police have identified the shooter as Gavin Long, a resident of Kansas City, Missouri. Long served in Iraq and was discharged at the rank of sergeant in 2010. In the week before the shooting, Long, who is African-American, recorded a video in which he discusses his anger toward police for the killing of African Americans. Using the alias Cosmo Setepenra, Long urges African-American men to "fight back" against the police. Meanwhile, Montrell Jackson, one of the slain officers, had posted recently on Facebook about the atmosphere in Baton Rouge after Alton Sterling’s killing, writing, "I swear to God I love this city, but I wonder if this city loves me. In uniform I get nasty, hateful looks and out of uniform some consider me a threat. ... These are trying times. Please don’t let hate infect your heart." Alton Sterling’s aunt Veda Washington-Abusaleh appealed for calm after Sunday’s shooting.
Veda Washington-Abusaleh: "We don’t call for no bloodshed. That’s how this all started—with bloodshed. We don’t want no more bloodshed. So if you’re not in accord with us, leave, go home, go wherever you come from. This is our house. You can’t come in our house, killing us. That’s what you’re doing, because at the end of the day, when these people call these families and they tell them that their daddies and their mamas not coming home no more, I know how they feel, because I got the same phone call. No justice. No justice, no peace! That’s what we’re calling for. Stop this killing! Stop this killing! Stop this killing!"
TOPICS:
Republican Party
2016 Election
Donald Trump
Baton Rouge: Hundreds Attend Funeral of Alton Sterling
Sunday’s shooting came only two days after hundreds of people gathered for the funeral of Alton Sterling. Baton Rouge Mayor Kip Holden did not attend. Holden has reportedly not even called the Sterling family yet. Hundreds of people protested outside the Mayor’s Office, demanding his resignation in the wake of Sterling’s death. Other prominent officials, including staff of Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards and Louisiana Congressmember Cedric Richmond, did attend Alton Sterling’s funeral on Friday.
TOPICS:
Police Brutality
Fox News Host Calls Out Fmr. Gov. Bobby Jindal for Saying "All Lives Matter"
Meanwhile, in the wake of Sunday’s fatal shooting of three police officers, presumptive Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump repeated his claim that he is the law and order candidate, while Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton said the attack was "an assault on all of us." In May, Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards signed a so-called Blue Lives Matter law, which expands Louisiana’s hate crimes statute to include police officers, firefighters and EMS personnel. Following the shooting, multiple politicians used the phrases "Blue Lives Matter" and "All Lives Matter," including former Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal.
Bobby Jindal: "We’ve got to say that all lives matter. It doesn’t matter what color you are—black, white, brown, red. It doesn’t matter. All lives matter. We’ve got to protect and value our police."
Shepard Smith: "Governor, you know that that phrase you just used is one that’s seen by many as derogatory, right? And I just wonder why it is that you use that phrase, when there’s a certain segment of the population that believes it’s a real dig on them?"
Bobby Jindal: "Well, Shepard, it’s not meant to be. The point is this: We’ve got to move beyond race."
In response, some Fox News viewers called for Shepard Smith to be fired.
TOPICS:
2016 Election
Democratic Party
Turkey: More Than 6,000 Arrested Following Failed Coup
The government of Turkey has arrested more than 6,000 people accused of participating in a failed military coup over the weekend. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has accused Fethullah Gülen, a Turkish cleric living in Pennsylvania, of masterminding the coup. Gülen has lived in the U.S. since 1999, when he fled Turkey after being accused of organizing religious extremists against the government. He had been an ally of Erdogan until a few years ago. U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said that the U.S. still has not received a formal extradition request for Gülen.
Secretary of State John Kerry: "We have not had a formal request for extradition. That has to come in a formal package. It has to come with documentation for the request, and go to the Justice Department. And we will deal with it."
Erdogan attended funerals over the weekend for some of the nearly 200 civilians killed in Friday’s attempted coup. Supporters of Erdogan continued to celebrate across the country today. Other citizens found an uneasy calm on Monday as the coup appeared to have been definitively defeated. There is fear that Erdogan, who before the coup was accused of becoming an autocrat, will use the coup to justify further actions against his political opponents.
RNC Opens in Cleveland, But Some Senators are Too Busy Fly-Fishing
The Republican National Convention opens in Cleveland, Ohio, today, with more than 50,000 people flooding into Cleveland for the convention, where the Republican Party is slated to formally nominate real estate mogul Donald Trump to be the party’s presidential nominee, and to ratify the party platform. More than a dozen Republican leaders have decided to skip the RNC. South Carolina Senator Lindsey Graham says he’s not coming because he doesn’t support Donald Trump. Arizona Senator Jeff Flake says he’s staying home because he’d rather mow his lawn. Florida Congressmember Dennis Ross is skipping the RNC because "It’s a good time to be fishing in Montana." Florida Senator Marco Rubio, Arizona Senator John McCain and Kentucky Senator Rand Paul will be skipping the convention. But many other party leaders and operatives are thrilled about the opening of the 2016 RNC, including Georgia Congressmember Rob Woodall, who said, "The place we’re going to pick the next leader of the free world? Heck yeah, I’m going!"
TOPICS:
Donald Trump
Republican Party
2016 Election
Thousands of Police and Federal Agents Flood into Cleveland for RNC
Thousands of police, federal agents and military personnel are also flooding into Cleveland, which has received nearly $50 million in federal funding to beef up security. At least 3,000 FBI, Secret Service and other federal agents have been sent to Cleveland, in addition to 1,500 county police officers and state troopers. The Pentagon has also deployed Ohio National Guardsmen, U.S. Coast Guard officers, military personnel from U.S. Northern Command. The Cleveland Police Department ordered an additional 2,000 sets of riot armor in advance of the convention. Police officers have also begun carrying AR-15 semiautomatic rifles and military-style M-14 rifles, which are typically reserved for snipers.
TOPICS:
2016 Election
Gun Control
Cleveland: Cans & Umbrellas Banned Near RNC -- But Guns are OK
Civilians may also be carrying military-grade weapons in downtown Cleveland this week. Like Louisiana and Texas, Ohio is an open-carry state. The head of Cleveland’s largest police union, Steve Loomis, has called on Ohio Governor John Kasich to suspend open-carry laws for the week of the RNC, saying: "I don’t care if it’s constitutional or not at this point." Loomis spoke further on CNN.
Steve Loomis: "It’s absolute insanity to me. This is an open-carry state. Most police officers, generally, love the Constitution and will take a bullet to defend it, as we saw, you know, admirably in Dallas. But at the end of the day, it’s not responsible. It’s legal to bring your guns, but it’s not responsible."
Michael Smerconish: "You don’t want them doing it?"
Steve Loomis: "Absolutely not."
Michael Smerconish: "You don’t want them exercising their, quote-unquote, 'right'?"
Steve Loomis: "Absolutely not. That makes for mayhem."
In response, Ohio Governor John Kasich said, "Ohio governors do not have the power to arbitrarily suspend federal and state constitutional rights or state laws as suggested."
TOPICS:
2016 Election
Republican Party
Trump Selects Indiana Governor Mike Pence as Running Mate
After weeks of speculation, Donald Trump has named Indiana Governor Mike Pence as his running mate.
Donald Trump: "I’ve found the leader who will help us deliver a safe society and a prosperous, really prosperous society for all Americans. Indiana Governor Mike Pence was my first choice. I’ve admired the work he’s done, especially in the state of Indiana."
Governor Pence joined Trump on stage to accept the vice-presidential nomination. In his speech, he highlighted his conservative values.
Gov. Mike Pence: "People who know me well know I’m a pretty basic guy. I’m a Christian, a conservative and a Republican, in that order. Now, while I’m currently—I currently have the privilege of serving the state that I love, I’m really—I’m really just a small-town boy who grew up in southern Indiana with a big family and a cornfield in the backyard."
Mike Pence was first elected to Congress in 2000, then was elected governor in 2012. In 2015, he signed into law the highly controversial anti-LGBT Religious Freedom Restoration Act, which gave businesses license to discriminate against LGBT people. The law caused a nationwide backlash. Dozens of companies and professional sports teams and leagues, including the Indianapolis-headquartered NCAA, threatened to boycott Indiana. Apple CEO Tim Cook slammed the law, likening it to the Jim Crow laws of the American South. Ultimately, Pence was forced to enact a revision specifying the law does not authorize anti-LGBT discrimination. As governor, Pence also oversaw a cut in Planned Parenthood funding in the state and signed legislation, since blocked, that would have restricted abortion access statewide. He was also a co-sponsor of the bill that authorized the U.S. invasion of Iraq in 2003.
TOPICS:
Republican Party
2016 Election
Abortion
Clinton Expected to Select Running Mate This Week
Meanwhile, Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton is expected to announce her running mate this week, ahead of the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia next week. Some of the people on her short list reportedly include Virginia Senator Tim Kaine, Colorado Governor John Hickenlooper, U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack and Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Julián Castro. Clinton also met with Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren on Friday, although many are speculating Warren will not be chosen as Clinton’s running mate, because she’s been asked to speak on the first night of the DNC. Running mates usually speak later in the conventions.
TOPICS:
Hillary Clinton
2016 Election
Democratic Party
Newly Declassified Pages of 9/11 Report Open New Questions on Saudi Role
The Obama administration has finally declassified 28 pages from the September 11 report detailing possible ties between the Saudi government and the 9/11 attacks. The report states, "Prior to September 11, the FBI apparently did not focus investigative resources on [redacted text] Saudi nationals in the United States due to Saudi Arabia’s status as an American ally." The declassified document raises new questions about the role of a Saudi consular official based in the Los Angeles area. He personally helped two of the hijackers after they arrived in Los Angeles in early 2000. The document also reveals details about an incident in 1999 when a flight from Phoenix to Washington, D.C., was forced to make an emergency landing due to suspicious activity by two Saudi men, including one who attempted to enter the cockpit twice.
TOPICS:
9/11
Saudi Arabia
France: More Arrests Following Attack in Nice That Killed 84
In news from France, police say they have made two more arrests in connection to the attack last week that left 84 people dead in the city of Nice. The attacker, 31-year-old French citizen Mohamed Lahouaiej Bouhlel, was shot dead by police after driving a truck through crowds of people celebrating Bastille Day. Police say they have made a total of six arrests in connection to the attacks, including Bouhlel’s estranged wife and an Albanian couple. A website affiliated with ISIL claimed responsibility for the attack over the weekend, but police say there is no evidence Bouhlel acted on behalf of the group.
TOPICS:
France
Islamic State
Protests Rock Kashmir After Death of Independence Leader
In news from Kashmir, a curfew continues for a 10th day amid massive protests and the worst violence in the disputed territory in more than five years. Human rights groups say at least 40 people have died in the ongoing clashes. Protests began 10 days ago after Indian security forces shot dead Kashmiri independence activist Burhan Muzaffar Wani. India has shut down printing presses and imposed a ban on some newspapers in Kashmir from printing amid the ongoing protests.
TOPICS:
Kashmir
Baltimore: 65 Arrested in Anti-Police Brutality Protests
In Baltimore, Maryland, police arrested 65 protesters during an anti-police brutality march Saturday. The protesters attempted to shut down Interstate 83. Protests have erupted in dozens of cities following the killings by police of two African-American men, Alton Sterling in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, and Philando Castile in Falcon Heights, Minnesota. Baltimore is currently awaiting the decision in the trial of a police officer charged in the death of Freddie Gray. Gray died of injuries sustained in police custody last year, sparking nationwide demonstrations.
TOPICS:
Police Brutality
NYC: March Marks 2nd Anniversary of Eric Garner's Death
And on Staten Island, hundreds marched Sunday to mark the second anniversary of the death of Eric Garner, who died in a fatal police chokehold on July 17, 2014. At the march, one of the protesters spoke out.
Darius Alonzo: "My name is Darius Alonzo, from Brooklyn, New York. And I’m here because this is the second anniversary of the death of Eric Garner, and I just want to pay respect to the man who lost his life foolishly on these very streets. It’s a shame that in this country we see the same thing time and time again with no answers for it. And the only thing I can demand is for revolution, because nothing that we’ve been doing has been working. We need real, legitimate change that’s going to do something. But this isn’t it. We need to do more than just marching. We need to do more than just posting on Facebook. We need a revolution."
The march was organized by Eric Garner’s daughter, Erica. Click here see our full interview with Erica Garner.
TOPICS:
Eric Garner
Police Brutality
Donate today:
Follow:
SPEAKING EVENTS
In Baton Rouge, Louisiana, a former marine has killed three police officers. The shooting began just before 9 a.m. on Sunday at a gas station on the city’s Airline Highway, a mile from the Baton Rouge Police Department headquarters. The police department has been the site of more than a week of protests against police violence. The demonstrations were sparked by the fatal shooting of Baton Rouge resident Alton Sterling by police. On Sunday, Baton Rouge officers were reportedly responding to a 911 call of shots fired when they were ambushed by a gunman. Three officers were killed, and three others were wounded. One is in critical condition. Police have identified the shooter as Gavin Long, a resident of Kansas City, Missouri. Long served in Iraq and was discharged at the rank of sergeant in 2010. In the week before the shooting, Long, who is African-American, recorded a video in which he discusses his anger toward police for the killing of African Americans. Using the alias Cosmo Setepenra, Long urges African-American men to "fight back" against the police. Meanwhile, Montrell Jackson, one of the slain officers, had posted recently on Facebook about the atmosphere in Baton Rouge after Alton Sterling’s killing, writing, "I swear to God I love this city, but I wonder if this city loves me. In uniform I get nasty, hateful looks and out of uniform some consider me a threat. ... These are trying times. Please don’t let hate infect your heart." Alton Sterling’s aunt Veda Washington-Abusaleh appealed for calm after Sunday’s shooting.
Veda Washington-Abusaleh: "We don’t call for no bloodshed. That’s how this all started—with bloodshed. We don’t want no more bloodshed. So if you’re not in accord with us, leave, go home, go wherever you come from. This is our house. You can’t come in our house, killing us. That’s what you’re doing, because at the end of the day, when these people call these families and they tell them that their daddies and their mamas not coming home no more, I know how they feel, because I got the same phone call. No justice. No justice, no peace! That’s what we’re calling for. Stop this killing! Stop this killing! Stop this killing!"
TOPICS:
Republican Party
2016 Election
Donald Trump
Baton Rouge: Hundreds Attend Funeral of Alton Sterling
Sunday’s shooting came only two days after hundreds of people gathered for the funeral of Alton Sterling. Baton Rouge Mayor Kip Holden did not attend. Holden has reportedly not even called the Sterling family yet. Hundreds of people protested outside the Mayor’s Office, demanding his resignation in the wake of Sterling’s death. Other prominent officials, including staff of Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards and Louisiana Congressmember Cedric Richmond, did attend Alton Sterling’s funeral on Friday.
TOPICS:
Police Brutality
Fox News Host Calls Out Fmr. Gov. Bobby Jindal for Saying "All Lives Matter"
Meanwhile, in the wake of Sunday’s fatal shooting of three police officers, presumptive Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump repeated his claim that he is the law and order candidate, while Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton said the attack was "an assault on all of us." In May, Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards signed a so-called Blue Lives Matter law, which expands Louisiana’s hate crimes statute to include police officers, firefighters and EMS personnel. Following the shooting, multiple politicians used the phrases "Blue Lives Matter" and "All Lives Matter," including former Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal.
Bobby Jindal: "We’ve got to say that all lives matter. It doesn’t matter what color you are—black, white, brown, red. It doesn’t matter. All lives matter. We’ve got to protect and value our police."
Shepard Smith: "Governor, you know that that phrase you just used is one that’s seen by many as derogatory, right? And I just wonder why it is that you use that phrase, when there’s a certain segment of the population that believes it’s a real dig on them?"
Bobby Jindal: "Well, Shepard, it’s not meant to be. The point is this: We’ve got to move beyond race."
In response, some Fox News viewers called for Shepard Smith to be fired.
TOPICS:
2016 Election
Democratic Party
Turkey: More Than 6,000 Arrested Following Failed Coup
The government of Turkey has arrested more than 6,000 people accused of participating in a failed military coup over the weekend. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has accused Fethullah Gülen, a Turkish cleric living in Pennsylvania, of masterminding the coup. Gülen has lived in the U.S. since 1999, when he fled Turkey after being accused of organizing religious extremists against the government. He had been an ally of Erdogan until a few years ago. U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said that the U.S. still has not received a formal extradition request for Gülen.
Secretary of State John Kerry: "We have not had a formal request for extradition. That has to come in a formal package. It has to come with documentation for the request, and go to the Justice Department. And we will deal with it."
Erdogan attended funerals over the weekend for some of the nearly 200 civilians killed in Friday’s attempted coup. Supporters of Erdogan continued to celebrate across the country today. Other citizens found an uneasy calm on Monday as the coup appeared to have been definitively defeated. There is fear that Erdogan, who before the coup was accused of becoming an autocrat, will use the coup to justify further actions against his political opponents.
RNC Opens in Cleveland, But Some Senators are Too Busy Fly-Fishing
The Republican National Convention opens in Cleveland, Ohio, today, with more than 50,000 people flooding into Cleveland for the convention, where the Republican Party is slated to formally nominate real estate mogul Donald Trump to be the party’s presidential nominee, and to ratify the party platform. More than a dozen Republican leaders have decided to skip the RNC. South Carolina Senator Lindsey Graham says he’s not coming because he doesn’t support Donald Trump. Arizona Senator Jeff Flake says he’s staying home because he’d rather mow his lawn. Florida Congressmember Dennis Ross is skipping the RNC because "It’s a good time to be fishing in Montana." Florida Senator Marco Rubio, Arizona Senator John McCain and Kentucky Senator Rand Paul will be skipping the convention. But many other party leaders and operatives are thrilled about the opening of the 2016 RNC, including Georgia Congressmember Rob Woodall, who said, "The place we’re going to pick the next leader of the free world? Heck yeah, I’m going!"
TOPICS:
Donald Trump
Republican Party
2016 Election
Thousands of Police and Federal Agents Flood into Cleveland for RNC
Thousands of police, federal agents and military personnel are also flooding into Cleveland, which has received nearly $50 million in federal funding to beef up security. At least 3,000 FBI, Secret Service and other federal agents have been sent to Cleveland, in addition to 1,500 county police officers and state troopers. The Pentagon has also deployed Ohio National Guardsmen, U.S. Coast Guard officers, military personnel from U.S. Northern Command. The Cleveland Police Department ordered an additional 2,000 sets of riot armor in advance of the convention. Police officers have also begun carrying AR-15 semiautomatic rifles and military-style M-14 rifles, which are typically reserved for snipers.
TOPICS:
2016 Election
Gun Control
Cleveland: Cans & Umbrellas Banned Near RNC -- But Guns are OK
Civilians may also be carrying military-grade weapons in downtown Cleveland this week. Like Louisiana and Texas, Ohio is an open-carry state. The head of Cleveland’s largest police union, Steve Loomis, has called on Ohio Governor John Kasich to suspend open-carry laws for the week of the RNC, saying: "I don’t care if it’s constitutional or not at this point." Loomis spoke further on CNN.
Steve Loomis: "It’s absolute insanity to me. This is an open-carry state. Most police officers, generally, love the Constitution and will take a bullet to defend it, as we saw, you know, admirably in Dallas. But at the end of the day, it’s not responsible. It’s legal to bring your guns, but it’s not responsible."
Michael Smerconish: "You don’t want them doing it?"
Steve Loomis: "Absolutely not."
Michael Smerconish: "You don’t want them exercising their, quote-unquote, 'right'?"
Steve Loomis: "Absolutely not. That makes for mayhem."
In response, Ohio Governor John Kasich said, "Ohio governors do not have the power to arbitrarily suspend federal and state constitutional rights or state laws as suggested."
TOPICS:
2016 Election
Republican Party
Trump Selects Indiana Governor Mike Pence as Running Mate
After weeks of speculation, Donald Trump has named Indiana Governor Mike Pence as his running mate.
Donald Trump: "I’ve found the leader who will help us deliver a safe society and a prosperous, really prosperous society for all Americans. Indiana Governor Mike Pence was my first choice. I’ve admired the work he’s done, especially in the state of Indiana."
Governor Pence joined Trump on stage to accept the vice-presidential nomination. In his speech, he highlighted his conservative values.
Gov. Mike Pence: "People who know me well know I’m a pretty basic guy. I’m a Christian, a conservative and a Republican, in that order. Now, while I’m currently—I currently have the privilege of serving the state that I love, I’m really—I’m really just a small-town boy who grew up in southern Indiana with a big family and a cornfield in the backyard."
Mike Pence was first elected to Congress in 2000, then was elected governor in 2012. In 2015, he signed into law the highly controversial anti-LGBT Religious Freedom Restoration Act, which gave businesses license to discriminate against LGBT people. The law caused a nationwide backlash. Dozens of companies and professional sports teams and leagues, including the Indianapolis-headquartered NCAA, threatened to boycott Indiana. Apple CEO Tim Cook slammed the law, likening it to the Jim Crow laws of the American South. Ultimately, Pence was forced to enact a revision specifying the law does not authorize anti-LGBT discrimination. As governor, Pence also oversaw a cut in Planned Parenthood funding in the state and signed legislation, since blocked, that would have restricted abortion access statewide. He was also a co-sponsor of the bill that authorized the U.S. invasion of Iraq in 2003.
TOPICS:
Republican Party
2016 Election
Abortion
Clinton Expected to Select Running Mate This Week
Meanwhile, Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton is expected to announce her running mate this week, ahead of the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia next week. Some of the people on her short list reportedly include Virginia Senator Tim Kaine, Colorado Governor John Hickenlooper, U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack and Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Julián Castro. Clinton also met with Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren on Friday, although many are speculating Warren will not be chosen as Clinton’s running mate, because she’s been asked to speak on the first night of the DNC. Running mates usually speak later in the conventions.
TOPICS:
Hillary Clinton
2016 Election
Democratic Party
Newly Declassified Pages of 9/11 Report Open New Questions on Saudi Role
The Obama administration has finally declassified 28 pages from the September 11 report detailing possible ties between the Saudi government and the 9/11 attacks. The report states, "Prior to September 11, the FBI apparently did not focus investigative resources on [redacted text] Saudi nationals in the United States due to Saudi Arabia’s status as an American ally." The declassified document raises new questions about the role of a Saudi consular official based in the Los Angeles area. He personally helped two of the hijackers after they arrived in Los Angeles in early 2000. The document also reveals details about an incident in 1999 when a flight from Phoenix to Washington, D.C., was forced to make an emergency landing due to suspicious activity by two Saudi men, including one who attempted to enter the cockpit twice.
TOPICS:
9/11
Saudi Arabia
France: More Arrests Following Attack in Nice That Killed 84
In news from France, police say they have made two more arrests in connection to the attack last week that left 84 people dead in the city of Nice. The attacker, 31-year-old French citizen Mohamed Lahouaiej Bouhlel, was shot dead by police after driving a truck through crowds of people celebrating Bastille Day. Police say they have made a total of six arrests in connection to the attacks, including Bouhlel’s estranged wife and an Albanian couple. A website affiliated with ISIL claimed responsibility for the attack over the weekend, but police say there is no evidence Bouhlel acted on behalf of the group.
TOPICS:
France
Islamic State
Protests Rock Kashmir After Death of Independence Leader
In news from Kashmir, a curfew continues for a 10th day amid massive protests and the worst violence in the disputed territory in more than five years. Human rights groups say at least 40 people have died in the ongoing clashes. Protests began 10 days ago after Indian security forces shot dead Kashmiri independence activist Burhan Muzaffar Wani. India has shut down printing presses and imposed a ban on some newspapers in Kashmir from printing amid the ongoing protests.
TOPICS:
Kashmir
Baltimore: 65 Arrested in Anti-Police Brutality Protests
In Baltimore, Maryland, police arrested 65 protesters during an anti-police brutality march Saturday. The protesters attempted to shut down Interstate 83. Protests have erupted in dozens of cities following the killings by police of two African-American men, Alton Sterling in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, and Philando Castile in Falcon Heights, Minnesota. Baltimore is currently awaiting the decision in the trial of a police officer charged in the death of Freddie Gray. Gray died of injuries sustained in police custody last year, sparking nationwide demonstrations.
TOPICS:
Police Brutality
NYC: March Marks 2nd Anniversary of Eric Garner's Death
And on Staten Island, hundreds marched Sunday to mark the second anniversary of the death of Eric Garner, who died in a fatal police chokehold on July 17, 2014. At the march, one of the protesters spoke out.
Darius Alonzo: "My name is Darius Alonzo, from Brooklyn, New York. And I’m here because this is the second anniversary of the death of Eric Garner, and I just want to pay respect to the man who lost his life foolishly on these very streets. It’s a shame that in this country we see the same thing time and time again with no answers for it. And the only thing I can demand is for revolution, because nothing that we’ve been doing has been working. We need real, legitimate change that’s going to do something. But this isn’t it. We need to do more than just marching. We need to do more than just posting on Facebook. We need a revolution."
The march was organized by Eric Garner’s daughter, Erica. Click here see our full interview with Erica Garner.
TOPICS:
Eric Garner
Police Brutality
Donate today:
Follow:
SPEAKING EVENTS
Rep. Ellison: Why is the Democratic Party Afraid to Mention the Israeli Occupation in Platform?
WORK WITH DN!
Special Expanded 2-Hour Broadcasts from the RNC and DNC—July 18-29
207 West 25th Street, 11th Floor
New York, New York 10001, United States
---------------------
---------------------
No comments:
Post a Comment