Welcome, to the radio magazine that brings you news, commentary and analysis from a Black Left perspective.
President Donald Trump’s administration will not look anything like the picture painted by candidate Trump, who railed against the influence of corporations and special interests. A news study by the advocacy group Public Interest shows that 70 percent of the people on Trump’s transition team are affiliated with corporations. Former Goldman Sachs banker Steven Mnuchin has been nominated for Secretary of State. But, the Barack Obama and Bill Clinton administrations were also top-heavy with Wall Street bankers. We asked Rick Claypool, research director for Public Citizen, why should the Trump administration be any different?
In Philadelphia, activists will gather for a conference, December 9 and 10, aimed at bringing a more rigorous scientific analysis to the struggle for social justice. Nandita Chaturvedi is a graduate student at the University of Pennsylvania, and an organizer of the conference on Revolutionary Science for Radical Times.
Back in April of this year, an army of police descended on a neighborhood in The Bronx, in New York City, and arrested 120 young men on conspiracy to commit a wide range of crimes. It was the largest police sweep in New York City history, even bigger than a similar roundup, two years ago, that dragged 103 young people in Harlem to prison. Both sweeps were centered on public housing projects. Paula is the mother of a teenager swept up in this year’s police raid in The Bronx. She chose not to use her last name, in fear of police retaliation against her son.
The Syrian government, with the help of Russia and other allies, seems on the verge of winning back control of Aleppo, its biggest city, much to the onsternation of the United States, which has for years armed and financed Islamic Jihadist fighters. Black Agenda Report editor and senior columnist Margaret Kimberley is an activist with the United National Anti-War Coalition, and part of the Hands Off Syria Coalition. She spoke at a Coalition gathering in New York City, last week.
In Washington, last week, the anti-war group Code Pink held a two-day People’s Tribunal on the Iraq War, as a step towards making the United States accountable for its aggression against that country. The Tribunal was covered, live, for two days by The Real News Network. One of those who testified was Michael Sampson, a Florida native and co-founder of the Dream Defenders and now a labor organizer in the Washington area.
And that it’s for this edition of Black Agenda Radio. Be sure to visit us at BlackAgendaReport.com, where you’ll find a new and provocative issue, each Wednesday. That’s www.BlackAgendaReport.com. It’s the place for news, commentary and analysis, from the Black Left.