Ask Beatty – 11.30.15

Beatty talked about Mayor De Blasio and his wife, First Lady McCray’s New York
City mental health initiative, ThriveNYC.
Their plan sets forth 6 principles for achieving long-term mental health changes. Tune in and listen to the programs that have the potential to save millions of lives!
Her guest today was actress Margot Steinberg, who talked about Straight Talking, an equity stage reading about a families reaction to discovering that their son is gay. The readings are on December 7th and 8th at 7 p.m. at 151 West 46th St. In NYC. Admission is FREE.

Leid Stories – 11.30.15

Laquan McDonald Killing: Protest, Yes, But Political Punishment Is Needed
Prosecuting Egregious Police Crimes: When the Law Is Out of Order
The indictment last week of Chicago Policer Jason Van Dyke on first-degree-murder charges for shooting to death 17-year-old Laquan McDonald on Oct. 20 last year has ignited a renewed groundswell of grassroots protest against police brutality and the double standard of justice that favors rogue cops when prosecuting such cases. Leid Stories in a commentary explains why vigorous protest not only is appropriate, it should include organized political punishment—of the Democratic Party in particular.
Jury selection begins today in Baltimore City Circuit Court in the trial of Officer William Porter, the first of six officers charged in the death of Freddie Gray, 26, who died on April 19, a week after suffering traumatic injuries while being transported to a stationhouse in a police van. “Attorney at War” Alton H. Maddox Jr., who has litigated several precedent-setting police-brutality cases in New York, discusses key issues with the prosecution of Porter and Gray’s other alleged killers.

Black Agenda Radio – 11.30.15

Welcome, to the radio magazine that brings you news, commentary and analysis from a Black Left perspective.

– A bill is moving through the U.S. House and Senate that would retroactively shorten sentences for crack cocaine possession and, its backers claim, substantially roll back mandatory minimum sentences for other crimes. The Sentencing Act is supported by the NAACP and the American Civil Liberties Union. However, the National Urban League and Families Against Mandatory Minimums have refused to sign off on the legislation, which actually expands the list of crimes subject to mandatory minimum sentencing, including gun possession and crimes of domestic violence. Listen to Julie Stewart, who is President of Families Against Mandatory Minimums.

– Funds are being raised for a new documentary film on the Black Panther Party for Self-Defense, with a focus on the late Panther leader, Huey P. Newton, and other Party founders, in Oakland, California. The project is headed up by David Hilliard, a former Panther chief of staff. Emmy Award-winning filmmaker Dante James will direct the movie. Both James and Hilliard have been critical of the film “The Black Panthers: Vanguard of the Revolution,” directed by Stanley Nelson Jr. and distributed by PBS. Dante talked to us about the difference between the two films.

– Trial has begun for the first of six Baltimore police officers charged in the death of Freddie Gray, last April, a homicide that set off a rebellion in the majority Black city. Baltimore is also the headquarters for the Real News Network, which held a fascinating discussion of the legal ramifications of the trial. Real News host Stephen Janis interviewed former Baltimore homicide detective Stephen Tabeling, who has a history of investigating cases of police use of deadly force, and Maryland Delegate Jill Carter, the most radical member of the state legislature, who hails from a civil rights family, and is also a defense attorney. Carter told the Real News why she’s worried about getting justice for Freddie Gray.

Warrior Connection – 11.29.15

The November 29 edition of Warrior Connection takes us back to separate time via the poetry and writings my own cousin: Bonnie. Bonnie Rokke Tinnes is a teacher of English and Russian and a registered nurse with BS Degrees from Bemidji State University and the University of North Dakota. She is author of the Growing up Margaret Series, Grandma’s Three Winks, Snow Presents and Other Poems, and Dancing Barefoot in the Wind, another collection of her poetry. Now retired, she lives with her husband Gilmen in the Bemidji Minnesota area. Bonnie’s works are available on AMAZON.COM

A Just Cause – Spotlight on Capitol Hill & Senator Mike Lee – 11.29.15

The host Cliff Stewart, Lisa Stewart and Lamont Banks talks to Our Special Guest Senator Mike Lee. Senator Mike Lee serves in the 114th Congress, beginning his tenure as Chairman of the Senate Steering Committee and currently serves on the on the Armed Services Committee, Joint Economic Committee, Committee on the Judiciary, Subcommittee of the Energy and Natural Resources Committee, and oversees issues critical to Utah as the Chairman of the Water and Power. As Utah’s 16th Senator, Mike Lee has spent his career defending the basic liberties of Americans and Utahns as a tireless advocate for our founding constitutional principles.

Resistance Radio – Jennifer Lahl – 11.29.15

Jennifer Lahl is founder and president of The Center for Bioethics and Culture Network. Lahl couples her 25 years of experience as a pediatric critical care nurse, a hospital administrator, and a senior-level nursing manager with a deep passion to speak for those who have no voice. She is called upon to speak alongside lawmakers and members of the scientific community, even being invited to speak to members of the European Parliament in Brussels to address issues of egg trafficking. She serves on the North American Editorial Board for Ethics and Medicine. She made her writing and directing debut producing the documentary film Eggsploitation, which has been awarded Best Documentary by the California Independent Film Festival and has sold in more than 30 countries. She is also Director, Executive Producer, and Co-Writer of Anonymous Father’s Day, a documentary film exploring the stories of women and men who were created by anonymous sperm donation. Her latest film, Breeders: A Subclass of Women? on surrogacy, was released January 2014, and completes the trilogy of films exploring the ethics of third-party reproduction.