Leid Stories – D-Day As Democratic Convention Opens; WWBD? – 07.25.16

Well, it’s D-Day—as in opening day of the four-day Democratic Party’s national convention in Philadelpia—and the question is: What Will Bernie Do?

Thousands who’d felt the Bern during the voter-fraud-plagued primaries are descending on the City of Brotherly Love, not feeling too brotherly (or sisterly) toward the ex-presidential contender right now, and downright disgusted with the Democratic Party and its soon-to-be nominee, Hillary Clinton. They hope to persuade Sanders to stay the course with the “revolution” they started together, outside of what they believe is a corrupt party and rigged political process. Dare they keep hope alive?

A Wikileaks dump over the weekend of 20,000 Democratic National Party officials’ emails showed the party’s efforts to sabotage Sanders’ campaign. It caused DNC leader Debbie Wasserman Schultz’s abrupt resignation and has emboldened Sanderistas in their quest for a WWBD showdown. It won’t be pretty.

In his prime-time speech tonight will Bernie once again tout “party unity,” as he did when he capitulated to Clinton and endorsed her two weeks ago? Will he once again sell the “logic” of coming into the Democratic fold to “expand” the party’s mission and vision? Will he claim that the most important thing to do right now is defeat Donald Trump? Leid Stories says the answer is, yes. And yes. And yes.

Black Agenda Radio – 7.25.16

This is Black Agenda Radio, the radio magazine that brings you news, commentary and analysis from a Black Left perspective. Your hosts are Glen Ford and Nellie Bailey, here they are with a weekly hour of African American political thought and action.

– Black activists took the fight against police terror to the cops’ doorstep, last week. Black Youth Project 100 and Black Lives Matter DC occupied the grounds of the Fraternal Order of Police union headquarters, in Washington. At about the same time, BYP100, Black Lives Matter and the Million Hoodies Movement for Justice staged a sit-in at the New York City offices of another police union, the Patrolmen’s Benevolent Association. Samantha Masters is a spokesperson for the activists in the nation’s capital.

– There’s been yet another acquittal in Baltimore of a police officer in the death of Freddie Gray. We spoke with Jill Carter, a member of the Maryland state legislature, who’s also a defense attorney who hails from an activist, civil rights family. Carter says, given that cops are so seldom charged with crimes against Black civilians, and hardly ever convicted, lots of folks were not surprised that it looks like no one will pay for the fatal injuries to Freddie Gray’s spine while in police custody.

– What does the rise of Donald Trump say about the United States? The nation’s best known political prisoner, Mumia Abu Jamal, files this report on The Trump Triumph.

– The grassroots rebellion in both the Democratic and Republican parties may bode well for the growth prospects of the Green Party and Jill Stein, their anticipated presidential candidate. Dr. Margaret Flowers is an honorary co-chair of the Green’s national convention, coming up in August, and one of the authors of a series of open letters the Greens have sent to various political constituencies, urging them to break with the two-party, duopoly system.

– Bruce Carter used to be an organizer with Black Men for Bernie, before Sanders capitulated to Hillary Clinton. Carter says he’s through with the Democrats, but he will be in Philadelphia this week when Clinton accepts her presidential nomination.

– The Olympic Games kick off next month in Rio De Janeiro, but Brazil is in political turmoil. The impeachment trial of the country’s elected President, Dilma Rousseff, of the Workers Party, is set to begin in mid-August. The corporate media in Brazil and the United States act as if Rousseff’s removal is a done deal. However, a federal prosecutor has ruled that the charges against Rousseff do not constitute a crime, and it is believed that there may be a large enough bloc in the Brazilian Senate to prevent her ouster. Maria Luisa Mendonca is director of Brazil’s Network for Social Justice and Human Rights and a professor of international relations at the University of Rio De Jenairo, which has been closed down since the so-called “soft coup”

Visit the BlackAgendaReport.com, where you’ll find a new and provocative issue, each Wednesday

MICHAEL T. MCPHEARSON – Why Do Veterans Support Donald Trump?

Two recent polls demonstrate that support for Donald Trump in the military and among veterans outpaces support for both Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders. A May Military Times survey of active-duty troops showed Trump beating Clinton by better than a 2-to-1 margin. A Morning Consult poll of veterans and active-duty members taken later the same month showed the likely Republican nominee leading his Democratic rival …

Alternative Visions – Trump, Free Trade, and the Global Slowdown – 07.15.16

A centerpiece of Trump’s campaign, that is gaining support for him among white working class voters in key swing states like Pennsylvania and Ohio, is his attack on free trade treaties from NAFTA to TPP. Today’s show examines the conditions behind the current stagnation of global trade the past 18 months, growing wage stagnation and income inequality in the US, and increasing US voters’ associating of their loss of quality jobs and declining wages with free trade. Dr. Rasmus briefly reviews policies in China, Japan, Europe, and the slowing of world trade. How US economic elites—from the Business Roundtable and others— are becoming terrified of Trump’s successful manipulation of voter discontent with free trade. The elements of Trump’s position on trade are discussed, including ‘tearing up’ treaties, imposing tariffs on Mexico and China, charges of China as currency manipulator, tax policy incentives encouraging job offshoring, and US visa policies. Jack critiques Trump’s positions and concludes that Trump—like Obama before and Hillary now—is simply pandering to the discontent and will reverse his promises on trade if elected. Pandering to the trade issue, however, may just provide Trump enough votes to win key states’ electoral majorities.

Leid Stories – Congresswoman Pushes for Three-Pronged Federal Probe of Clinton Foundation; Bernie Sanders Proudly Capitulates – 07.13.16

Rep. Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) is calling for a federal investigation into the operations of the Bill, Hillary and Chelsea Clinton Foundation—a “lawless, pay-to-play enterprise that has been operating under a cloak of philanthropy for years,” she alleges in written requests to FBI Director James Comey, IRS Commissioner John Koskinen, and Federal Trade Commission chairperson Edith Ramirez. The federal agencies’ “public-corruption” probes should focus on the relationships between big-money donors to the foundation and U.S. foreign-policy decisions made during Hillary Clinton’s tenure as secretary of state, says Blackburn.

Charles Ortel, a former Wall Street investor who exposed General Electric’s multibillion-dollar stock fraud in 2007-2008, since February last year has been examining the Clinton Foundation’s global labyrinth of nonprofit subsidiaries. In an exclusive Leid Stories series, Ortel has charged that the Clinton Foundation is “complete and total fraud.” Ortel discusses Rep. Blackburn’s three-tiered probe request and his most recent forensic findings about the Clinton Foundation.

Well, we saw it coming quite a ways back and you were warned: Bernie Sanders will cave to Hillary and the Democratic Party, trading in the 13 million-plus popular votes he got during the primaries for the illusion of more clout when he goes back to the Senate and within the ranks of the increasingly irrelevant Democratic Party. His full-throated endorsement of Clinton yesterday was a fait accompli.

The Gary Null Show – 07.13.16

On “The Gary Null Show” Gary talks about these health topics and then does a great commentary on Bernie Sanders and Hillary Clinton with some additional commentary by Henry Giroux.

Rosemary + grapefruit extracts show beauty-from-within potential: RCT

Magnesium may modestly lower blood pressure

Researchers find Alzheimer’s begins in the brain 30 years before any symptoms

Warmer body temp puts the heat on the common cold

Hops extract studied to prevent breast cancer

Gut bacteria can cause, predict and prevent rheumatoid arthritis

A great Gary commentary about “The Devil you know” featuring Bernie Sanders and Hillary Clinton.

The Racist Killing Machine in the Age of Anti-Politics by Henry Giroux

Trends This Week – A weak endorsement for Hillary and the rise of a powerful trend – 07.13.16

“The laws are only there for we the little people to obey…” Trends analyst Gerald Celente breaks down the hollow words and promises behind Bernie Sanders’ endorsement of Hillary Clinton, as well as President Barack Obama’s recent speech about the Dallas police shootings and the shootings in Minnesota and Louisiana. Celente then ties the failed leadership of the political elite here and across the globe to the rise of the anti-globalization movements taking hold worldwide and the emerging – and powerful – trend of self-sustainability. And, he offers some deep insights into the surge in global markets this week.

Dr Ludwig Watzal – Hillary Clinton – A Specter Haunting The Entire World

The Democratic presidential candidate, Hillary Clinton, still gets high marks at least in Europe, compared to the Republican candidate Donald Trump, demonized by corporate media because of his outlandish remarks about Muslims, women, the wall with Mexico, and other bizarre statements he had made. Despite Trump’s crude political opinions, he has many followers among predominantly white Americans. He portrays himself …

Green Party’s Jill Stein Urges Bernie Sanders to Run Rogue for White House

The Green Party’s Jill Stein has offered Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders top billing on her party’s ticket, should he choose to leave the Democrats, the party that has, by all appearances, resisted him throughout his wildly popular campaign. While Sanders is still technically a Democratic Party presidential candidate, he has yet to endorse frontrunner Hillary Clinton, though he has ceased campaigning …