Today, the weekly series "Criminal Injustice" continues, where the hosts discuss the most egregious conduct of our courts and prosecutors and how justice is denied to so many people in this country, including the murder by NYPD of Saheed Vassell, a man known by cops and the community to be mentally ill.
Yesterday was the 50th anniversary of the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr. After he was killed, there were uprisings in dozens of cities, though these powerful rebellions have been falsely portrayed as opportunistic and materialistic looting and rioting. What were the social movements at the time of the assassination of Dr. King and what kind of oppression caused the Black community to rise up after this assassination? Malik Rahim, a former Black Panther and a longtime housing and prison activist in Louisiana who gained widespread attention as an important community organizer in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, joins the show.
Yulia Skripal, who last month was poisoned in the UK with her father, a Russian double agent, is finally recovering. She said she feels stronger each day, but is still disoriented. The British government has said the Skripals were poisoned with the nerve agent Novichok. Absent any proof, however, British scientists and politicians have backed off that claim. Brian and John speak with Dr. Piers Robinson, the chairman of the politics, society, and political journalism department at the University of Sheffield and the author of "Routledge Handbook of Media, Conflict and Security."
The Brazilian Supreme Court ruled last night that former president Luiz Ignacio Lula da Silva can be sent to prison while he appeals his conviction on corruption charges. Lula said that the 6-5 ruling was an underhanded ploy to keep him off the ballot. He is currently leading in presidential preference polls. Earlier yesterday, a Brazilian general threatened a military coup if Lula was not imprisoned. Ada Siqueira, a member of Brazilian Expats for Democracy and Social Justice, joins the show.
Major teachers strikes continue in Oklahoma and Kentucky, even though the Oklahoma state legislature has agreed to increase teachers salaries. The teachers are striking due to pensions, class sizes, classroom supplies, up-to-date textbooks, and respect. Liz Davis, President of the Washington Teachers Union who has taught in DC public schools for 41 years, joins Brian and John.
Facebook executives announced yesterday that at least 87 million users had their personal data harvested secretly by data firm Cambridge Analytica. The number is far higher than Facebook had previously admitted. The company responded by saying that it would adopt Europe's stricter privacy policies for the US. But Congress wants CEO Mark Zuckerberg to testify. Dr. Robert Epstein, the Senior Research Psychologist at the American Institute for Behavioral Research and Technology, and Bill Binney, a former NSA technical director who became a legendary national security whistleblower, join the show.
A group of retired veteran intelligence, law enforcement, and military professionals yesterday delivered a letter to the Ecuadorian Ambassador to the United States asking that his country allow Wikileaks founder Julian Assange to have internet access and permission for him to receive visitors. Assange has been cut off from the outside world for two weeks now after he commented on Twitter about Catalonian elections. Brian speaks with John about delivering the letter to the embassy yesterday.
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