Protests calling for the resignation of Puerto Rican Governor Ricardo Rosello escalated overnight, as demonstrators overturned barricades and police fired tear gas into the crowds. The demonstrations came in the wake of the release of nearly 900 pages of chat logs between Rosello and 11 friends whom he has named to top governmental positions that mocked victims of the 2017 hurricanes and reveal misogyny, homophobia, and severe personal criticism of prominent Puerto Rican personalities. Demonstrations also took place in at least 10 cities across the US.
The Iranian media are reporting that the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps has seized what it calls a “foreign oil tanker” carrying one million liters of smuggled fuel. An IRGC statement said that Iranian dhows, small wooden boats, were carrying fuel to the tanker, which was seized in the Strait of Hormuz. The United States also announced that it is sending troops to Saudi Arabia. Massoud Shadjareh, the founder of the Islamic Human Rights Commission, joins the show.
President Trump was speaking at a rally in North Carolina last night when he prompted chants of “send her back” by attacking Rep. Ilhan Omar, a naturalised citizen of Somali origin who is a member of the House of Representatives. Trump paused to allow the chanting to swell, and it was followed by shouts of “traitor” and “treason.” Meanwhile, a motion to impeach the President for his recent comments that were widely condemned as racist was killed in the House of Representatives when it was tabled before it could be voted on. John speaks with Jacqueline Luqman, the co-editor-in-chief of Luqman Nation, which hosts a livestream every Thursday night at 9:00 p.m. on Facebook.
The Pentagon announced yesterday that it will further militarise the border, sending 1,100 active duty troops and 1,000 members of the Texas National Guard to the border with Mexico in support of President Trump’s immigration crackdown. These troops will carry out logistical support and aerial surveillance, and will be in addition to the 4,500 troops and national guardsmen already at the border. Isabel Garcia, co-founder of Coalición de Derechos Humanos, joins the show.
Turkey is officially out of the F-35 programme, the US government announced yesterday. Turkey’s purchase of the Russian-made S-400 air defence system was labelled an existential threat to the F-35 by the Pentagon, bringing relations between the US and Turkey -- nominally NATO allies -- to a new low. Sputnik News analyst Walter Smolarek joins John.
A regular Thursday segment deals with the ongoing militarisation of space. As the US continues to withdraw from international arms treaties, will the weaponisation and militarisation of space bring the world closer to catastrophe? Brian and John speak with Prof. Karl Grossman, a full professor of journalism at the State University of New York, College at Old Westbury and the host of a nationally aired television programme focused on environmental, energy, and space issues.
Thursday’s weekly series “Criminal Injustice” is about the most egregious conduct of our courts and prosecutors and how justice is denied to so many people in this country. Paul Wright, the founder and executive director of the Human Rights Defense Centre and editor of Prison Legal News (PLN), and Kevin Gosztola, a writer for Shadowproof.com and co-host of the podcast Unauthorised Disclosure, join the show.
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