Black Agenda Radio - 08.28.17

Welcome to the radio magazine that brings you news, commentary and analysis from a Black Left perspective. I’m Glen Ford, along with my co-host Nellie Bailey. Coming up: The U.S. Justice Department demands to know the identities of 1.3 million people, because they visited a web site; Much of the U.S. Congress wants to make it a crime to boycott Israel; and, prisoner rights advocates demand repeal of the Amendment that makes slavery legal in the United States.

In the wake of racist violence in Charlottesvill, Virginia, the airwaves are full of discussion about President Trump’s ties to the so-called “alt-right.” Just what is President Trump’s core political base. We asked author and veteran journalist Chris Hedges.

More than 200 demonstrators face felony charges stemming from protests at Donald Trump’s inauguration, January 20, in Washington. Trump’s Justice Department is trying to force an internet hosting company to reveal the identities of all 1.3 million people that visited a website involved in organizing the inauguration protests. Civil liberties groups say the administration has declared war on the First Amendment guarantee of free speech. We asked Chip Gibbons, legislative oounsel with the group, Defending Rights and Dissent, if there is any precedent for the Justice Department’s dragnet.

August is traditionally a time to support the rights of those incarcerated in the U.S. prison gulag. This August 19 th saw rallies in cities around the country under the theme, Millions for Prisoners Human Rights, with the biggest event in Washington, DC. Black Agenda Radio producer Kyle Fraser spoke with Brother Dee, a currently incarcerated prison abolition activist who would rather prison officials not know his real name. Brother Dee said the rallies were a big success, despite the competition from racist statues and the eclipse of the sun.

Mumia Abu Jamal, the nation’s best known political prisoner, went on Prison Radio to note the passig of one of Black America’s premier social critics…and a very funny guy.

A bill has passed the U.S. House, and is now before the Senate, that would make it a crime, punishable by 20 years in prison, to boycott Israel for its repression of Palestinian people’s rights. Josh Reubner is policy director of the U.S. Campaign for Palestinian Rights. He says Israel’s supporters on Capitol Hill are willing to gut the U.S. Constitution to protect Israel from criticism.

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.