We continue our interview about the issues leading to a skyrocketing population of aging people behind bars, and feature comments about their conditions from political prisoners Mumia Abu-Jamal and Leonard Peltier. We also speak with Mujahid Farid, who was released from a New York state prison in 2011 after serving 33 years.
In part two of our interview with Somali human rights activist and physician, Dr. Hawa Abdi, she describes how thousands of Somalis were killed in the 1993 attack in Mogadishu that is best known for killing 18 elite U.S. special forces. She also discusses her book, Keeping Hope Alive, which shares what has happened in the 22 years since the war broke out in her country, and the work she has done at her clinic to offer healthcare and emergency relief to thousands of Somalis. We also speak with her daughter, Dr. Deqo Mohamed.
Democracy Now! co-host Juan González will be speaking in cities across the country during upcoming screenings of the new documentary based on his groundbreaking book, Harvest of Empire, which takes an unflinching look at how U.S. economic and military interests helped trigger an unprecedented wave of migration.
New Yorkers joined the global movement of "One Billion Rising" to gather and dance on Valentine’s Day in order to call attention to violence against women. "If a man knows a woman who is a victim or survivor then he knows what that is like because it will effect her for the rest of her life," said Jerin Arifa, with the National Organization for Women, who danced in Union Square. "It will effect her productivity, the way she can love again, the way she can trust again. It will effect them also." At another event in Times Square, dozens of people organized a "We Will Not Be Silent," protest.
Leading environmentalist and human rights champion Rebecca "Becky" Tarbotton, executive director of the organization Rainforest Action Network (RAN), has died at the age of 39.
According to RAN, Tarbotton died Wednesday on a beach in Mexico while vacationing with her husband and friends. The coroner ruled cause of death as asphyxiation from water she breathed in while swimming.
In one of his first public events since being held under house arrest, WikiLeaks editor-in-chief Julian Assange appeared in London Saturday for a conversation with Slovenian philosopher Slavoj Žižek, moderated by Democracy Now!’s Amy Goodman. They discussed the impact of WikiLeaks on world politics, the release of the Iraq and Afghanistan war logs, and Cablegate — the largest trove of classified U.S. government records in history.
Above, we revisit part 1 of our interview with Madlives Ex-President Mohamed Nasheed. We also speak with Jon Shenk, director of The Island President, a new documentary about Nashee’s climate activism.
In part two of our interview with pioneering midwife Ina May Gaskin, she describes the women who died of pregnancy-related causes and are commemorated in squares of the Safe Motherhood Quilt Project. Gaskin argues midwifery is about helping the woman and her child, but is also key to shaping how society as a whole views the birthing process. Gaskin is the author of Ina May’s Guide to Childbirth and, most recently, Birth Matters: A Midwife’s Manifesta.
Our full 78-minute interview with pianist and composer Randy Weston. Includes extended performances of many of Weston’s most famous songs: "High Fly," "Blue Moses," "African Cookbook," "In Memory Of," "The Healers," "African Lady," "Kucheza Blues," and "Blues For Langston Hughes." For the past six decades, Weston has been a pioneering jazz musician, incorporating the vast rhythmic heritage of Africa.
Michael Ratner and Michael Steven Smith are the co-authors of a new book about the U.S. role in the killing of Cuban revolutionary, Ernesto “Che” Guevara. Born in Argentina in 1928, Che rose to international prominence as one of the key leaders of the 1959 Cuban Revolution that overthrew U.S.-backed dictator Fulgencio Batista. After a period in the new Cuban government leadership, Che aimed to spark revolutionary activity internationally. On October 8, 1967, he was captured by Bolivian troops working with the CIA. He was executed one day later.
