Life sentences in Louisiana used to come with the opportunity of early release for good behavior. When the rules changed, these people were left behind in Angola and forgotten for decades.
From Lara Trump to Josh Hawley, here are some of our most-read stories of the year.
Mumia Abu-Jamal remembers South African Archbishop Desmond Tutu, who died on Sunday at the age of 90. Tutu was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for fighting to end apartheid in South Africa. In 2007, Tutu visited Mumia when he was still on death row. “His spirit reflected a giant,” says Abu-Jamal. “He struggled for change with his prophetic voice, his sweet humor, his deep love and his boundless sense of compassion.
World-renowned author, activist and professor Angela Davis talks about navigating the pandemic and an inadequate two-party political system during a time of racial uprising in the United States. She also talks about imprisoned journalist Mumia Abu-Jamal, the Biden presidential campaign and the protests that erupted from the police killing of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor.
The former Senate Majority Leader died on Tuesday after a years-long battle with pancreatic cancer.
Despite a centrist background, the late Senate Democratic leader’s penchant for partisan combat endeared him to the left.
President Joe Biden and Vladimir Putin will speak Thursday as the Russian leader has stepped up his demands for security guarantees in Eastern Europe.
This is the latest sign that a verdict in the monthlong sex trafficking trial may not be near.
We go to New Delhi, India, to speak with acclaimed Indian author and activist Arundhati Roy about the pandemic, U.S. militarism and the state of journalism. Roy first appeared on Democracy Now! after receiving widespread backlash for speaking out against the U.S. invasion of Afghanistan. At the time, her emphatic antiwar stance clashed with the rising tides of patriotism and calls for war after 9/11. “Now the same media is saying what we were saying 20 years ago,” says Roy.
Acclaimed poet Martín Espada recently won the National Book Award for Poetry for his anthology “Floaters.” He became just the third Latinx poet to win the award. “Floaters” is titled after the photo of the Salvadoran father and daughter who drowned in the Rio Grande in June 2019 trying to cross into the United States, one that sparked outrage at the humanitarian crisis at the U.S. southern border. Espada discusses U.S.
Without Trump’s nonstop lies about “voter fraud” having cost him reelection, Georgia’s two Senate races likely would have been won by Republicans.
The Nevada politician served as Senate minority leader until his retirement and called for an end to the chamber’s filibuster.
The Kentucky senator’s claim that Democrats “steal” elections via “legally valid” votes lays bare the GOP’s belief that no election is legitimate if a Democrat wins.
The Georgia Republican suggested her party was “pandering” by acknowledging the weeklong celebration of African culture on social media.
Relatives of a 14-year-old Valentina Orellana-Peralta say she loved skateboarding and dreamed of being an engineer.
Oz, who spent years promoting potentially dangerous and questionable practices on “The Dr. Oz Show,” announced his candidacy for Senate in November.
Mumia Abu-Jamal remembers South African Archbishop Desmond Tutu, who died on Sunday at the age of 90. Tutu was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for fighting to end apartheid in South Africa. In 2007, Tutu visited Mumia when he was still on death row. “His spirit reflected a giant,” says Abu-Jamal. “He struggled for change with his prophetic voice, his sweet humor, his deep love and his boundless sense of compassion.
World-renowned author, activist and professor Angela Davis talks about navigating the pandemic and an inadequate two-party political system during a time of racial uprising in the United States. She also talks about imprisoned journalist Mumia Abu-Jamal, the Biden presidential campaign and the protests that erupted from the police killing of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor.
World-renowned author, activist and professor Angela Davis talks about the prison abolition movement from her time as a Black Panther leader to today. In her tireless efforts as an abolitionist and a teacher, Davis continues to be a fierce advocate of education and the interconnected struggles of oppressed peoples. Davis talks about Indigenous genocide, Palestine, critical race theory and the role of independent media.
Legendary poet, singer, author and activist Patti Smith has been awarded a key to New York City. Smith’s music has inspired countless bands and helped earn her the title of the queen of punk. Her song “People Have the Power” has become an anthem at protests across the globe. Patti Smith has also been a longtime activist, performing regularly at antiwar rallies and political benefits.
“Given the fact of how popular he is with that group, that they would boo him … tells me how recalcitrant they are about being told what they should do,” Fauci lamented.
Looks like Trump was on the wrong payroll.
NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden and Pulitzer Prize-winning journalists Glenn Greenwald and Chris Hedges discuss mass surveillance, government secrecy, internet freedom and U.S. attempts to extradite and prosecute WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange. They spoke together on a panel moderated by Amy Goodman at the virtual War on Terror Film Festival after a screening of “Citizenfour” — the Oscar-winning documentary about Snowden by Laura Poitras.
The Pentagon has announced new rules to slow the spread of extremism in the military, one of which will discipline soldiers for liking or resharing white nationalist and other extremist content on social media. The Pentagon announcement comes just two weeks before the first anniversary of the January 6 insurrection, where more than 80 of the 700 individuals charged with the attack had ties to the U.S. military.
In a major victory for labor rights, 1,400 unionized Kellogg’s workers have ended their nearly three-month strike across four states after approving a new contract that provides a wage increase and enhanced benefits for all. The prior agreement that Kellogg’s tried to bargain only offered wage increases and improved benefits to longtime workers, whereas the new agreement ensures newer workers have a guaranteed option to receive the same improvements.
Jared Schmeck of Oregon doubled down on his views after spending Christmas Eve telling the president a quickly growing conservative slur: “Let’s go, Brandon.
The New York Democrat is pushing for the president to recognize the day of the insurrection as a “National Day of Healing.
The president changed his tone after previously going on the defense in response to questions about the lack of testing in the face of the omicron variant.
Archbishop Desmond Tutu, the South African anti-apartheid icon, has died at the age of 90. In 1984 Desmond Tutu won the Nobel Peace Prize for his work fighting to end white minority rule in South Africa. After the fall of apartheid, Archbishop Tutu chaired the South African Truth and Reconciliation Commission, where he pushed for restorative justice. He was a leading voice for human rights and peace around the world.
Doug Kuzma posed with supplies of ivermectin, which the FDA and CDC have warned against using to treat COVID-19.