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HeadlinesAugust 08, 2016

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Chicago: Video of Police Killing Unarmed Teen Sparks Days of Protests

Aug 08, 2016

In Chicago, hundreds of protesters marched through the streets and blocked traffic in a series of demonstrations following the release of video showing the fatal police shooting of an unarmed African-American teenager. The newly released video from police body cameras shows the moments before and after police killed 18-year-old Paul O’Neal on July 28. In the video, police are seen shooting repeatedly at the car O’Neal was driving, which police say was stolen. The video then shows a police officer running over to O’Neal, who is lying face down in a growing pool of blood surrounded by other officers. The officers then handcuff O’Neal with his arms behind his back and search his backpack, as he continues bleeding. Afterward, one of the officers can be heard complaining that he’ll be on desk duty for 30 days. Listen carefully.

Police officer: “[Expletive] I’m going to be on a desk for 30 goddamn days now. [Expletive] desk duty for 30 days now. [Expletive]!”

Paul O’Neal died shortly afterward at Northwestern Memorial Hospital. The Cook County Medical Examiner’s Office says he was shot in the back. Police say they are investigating why the body camera worn by the police officer who shot O’Neal did not capture the actual moments of the fatal shooting, why it wasn’t on. This is Michael Oppenheimer, the O’Neal family’s attorney.

Michael Oppenheimer: “Officers cannot exact their own street justice. They cannot play judge, jury and executioner. That’s what happened here today. And their attitude after the shooting, while Paul lay dying on the ground handcuffed, demonstrates that.”

Chicago Police Superintendent Eddie Johnson said people “have a right to be upset.” He spoke Saturday.

Superintendent Eddie Johson: “I was concerned by some of the things that I saw in the videos, and that’s why we took such a swift action, such a swift action that we did last week.”

Police say three officers have been suspended in relation to the shooting. The release of the video comes as Chicago police face ongoing accusations of racism and a federal investigation into their practices after Chicago waited more than a year to release video of the fatal police shooting of African-American teenager Laquan McDonald in 2014.

Green Party Convention Selects Ticket of Jill Stein and Ajamu Baraka

Aug 08, 2016

In news from the campaign trail, Dr. Jill Stein formally accepted the Green Party’s nomination for president at the party’s convention in Houston, Texas. The Green Party nominated human rights activist Ajamu Baraka to be her running mate. This is Dr. Jill Stein in her acceptance speech Saturday.

Dr. Jill Stein: “It is such an honor to be your candidate in this historic moment of unprecedented crisis and unstoppable momentum for transformational change. We have—we have not only an historic opportunity, we have a historic responsibility to be the agents of that transformational change. As Martin Luther King said, the arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends towards justice.”

We’ll play excerpts of Dr. Jill Stein’s speech, as well as her running mate, human rights activist Ajamu Baraka, from the Green Party convention after headlines.

Kaine Says He’ll Oppose TPP over Labor and Environmental Provisions

Aug 08, 2016

In more news from the campaign trail, Democratic vice-presidential nominee Tim Kaine said he will oppose the Trans-Pacific Partnership, a trade deal that would encompass 12 Pacific Rim nations, including the U.S. Both Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump have come out opposing the deal amid a wave of public protest by those who say it benefits corporations at the expense of health and environmental regulations. This is Senator Kaine speaking Sunday on NBC.

Sen. Tim Kaine: “Companies were given rights to enforce provisions, but the labor and environmental provisions could not be effectively enforced. That was never fixed. I’ve asked again and again to understand this piece of the TPP, and I’ve never gotten a good answer. We can’t have a deal that cannot be enforced.”

Tim Kaine had previously supported the TPP. He was one of 13 Democratic senators to vote to give President Obama power to fast-track the TPP through Congress.

Iranian TV Footage Claims to Show Cash Paid by U.S. in Nuclear Deal

Aug 08, 2016

A video from an Iranian state television documentary has emerged purporting to show pallets of cash delivered to Iran by the U.S. in January. Republicans, including Donald Trump, have said the money was a ransom for five U.S. prisoners held by Iran. Last week, Trump claimed to have seen “top secret” video of the transfer before walking back his claim. The Obama administration said Wednesday the $400 million in cash paid to Iran in January was a pre-planned transfer that was part of the landmark nuclear deal. The money has been owed to Iran since the 1970s, when the U.S. refused to send weapons Iran had already paid for following the Iranian revolution. The new video does not appear to contradict that claim in any way. Trump’s criticism of Obama appears to be a reversal of his previous position regarding U.S. prisoners in Iran. Last year, Trump criticized Obama for making a deal with Iran that did not include the return of American prisoners there. This is Trump speaking at the first Republican debate in Cleveland, Ohio, one year ago.

Donald Trump: “Now, with Iran, we’re making a deal. You would say, 'We want him. We want him. We want our prisoners. We want all these things.' We don’t get anything. We’re giving them $150 billion plus. They are going to be—I’ll tell you what, if Iran was a stock, you folks should go out and buy it right now, because you’ll quadruple. This, what’s happening in Iran, is a disgrace, and it’s going to lead to destruction in large portions of the world.”

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Trump Economic Team: Billionaires, Oil Baron, Poker Player & No Women

Aug 08, 2016

Hillary Clinton is campaigning in St. Petersburg, Florida, today, where she’s expected to visit a small brewery and then host a rally about jobs. Meanwhile, Donald Trump is slated to give an economic speech at the Detroit Economic Club today. On Friday, Trump announced his economic team, which includes 13 men, no women, several billionaires, an Oklahoma oil baron and one part-time professional poker player. Most notably, his team includes John Paulson, who made billions by betting against the housing market in the lead-up to the 2008 crash.

U.S. Nazi Party Leader: Trump Presidency Would Be “Opportunity”

Aug 08, 2016

American Nazi Party Chair Rocky Suhayda said on his radio program in July that a Donald Trump presidency would be an opportunity for white nationalists to build political coalitions.

Rocky Suhayda: “Now, if Trump does win, OK, it’s going to be a real opportunity for people like white nationalists, OK, acting intelligently to build upon that and to go and start—OK, you know how you have the black political caucus and whatnot, all right, again, in Congress and everything—to start building on something like that, OK?”

Brazil: Thousands Protest the Beginning of Rio Olympics

Aug 08, 2016

In Brazil, thousands protested Friday in Rio de Janeiro as the 2016 Summer Olympic Games opened. Police fired tear gas at crowds protesting police brutality and the displacement of working-class neighborhoods ahead of the Games. This is protestor Orlando Santos.

Orlando Santos: “This is a demonstration to denounce the innumerous human rights violations and to denounce the project associated with the Olympics whereby people are excluded. The winners were those with large economic interests, sponsors, the press, and the losers are Rio’s population.”

Click here to see our interview with sports writer Dave Zirin about the Olympics.

Turkey: More Than 1 Million Rally to Denounce Failed Military Coup

Aug 08, 2016

In Turkey, more than a million people gathered Sunday in Istanbul for a rally to denounce last month’s failed military coup. Turkish authorities have detained more than 10,000 people in a widespread crackdown following the coup, sparking human rights concerns.

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Yemen Peace Talks End Without Deal to End 16-Month War

Aug 08, 2016

U.N.-sponsored peace talks to end Yemen’s 16-month-old war have ended without a deal. The conflict in Yemen has left thousands dead since Houthi rebels took over the capital Sana’a in January 2015, kicking out a government supported by Saudi Arabia. With U.S. backing, Saudi Arabia responded with an aerial bombing campaign that U.N. officials say is responsible for the majority of the conflict’s civilian casualties, including at least 500 children last year.

Iran Executes Nuclear Scientist Who Said He Was Abducted by U.S.

Aug 08, 2016

Iran has executed nuclear scientist Shahram Amiri on charges of spying for the United States. Amiri disappeared during a pilgrimage to Saudi Arabia in 2009 and later surfaced in the U.S., before returning to Iran and claiming he had been kidnapped by the CIA. The U.S. government has denied kidnapping Amiri.

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N. Miami: Therapist Sues Police After He Was Shot Caring for His Autistic Patient

Aug 08, 2016

Charles Kinsey, the unarmed African-American behavioral therapist who was lying on his back when he was shot by North Miami police, has filed a federal lawsuit against the officer who shot him. Kinsey claims officer Jonathan Aledda violated his civil rights and used excessive force when he shot Kinsey in the leg last month. At the time of the shooting, Kinsey was helping to calm his patient, Arnaldo Rios Soto, a young autistic man who had wandered away from a group home. Video of the shooting shows Kinsey lying on his back with his hands in the air and telling police, “All he has is a toy truck. A toy truck.” This is Kinsey’s lawyer, Hilton Napoleon, speaking on Democracy Now! last week.

Hilton Napoleon: “But the really troublesome part and the part that, you know, we’re really trying to wrap our heads around is that—what happened afterwards. If they really made a mistake and shot my client, there was no reason to handcuff him, and there was definitely no reason to fail to render aid. I mean, they basically left him there bleeding in the street and didn’t render him any aid.”

Washington, D.C.: Dakota & Lakota Teens Protest Bakken Pipeline

Aug 08, 2016

In Washington, D.C., Native American youth demonstrated in front of the White House on Saturday to protest a proposed oil pipeline. The youth had run more than 2,000 miles in a relay race from North Dakota to D.C. before Saturday’s protest. The proposed pipeline would run less than a mile from the Standing Rock Reservation in North Dakota. Protesters say an oil spill could contaminate the reservation’s drinking water. Members of the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe also continue to occupy a camp between the pipeline’s proposed river crossing and the water intake valves for the tribe.

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North Carolina Marks 51st Anniversary of Voting Rights Act

Aug 08, 2016

And the North Carolina NAACP marked the 51st anniversary of the Voting Rights Act on Saturday by celebrating its recent federal court victory against North Carolina’s voter ID law. The court’s decision last month found the law targeted African Americans with “almost surgical precision.” This is North Carolina NAACP President William Barber speaking to Democracy Now!

Rev. William Barber: “The fact that we have less voting rights today, and the attorney general has less power to enforce voting rights today, than we had in August 6, 1965, when Voting Rights Act was passed, is a travesty.”

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