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HeadlinesJuly 02, 2018

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In Mexico, López Obrador Will Become First Leftist President in Decades

Jul 02, 2018

In Mexico, leftist politician Andrés Manuel López Obrador, known as AMLO, has claimed victory after winning Sunday’s presidential elections by a landslide, vowing to transform Mexico by reducing corruption and violence.

President-elect Andrés Manuel López Obrador: “The new project of the nation will seek to establish an authentic democracy. We don’t bet on building an open or closed dictatorship. The changes will be profound but will happen with a strict adherence to the legal established order. There will be corporate freedom, freedom of expression, of association and of beliefs. We will guarantee all the individual and social freedoms, as well as the political rights of citizens, consecrated in our Constitution. The transformation will consist of banishing corruption from our country. We won’t have a problem in achieving this objective, because the people of Mexico are the heir of great civilizations.”

Preliminary election results show López Obrador, the former mayor of Mexico City, capturing 53 percent of the vote—more than twice that of his closest rival. His three main rival candidates have already conceded. His victory comes after the most violent electoral season in modern Mexican history. At least 136 politicians have been assassinated in Mexico since September. A number of journalists have also been killed in the lead-up to Sunday’s elections, including reporter José Guadalupe Chan Dzib, who was killed Friday night in the southern state of Quintana Roo. On Sunday night, thousands of voters poured into the Zócalo in Mexico City to celebrate López Obrador’s victory.

Avelina Fonseca Orozco: “My name is Avelina Fonseca Orozco. Obviously I voted for Andrés Manuel López Obrador, just as I did six years ago, when I could first vote. We desire real change. We are sick of the injustice, inequality, corruption and the impunity that prevails in this country. We want a change, and this change will happen with Obrador, because in his plans for the nation he proposes many things, such as scholarships yes and assassins no, as well as food sovereignty, recovery in rural areas and help for migrants. We want to recover this country, and that is why we want López Obrador to be president.”

We’ll go to Mexico City for more on López Obrador’s historic election after headlines.

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Coast to Coast, Tens of Thousands Protest Separation of Migrant Families

Jul 02, 2018

Tens of thousands of protesters poured into the streets across the United States Saturday for a national day of action protesting President Trump’s “zero tolerance” immigration crackdown. Organizers say there were up to 700 rallies nationwide, including on the U.S.-Mexico international bridge in El Paso, Texas. This is Fernando Garcia.

Fernando Garcia: “It is in this bridge where many asylum seekers have been turned back and turned away from protection and from petitioning for asylum, in this bridge. I think that is not only violating the law, international law, but also national law, the idea that there are families looking for protection, and these officers are here telling them to go away. Obviously, there is a common demand. And the common demand is that we cannot treat immigrants as criminals, we cannot put them in jail and, much less, incarcerate children the way that the United States is doing.”

The rallies came 24 hours after the Trump administration claimed in a court filing that it has the right to jail migrant families indefinitely, despite a 1997 court settlement that says the government must release migrant children from detention within 20 days. From coast to coast Saturday, protesters demanded an end to family separation and family detention. This is actress and activist Laverne Cox, speaking at the rally in Los Angeles.

Laverne Cox: “America, we are here because we believe that families belong together. We are here because our hearts are broken. But let us not forget that this country was built on the backs of slave labor that routinely stripped children from the custody of their parents.”

Later in the broadcast, we’ll air more voices from Saturday’s “Families Belong Together” rallies protesting President Trump’s immigration crackdown and the separation of families.

Trump to Announce Supreme Court Nominee on July 9

Jul 02, 2018

President Trump says he’ll announce his Supreme Court nominee on July 9 and that he’s considering two women as possible replacements for retiring Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy. Both Republican and Democratic opposition is mounting to President Trump’s potential nominee. Maine Republican Senator Susan Collins and South Carolina Republican Senator Lindsey Graham both say they’ll oppose any nominee who is openly hostile to Roe v. Wade. Meanwhile, Democrats are demanding confirmation hearings for Kennedy’s replacement be delayed until after the midterm elections. This is New York Democratic congressional candidate Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, speaking on “Meet the Press.”

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez: “I would like the Senate to delay, absolutely. We need to delay until after the midterm elections. That’s my personal opinion. And I think that, at the very least, we need to, if we are going to—if this appointment is going to happen, at the very least we can do is delay the timeline in which women’s healthcare is going to be taken away, delay the timeline in which our civil rights could potentially be further eroded.”

At Deutsche Bank, Justice Anthony Kennedy’s Son Loaned Trump $1 Billion

Jul 02, 2018

Meanwhile, new revelations show the close financial ties between President Trump and Justice Anthony Kennedy’s son, Justin Kennedy, who served as the global head of real estate capital markets for Deutsche Bank. The New York Times reports that under Justin Kennedy’s leadership, Deutsche Bank loaned Donald Trump $1 billion for renovation and construction of buildings in New York and Chicago, at a time when many other banks refused to lend to Trump because of his troubled financial history.

Afghanistan: Sikhs & Hindus Killed in Suicide Bombing in Jalalabad

Jul 02, 2018

In Afghanistan, at least 19 people were killed in the eastern city of Jalalabad in a suicide bomb attack targeting a group of Sikhs and Hindus who were waiting to meet Afghan President Ashraf Ghani Sunday. Among the victims of the attack was Avtar Singh Khalsa, who was the only Sikh candidate running in Afghanistan’s upcoming parliamentary elections in October. The bombing came less than 24 hours after another attack in Jalalabad, in which militants beheaded three workers at a boys’ high school and then set fire to the school’s library. No group has claimed responsibility for either attack, though officials have blamed ISIS militants.

Gaza: Thousands Gather for Funeral of Child Killed by Israeli Sniper During Protests

Jul 02, 2018

In Gaza, thousands of Palestinians gathered Saturday for a funeral procession for Yasser Abu al-Naja, a child shot and killed by an Israeli sniper during Friday protests near the separation fence with Israel. Israeli soldiers have killed at least 25 Palestinian children so far this year; 11 of the children were shot by Israeli snipers in the head or neck. In total, Israeli soldiers have killed at least 136 Palestinians and wounded over 14,000 more since the Palestinians’ nonviolent Great March of Return protests began on March 30.

Syria: 150,000 Displaced by Syrian & Russian Daraa Offensive

Jul 02, 2018

In Syria, more than 150,000 people have been forced to flee their homes amid the Syrian government’s ongoing offensive in the southwest province of Daraa. The region is one of the last two rebel-held territories in Syria.

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Pentagon Admits to Killing 40 Civilians in Bombing in Raqqa, Syria, Last Year

Jul 02, 2018

Meanwhile, in more news on Syria, the Pentagon has admitted a U.S. airstrike on the Syrian city of Raqqa last March killed 40 civilians. The bombing struck a school where displaced civilians were taking refuge.

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Judge Blocks End of FEMA Housing for Puerto Ricans Displaced by Hurricane Maria

Jul 02, 2018

A federal judge has temporarily blocked the Trump administration from ending the FEMA emergency housing assistance program for nearly 2,000 Puerto Ricans displaced by Hurricane Maria. The temporary restraining order came after the civil rights group LatinoJustice PRLDEF sued the administration.

Far-Right & Anti-Fascist Protesters Clash in Portland, Oregon

Jul 02, 2018

In Portland, Oregon, far-right-wing demonstrators clashed with anti-fascist protesters Saturday, in what the city declared was a riot. The clashes began after the far-right-wing Patriot Prayer group tried to host a rally in downtown Portland. Anti-fascist protesters then gathered for a counter-rally. At least four people were arrested.

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Seattle Becomes First U.S. City to Ban Plastic Straws & Utensils

Jul 02, 2018

And Seattle, Washington, has become the first major city in the U.S. to ban plastic straws, utensils and other single-use plastic items. The ban is part of a global effort to reduce plastic waste, which is contaminating the oceans and contributing to the global pollution crisis.

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