“And I think this global redesign issue is something that people should understand and review because it is a shocking concept to reduce nation-states, turn the U.N. into a hybrid corporate institution and give corporations the power to make law that affects every aspect of our lives. We will become corporate serfs in this century if the people don’t get organized and develop our own approach to put people and planet before profits.”
– Kevin Zeese, co-director of the group Popular Resistance.org, on the White House’s plans to fast track the free trade agreements Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) and the European Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP).
Listen to the entire program using these links, or to individual interviews via the links appearing prior to each segment description below.
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Opponents Say Trans-Pacific Partnership Free Trade Deal Will Impose Defacto Corporate Governance
Interview with Kevin Zeese, co-director of the group Popular Resistance.org, conducted by Scott Harris
The battle in Congress over Trade Promotion Authority, also known as “fast track,” and the proposed Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) and the European Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) free trade agreements, is in high gear. President Obama is pressuring lawmakers to pass fast track, which is a mechanism that forces Congress to vote on a trade agreement within 60 to 90 days of receiving it, with only limited debate and no amendments allowed. Story continues
Eurozone Fears Spread of Resistance If Greece Wins Concessions on Austerity
Interview with Costas Panayotakis, professor of sociology at New York City College of Technology, conducted by Scott Harris
The Syriza party, the Coalition of the Radical Left, won a decisive victory in Greece’s January national election on a pledge to challenge harsh Eurozone austerity measures imposed in exchange for a bailout of the battered Greek economy. Now negotiations are being conducted between Syriza’s Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras and representatives of the European Commission, European Central Bank and the International Monetary Fund, collectively known as “the troika.” Story continues
Antiwar Protesters’ Conviction for Sabotage at U.S. Nuclear Facility Overturned
Interview with Ardeth Platte, peace activist and 79-year-old Catholic nun, conducted by Melinda Tuhus
Three peace activists who walked onto a U.S. nuclear weapons site in 2012 have been freed from prison after their convictions for sabotage were overturned by an appeals court. The group, known as “Transform Now Plowshares,” are part of the Plowshares movement, which has organized more than 100 nonviolent direct actions against war since 1980. The three activists released included Michael Walli, Greg Boerje-Obed and an 85-year-old nun, Sister Megan Rice, who broke into the Y-12 nuclear facility at Oak Ridge, Tennessee. They painted peace slogans and threw blood on the walls, revealing major security flaws at the facility, which processes uranium for hydrogen bombs. They were convicted of depredation of government property and sabotage. The men were originally sentenced to five years in prison, while Sister Meegan was sentenced to almost three years. Story continues
This week’s summary of under-reported news
Compiled by Bob Nixon
- In its new migration policy, the European Union is moving to take aggressive military action again Libyan-based smugglers and traffickers. EU officials have gone to the United Nations to win authorization to use force on Libyan terrority and waterways to break up and impede the flow of tens of thousands of migrants heading toward Europe. (“EU draws up plans for military attacks on Libya targets to stop migrant boats,” Guardian, May 10, 2015; “EU plans migrant quota forcing states to share burden,” Guardian, May 10, 2015; “Mediterranean migrants: Libya rejects EU military plans,” BBC, May 11, 2015)
- Today Paracatu, Brazil is the heart of Brazil’s booming gold industry, with new underground mines that use dynamite, high-tech extraction machines and toxic chemicals. In 2005, Canadian mining giant Kinross, with global operations in the U.S., Russia and Ghana took over the gold mine in Paracatu. During a period of sky-high gold prices, Kinross invested nearly $2 billion dollars in the mine, tripling production and making it the most productive gold mine in Brazil. (“Canadian mining company spied on opponents and activists in Brazil,” Guardian, May 13, 2015)
- Workers advocates are praising new H-2B guestworkers program rules issued by the U.S. Department of Labor and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. Meanwhile, employers who rely on low-skilled guest workers have criticized the rules as “flawed.” (“For the first time, guestworkers get critical legal protection under new rules,” In These Times, May 8, 2015)
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