March 2018

Puerto Rico Governor and Oversight Board Spar on Fiscal Plan

The certification of a plan to get Puerto Rico out of debt and back to economic growth was delayed again this week. Puerto Rico's federally appointed oversight board told the island Governor Ricardo Rosselló to submit a revised plan next week with an aim towards board certification by April 20th.

Students occupy administration building at Howard University

#huresist

On the 30th of March, students at Howard University occupied the main administration building at 2400 6th st. The adminstration attempted without succcess to get them out by turning off the HVAC and letting the building become quite hot inside. Demands included housing for all students under 21, stopping tuition hikes, disarming the Howard University Police, sacking the university President and many more.

Update Apr 6: Administration agrees to 7 of the 9 original demands, occupation ends in victory-protest WORKS!

Update Apr 4 8PM: Progress reported in negotiations, students at press conference report far more Howard Trustees now attending the negotiations. Emphasis on "transparency" as an overall demand

Update Apr 3 4:20PM: This is now the longest occupation in HU history

Update Apr 2 2:22PM: HU Trustee Rock Newman grabs at WUSA Cameraman's camera(this is assault)Rock Newman's video originally posted to twitter

Update April 2 2:10PM: Police attack does not materialize, occupation holding strong. Students rename Admin building Kwame Ture Student Center

Update April 1 10:30PM: Calm for the moment, no cops after earlier police buildup, and fears of forcible eviction if 9PM meeting w Board of Trustees went badly. Students chanted as board members entered, Trustees promised not to use violence to clear the building. Worries that MPD will be quietly told to do exactly that, followed by denials of responsibility. Watch this promise!

Update April 1 2PM: University agrees to one demand, extends housing deposit deadline to May 1. Negotiations with Board of Trustees ongoing, 8 demands to go.

Update March 30 7PM: University President still refusing to meet with students, Board of Trustees doubles down with statement of support for HU President Wayne A.I. Frederick.

Video-students chant and read out their demands inside the Administration building

The Shortwave Report 03/30/18 Listen Globally!

Dear Radio Friend,     This week's show features stories from NHK World Radio Japan, Spanish National Radio, Radio Havana Cuba, and Sputnik Radio.         From JAPAN- Talks on creating a world free of nuclear weapons have been taking place in Tokyo. In Geneva, a  senior North Korean official called on the US to halt sanctions and pressure against the country. North Korean leader Kim Jong-un visited Chinese President Xi Jinping and told him he wanted to denuclearize the Korean peninsula.

Nearly unanimous opposition at fracked gas compressor station hearing in Charles County, MD

On the 28th of March, the MD Dept of the Environment (MDE) held a public hearing in Charles County, MD concerning Dominion's proposed fracked gas compressor station. Residents from the area placed at risk by the project and their supporters spoke unanimously against the project. Near the beginning, someone projected scenes of what a potential explosion at the compressor station on the walls of the room. MDE tried to order the projector turned off while the packed room erupted into yelling.

Video-speakers denounce the proposed compressor station

Code Pink Saudi Crown Prince Protest Kennedy Center Video

Code Pink protests the "Saudi cultural and arts event" at the Kennedy Center during the visit of Crown Prince Mohammad Bin Salman.

From Code Pink:

The protesters will focus on bin Salman's key role in the bombing of Yemen, which has created the worldâs greatest humanitarian crisis. They will also debunk the notion that the Crown Prince is a reformer who is fighting corruption and bringing a new age of enlightenment to the kingdom.

SECURITY WARNING: Facebook App copying text and call metadata from Android phones

In the aftermath of the Cambridge Analytica scandal, TV news stations reported on March 26 that by default the Facebook app on Android sends text messages and phone call metadata to Facebook servers. The technology involved was called "scraping" by one computer expert, raising concerns that Facebook may be able to read even encrypted text messages right off the screen.

Update 3-27-2018: Latest report is Facebook is stealing metadata but not content, but that alone means Facebook knows who and when you call and text if you have their app with default settings.

Mijente chains Session effigy at Supreme Court to protest attempt to bring back shackling Federal defendents

On the 26t of March, Mijente and No Justice No Pride showed up in front of the Supreme Court with a Confederate statue style effigy of Jeff Sessions. As people lined up outside the court watched, they put leg irons, chains, and handcuffs on the effigy. Inside, Attorney General Jeff Sessions was arguing the Supreme Court should overturn a 9th Circuit case that found shackling Federal defendents to be unconstitutional.

Video-shackling Jeff Sessions in Effigy in front of the Supreme Court

Some anarchist observations on the anti-gun march

On the 24th of March hundreds of thousands of mostly young students rallied on Penn Ave demanding an end to the massacres in their schools. At the very lead of the entire march was an African-American survivor of the Parkland Massacre and Black Lives Matter DC, which had sucessfully taken the lead position. National Guard trucks in the street looked like Baltimore 2015 or J20.

National Guard in the streets looked as they did during J20 or Baltimore

Kurds and friends of YPG/YPJ protest at Turkish Embassy

On the 24th of March, Kurds and allied supporters of the YPG/YPJ protested in front of the Turkish Embassy against the bombing and invasion of Afrin and Turkish threats to invade all of Kurdistan. After the rally, the column marched past the Turkish Ambassador's residence, scene of the May 16, 2018 assault by Erdogan's security goons.

Video from the Turkish Embassy and Ambassador's Residence actions

Turkey is fighting for Daesh/ISIS by fighting the Kurdish people

Code Pink makes Saudi Crown Prince's dinner guests run gauntlet of protesters

On the 22nd of March, Code Pink again disrupted an event featuring Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. This time it was a fancy dinner at Andrew W. Mellon Auditorium, which attendees had to run a gauntlet of protesters to enter. One of the Code Pink activists got inside before being expelled. The Prince himself found his motorcade jeered by screaming protesters.

Video of Code Pink heckling diners and the Prince's motorcade

A Code Pink member dressed as a head-chopping, bomb-dropping Saudi king

The Shortwave Report 03/23/18 Listen Globally!

Dear Radio Friend,     This week's show features stories from Spanish National Radio, Radio Havana Cuba, NHK World Radio Japan, and Sputnik Radio.         From SPAIN- A Spanish migrant rescue boat has been impounded by Italian authorities after rescuing more than 200 migrants off the coast of Libya- an Italian judge suspects the boat was colluding with traffickers.

Code Pink disrupts Saudi Prince's event at Kennedy Center

On the 21st of March, Code Pink protested inside the Saudi Arts and Cultural event at the Kennedy Center. This event was in honor of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman's visit to the US. Code Pink disrupted it to protest Saudi Arabia's ongoing bombing and war against the people of Yemen.

Video of Code Pink inside the Kennedy Center protesting Saudi bombing of Yemen

Code Pink about to enter the Saudi Arts and Cultural event

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