Author: Abby Martin

Why Socialism Keeps Winning in Venezuela – Empire Files

Why Socialism Keeps Winning in Venezuela – Empire Files

Posted by | Nov 6, 2017 | , , , , , , |

On October 15, Venezuelans went to the polls for its gubernatorial election. The United Socialist Party of Venezuela won 18 out of 23 states. It was a resounding democratic defeat for the opposition movement, the US Empire and corporate media, all which have asserted for months that the Maduro government is so unpopular that foreign-led regime change was needed. In Caracas, Venezuela, Abby Martin sat down with Professor Chris Gilbert to understand why the Chavez movement remains so strong in Venezuela despite all the attacks, the history behind it, and the threats it faces today. Gilbert is a historian...

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Empire Files: Trump Expands Police-State Crackdown on the Left

Empire Files: Trump Expands Police-State Crackdown on the Left

Posted by | Nov 3, 2017 | , , , , , , , |

At Trump’s inauguration, around 200 protesters and journalists were mass arrested and now face up to 70 years in prison on baseless charges. Many other legal assaults on civil liberties are in the works around the country, from treating anti-fascists as “domestic terrorists”, to legislation protecting drivers who run over peaceful marchers. To explore what this means for U.S. activists today, Abby Martin sits down with constitutional rights lawyer Mara Verheyden-Hilliard, head of the Partnership for Civil Justice Fund (JusticeOnline.org), a premiere legal organization defending protest rights. Verheyden-Hilliard has litigated, and won, several cases against the U.S. government for...

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Hidden US War in Colombia: 50 Years of Atrocities & Impunity – Empire Files

Hidden US War in Colombia: 50 Years of Atrocities & Impunity – Empire Files

Posted by | Oct 31, 2017 | , , , , |

Colombia and Venezuela: two neighboring countries that receive extremely different treatment by the US Empire and the mass media. While Colombia is known for one of the worst human rights records in the world, it remains a top recipient of US military aid and enjoys uncritical press coverage in Western media. To explain the 50+ year history of US intervention and human rights reality in Colombia, Abby Martin interviews human rights attorney Dan Kovalik, who has done extensive work in Latin America. He also serves as Associate General Counsel of the United Steelworkers union, teaches International Human Rights at...

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American Revolution Waged For Slavery – Empire Files

American Revolution Waged For Slavery – Empire Files

Posted by | Oct 26, 2017 | , , , , , |

Abby Martin interviews Professor Gerald Horne about the the real story behind the creation of the United States in 1776, providing a new, accurate narrative about defending slavery rather than “freedom and democracy.” From the Boston Tea Party, through the Civil War and the history of the KKK, Horne explains the racist roots of today’s resurgence of white supremacists. Dr. Gerald Horne is the Chair of History and African American Studies at the University of Houston and is the author of over 20 books on slavery and the Black liberation movement; most recently “The Counter-Revolution of 1776: Slave Resistance...

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Peter Joseph: Eviscerating Capitalism & Building New Alternatives – Empire Files

Peter Joseph: Eviscerating Capitalism & Building New Alternatives – Empire Files

Posted by | Oct 25, 2017 | , , , , , |

Peter Joseph is the founder of the Zeitgeist Movement, a grassroots, worldwide organization that advocates an alternative economic system based on sustainability, cooperation and human need. His most recent book, ‘The New Human Rights Movement,’ delivers a startling exposé about the violent oppression that defines our economic order, while issuing an urgent call for global activism to unite to replace it. Abby Martin sits down with Joseph to talk about the contradictions and crises of capitalism and what he advocates to save the future of the planet from...

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