WBAI - More Headlines

Standing up to Goliath: March Against Monsanto (05/24/2014) Long story short, back in the 80s Monsanto started developing seeds that were genetically modified to be resistant to things like pesticides and herbicides as a way to, according to their multi-million advertising campaign: “End World...

Cuomo Claims Progressive Mantle, But Questions Linger (05/23/2014) Governor Andrew Cuomo accepted the Democratic Party’s nomination for Governor at the New York State Democratic Convention on Long Island Thursday.

Cuomo has a $33 million war chest raised primarily from the 1 percent. 99 percent of the funds...

Beloved revolutionary Elombe Brath joins the ancestors (05/23/2014) On the very day his friends and comrades were celebrating the birthday of Malcolm X (El Hajj Malik El Shabazz), Elombe Brath was joining his fellow revolutionary on the other side of our struggle. Brath, 77, made his transition on Monday, May 19 at...

Black, Latino & Asian Caucus Wants Interagency Approach to End Violence in Communities of Color (05/20/2014) "Stop the Violence Increase the Peace..."

The chant at City Hall by members of the Black, Latino and Asian caucus of the City Council. They held a news conference this week to denounce the recent epidemic of violence in New York...

#Justice4Cecily: Occupy Activist gets 90 days at Rikers (05/19/2014) There has been a tremendous outpouring of support for an Occupy Wall Street activist who was convicted of assaulting a police officer at Zuccotti Park on the movements 6 month anniversary.

She was sentenced to 90 days and 5 years...

Paris Summit on How to Combat Boko Haram (05/18/2014) Boko Haram has ample funds, highly sophisticated weaponry and advanced training with some of the world's most experienced terrorists, the French president said Saturday as he and African leaders grappled with how to combat the Islamic extremist...

Nigerian president faces increasing pressure over kidnapped schoolgirls (05/18/2014) Campaigners for the release of more than 200 kidnapped schoolgirls in Nigeria plan to march on the office of president Goodluck Jonathan this week amid growing calls for him to stand down at the next election.

Activists from the #BringBackOurGirls...

Death in hot Rikers cell highlights national issue (05/17/2014) The case of a mentally ill homeless veteran who died in a 100-degree Rikers Island jail cell starkly illustrates the dangers of extreme heat in lockups, an issue facing prisons across the nation as the inmate population gets older and more...

9/11 Memorial Museum Dedication (05/16/2014) Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound…

The National September 11 Memorial Museum at Ground Zero opened to survivors and victims’ families on Thursday.

"In the years to come the 9/11 memorial museum will take its place along...

#Justice4Cecily City Hall Rally (05/15/2014) "We stand for Justice. We know what it looks like....

Elected officials gathered with supporters of Occupy Wall Street activist Cecily McMillan at City Hall. She was convicted of assaulting a NYPD officer at Zuccotti Park as police were...

FCC APPROVES PLAN TO CONSIDER PAID PRIORITY ON INTERNET (05/15/2014) The Federal Communications Commission on Thursday voted in favor of advancing a proposal that could dramatically reshape the way consumers experience the Internet, opening the possibility of Internet service providers charging Web sites for...

TURKISH PM CITES 19TH-CENTURY BRITAIN TO PROVE MINE ACCIDENTS ARE 'TYPICAL' (05/14/2014) Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has cited centuries-old examples to defend his government over its mining record, pointing to a mine accident in Britain in 1838 during a press conference after the Soma disaster on May 14.

RIOTS BREAK OUT NEAR TURKEY MINE DISASTER (05/14/2014) Protests erupted across the country and angry relatives of the more than 200 victims in a mine disaster booed Prime Minister Recept Tayyip Erdogan when he visited the mine and told them that mine accidents are "usual things."

In the...

REPORT HIGHLIGHTS CHILD LABOR ON US TOBACCO FARMS (05/14/2014) An international rights group is pushing the federal government and the tobacco industry to take further steps to protect children working on U.S. tobacco farms.

A report released Wednesday by Human Rights Watch claims that children as young...

City Hall Rally to #BringBackOurGirls (05/13/2014) While a new video was released by the islamist group Boko Haram on Monday which shows some of the kidnapped girls and threats by the terrorist leader, a rally in support of the abducted Nigerian school girls was held at City Hall.

It was organized...

Ras Baraka declares victory in Newark mayor's race (05/13/2014) Ras Baraka, son of late militant poet and activist Amiri Baraka, declared victory Tuesday in the race to succeed Democratic U.S. Sen. Cory Booker as mayor of the state's largest city.

Baraka, who served on Newark's City Council, was...

Pentagon OKs Chelsea Manning transfer for gender treatment (05/13/2014) In an unprecedented move, the Pentagon is trying to transfer convicted national security leaker Pvt. Chelsea Manning to a civilian prison so she can get treatment for her gender disorder, defense officials said.

Manning, formerly named Bradley,...

STUDENTS AT HARVARD'S KENNEDY SCHOOL WILL NOW BE REQUIRED TO CHECK THEIR PRIVILEGE (05/13/2014) If Tal Fortgang, the Princeton freshman who refused to check his white privilege, ever wants to go to Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government, he’ll have to change his tune significantly — or at least spend some time seriously...

REBELLIOUS ECONOMICS STUDENTS HAVE A POINT (05/13/2014) In case you missed it—and you probably did—there’s a revolt afoot in the universities. It’s not exactly Paris, 1968, but there is a significant, if small, movement, extending from New York and London to Rome and Tel Aviv,...

FEMALE FIREFIGHTERS HOPE NEW FDNY COMMISSIONER CAN DO SOMETHING ABOUT ALL THE SEXISM (05/12/2014) On Friday, five months into his term, Mayor Bill de Blasio finally announced his new pick to lead the New York City Fire Department, appointing Dan Nigro as FDNY Commmissioner.

Nigro is eminently qualified: he's a 32-year veteran of the...

Boko Haram demands release of fighters for girls (05/12/2014) — Under the guns of their captors, dozens of barefoot girls sat huddled together wearing gray Muslim veils as they chanted Quranic verses in Arabic. Some Christians among them said they had converted to Islam.

"I swear to almighty...

NYC Campus Safety Act to Reform the Handling of Sexual Assaults at Colleges (05/12/2014) Public Advocate Letitia James was joined by a coalition of elected officials, women’s advocacy groups, and student activists at City Hall to announce several measures intended to address the growing epidemic of sexual assaults on college...

NEW YORK CITY TO LIMIT SEIZING OF CONDOMS IN PROSTITUTION CASES (05/12/2014) The New York Police Department will significantly limit the practice of seizing condoms for use as evidence in prostitution-related cases, ending a procedure that health officials had long criticized as undermining their efforts to protect...

HRC STATEMENT ON THE NFL DRAFT OF MICHAEL SAM (05/10/2014) Today openly gay college football star Michael Sam was drafted into the NFL by the St. Louis Rams. Human Rights Campaign President Chad Griffin made the following statement.

“We congratulate Michael Sam and the St. Louis Rams on their...

Mayor de Blasio Presents Fiscal Year 2015 Executive Budget (05/09/2014) Bill de Blasio presented his first executive budget at City Hall on Thursday. It’s a $73.9 billion budget for fiscal year 2015.

As he took office more than 150 labor contracts were expired. But after the $5.5 billion tentative agreement with...

Pussy Riot visits Cecily McMillan at Rikers (05/09/2014) Nadya Tolokonnikova and Masha Alyokhina of Pussy Riot / Zona Prava visited New York’s Rikers Island to meet with jailed Occupy protestor Cecily McMillan.

Since their incarceration in Russian for their own political protests Pussy Riot has...

UN calls for terrorists in Nigeria to face justice (05/09/2014) The U.N. Security Council called Friday for the Nigerian terrorist group Boko Haram to be held accountable for what may amount to crimes against humanity and hinted at sanctions against the Islamist extremists.

The statement approved by all 15...

WBAI News (05/08/2014) Election in South Africa,

Ukraine and Russia,

Crisis in Nigeria,

House panel on prosecution of rape in military,

NYC public school teachers get to vote on their contract,

Assemblymember Linda Rosenthal on the dangers...

Nigerian School Girls - Crisis in Nigeria (05/08/2014) BAUCHI, Nigeria (AP) — Residents of a Nigerian town attacked by Boko Haram criticized security forces for failing to protect them despite warnings that the Islamic militants were nearby. At least 50 bodies have been recovered, many horribly...

The Dangers of Radon in our Kitchens (05/07/2014) Assemblywoman Linda Rosenthal, Chair of the Legislative Commission on Science and Technology, is preparing for a hearing on Radon and Natural Gas for Friday May 9th.

The public hearing is to look into Impacts of radon from natural gas on...

Sex Education in New York City Public Schools (05/07/2014) Sex education came into focus at City Hall's Denim Day Rally this year.

Laurie Cumbo is a new New York City Council member representing the 35th Council District: Fort Hill, Clinton Hill, Prospect Heights, Crown Heights, and...

South Africans vote; ANC favored (05/07/2014) Polling stations closed Wednesday evening in elections in South Africa that are expected to see the ruling African National Congress return to power despite a vigorous challenge from opposition parties seeking to capitalize on discontent with...

Housing Plan (05/06/2014) Bill de Blasio launched his administration's housing plan with officials in the Bronx and then again in Brooklyn. The plan is called Housing New York: A Five Borough Ten Year Plan.

The Mayor said, "Wherever I go all...

STANFORD TO PURGE $18 BILLION ENDOWMENT OF COAL STOCK (05/06/2014) Stanford University announced Tuesday that it would divest its $18.7 billion endowment of stock in coal-mining companies, becoming the first major university to lend support to a nationwide campaign to purge endowments and pension funds of...

SUPREME COURT UPHOLDS PRAYER AT GOVERNMENT MEETINGS (05/05/2014) A narrowly divided Supreme Court upheld decidedly Christian prayers at the start of local council meetings on Monday, declaring them in line with long national traditions though the country has grown more religiously diverse.

The content of...

May Day (05/02/2014) Throughout the world rallies were held on International Workers Day also known as May Day.

Workers protested austerity measures in Greece and Paris. They demanded higher wages and better working hours in Germany. They rallied in Russia, Cuba,...

WBAI News (05/01/2014) ...

Francis presides over historic day of 4 popes (04/27/2014) Pope Francis declared his two predecessors John XXIII and John Paul II saints before some 800,000 people on Sunday, an unprecedented ceremony made even more historic by the presence in St. Peter's Square of emeritus Pope Benedict...

'Citizen Kane' script sold at Orson Welles auction (04/27/2014) Scripts for "Citizen Kane," Orson Welles' camera and a cigar ashtray were among the late director's belongings sold at a New York auction.

Sixty-seven lots fetched $180,000 at Heritage Auctions on...

NYC to house 3 charter schools in closed schools (04/26/2014) New York City officials said Saturday they have found space in closed Catholic schools for three charter schools that became homeless after Mayor Bill de Blasio rejected their space-sharing agreements.

The three Success Academy...

Denim Day (04/25/2014) On the steps of City Hall this week, Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer led a rally to raise awareness about Sexual Violence.

“It’s not just women who are victims. 1 in 71 men report being raped at some point in their lives,...

More Cops? (04/24/2014) The City Council unveiled its preliminary budget recommendations for 2015. Some of it is surprising.

They want to hire an additional 1.000 police officers. Vanessa Gibson, new Councilmember from the Bronx and Chair of the...

Carriage Horses (04/22/2014) At a quiet protest outside the co-op of an actor who champions horse drawn carriages, demonstrators worry about the safety of the horses who have to navigate traffic in Manhattan.

WBAI's Linda...

Rubin Hurricane Carter Dies at Age 76 (04/20/2014) Rubin "Hurricane" Carter never surrendered hope of regaining his freedom, not even after he was convicted of a triple murder, then convicted again and abandoned by many prominent supporters.

For 19 long years, the prizefighter was...

Keystone XL (04/19/2014) Democrats sweating this year's elections may be hoping that the Obama administration's latest delay to the proposed Keystone XL pipeline takes a politically fraught issue off the table for the midterms.

Fat chance.

An indefinite...

WBAI News for Friday April 18, 2014 (04/18/2014) Agreement to reduce tension between Ukraine and Russia.
NYC federal Judge Sheindlin gave new lease on life to suit against Ford and IBM. It accuses them of supporting apartheid by letting their susidiaries sell cars and computers to the South...

WBAI Morning News for Wednesday April 16, 2014 (04/16/2014) Weather and the cold front.

Boston Marathon Bombings Memorial.
NYPD unit spying on Muslims is being disbanded, but will spying on Muslims stop?
Activists and Elected Officials seek justice for Ramarley Graham, the 18 year old from the...

NEW YORK DROPS UNIT THAT SPIED ON MUSLIMS (04/15/2014) The New York Police Department has abandoned a secretive program that dispatched plainclothes detectives into Muslim neighborhoods to eavesdrop on conversations and built detailed files on where people ate, prayed and shopped, the...

Washington Post, Guardian win Pulitzers for NSA revelations (04/14/2014) The Washington Post and The Guardian won the Pulitzer Prize in public service Monday for revealing the U.S. government's sweeping surveillance programs in a blockbuster series of stories based on secret documents supplied by NSA leaker Edward...

3 MONTHS LATER, HERE'S WHAT DENVER LOOKS LIKE SINCE LEGALIZING MARIJUANA (04/10/2014) Three months following Colorado's decision to legalize the production, sale, possession and use of recreational marijuana — a vote that Denver city officials including Mayor Michael Hancock, among others, fought kicking and...

State of the Arts (04/08/2014) New York City Comptroller Scott Stringer released a new report, State of the Arts: A Plan to Boost Arts Education in New York City. Using data from the DOE, the Department of Education in NYC, the report shows unequal access to arts education in...

WAYUU OF COLOMBIA FACE HUMANITARIAN CRISIS (04/08/2014) The National Indigenous Organization of Colombia, ONIC, have sent out a red alert as to the humanitarian crisis facing the Wayuu tribe in the region of the Guajira, in Colombia, South America.

At this moment, the lives of children,...

INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS ADDRESS HUNGER ERADICATION (04/08/2014) The hunger eradication initiative by the United Nations has been named, “Hugo Chavez Frias,” according to Raul Benitez, the Food and Agriculture (FAO) Director for Latin America and the Caribbean.

“It is the...

OCCUPY ACTIVIST ASSAULTED BY COP, FACES 7 YEARS IN PRISON (04/07/2014) I didn’t know Cecily McMillan two years ago, when I glimpsed her convulsing on the street, obscured from view by a cluster of NYPD officers and a confusion of Occupy protesters. Word spread swiftly through the downtown Manhattan intersection:...

MAYOR DE BLASIO PICKS TOM FINKELPEARL OF THE QUEENS MUSEUM AS CULTURAL AFFAIRS COMMISSIONER (04/06/2014) Mayor de Blasio will tap the head of the Queens Museum to be the city's next cultural affairs commissioner.

Tom Finkelpearl, who has spent 12 years at the helm in Queens, will be officially named to the arts post Monday, officials...

JOURNALIST GERSON BORRERO DISCUSSES LATEST PUERTO RICAN PARADE DEVELOPMENT (04/06/2014) With only 63 days left, a little more than 9 weeks, for the marching to start on June 8th for the National Puerto Rican Day Parade down Manhattan's Fifth Avenue, the organizing of this mammoth event is still experiencing serious...

SNOWDEN, GREENWALD URGE CAUTION OF WIDER GOVERNMENT MONITORING AT AMNESTY EVENT (04/05/2014) Edward Snowden and reporter Glenn Greenwald, who brought to light the whistleblower's leaks about mass U.S. government surveillance last year, appeared together via video link from opposite ends of the earth on Saturday for what was believed to...

Once Letterman retires, NYC wants the Late Show to Stay Here (04/04/2014) Dave Letterman surprised his late night audience on Thursday night by announcing that he is retiring in 2015, when his current contract expires. He turns 67 next week. Letterman gave no specific date, but said he'd leave some time in...

PARAMILITARY GROUPS ACTIVE IN VENEZUELA (04/03/2014) Julio Chavez, the Deputy of the National Assembly, shows evidence of paramilitary groups in Venezuela. He warns that they have plans on killing people who have ties to the government.

In a national television program, Zurda Conducta, Deputy...

HILLARY CLINTON: WOMEN SELL THEMSELVES SHORT (04/03/2014) Double standards in the workplace, advice for young women starting their careers, and whether or not Hillary Clinton will run for president in 2016 all sound like pretty typical topics for a women's conference. The difference at the 5th...

MOZILLA CEO RESIGNS OVER ANTI-SAME-SEX-MARRIAGE CONTROVERSY (04/03/2014) Just ten days after taking the job, Brendan Eich has resigned as CEO of Mozilla after sparking outrage over his donation to an anti-same-sex marriage campaign.

In 2008, Eich donated $1,000 to California's Proposition 8 campaign....

UNWELCOMING COMMITTEE: ONLINE GROCER FACES OPPOSITION IN THE SOUTH BRONX (04/03/2014) Ordering food on the Internet can offer a reprieve from the drudgery of the grocery store. A few quick clicks and you have ingredients for dinner without getting in a car or lugging bags of food on a bus or train. But while it may seem like online...

UPS FIRES HUNDREDS OF WORKERS WHO DEFENDED FIRED COLLEAGUE (04/02/2014) UPS, one of the world's largest shipping and logistics companies, has decided to fire 250 workers who staged a 90-minute protest in February. The protest was organized after a long-time employee was fired over an hours dispute.

Twenty of...

OKLAHOMA REPUBLICAN SPEAKS OUT AGAINST ANTI-CHOICE BILL: 'IT'S PREJUDICED AGAINST WOMEN' (04/02/2014) Oklahoma has already enacted some of the most stringent abortion restrictions in the nation. Nonetheless, the GOP-controlled legislature is currently advancing two additional measures to compromise women’s access to...

PROTESTERS CLASH WITH POLICE IN ALBUQUERQUE (03/31/2014) Hundreds of protesters angry over recent Albuquerque police shootings clashed with riot officers for more than 10 hours, calling on the police chief and other city officials to resign.

Gas canisters were thrown outside police headquarters and...

34 YEARS LATER, EL SALVADOR PAYS TRIBUTE TO A NATIONAL HERO (03/25/2014) El Salvador pays tribute to the much loved Bishop Oscar Arnulfo Romero who was assassinated by a sniper while he was conducting mass.

Yesterday, March 24, marks 34 years since Bishop Romero was assassinated while conducting...

ON DAY OF THE OCEAN, LANDLOCKED BOLIVIA IS HOPEFUL ABOUT RECLAIMING CRITICAL TERRITORY (03/25/2014) On Sunday, March 23, Bolivia celebrated the Day of the Ocean in comemoration of its historical claim for a pathway to the Pacific Ocean.

The Day of the Ocean is an opportunity for the Bolivian government to reclaim 120 thousand square...

MIDDLE SCHOOL GIRLS PROTEST SEXIST DRESS CODE: 'ARE MY PANTS LOWERING YOUR TEST SCORES?' (03/25/2014) Earlier this month, Haven Middle School administrators notified parents that female students are no longer allowed to wear shorts, leggings, or yoga pants because those articles of clothing might be “too distracting” for their...

'KINDNESS' GROUPS AT WORK IN NYC (03/23/2014) Can NYC become a nicer place?

Some young, idealistic New Yorkers -- collectively engaged in trying to inspire a kindness revolution -- are working to make it so. They're giving away money and treats, paying for other people's coffee...

BLACK PRESCHOOLERS MORE LIKELY TO FACE SUSPENSION (03/21/2014) Black students are more likely to be suspended from U.S. public schools — even as tiny preschoolers.

The racial disparities in American education, from access to high-level classes and experienced teachers to discipline, were highlighted...

TURKISH ATTEMPT TO BAN TWITTER BACKFIRES (03/21/2014) Turkey's attempt to block access to Twitter appeared to backfire on Friday with many tech-savvy users circumventing the ban and suspicions growing that the prime minister was using court orders to suppress corruption allegations against him and...

NEW YORKERS SLEEP ON THE STREET TO RAISE AWARENESS FOR NYC HOMELESS (03/21/2014) Donald Carey says he doesn’t mind giving up his usual Friday night plans to sleep on the cold concrete on 41st street.

He is one of 200, joining a nationwide movement called the Young Professional Sleep Out with Covenant House Friday,...

WBAI News for Tuesday March 18, 2014 (03/18/2014) Weather: East Harlem building collapse, update on victims and progress: NY Senate rejects the NY Dream Act: State Budget discussions on NYC: New emails show Christie's campaign manager was kept informed over lane closures: City Hall hearing on...

STATES LOOKING AT $0 COMMUNITY COLLEGE TUITION (03/18/2014) Nothing sparks consumer demand like the word "free," and politicians in some states have proposed the idea of providing that incentive to get young people to attend community college.

Amid worries that U.S. youth are losing a global...

WBAI News for Monday March 17, 2014 (03/17/2014) Crimean Referendum; Protest over President Obama's Immigration Policy in Tijuana; TWU Local 100 celebrates its Irish heritage; St Pat's festivities amid protests over gay rights; School...

NYC Explosion (03/15/2014) Emergency workers removing debris from the site of a deadly explosion at two New York City apartment buildings were expected to reach the basement levels Saturday, clearing the way for investigators to search for clues that might reveal what caused...

NYC Public Schools, Co-locations, Charters, Albany (03/14/2014) The New York State Senate passed a resolution which would provide $540 million a year for five years to fund pre-k and after school for middle schoolers in New York City. But the plan comes with strings attached. It would take control away from...

WBAI News for Thursday March 13, 2014 (03/13/2014) Update on the gas explosion in East Harlem

New report on how NYC needs to upgrade infrastructure by Center for Urban Future

Coalition...

Explosion a reminder of NYC's aging infrastructure (03/13/2014) Even while the exact cause remains unknown, a deadly blast that leveled two Manhattan buildings served by a 127-year-old gas main has provided a jarring reminder of just how old and vulnerable much of the infrastructure is in New York and many other...

Explosion, a reminder of NYC's aging infrastructure (03/13/2014) Even while the exact cause remains unknown, a deadly blast that leveled two Manhattan buildings served by a 127-year-old gas main has provided a jarring reminder of just how old and vulnerable much of the infrastructure is in New York and many other...

WBAI Morning News for Wednesday March 12, 2014 (03/12/2014) ...

East Harlem Building Explosions (03/12/2014) An explosion on Wednesday leveled two New York City apartment buildings, killing two people, injuring 17 others and sending smoke billowing above the skyline.

The blast happened after a neighbor reported smelling natural gas.

The New...

American Red Cross is on the scene of an explosion in northern Manhattan. (03/12/2014) The organization has disaster responders on site, including mental health professionals. An assistance center has been opened at P.S. 57, on 115th Street between Lexington and Third avenues.

The explosion leveled two buildings at Park Avenue...

Gas Explosion (03/12/2014) — A gas leak triggered an earthshaking explosion that flattened two apartment buildings on Wednesday, killing at least three people, injuring more than 60 and leaving nine missing. A tenant said residents had complained repeatedly in recent...

Real Story Behind Public School Co-location In Harlem (03/11/2014) There are two public schools and one success academy in Harlem on 117 Street and Lenox Avenue. They all share one building. Mayor de Blasio and schools chancellor Carmen Fariña decided that this school building could not accommodate another...

WBAI News Monday March 10, 2014 (03/10/2014)

AN OPEN LETTER TO PORTLAND AND THE WORLD FROM 'THE BLACK PORTLANDERS' (03/10/2014) Below is the first teaser for upcoming documentary Whitelandia. The excerpt below is part of Intisar Abioto's call for support for her project The Black Portlanders. To read the full article, click

CARIBBEAN ADOPTS PLAN TO SEEK SLAVERY REPARATIONS (03/10/2014)  Leaders of Caribbean nations on Monday unanimously adopted a broad plan on seeking reparations from European nations for what they say are the lingering ill effects of the Atlantic slave trade on the region.
A British human rights law firm...

WBAI News Friday March 7, 2014 (03/07/2014)  ...

WBAI News for Thursday March 6, 2014 (03/06/2014)  ...

A Win For Car Wash Workers (03/06/2014)  Attorney General Eric T. Schneiderman, joined by New York City Council Speaker Melissa Mark Viverito and labor rights advocates, today announced settlements totaling $3.9 million with two interrelated car wash chains owned and operated by John Lage,...

Reporter Quits On Air in Protest of Russian Occupation of Crimea (03/06/2014)  It’s been a strange week for RT, the state-owned Russian news agency.
On Tuesday, on-air anchor Abbi Martin criticized Russia’s occupation of Crimea. And then on Wednesday, fellow anchor Liz Wahl announced that she was quitting the...

Barrett Brown Case: 11 of 12 Counts Dismissed (03/06/2014)  Reporters Without Borders greets with relief federal prosecutors’ decision to drop nearly all criminal charges against Barrett Brown, a contributor to The Guardian and Vanity Fair.
Most importantly from...

Crimea sets vote to break away from Ukraine (03/06/2014)  Ukraine lurched toward breakup Thursday as lawmakers in Crimea unanimously declared they wanted to join Russia and would put the decision to voters in 10 days. President Barack Obama condemned the move and the West answered with the first real...

Coney Island Community Garden (03/06/2014)  Coney Island residents and activists gathered this week in an effort to bring back a community garden which was demolished to make way for an...

Why Do We Need An International Women's Day? (03/06/2014)  Ruby Johnson and Devi Leiper O'Malley
Frida: the Young Feminist Fund
What does it mean in today's world to take an established tradition and make it your own? We are young women of the millennial generation, with more than 100...

WBAI Morning News for Wednesday March 5, 2014 (03/05/2014)  ...

NYPD Oversight (03/05/2014)  New York City will drop a challenge to a law making it easier to bring racial profiling cases against the police, Mayor Bill de Blasio announced Wednesday, furthering his pledge to change the city's approach to...

Chirlane to Lobby Albany for Pre-K and Afterschool (03/05/2014)  Chirlane McCray, who already wields more influence than any New York City first lady in recent memory, will see her role expand further when she travels to Albany next week for some high-profile lobbying for her husband's signature...

Medea Benjamin Detained, Attacked and Deported from Egypt en route to Gaza with International Delegation of Women (03/04/2014)  On the night of March 3, 2014, co-founder of the peace group CODEPINK Medea Benjamin was on her way to Egypt to join an international delegation of women going to Gaza when she was detained by border police in the Cairo airport, held overnight in a...

WBAI Morning News for Tuesday March 4, 2014 (03/04/2014)  ...

WBAI Morning News for Monday March 3, 2014 (03/03/2014)  ...

LET IMPREMEDIA EXECUTIVES KNOW THEY ARE KILLING EL DIARIO-LA PRENSA! (03/02/2014)  The current situation at El Diario-La Prensa newspaper in which impreMedia executives led by their COO, Francisco Seghezzo, have forced the ouster of its popular and longtime "Bajo Fuego"...

Dromm to Investigate Charter School Students Lobbying Albany (03/01/2014)
Capital New York reports Success Academy CEO Eva Moskowitz “is closing all 22 of her schools March 4th to attempt to rally support in Albany, and has asked teachers to provide instruction to students on buses up to the...

Changes in NYPD Protocol (02/28/2014)  Mayor Bill de Blasio and NYPD Commissioner Bill Bratton attended a roll call at the 2-5 precinct in East Harlem. In an effort to dial back tensions between the NYPD and the communities, they announced changes to the police academy curriculum. De...

WBAI Morning News for Friday February 28, 2014 (02/28/2014)  Bundle up for extreme cold in our listening area.
Dangerous confrontation with Russia is taking place in the Ukraine.
U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon says 20 years after the Rwanda genocide, the international community's failure...

WBAI Morning News for Thursday February 27, 2014 (02/27/2014)
The report has these stories:
Paid sick leave legislation passes the City Council
NYC Comptroller suspects collusion in public school milk contracts
NYS Assembly passes the NY Dream Act which now goes...

My Brother's Keeper (02/27/2014)  President Barack Obama launched his "My Brother's Keeper" initiative, calling on public and private entities to create more opportunities for young minority men, and break down social conditions that keep them impoverished and...

Full Day Pre-K (02/26/2014)  Mayor Bill de Blasio held a news conference with his staff at PS 130 in Manhattan. He said New York City is on track to develop full day pre-k throughout the city.
WBAI’s Linda Perry filed this report....

Sandy Rebuilding And Construction Worker Safety On The Tuesday Morning News (02/25/2014)  Mayor Bill de Blasio and Staten Island Borough President James Oddo held a news conference on the city’s Build it Back program, designed to give aid to low-income...

WBAI Morning News for Monday February 24, 2014 (02/24/2014)  The report has these stories:
Western nations scramble to contain fallout from Ukraine's weekend revolution
Oil spill on the Mississippi
Some rain expected for drought stricken California
New details emerge about capture...

In Defense of Jailed Journalist Barrett Brown (02/24/2014)  The Criminalization of Journalism
If Barrett Brown is found guilty we will all be forced to rethink how we use the Internet and share information, knowledge, blog, report, tweet, use facebook and google.
His case has...

Oldest-known Holocaust survivor dies at 110 (02/23/2014)  Alice Herz-Sommer, believed to be the oldest Holocaust survivor, died at age 110 on Sunday, a family member said. The accomplished pianist's death came just a week before her extraordinary story of surviving two years in a Nazi prison camp...

WBAI Morning News for Friday February 21, 2014 (02/21/2014)  The report contains these stories:
Long Island College Hospital in Brooklyn gets a reprieve
Judge dismisses suit against NYPD Muslim surveillance in New Jersey
James Taylor stars in tv ad to ban fracking in North...

WBAI's Station Manager Delivers Letter to Listeners (02/21/2014)  Over the past sixteen months, the WBAI community has had more than its fair share of turmoil: one hurricane, two temporary studios, one temporary office, three moves, nineteen layoffs and two program directors. All of this tumult has been...

WBAI Morning News for Thursday February 20, 2014 (02/20/2014)  The report has these stories:
New rules change solitary confinement for pregnant inmates and incarcerated youth
Setback for KeystoneXL Pipeline in Nebraska
President Obama meets with Canadian Prime Minister Harper defending the...

Speed Limit Goes from 30 mph to 25 mph Citywide (02/19/2014)  Crossing a busy street in New York City can be a precarious situation. When traffic lights turn from green to yellow some cars speedup, instead of slowing down before lights turn red. Cars stop inside crosswalks making it difficult for people...

NEW YORK STATE TO LIMIT USE OF SOLITARY CONFINEMENT (02/19/2014)  New York State has agreed to sweeping changes that will curtail the widespread use of solitary confinement to punish prison infractions, according to court papers filed on Wednesday.
Under the agreement, New York becomes the largest prison...

JORDAN DAVIS TRIAL ILLUSTRATES WELL WHAT RICHARD SHERMAN MEANT WHEN HE SAID 'THUG' WAS THE NEW N-WORD (02/17/2014)  Among the more interesting conversations during the two-week build-up to the Super Bowl was prompted by Richard Sherman's comment that the word "thug" is the newly accepted way of calling someone the "N-word." The...

Florida Jury Reaches Partial Verdict in Killing Over Loud Music (02/16/2014)  A jury's inability to agree on a murder charge will give prosecutors and defense attorneys fodder for their next moves in the case of a Florida teen fatally shot after an argument over loud music.
Forty-seven-year-old Michael Dunn was...

Journalists Reporting NSA Leaks, Homelessness, Bridgegate Receive George Polk Award (02/16/2014)  — Four journalists who reported on the extent of the National Security Agency's secret surveillance based on documents leaked by Edward Snowden are among the winners of the 65th annual George Polk Awards in Journalism.
Glenn...

Report To The Listeners (02/14/2014)  Hello listeners, This is Berthold Reimers, General Manager of your station.
I am here with you this morning to report on the situation at WBAI. There are lots
of rumors afloat, and many people are understandably confused about what’s...

Report to the Listener (02/14/2014)  Hello listeners, this is Berthold Reimers, General Manager of your station. I am reporting on the situation at WBAI. There are lots of rumors afloat, and many people are understandably confused about what’s true and what’s not.
The...

Bill de Blasio's First Budget (02/13/2014)  NYC's mayor presented a preliminary budget for Fiscal Year 2015 at City Hall. It's a $73.9 billion budget. He emphasized progressive change for New Yorkers through being both fiscally responsible and economically progressive. "This may...

NY Gets Medicaid Waiver (02/13/2014)  New York reached an agreement Thursday with federal officials for a waiver that would allow the state to reinvest $8 billion in Medicaid savings that officials say will be used to support hospitals and improve health care.
Gov. Andrew...

Pre-K Stalemate (02/11/2014)  State Senate Republican Leader Dean Skelos said on Monday that he won’t allow a vote on Mayor Bill de Blasio’s plan for funding pre-k and afterschool for middle schoolers.
The Mayor clearly miffed fired back this morning. He...

Occupy Wall Street Activist Faces 7yrs in Prison After Beating by NYPD (02/10/2014)  Trial begins in Manhattan Criminal Court today for Occupy Wall Street activist, Cecily McMillan, who faces 2nd degree assault charges stemming from a 2012 encounter with the NYPD that left her beaten and unconscious. McMillan was brutally arrested...

Mayor Bill de Blasio Delivers State of The City (02/10/2014)  Under a banner which read One New York Rising Together at LaGuardia Community College in Queens, Bill de Blasio, New York City’s 109th Mayor, delivered his first State of the City Address.
He said the city is in the...

AZ BILL WOULD MAKE IT A CRIME TO USE A BATHROOM WITHOUT PROOF OF CITIZENSHIP (02/10/2014)  An Arizona republican, Carl Seel, recently introduced legislation that would make it a crime for a ‘person in the state illegally’ to use any public resource or facility. This would include sidewalks, roads, parks and yes, even public...

#SOCHIPROBLEMS IS MORE OF AN EMBARRASSMENT FOR AMERICA THAN IT IS FOR RUSSIA (02/09/2014)  As Western journalists landed in Sochi for the Olympic Games a few days ago, they took to social media to complain about their plumbing situations, dirt in their...

Changes For NYCHA (02/08/2014)
Mayor de Blasio's news conference to announce new public housing appointments was held at Lincoln Houses, where he stayed overnight during his campaign. The run down conditions he witnessed served as a testament to the need to...

MORE FEDERAL PRIVILEGES TO EXTEND TO SAME-SEX COUPLES (02/08/2014)  The federal government will soon treat married same-sex couples the same as heterosexual couples when they file for bankruptcy, testify in court or visit family in prison.
Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr. was preparing to issue...

NY JUDGE SENDS 12 TO JAIL FOR PROTESTING US DRONES (02/08/2014)  Twelve protesters who refused to leave an air force base while protesting the military's use of unmanned aerial drones have been sentenced to 15 days in jail each by an upstate New York judge.
DeWitt Town Justice David Gideon found the...

ATM Skimming In Our Listening Area (02/07/2014)   The alleged ringleader of a scheme federal prosecutors say siphoned at least $5 million from thousands bank accounts by installing skimming devices in cash machines was formally charged Friday in New Jersey following his extradition from...

NYC Police Unions Seek Stop-Frisk Appeals Ruling (02/07/2014)  — Police unions told a federal appeals court Friday that they want the courts to decide whether a judge properly ordered changes to the New York Police Department's stop-and-frisk program even if the city no longer wants to challenge her...

MARTIN LUTHER KING'S CHILDREN BATTLING OVER ESTATE (02/07/2014)  A generation after the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.'s death, his children are fighting among themselves again, this time over two of their father's most cherished possessions: his 1964 Nobel Peace Prize medal and the Bible he...

A Win For Carwash Workers (02/06/2014)
Attorney General Eric T. Schneiderman, joined by New York City Council Speaker Melissa Mark Viverito and labor rights advocates, today announced settlements totaling $3.9 million with two interrelated car wash chains owned and operated by John...

Governor Cuomo Lowers Tolls On Verrazano Bridge (02/06/2014)  Gov. Andrew Cuomo today announced a $14M deal to promote access to Staten Island by reducing the toll on the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge. The State and Metropolitan Transportation Authority will each contribute $7million.
In Staten Island...

Hazardous Travel Advisory For Wednesday (02/05/2014)  Snow will change into a wintry mix of sleet and freezing rain during the day on Wednesday. The OEM, the New York City Office of Emergency Management, issued a Hazardous Travel Advisory. “Be ready for a difficult morning commute,” said...

When Do The Central Park Five Finally Get Justice? (02/05/2014)
The Central Park Five, the black and latino youth who were railroaded, wrongly accused, coerced and imprisoned in the case of the Central Park Jogger back in 1989, have been waiting for twenty-five years for justice....

AS AFGHAN WAR DRAWS DOWN, HOPE FOR SOME GITMO DETAINEES (02/05/2014)  The approaching U.S. deadline to withdraw troops from Afghanistan in 2014 may help free a handful of Guantanamo detainees by the year’s end, with or without President Barack Obama’s blessing.
There are 17 Afghan detainees left in...

FUKUSHIMA WASH-UP TO HIT U.S. COAST THIS YEAR (02/05/2014)  Seaborne radiation from Japan's wrecked Fukushima nuclear plant will wash up on the West Coast of the US this year.
That's raising concerns among some Americans including the residents of the San Francisco Bay Area city of Fairfax,...

CURBING THE GOOGLE BUS (02/05/2014)  San Francisco’s housing is the most expensive in the country. Housing prices are climbing, and developers are erecting new luxury condos at breakneck speed, forcing lower-income households to steadily move east to less expensive...

Controversy between some NYPD and NYC Mayor Continues (02/05/2014)  It was a rainy Sunday. In Brooklyn Mayor Bill de Blasio honored Officer Wenjian Liu, murdered along with officer Rafael Ramos in their patrol car on December 20th.
He said detective Liu was a kind officer who gave of himself,...

BILL NYE: BIBLE DOESN'T TELL EARTH'S TRUE HISTORY (02/05/2014)  True to his passionate and animated TV persona, “Science Guy” Bill Nye tapped on the podium, threw up his hands and noted that science shows the Earth is “billions and billions” of years old in a debate at a Kentucky museum...

Biden Warns Of War On Labor, Says Outlook Is Dim (02/05/2014)  — Vice President Joe Biden says a concerted war on labor threatens to drastically weaken the bargaining power of American unions.
Biden spoke Wednesday to an annual conference of the United Automobile Workers. He says the Chamber of...

THE GEORGE ZIMMERMAN-DMX BOXING MATCH IS NOT JUSTICE FOR TRAYVON (02/05/2014)  In the aftermath of his acquittal in the death of Florida teenager Trayvon Martin, George Zimmerman, the neighborhood watch coordinator whose shooting of Martin sparked a national debate about racial bias and so-called Stand Your Ground laws, has...

Keytone XL Protests Around the Country (02/04/2014)  Commentary: The call to organize rallies against Keystone XL went out on Friday afternoon as the State Department released their report on the pipeline. By Monday morning, over 250 actions were planned and thousands of people were making plans to...

LEGO RESPONDS TO 7-YEAR-OLD GIRL'S AWESOME LETTER (02/04/2014)  When a 7-year-old would rather write a letter of complaint about her toys than play with them, you know there's a problem. Last week Charlotte Benjamin spotted inequality in an aisle of Legos and did something about it. In a handwritten note to...

NY health chief on fracking review (02/03/2014)  New York's health commissioner is still declining to speculate when his agency will finish a review of the health effects of hydraulic fracturing for natural gas.
Dr. Nirav Shah tells legislators Monday that conclusion is "not in the...

NYC metro area faces up to 8 inches of snow (02/03/2014)  The National Weather Service has issued a winter storm warning for New York City, Long Island and parts of Northern New Jersey. The winter weather advisory is in effect from 5am to 7pm Monday. Many schools in our listening area are closed, but...

A Memorial for Pete Seeger (02/02/2014)   Hundreds of friends and fans joined in song Sunday to honor Pete Seeger, doing what the folk singer loved best.
Seeger died Jan. 27 at age 94; no services were planned. But Libby Funeral Home in Beacon held a reception Sunday. By early...

WOODY ALLEN'S GOOD NAME (02/02/2014)  This is a basic principle: until it is proven otherwise, beyond a reasonable doubt, it’s important to extend the presumption of innocence to Dylan Farrow, and presume that she is not guilty of the crime of lying about what Woody Allen did to...

SCHNEIDERMAN SET TO OUST PUERTO RICAN DAY PARADE BOARD (02/02/2014)  Note: According to the news report below, the NYS Attorney General is about to issue a report on its probe into the finances of the National Puerto Rican Day Parade that will result in a major shake-up of its operations and may even lead to...

THE MOST POWERFUL SUPER BOWL AD YOU WILL NOT SEE DURING TONIGHT'S GAME (02/02/2014)  Change the Mascot is a national campaign to end the use of the racial slur “redskins” as the mascot and name of the NFL team in Washington, D.C. Launched by the Oneida Indian Nation, the campaign calls upon the NFL and Commissioner Roger...

Keystone XL Oil Pipeline (01/31/2014)  — The proposed Keystone XL oil pipeline from Canada has cleared a significant hurdle after the State Department raised no major environmental objections to its construction.
The department's report was released Friday. It says...

Mayor de Blasio Announces Agreement in Landmark Stop-and-Frisk Case. (01/30/2014)  In a news conference in Brownsville, an area of the city which had the most stop-and-frisks, Mayor de Blasio, Police Commissioner Bratton and Corporation Counsel Carter said the City will fully embrace stop-and-frisk reform. The mayor announced an...

SNOWDEN GETS NOBEL PEACE PRIZE NOMINATION FROM NORWEGIAN MP (01/29/2014)  A Norwegian member of parliament nominated former U.S. National Security Agency contractor Edward Snowden for the 2014 Nobel Peace Prize on Wednesday, arguing that his release of classified documents made the world a safer place.
Baard Vegar...

REPORT: 250 MILLION SCHOOL AGE KIDS CAN'T READ (01/29/2014)  At least 250 million of the world's 650 million primary school age children are unable to read, write or do basic mathematics, according to a report Wednesday commissioned by the U.N. education agency.
The report found that 130 million are...

Goodnight Pete (01/28/2014)  If you’d ever seen Pete Seeger perform, and experienced his radiance and unapologetic optimism, you might join in mourning the loss of a national treasure says an editorial in the Dallas Morning News. They saw him perform on the National Mall...

Obama vows to flex presidential powers (01/28/2014)  — Seeking to energize his sluggish second term, President Barack Obama vowed Tuesday night in his State of the Union address to sidestep Congress "whenever and wherever" necessary to narrow economic disparities between rich and poor....

USE THIS APP TO SHAME SEXIST SUPER BOWL ADS THIS SUNDAY (01/28/2014)  Almost as many women watch the Super Bowl as men these days. And yet the event’s ads tend to cater to dudes, featuring scantily clad women eating messy fish sandwiches and other wildly unrealistic scenarios.
Last...

REMAINS OF 55 BODIES FOUND NEAR FORMER FLORIDA REFORM SCHOOL (01/28/2014)  Excavations at a makeshift graveyard near a now-closed reform school in the Florida Panhandle have yielded remains of 55 bodies, almost twice the number official records say are there, the University of South Florida announced on...

Pre-K Report (01/27/2014)  — New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio has released an interagency report detailing his proposal for free full-day prekindergarten for every 4 year old.
The report says the program would reach 53,000 children who need it by September....

Mayor de Blasio bent on taxing the very rich for pre-k (01/24/2014)  23 days and 2 snowstorms into the job, Mayor de Blasio went to Washington to deliver remarks at the U.S. Conference of Mayors. He spoke about shared opportunity and shared prosperity. De Blasio said without the mayors working together, the...

At Davos, push for clean energy as climate weapon (01/22/2014)  — Leaders gathered in the Swiss ski resort of Davos are pushing for nations worldwide to shift to cleaner energy sources as the best way to contain global warming and re-energize the global economy.
U.N. climate chief Christiana...

NYC: Evening rush slowed down snow cl