Rising Up With Sonali
1,154 episodes - English - Latest episode: 4 days ago - ★★★★★ - 65 ratingsNews & Analysis of Economic, Racial, Gender Justice and More
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Episodes
Colombia, Once a Conservative Bastion, Goes Left
June 22, 2022 16:00For the first time ever, Colombia, the third most populous nation in Latin America, has elected a president who is not conservative. The stalwart U.S. ally has just chosen the former mayor of Bogota, Gustavo Petro, as leader in a runoff election.
Is it Possible to Realize the Unfulfilled Promise of Juneteenth?
June 16, 2022 15:00Until the May 2020 police killing of George Floyd and the mass uprising it sparked, most non-Black Americans had never heard of Juneteenth. The name Juneteenth is short for June 19th, the day in 1865 when enslaved African Americans in Texas were finally informed of the Emancipation Proclamation...
Will the January 6th Hearings Help U.S. Democracy?
June 15, 2022 15:00The House Select Committee to Investigate the January 6th Attack on the United States Capitol has been holding public, televised hearings since last week, presenting damning evidence never-before-seen footage, previously recorded testimony rom former White House insiders...
How Long-term COVID Infections Could Prolong the Pandemic
June 10, 2022 15:00For those who are immunocompromised, COVID-19 remains a serious threat, especially as they are likely to develop long term infections.
How the Pentagon Fuels the Military Entertainment Complex
June 09, 2022 15:00Roger Stahl wrote a recent op-ed in the LA Times, saying, “Americans should have a right to know the extent of the military’s influence on the shows and films they consume.”
Poor People’s Campaign Converges on D.C. on June 18
June 08, 2022 15:00Bishop William Barber II and Rev. Liz Theoharis, the co-chairs of the Poor People’s Campaign, have written a letter to President Joe Biden requesting a meeting with the White House ahead of their June 18th March on Washington.
What Mass Shootings Tell Us About America
June 03, 2022 15:00Henry Giroux writes in Truthout, “what is ignored is a neoliberal economic system that feeds on self-interest, inequality, cruelty, punishment, precarity and loneliness.”
What the Uvalde Shooting Tells Us About Guns
June 02, 2022 18:52Michael Siegel writes, “evidence shows that the culture around guns contributes significantly to gun violence. And firearm manufacturers have played a major role in influencing American gun culture.”
What the Uvalde Shooting Tells Us About Policing
June 01, 2022 15:00The horror of last week’s mass shooting in Uvalde, Texas that claimed 21 lives, 19 of them children, revealed in stark terms just how ill-equipped police were to deal with such a situation.
New Stealth Attack on Medicare Opens Door to Privatization
May 27, 2022 15:00The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) earlier this year rebranded an aspect of the Medicare program that used to be called Direct Contracting. The newly named ACO REACH stands for “Accountable Care Organization (ACO) Realizing Equity, Access, and Community Health.”
Why Do Some on the Left Excuse Russia’s Invasion of Ukraine?
May 26, 2022 15:00President Joe Biden signed into law a $40 billion aid package to fund security, humanitarian, and economic aid to Ukraine. While progressive lawmakers like Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders, and House Representatives Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez voted for the bill, some activists criticized the move.
New Oxfam Report ‘Profiting from Pain’ Aimed at Davos Elites
May 25, 2022 16:00Global leaders and corporate executives are hobnobbing this week in Davos, Switzerland for the annual World Economic Forum.
Undoing the Racial Wealth Gap
May 20, 2022 17:56The Brookings Institution recently published findings about the racial wealth gap and how, while White families have a median wealth of $188,200, Black families have only $24,100.
The Roots of Buffalo’s Racist Massacre
May 18, 2022 15:33A white supremacist teenage man shot and killed ten people and injured three at a grocery store in Buffalo, New York on Saturday. The vast majority of the victims were Black in what has been confirmed to be a racist shooting spree.
Climate Restoration: The Only Future That Will Sustain the Human Race
May 13, 2022 15:00The World Meteorological Organization on Tuesday announced that “there is a 50:50 chance of average global temperature reaching 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels in the next five years, and the likelihood is increasing with time.”
Will the Supreme Court Overturn LGBTQI Rights After the Fall of Roe?
May 12, 2022 15:00If abortion rights are overturned, what is next? LGBTQ advocates worry about the overturning of same sex marriage and the criminalization of gender affirming procedures.
Abortion Opponents and the Racist Police State
May 11, 2022 16:00State lawmakers and attorneys general are scrambling to preserve reproductive rights in the wake of a leaked draft of a Supreme Court opinion to overturn the Roe Vs. Wade precedent.
LA Police Forcibly Remove BLM Leader, Professor From Mayor Debate
May 06, 2022 15:00Police at the California State University of Los Angeles on Sunday forcibly and bodily removed a tenured professor and leader of the LA Black Lives Matter movement, Melina Abdullah from a campus event.
Burdened by Debt, Millions Wait for Biden’s Cancelation
May 05, 2022 16:00Millions of debt-burdened Americans are awaiting President Joe Biden’s decision over debt forgiveness–an issue he campaigned on.
Draft of Supreme Court Decision Shows Roe Is Being Overturned
May 04, 2022 16:00Politico on Monday published a bombshell report on a leaked draft of a Supreme Court decision to overturn the Roe Vs. Wade abortion precedent. Although abortion rights advocates were expecting the six conservatives on the court to do this, it still came as a gut-punch.
Can the Constitution Protect Against Insurrectionists?
April 29, 2022 16:00Georgia Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene recently testified at a hearing to determine whether she should be allowed to run for reelection given her role in supporting the January 6th 2021 attack on the capitol.
How Elon Musk’s Acquisition Will Amplify Twitter’s Problems
April 28, 2022 16:00The world’s richest man has made a successful bid to purchase one of the world’s biggest social media platforms. Twitter accepted Elon Musk’s $44 billion cash buyout offer.
How a Worker-Led Union is Claiming Stunning Victories at Starbucks Cafes
April 27, 2022 16:00Dozens of Starbucks cafes across the United States have held successful union votes and hundreds more have filed to hold votes, in what is the most prominent flurry of labor organizing activity in decades.
Trump’s Criminality is Apparent. So Why No Charges?
April 22, 2022 15:00Each time it appears as though a criminal charge may be brought against Donald Trump, the effort fizzles out and Trump remains free from accountability. The former president is under investigation from many sides, chief among them...
Are Calls to Boost Police Funding Justified?
April 21, 2022 15:00The Brooklyn subway shooting on April 12th miraculously resulted in no deaths, although nearly 2 dozen people suffered injuries. While a massive manhunt for the shooter was underway, in the end the suspect tipped police off and turned himself in.
Homophobic, Racist, and Anti-Choice. What’s Going On In Florida?
April 20, 2022 15:00First it was the so-called “Don’t Say Gay” bill. Then, a 15-week abortion ban. Then, perhaps most ludicrously, the banning of more than 50 math books from public schools because of “Critical Race Theory.”
Can We “Agree to Disagree” in Order to Save Our Democracy?
April 15, 2022 15:00In a new book, authors Nolan Higdon and Mickey Huff make the case for critical dialogue and communication.
Amazon’s Union Win and Organizing for a Better Democracy
April 14, 2022 15:00Amazon's Staten Island warehouse became the first location in the retail giant to successfully unionize and it is notable that it did so via a new union.
Oklahoma, Texas, and the Coming End of 'Roe
April 13, 2022 15:00As reproductive justice advocates expect the “Roe Vs. Wade” precedent to be overturned by the conservative-dominated Supreme Court, the Senate just narrowly voted in the nation’s first Black woman Justice, Ketanji Brown Jackson.
Latest Diversity Report Shows Movie Writers Still Too White
April 01, 2022 16:42Each year the Hollywood Diversity report tracks the progress made by the film and television industry on race and gender representations in front of and behind the camera.
New Report Outlines Vision for Housing For All
March 31, 2022 16:54The Center for Popular Democracy, along with a number of other social justice organizations, has released a new report demanding what it calls, “Social Housing for All.”
How Biden’s Budget Prioritizes War Over People’s Needs
March 31, 2022 03:16President Joe Biden has announced a $5.8 trillion federal budget whose key priorities are out of line with his campaign platform. His budget includes significant increases in military and police spending.
How Crisis Pregnancy Centers Suck Public Funding, Spread Disinformation
March 25, 2022 15:00As states like Texas roll back people’s reproductive rights and specifically, the right to an abortion, a new report by The Alliance: State Advocates for Women’s Rights & Gender Equality, hones in on a little-known, but pernicious front in the abortion battle.
How Wages Remain Shockingly Suppressed in the US
March 24, 2022 15:00Amid all the discussions among lawmakers of inflation, rising interest rates, and high gas prices, very little is raised on the shockingly low minimum wages that low-wage workers continue to earn.
How the GOP is Punishing Ketanji Brown Jackson
March 23, 2022 16:00The United States Senate this week holds confirmation hearings for the nation’s first ever Black woman to be nominated to the Supreme Court. Nominated by President Joe Biden, Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson in her opening statements on Monday promised to decide cases from a neutral position.
Senate Passes Critical Postal Service Bill–Is It Enough?
March 18, 2022 16:00Breaking legislative gridlock, the U.S. Senate recently passed the Postal Service Reform Act by a vote of 79 to 19. The House of Representatives had passed the same bill last month by a vote of 342 to 92.
Biden’s Agenda on Climate, Care, and Economy Remains Unfinished
March 17, 2022 16:00Russia’s devastating war on Ukraine has consumed the news and Washington D.C. for the past few weeks.
Can International Justice Hold Russia Accountable?
March 16, 2022 16:00Russia’s war on Ukraine is continuing relentlessly, in spite of a stiff groundswell of opposition from inside Ukraine. Russian forces, as of this recording, have been attacking the capital Kyiv.
UN Environment Assembly Hails Resolution to End Plastic Pollution
March 11, 2022 17:00The United Nations Environment Assembly, in a little-noticed move passed a historic resolution in early March to pave the way for a legally binding international treaty ending plastic pollution.
How Texas’s Anti-Trans Moves Endanger Children
March 10, 2022 17:00Texas Governor Greg Abbott in late February informed his state’s Department of Family and Protective Services to review whether or not gender affirming treatment for transgender children in his state constituted child abuse.
How Oil Politics Factor into Russia’s War on Ukraine
March 09, 2022 17:00President Joe Biden on Tuesday announced a ban on oil imports from Russia, saying it was a way to deal "another powerful blow to Putin's war machine."
How Ukraine Exposes Western Hypocrisy on Refugees
March 04, 2022 15:35Russia’s war on Ukraine has caused a massive exodus of refugees within Europe. Contrary to how many nations have closed their borders to those fleeing wars in Afghanistan, Somalia, Yemen and other non-European nations, Ukrainians are generally being welcomed with open arms.
“Allow Me To Retort: A Black Guy’s Guide to the Constitution”
March 03, 2022 16:00President Joe Biden’s recent nomination of Judge Kentanji Brown Jackson to the U.S. Supreme Court is unprecedented. There has never before been a Black woman nominated to the nation’s highest court...
Russia Escalates Ukraine War in Massive Attack on Kharkiv
March 02, 2022 16:19Russian forces have attacked Ukraine’s second largest city Kharkiv, destroying government buildings, an opera house and a concert hall. Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky denounced the attack saying, “A missile targeting the central square of a city is open, undisguised terrorism.”
Will there be Justice for Daunte Wright and Amir Locke?
February 25, 2022 17:00Kim Potter, the White Minnesota police officer who killed the 20-year old Daunte Wright saying she mistook her gun for her taser, has just been sentenced to 2 years in prison for manslaughter.
Shouldn’t Biden Take on U.S. Poverty Instead of Russia?
February 24, 2022 17:00The Biden Administration has spent weeks fixated on Russia’s encroachment of Eastern Ukraine, readying responses such as troops and sanctions.
U.S. Calls Russian Actions an “Invasion”
February 23, 2022 17:00The Biden Administration this week insisted that Russia’s mounting actions on the border of Ukraine were an invasion. Jon Finer, an advisor to Biden, said on CNN, “We think this is, yes, the beginning of an invasion, Russia's latest invasion into Ukraine.”
The Black Agenda: Bold Solutions for a Broken System
February 18, 2022 17:00Nearly 2 years after massive nationwide uprisings for racial justice rocked the United States, Black leaders and activists remain frustrated with the slow pace of change–and with good reason.
New Poll Finds Widespread Public Support to Fix Plastic Pollution Crisis
February 17, 2022 17:00The COVID-19 pandemic was by all accounts disastrous for humanity with nearly a million people in the United States alone having lost their lives.
What Biden Should Do on Russia, Ukraine and Afghanistan
February 16, 2022 16:00As the tensions between Russia and the U.S. over Ukraine continue, the Russian government says it has pulled back some of its troops surrounding Ukraine.