Empire Files

In this second installment of special coverage Hurricane Harvey's aftermath, Abby Martin explores how the petrochemical industry dominates the city and why its low-income, Black and Latino areas are in the highest-risk areas for flooding and pollution, earning them the name "sacrifice zones." Abby explores Houston's unique lack of zoning and regulations that maximized the impact of the storm, the "fence-line communities" deliberately put in harm's way, inhumane treatment of incarcerated people in the disaster, and how the ownership of the city by Big Oil puts thousands of lives in peril. Featuring interviews with Dr. Robert Bullard, professor of Urban Planning and Environmental Policy at Texas Southern University; Azzurra Crispino, co-founder of Prison Abolition Prisoner Support (PAPS); and Yvette Arellano of the Texas Environmental Justice Advocacy Series. LISTEN TO PART I: http://bit.ly/2Biz2is LISTEN TO PART III: http://bit.ly/2AZ36LT FOLLOW // twitter.com/empirefiles LIKE // www.facebook.com/TheEmpireFiles

After a flurry of media attention, the devastation in Houston, Texas from Hurricane Harvey faded from public view. But after unprecedented floods and widespread destruction, the story is far from over. In Part 1 of her investigation, Abby Martin travels to Houston one month later, and visits one of the most devastated neighborhoods. Victims there give harrowing testimony about nearly drowning and having zero assistance to this day from local or state officials. This first installment reveals the untold stories of how, while abandoned by the state, the community banded together to save lives and rebuild their homes. LISTEN TO PART II: http://bit.ly/2BhIrHa LISTEN TO PART III: http://bit.ly/2AZ36LT FOLLOW // twitter.com/empirefiles LIKE // www.facebook.com/TheEmpireFiles

Renowned Afro-Latinx activist and scholar Rosa Clemente sits down with Abby Martin to discuss her experiences running for Vice President, organizing under Obama versus under Trump, advice for new activists, identity politics and more. In the face of a resurgent far-right movement, backed by unleashed reactionary state forces, Clemente gives valuable insight into the challenges, strategies and tactics for a new era of organizing. FOLLOW // twitter.com/empirefiles LIKE // https://www.facebook.com/TheEmpireFiles

On the streets of Jerusalem, Abby Martin interviews Jewish Israeli citizens from all walks of life. In several candid interviews, disturbing comments reveal commonly-held views about Palestinians and their future in the region. Israeli-born human rights activist and anti-Zionist, Ronnie Barkan, explains why these attitudes dominate Israeli society. FOLLOW // twitter.com/empirefiles LIKE // https://www.facebook.com/TheEmpireFiles

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 and professor of political science at the Universidad Bolivariana de Venezuela. His articles on the struggle in Venezuela appear on CounterPunch.org and more. FOLLOW // twitter.com/empirefiles LIKE // https://www.facebook.com/TheEmpireFiles

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 and the Origins of the United States". FOLLOW // twitter.com/empirefiles LIKE // https://www.facebook.com/TheEmpireFiles

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 the University of Pittsburgh School of Law, and is the author of the new book "The Plot to Scapegoat Russia." FOLLOW // twitter.com/empirefiles LIKE // facebook.com/theempirefiles

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 catastrophe. FOLLOW // twitter.com/empirefiles LIKE // facebook.com/theempirefiles

On July 30th, Venezuelans elected a people's body called the "Constituent Assembly." The Empire Files was on-the-ground in the weeks prior. U.S. politicians, press and opposition in Venezuela called the process a "coup" and further proof they need foreign regime-change intervention. Abby Martin addresses the criticisms with Head of the Presidential Commission to oversee the Constituent Assembly process, Elias Jaua, speaks to supporters and participants of the Assembly, interviews historian Chris Gilbert and explains what is at stake in Venezuela if the social programs instated under Chavez are terminated by the opposition. FOLLOW // twitter.com/empirefiles LIKE // facebook.com/theempirefiles

Abby Martin talks to Venezuelans on the streets of Caracas and investigates the main claim that there's no free press, and that there is no food in the supermarkets. Using hidden cameras, she takes you through local grocery stores and the underground black market currency exchange, the main source of inflation in the country. Abby sits down with economist Pasqualina Curzio to learn more about the nature of the black market and chronic shortages of goods. Knowing that world leaders are calling for foreign intervention, Abby finds out if locals agree. FOLLOW // twitter.com/empirefiles LIKE // facebook.com/theempirefiles