CNN is reporting that US Ukrainian relations continue to deteriorate over a dispute about who ordered the suspension of Elon Musk's Starlink satellite internet enabled service over Ukraine which hobbled the ability of the Ukrainian to coordinate its defenses and gave a considerable advantage to the Russian military.
This latest controversy comes as President Trump unilaterally declared an energy facility cease fire and a controversial deal with Russian leader Vladimir Putin to see his country's diesel on the US and global markets to bring down the soaring price for diesel which has devastated the US farming and trucking sectors, once key parts of Trump's MAGA base.
Trump's geo-gyrations can be all traced back to his decision to join with Israel in its war of choice on Iran which continues to destabilize the broader Mideast and the global energy markets.
Early voting has already started in a long list of states including California and Ohio. Millions of Americans are expected to turnout at over 3,000 No Kings Vote Early rallies in all 50 states, US territories and Washington D.C.
WBAI and the Pacifica Radio Network will bring you LIVE coverage from noon until 3 pm tomorrow.
LABOR ON THE MARCH
This morning we will bring you sound from yesterday's massive Get Out the Vote labor rally outside the Farley Post Office that drew close to a thousand people and representatives from dozens of unions.
Work-Bites Steve Wishnia was there and he will join us.
“Hundreds of workers from a score of unions packed the two-block-wide steps of the city’s main post office Oct. 15 for a rally launching a labor campaign to protect elections from tampering by the Trump administration,” wrote Wishnia in Work-Bites. “ A five-piece drums-and-horns combo from American Federation of Musicians Local 802 pumped out a New Orleans-style parade beat while Laborers Union organizer Anthony Williamson led chants of ‘Union in the house’ and ‘This is what democracy looks like.’”
The massive rally was coordinated by the New York City Central Labor Council, AFL-CIO, and brought multiple unions together including: 32BJ SEIU, 1199SEIU, NYSNA, CWA District 1, CWA Local 1180, PSC/CUNY, DC 37 AFSCME, UAW Region 9A, LIUNA Eastern Region, APWU New York Metro Area Postal Union Local 10, AFM Local 802, IUPAT DC9, Local Union No. 3, IBEW, UFCW Local 1500, IATSE Local One, RWDSU, OPEIU Local 153, and the Hotel & Gaming Trades Council.
“When you attack the right to vote, you are attacking working people plain and simple. If this administration thinks they can rewrite the rules to quiet the very workers who keep our economy running, they are sadly mistaken,” said Stuart Appelbaum, President of the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union (RWDSU). “The labor movement isn't going to let that happen. Our members use their vote to protect their livelihoods, their paychecks, their families, and their communities. We’re standing together today to make sure every worker's voice counts, because we refuse to let anyone silence working people.”
“The Trump administration has terrorized our immigrant students, colleagues and neighbors. They've suppressed faculty research and the right to free speech and are blatantly attempting to undermine the legitimacy of the midterm elections,” said James Davis, President, Professional Staff Congress/CUNY. “PSC members are proud to stand with New York's labor movement as we throw down a marker to say clearly that we will fight back when authoritarians try to silence our voice, our vote and our democracy.”
“Over the last year we have seen repeated attacks on voting rights with a particular focus on weakening the voice of working people,” said 32BJ SEIU President Manny Pastreich. “As a union of immigrants and people of color, we are disgusted by this administration’s attempts to weaken our votes. Whether election tampering happens in NY, Florida, Texas or anywhere – it impacts us all. Any attempt to undermine our elections jeopardizes our democracy and the basic principles of this country. The New York City labor movement, stationed in an economic epicenter, has an important role to play in standing up to any tampering and making sure the voices of working people are heard.”
LOCALS CATCH ICE BREAKING THE LAW
In part two, we are going back up to Roxbury, NJ, the site of the proposed ICE conversion of a warehouse into a prison in the Morris County, Turns out, they were already using it covertly. Steve Broderick, with NJ Appleseed, a non-profit law project, details how local activists outed ICE’s flagrant violation of a federal court order.
For months, a grass roots coalition of activists sounded the alarm about the Department of Homeland Security proposal to convert the site into a 1,500 bed immigration prison. Roxbury is located in the heart of the New Jersey Highlands which provides more than 70 percent of New Jersey’s residents with their drinking water.
Ultimately, the local Republican town council voted to oppose the conversion as does the State of New Jersey. In March, the municipality and the Sherrill administration sued in federal court to compel ICE to conduct an environmental review. As part of that litigation, ICE agreed to abide by a consent decree that they would not move toward conversion of the site nor use it for detention until they completed the environmental review.
Congresswoman Analilia Mejia (NJ-11) blasted the Department of Homeland Security.
“DHS has finally admitted what we suspected all along: ICE used the Roxbury property to process and stage detainees on multiple occasions, potentially in violation of a court order restricting its use as an immigration detention facility,” Mejia said in a statement. “After weeks of denying that the property was being used for immigration enforcement operations, DHS has finally confirmed to my office that ICE used the site to process 14 detained individuals on September 4th and 8th.
We finish up with a preview of the Executive Women of New Jersey's upcoming gala Celebrating the importance of women advancing in corporate leadership. We will be joined by this year's keynote speaker Writer and Essence Magazine Editor-at-Large Mikki Taylor -- this year’s keynote speaker.
