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Between the Lines
"Between the Lines" is a national, half-hour program that provides a platform for individuals and spokespersons from progressive organizations generally ignored or marginalized by the mainstream media.
“What we’re now doing is in effect doubling down, moving equipment into Eastern Europe, training the Ukrainian Army, maybe even arming the Ukrainian Army – all of these things are going to make a bad situation worse.
– John J. Mearsheimer, R. Wendell Harrison distinguished service professor and co-director of the Program on International Security Policy at the University of Chicago, on the danger of escalating tensions with Russia resulting from the U.S. deployment of heavy military equipment to the Baltics and Eastern Europe.
Listen to the entire program using these links, or to individual interviews via the links appearing prior to each segment description below.
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U.S. Deployment of Heavy Military Equipment to the Baltics and Eastern Europe Escalates Tension with Russia
Interview with John Mearsheimer, R. Wendell Harrison distinguished service professor and co-director of the Program on International Security Policy at the University of Chicago, conducted by Scott Harris
Growing tensions between the U.S. and Russia went into high gear after Ukraine’s elected president Viktor Yanukovych was ousted from power in February 2014, triggering Russia’s decision to annex Crimea and provoking the ongoing conflict in eastern Ukraine between pro-Russian separatists and the Kiev government’s army and militia groups. Now, after the imposition of months of U.S. and European economic sanctions against Vladimir Putin’s government, a new more dangerous escalation is underway. Story continues
The Pope’s Climate Change Encyclical Inspires Action Among Religious Communities
Interview with Rabbi Mordechai Liebling, director of the social justice organizing program at the Reconstructionist Rabbinical College in Philadelphia, conducted by Melinda Tuhus
The Vatican’s encyclical, Praise Be, or “Laudato Si” in Latin, was released June 18 and focuses on the need for people across the world to take action to reverse global warming, caused by activity. In this long-awaited document, Pope Francis makes an impassioned plea for humans to understand the interconnectedness of all life on earth, to recognize that the poor of the earth are suffering the most from climate change, and that it is humanity’s responsibility to address the crisis. Story continues
As Congress Blocks Restoration of Voting Rights Act, GOP-Governed States Continue to Enact Voter Suppression Laws
Interview with Nick Nyhart, president and CEO of Every Voice Center (formerly Public Campaign), conducted by Scott Harris
June 25, 2015 marked the second anniversary of the U.S. Supreme Court ruling in the Shelby County v. Holder case that effectively dismantled the 1965 Voting Rights Act. Since then, 21 states across the nation have imposed new obstacles to voting. These include the establishment of new restrictive voter ID laws, limiting the days and hours for early voting and regulations making registering new voters more difficult. These new electoral regulations ushered in by mostly Republican governors and legislatures disproportionately erode the voting rights of African Americans, Latinos, students, senior citizens and other voters viewed as likely to cast ballots for Democratic party candidates. Story continues
This week’s summary of under-reported news
Compiled by Bob Nixon
- In the face of a new wave of immigrants, leaders of the European Union have agreed to take in 40,000 refugees who have landed in Italy and Greece in recent months. But heated disagreement among European leaders forced the EU to reject any formula or quota to process the refugees among EU nations. (“EU refugee response exposes divisions, meagre ambitions,” Associated Press, June 26, 2015;“European leaders kill off plans for migrant quota system,” The Guardian, June 25, 2015; “EU to create new quarantine system for Mediterranean migrants,” The Guardian, June 23, 2015)
- More than 20 years after Rwanda’s genocide which killed over 800,000 people in a matter of weeks, the East African nation has enjoyed growth and development, as it attempted to end ethnic conflict. (“Scrubbing away and ethnic identity,” Christian Science Monitor, April 14, 2015)
- California’s historic 1975 Agricultural Labor Relations Act, known as the farmworkers law, is under threat after a state appeals court in Fresno overturned the law’s “mandatory mediation” powers. Under the law’s mandatory mediation provision, a negotiator can be called in to settle a union-grower contract dispute, if the employer refuses to negotiate a first time contract. After talking with both sides, the mediator can recommend a settlement. An appeal is expected before the Calif. Supreme Court. (“Calif. Court ruling could make it nearly impossible for farmworkers to win union contracts,” In These Times, June 17, 2015)
