News & Public Affairs

Ward Churchill and Fred Hampton, Jr. decry spying on activists listen

06/25/10 Kelly Benjamin & Seán Kinane
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Tags: US Social Forum, Fred Hampton, Ward Churchill, COINTELPRO, FBI

The US Social Forum has attracted thousands of activists from all over the country to Detroit this week to discuss myriad ways of building a broad progressive movement for social change in the face of economic and ecological crisis.

One well-attended workshop focused on US Government infiltration and sabotage of progressive and radical movements throughout history.

WMNF’s Kelly Benjamin is in Detroit and spoke with Ward Churchill, a controversial author, activist and former professor ...

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TBARTA Board talks rail, airport leg listen

06/25/10 Kate Bradshaw
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Tags: TBARTA, HART, transit, Ken Hagan, Transit Referendum, FDOT, rail, light rail, high-speed rail

Today transit officials heard the latest on proposed rail lines in the Tampa Bay area. The question of an airport connection was front and center.

"We haven't gotten used to being among the best in a lot of things. But when it comes to transportation, Hillsborough County is last for commuters. Dead last."

After Tampa Bay Partnership president Stuart Rogel screened his organization’s new ad promoting a transit tax in Hillsborough, County Commission Chair and TBARTA Board member Ken Ha...

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Senator Nelson on Afghanistan, Economy listen

06/25/10 Mark Anderson
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Tags: Afghanistan War, Stimulus Package

At today’s Tampa press conference, Florida Senator Bill Nelson shared his views on the the firing of General Stanly McChrystal, and the appointment of General David Petraeus as his replacement as the top NATO commander in Afghanistan.

Nelson delivered a mixed message on progress in Afghanistan: one of confidence in the command change on the ground, but also one of concern over how different the two Mideast wars are.

"I just had General Petraeus in the office for a visit. I know him be...

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Senator Nelson on Gulf Oil Disaster listen

06/25/10 Mark Anderson
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Tags: Offshore Drilling, Oil, Gulf Oil Spill

Florida’s senior Senator Bill Nelson gave a press conference this morning in Tampa. The biggest concern he has is the ongoing oil disaster that is damaging Florida’s environment and economy.

Senator Nelson is sounding the alarm: the gulf oil disaster is going to get worse, how much worse no one can predict. But with hurricane season here and a relief well months away, the damage is piling up.

On the subject of a final solution to the disaster, Nelson is confident that BP’s strategy of...

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Eternal Optimist listen

06/25/10 Dawn Elliott
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Tags: happiness, Health, Media, books

David Niven's new book, Up, gives a positive answer backed by research, to the notion that life is bad and keeps getting worse.

DN: The number of different ways that life is getting better is quite astounding. The idea behind Up is that, if we think about that, if we pay some attention, it’s not just a matter of trivia, it sustains us, and the things we care about, in family life or career. Any aspect, if we have a little sense of hope and optimism, it’s hard ...

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Interview With The Executive Director Of Beyond War

06/24/10 Robert Lorei
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Tags: David Galeil, Beyond War

Our next Guest is David Galiel, the Executive Director of Beyond War

As a child, David was inspired by R. Buckminster Fuller's vision of one people on one island in one ocean on "Spaceship Earth". His family moved from the United States to Israel when he was a young boy, and he lived there for thirteen years. Growing up in Jerusalem, David experienced first-hand the shared humanity and heritage of Israelis and Palestinians, and their strong foundation for coexiste...

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Interview With Libertarian US Senate Candidate Alex Snitker

06/24/10 Robert Lorei
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Tags: Alex Snitker, Libertarian

Our guest for this segment is Alex Snitker, a former Marine, an office supply salesperson, and a candidate for the Florida US Senate seat currently held by Gorge LeMieux. He's running on the Libertarian Party ticket.

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Two Tampa City Council members resign because of paperwork deadline listen

06/24/10 Beth Bell & Seán Kinane
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Tags: John Dingfelder, Linda Saul-Sena, Tampa City Council, Hillsborough County Commission

Two seasoned Democrats running for Hillsborough County Commission seats failed to meet an election paperwork deadline that signals their intent to resign their current elected positions and run for new ones.

Both Tampa City Council members Linda Saul-Sena and John Dingfelder resigned from Council in the last 24 hours.

Council Attorney Martin Shelby announced Dingfelder's resignation during Thursday's meeting.

According to the St. Petersburg Times, the local GOP party chair is explor...

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Activists will join Hands Across the Sand this Saturday listen

06/24/10 Seán Kinane
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Tags: BP, BP oil spill, Gulf Oil Spill, Hands Across The Sand, offshore oil drilling

This Saturday, people all over the world will join hands to oppose offshore drilling and to support alternative energy sources. It’s called Hands Across the Sand and is an extension of a coordinated event that began earlier this year in Florida.

Phil Compton is the Sierra Club’s Regional Field Organizer.

“No to offshore drilling and yes to a clean energy future. It’s something that we’ve been talking about since, well, Jimmy Carter, and we haven’t...

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Foster: Rays must stay in St. Pete listen

06/24/10 Kate Bradshaw
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Tags: Tampa Bay Rays, Rays, Rays stadium, Bill Foster, Kevin Kennedy, John Wolfe, St. Petersburg City Council, Jim Kennedy

Officials met this morning to discuss how to keep the Tampa Bay Rays in St. Pete. Mayor Bill Foster wants the Rays to acknowledge the risk the city’s taxpayers took in funding the stadium the ball club is now trying to leave.

St. Pete City Attorney John Wolfe stressed that this shouldn’t be something that pits the St. Pete against Tampa.

On Monday, Tampa Bay Rays owner Stuart Sternberg announced that the Rays wouldn’t be playing in Tropicana Field when their contract with the stadium ex...

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At US Social Forum Max Rameau talks about housing justice listen

06/24/10 Kelly Benjamin
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Tags: Take Back the Land, Max Rameau, US Social Forum, miami

More than 10,000 social and political activists are gathered in Detroit this week for the U.S. Social Forum. They hope to build a movement to discuss solutions to the economic and ecological crisis facing the United States.

One such activist is Max Rameau, of Miami’s Take Back the Land movement. They garnered international press by setting up shanytowns to house the homeless and more recently, by taking over foreclosed properties and moving in entire homeles...

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Facing budget shortfalls WMNF lays off three employees listen

06/23/10 Seán Kinane
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Tags: wmnf, Media, layoffs, jobs, Unemployment

Please note the important update to this story on 30 June: the layoffs were taken back.

The economy is hitting everyone hard, especially media organizations. This radio station, WMNF, 88.5 FM has faced economic difficulties in the past and has made budget cuts over the last few years. But for the first time in the station’s 31-year history, WMNF laid off employees yesterday because of budget cuts. We spoke with station manager J...

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IWC whaling ban talks collapse in Morocco listen

06/23/10 Kate Bradshaw
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Tags: IWC, International Whaling Commission, Pew Environmental Group, Japan, Norway, Iceland, whales, Whaling, south sea

The International Whaling Commission is in Morocco this week for its annual meeting. The 88 member-governments are working to devise new rules governing commercial whaling which is still practiced by Norway, Japan and Iceland. Today WMNF spoke with Sue Lieberman of the Pew Environmental trust who is in Morocco for the meeting. She said talks collapsed after whaling and non-whaling countries failed to reach an agreement.

Lieberman said that since the talks are over the status quo remains...

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Allen: containment cap lifted, two spill workers die listen

06/23/10 Kate Bradshaw
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Tags: BP oil spill, BP oil disaster, Thad Allen, US Coast Guard, Gulf of Mexico, Deepwater Horizon

The past 24 hours have not been good for the Deepwater Horizon disaster response. In a press briefing today Coast Guard Admiral Thad Allen said BP has had to remove the cap on the well that was gushing as much as 2.5 million gallons into the Gulf each day. Allen said an underwater robot bumped into the cap causing a hydrate leak into the pipe that brings warm water to prevent freezing.