Ecuador's Opposition and Right-Wing Strategies in the Region

Gustavo Fuchs teleSUR
In the recent weeks leading up to Pope Francis’ July 5 visit to Ecuador, the right-wing opposition has staged increasingly violent protests against President Rafael Correa’s government. Correa, who was re-elected in 2013 with 57% of the vote, has likened the opposition tactics of “mobilizations, provocations, victimizations,” to those used by the Venezuelan opposition. (In a 2010 attempted coup, President Correa was injured and held captive for 12 hours.)

The Anti-Confederate Flag Flurry and the Prospects for Lasting Change

Chris Kromm Facing South
Will the push to remove and proscribe the Confederate flag and other Old South symbols in the wake of the Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church massacre in Charleston, SC result in meaningful change? After all, Southern states faced a wave of protests over the flag in the early 1990s and early 2000s that led South Carolina to move its Confederate flag from the capitol dome to the statehouse grounds and Georgia to revise its state flag, but nothing more.

A Fourth of People Killed by Police in 2015 were Mentally Ill

Meteor Blades Daily Kos
According to the Washington Post, which, in the absence of reliable government statistics, is one of the news organizations tallying the number of police killings in the U.S., cops killed some 461 people in the first six months of 2015. And, more than a fourth of those slain, the reporters say, were "in the throes of mental or emotional crisis." The Washington Post estimates that in 2015, on average, police killed one mentally disturbed person every 36 hours.

California’s Santa Cruz County: Punishing Felonious Banks

Robert Reich Robert Reich
Santa Cruz County’s Board of Supervisors recently suspended all business with the five giant banks, including JPMorgan Chase and Citicorp, who recently pleaded guilty to felony charges of criminal collusion. While the small California county’s portfolio is only valued at $650 million, Santa Cruz County Supervisor Ryan Coonerty says he’ll be contacting other local jurisdictions to urge them to follow Santa Cruz County’s lead.

Spain’s New Gag Law: Covering the News Could Be Costly

Marc Herman Columbia Journalism Review
In response to the wave of demonstrations over austerity programs and bank bailouts that have swept across Spain, a new law took effect on July 1, 2015 that criminalizes demonstrations in front of some government agencies and public buildings, and includes stiff fines for documenting the police response. The so-called Citizen Security Law makes it illegal to disseminate pictures, video and other content deemed “damaging” to Spain’s police and security forces.

Friday Nite Videos -- July 3, 2015

Portside
Feeling the Bern in Madison, Wisconsin. Documentary: Amy. Slandero Gigante. Bree Newsome Exclusive Interview. The Chemistry of Fireworks.

Feeling the Bern in Madison, Wisconsin

Last week, Bernie Sanders held the largest campaign event of any candidate in the 2016 Presidential campaign -- 10,000 strong in Madison, Wisconsin. But for those of us who weren't there, this is our chance to taste the excitement of a campaign that is challenging plutocracy, to Feel the Bern.

Documentary: Amy

The story of Amy Winehouse, one of the most compelling and award-winning female vocalists of recent times, who died at age 27. Includes previously unreleased music, lots of archival footage, intimate interviews, and Amy's own words. 

Slandero Gigante

The statement by Republican Presidential candidate Donald Trump that Mexican immigrants are rapists is getting lots of notice. Former business partners are fleeing, he's getting a big bounce in the primary polls, and lots of defenders on Fox.

Bree Newsome Exclusive Interview

Bree Newsome, the woman who climbed a flagpole on the grounds of the South Carolina statehouse and removed the Confederate flag, joins Chris Hayes for her first cable news interview.