Listen: Pope Francis Passes; Growing Support for Repealing NYS Stock Transfer Tax Rebate; And More
Pope Francis visits the Italian General Confederation of Labour prior to his death on April 21.
By Bob Hennelly
Pope Francis has died at 88 years old. Francis, a tireless champion of social justice, was the first pontiff from the Americas and the first Jesuit to be elevated to the Papacy. In the final months of his life he blasted the Trump/Musk junta plan for mass deportations.
In February, he wrote to all of the American bishops about his concerns.
"The rightly formed conscience cannot fail to make a critical judgment and express its disagreement with any measure that tacitly or explicitly identifies the illegal status of some migrants with criminality," Pope Francis wrote. "At the same time, one must recognize the right of a nation to defend itself and keep communities safe from those who have committed violent or serious crimes while in the country or prior to arrival. That said, the act of deporting people who in many cases have left their own land for reasons of extreme poverty, insecurity, exploitation, persecution or serious deterioration of the environment, damages the dignity of many men and women, and of entire families, and places them in a state of particular vulnerability and defenselessness.”
For the second time in a month, hundreds of thousands of Americans this past weekend turned out nationwide to protest the Trump/Musk junta attack on U.S. democracy, the rule of law, unions, immigrants and the independence of higher education.
At 1 a.m. on Saturday morning, the Supreme Court blocked the Trump regime's use of the Alien Enemies Act, which permits the deporting of non-citizens without due process.
Our expert panel weighs in on Pope Francis's legacy and the first three months of the Trump/Musk regime. James Henry, a Yale Global Justice Fellow, attorney and investigative journalist is joined by Dr. Joe Wilson, labor historian and biographer of civil and labor rights activist A. Philp Randolph.
New York State Assemblymember Phil Steck (D) also joins New York State Senator James Sanders to make the case for the restoration of New York State's Stock Transfer Tax. The levy has been rebated back to Wall Street investors since the early 1980s to the tune of over $400 billion even as the state closed hospitals and saw its infrastructure deteriorate.
We also welcome Glenn Corbett, assistant professor of fire science at John Jay College, CUNY who discusses the findings of the National Transportation Safety Board's investigation of the July 5, 2023 Port of Newark fire that claimed the lives of Firefighters Augosto Acabou, 45 and Wayne Brooks Jr., 49. The NTSB found the firefighters lacked the basic training to fight the fire that broke out on the Italian-flagged auto carrier the Grande Costa D'Avorio.
Currently, the Port of New York & New Jersey relies on local municipal fire departments to fight maritime fires. Corbett argues better training and a more regional response is required.
Last but not least, we look at the push to criminalize poverty and homelessness. We hear from Pastor Rupert Hall from Hope for the City, a New Jersey-based non-profit. Hall is joined by Pastor Michael Vincent Crea and Walter Herres, who leads Shilo, a grassroots non-profit fighting homelessness.
According to Hall, there are over 3,000 unoccupied houses in Trenton alone.
Listen to the entire show below: