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Origins of the Opioid Epidemic: Purdue Pharma Knew of OxyContin Abuse in 1996 But Covered It Up
An explosive New York Times report has revealed that manufacturers of the drug OxyContin knew it was highly addictive as early as 1996, the first year after the drug hit the market. The Times published a confidential Justice Department report this week showing that Purdue Pharma executives were told OxyContin was being crushed and snorted for its powerful narcotic, but still promoted it as less addictive than other opioid painkillers. This report is especially damning because Purdue executives have testified before Congress that they were unaware of the drug’s growing abuse until years after it was on the market. Today, drug overdoses are the leading cause of death for Americans under age 50. While President Trump claimed Tuesday that numbers relating to opioid addiction are “way down,” the latest statistics show there was an increase of opioid-related deaths and overdoses during Trump’s first year in office. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, drug overdose deaths involving opioids rose to about 46,000 for the 12-month period that ended October 2017, up about 15 percent from October 2016. The epidemic has been so widespread that life expectancy is falling in the United States for the first time in 50 years. Barry Meier is the reporter who broke this story for the Times, headlined “Origins of an Epidemic: Purdue Pharma Knew Its Opioids Were Widely Abused.” Meier was a reporter at The New York Times for nearly three decades and was the first journalist to shed a national spotlight on the abuse of OxyContin. His book “Pain Killer: An Empire of Deceit and the Origin of America’s Opioid Epidemic” was published this week in an updated and expanded edition.

“Pain Killer” Author Barry Meier on How West Virginia Became Ground Zero of Opioid Epidemic
West Virginia had the highest rate of opioid-related deaths in the U.S. in 2016, making the state ground zero for a national opioid epidemic that has killed more than 200,000 people in the past two decades. A record number of people in West Virginia died from overdosing on drugs in 2017. Between 2007 and 2012, the three biggest wholesalers of prescription drugs in the U.S. shipped some 780 million pain pills containing oxycodone or hydrocodone to the state of West Virginia alone—433 pills for every man, woman and child in the state. That’s according to Barry Meier, author of “Pain Killer: An Empire of Deceit and the Origin of America’s Opioid Epidemic,” published this week in an updated and expanded edition.

Cities & States Sue Big Pharma, Targeting the Firms Who Profited from Peddling Addictive Opioids
New York Mayor Bill de Blasio announced earlier this year that the city would sue manufacturers and distributors of prescription opioids to account for their part in the city’s ongoing deadly opioid epidemic. Firms named in the suit include Purdue Pharma, Johnson & Johnson and McKesson Corporation. The Guardian reports that more than 60 cities are suing Big Pharma over opioids. An explosive New York Times report has revealed that manufacturers of the drug OxyContin knew it was highly addictive as early as 1996, the first year after the drug hit the market. The Times published a confidential Justice Department report this week showing that Purdue Pharma executives were told OxyContin was being crushed and snorted for its powerful narcotic, but still promoted it as less addictive than other opioid painkillers. Purdue executives have testified before Congress that they were unaware of the drug’s growing abuse until years after it was on the market. Today, drug overdoses are the leading cause of death for Americans under age 50.

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John Bolton Names Professional Islamophobe & Bush Official Fred Fleitz to National Security Staff
The White House has appointed a longtime senior staffer at an anti-Muslim think tank who has been named by National Security Adviser John Bolton as his new chief of staff. Fred Fleitz formerly served as Bolton’s undersecretary of state in the George W. Bush administration. He now joins the Trump administration from the Center for Security Policy, a think tank founded by former Reagan administration official Frank Gaffney. The Southern Poverty Law Center designated the organization an anti-Muslim extremist group.

Palestinians Demand Human Rights & Medical Care in Fight to Break Israeli Naval Blockade of Gaza
Four Israeli warships intercepted a flotilla Tuesday that tried to challenge Israel’s naval blockade of the Gaza Strip. More than a dozen unarmed people were on board, including injured protesters and cancer patients seeking medical treatment abroad. The protest coincided with the eighth anniversary of Israel’s attack on the Turkish Mavi Marmara flotilla, which killed nine activists while the boat was sailing in international waters. Ramadan al-Hayek is one of the organizers of the Gaza flotilla, and Zohar Chamberlain Regev is an Israeli citizen who is on board the Freedom Flotilla ship Al Awda (The Return), which just arrived in the port of Amsterdam. The flotilla set sail April 30 from the Norwegian port of Bergen and plans to arrive in Gaza in July.

Indigenous Activist: Trudeau’s Purchase of Kinder Morgan Pipeline Is “Huge Step Backward” for Canada
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has announced that the Canadian government will purchase Kinder Morgan’s highly contested Trans Mountain pipeline, vowing to commit taxpayer money to expanding the pipeline despite widespread indigenous-led protests and a slew of lawsuits. If built, the Trans Mountain pipeline expansion will triple the amount of oil flowing from Alberta’s tar sands to the coast of British Columbia. The Canadian government purchased the pipeline for 4.5 billion Canadian dollars—around 3.5 billion American dollars. The decision has sparked widespread condemnation from First Nations and environmental activists, who say that expanding the pipeline will increase pollution in Alberta’s tar sands region, endanger indigenous communities and increase greenhouse gas emissions.

First Nations Activist: Canada’s Purchase of Kinder Morgan Pipeline Will Cause Environmental & Economic Disaster
In an extended interview, Eriel Deranger, executive director of Indigenous Climate Action, responds to the Canadian government’s plan to purchase Kinder Morgan’s highly contested Trans Mountain pipeline. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has vowed to commit taxpayer money to expanding the pipeline despite widespread indigenous-led protests and a slew of lawsuits. If built, it will triple the amount of oil flowing from Alberta’s tar sands to the coast of British Columbia. The decision has sparked widespread condemnation from First Nations and environmental activists, who say that expanding the pipeline will increase pollution in Alberta’s tar sands region, endanger indigenous communities and increase greenhouse gas emissions.

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Deadlier than Katrina & 9/11: Hurricane Maria Killed 4,645 in Puerto Rico, 70 Times Official Toll
A stunning new study by researchers at Harvard has revealed the death toll in Puerto Rico from Hurricane Maria may be 70 times higher than official count of 64. The new research, published in the New England Journal of Medicine, says the death toll is at least 4,645—and perhaps as many as 5,740. President Trump has so far not responded to the new study. But in October, during a visit to Puerto Rico, Trump boasted about the low official death count. With a death toll of at least 4,645, Hurricane Maria would become the second-deadliest hurricane in U.S. history—behind only the Galveston Hurricane of 1900 which killed as many as 12,000 people in Texas. The Harvard study found that “interruption of medical care was the primary cause of sustained high mortality rates in the months after the hurricane, a finding consistent with the widely reported disruption of health systems. Health care disruption is now a growing contributor to both morbidity and mortality in natural disasters.”

Glenn Greenwald: Why Did ABC Ignore Roseanne Barr’s Hateful Tweets Against Arabs & Palestinians?
On Tuesday ABC canceled its hit show “Roseanne”, after its star, Roseanne Barr, fired off a series of racist comments on Twitter. In one tweet, Roseanne wrote, “muslim brotherhood & planet of the apes had a baby=vj.” It was a reference to Valerie Jarrett, longtime adviser to President Obama, who’s African-American. Roseanne also accused billionaire George Soros, who’s Jewish, of being a Nazi collaborator and attacked Chelsea Clinton. The decision to cancel Roseanne was made by Channing Dungey, the first African-American president of a major TV network. The reboot of the hit 1980s sitcom Roseanne last year drew huge audiences and praise from President Trump, who once called Roseanne Barr to congratulate her on the show’s success.

39 Arrested Protesting Industrial Farm Supplying So-Called “Cage-Free” Eggs to Amazon & Whole Foods
On Tuesday, hundreds of people with the group Direct Action Everywhere marched to an industrial shed housing chickens in Petaluma, California, that is owned by Sunrise Farms, which supplies cage-free eggs to Amazon and Whole Foods. Activists say they removed 37 chickens and took them to get veterinary care. Police arrested 39 people for trespassing.

Bred to Suffer: Glenn Greenwald on the “Morally Unconscionable” U.S. Industry of Dog Experimentation
Animal experimentation is on the rise in the United States. The Department of Agriculture reports that nearly 61,000 dogs were used in the U.S. for experimentation in 2016 alone, and the total reported number of animals used for experimentation was more than 820,000. A major new investigation by The Intercept examines the poorly regulated and highly profitable industry of breeding dogs for the sole purpose of experimenting on them in the U.S. The investigation reveals the horrors of the dog experimentation industry at one of the three largest firms in the U.S. that sells beagles to research labs: Ridglan Farms.

Glenn Greenwald on Julian Assange, Ecuador & Threats to Press Freedom
WikiLeaks founder and editor-in-chief Julian Assange is at risk of being removed from the Ecuadorian embassy in London where he has taken refuge for nearly six years, CNN reports. If he is forced out of the embassy, Assange could face arrest by British authorities and extradition to the United States. The Ecuadorian government cut off Assange’s internet in March. Former Ecuadorian President Rafael Correa told The Intercept that the government has also blocked Assange from receiving visitors, calling the tactic “torture.” Correa said that Ecuador was not maintaining “normal sovereign relations with the American government—just submission.” In other Assange news, last month the Democratic National Committee sued WikiLeaks for its role in publishing hacked materials relating to the 2016 election.

Greenwald: FBI Informant in Trump Campaign Once Ran CIA Spy Operation Helping Reagan Win in 1980
A top House Republican has defended the FBI against a series of attacks by President Trump, who’s claimed without evidence that the bureau planted a spy in his 2016 presidential campaign. Rep. Trey Gowdy, chair of the powerful House Oversight Committee, said Tuesday that the FBI was acting properly when it deployed a confidential informant—Stefan Halper—to investigate Russian attempts to interfere in the election.

Glenn Greenwald on Mueller, Chelsea Manning & New Martina Navratilova Doc with Reese Witherspoon
In this extended interview with Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Glenn Greenwald of The Intercept, he discusses Mueller’s Russia probe and Chelsea Manning’s run for Senate. He also describes his partnership with actor Reese Witherspoon on a new documentary about tennis legend, Martina Navratilova, that will explore her achievements as a social justice pioneer and role model through his own experience as a gay child growing up in Reagan-era Florida.

Eric is rapidly moving out chapters of The Sacred Space of Self, your 2018 Spring Reading on Chiron’s transition into Aries, and Mars retrograde in Aquarius over the summer. Order today and get all 12 signs for $99. You may read more about what Eric will be covering in your Spring Reading here.

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Meet Two of the Activists Behind Ireland’s Historic Vote to Repeal a Ban on Nearly All Abortions
“Free, safe and legal.” That was the slogan for the Abortion Rights Campaign launched by Irish women in 2012 that led to a historic, landslide vote Friday to liberalize the country’s highly restrictive abortion laws. Two-thirds of those who went to the polls voted yes on a referendum to repeal the Eighth Amendment of Ireland’s constitution, which was added in 1983 to give equal rights to a woman and an unborn child. By voting yes, supporters also backed legislation, which must still be introduced, to allow women to seek an abortion during the first 12 weeks of their pregnancy. The referendum was sparked, in part, by the high-profile death of Indian dentist Savita Halappanavar, who suffered a miscarriage in an Irish hospital in 2012. Doctors refused her repeated requests for an abortion, because they could detect a fetal heartbeat, and she contracted a fatal infection.

After Ireland’s Historic Abortion Vote, Calls Grow for Abortion Rights in Northern Ireland
In a resounding win for reproductive rights, the Irish electorate voted in overwhelming numbers to liberalize the country’s highly restrictive abortion laws on Friday. Two-thirds of those who went to the polls voted yes on a referendum to repeal the Eighth Amendment of Ireland’s constitution, which granted equal rights to a woman and an unborn child. But Friday’s vote will not change abortion access in British-ruled Northern Ireland, where 19th century laws barring the procedure remain in place.

“Don’t Treat Us Like Animals:” Outrage Builds After Border Agent Kills Indigenous Guatemalan Woman
In Guatemala, family members are demanding justice for Claudia Gómez González, the 19-year-old indigenous woman whom a U.S. Border Patrol agent shot in the head and killed last week in Texas near the U.S. border. Border Patrol initially claimed that the shooting occurred after an agent “came under attack by multiple subjects using blunt objects.” The original statement described González as “one of the assailants.” But later the agency changed its story, saying the agent opened fire after “the group ignored his verbal commands and instead rushed him.” However, a resident who lives near where the shooting occured said she never heard the agent yell anything. The Guatemalan Consulate in Del Rio, Texas, is calling for an investigation into González’s death, criticizing the “violence and excessive use of force by the Border Patrol.” At the time of her death, González was headed to Virginia to reunite with her boyfriend.

Eric is rapidly moving out chapters of The Sacred Space of Self, your 2018 Spring Reading on Chiron’s transition into Aries, and Mars retrograde in Aquarius over the summer. Order today and get all 12 signs for $99. You may read more about what Eric will be covering in your Spring Reading here.

1968: A Look Back at the My Lai Massacre, MLK’s Assassination, Columbia Protests & Catonsville Nine
Today’s holiday special looks back at 1968 — a pivotal year in modern American history. It was a year that saw the assassination of Rev. Martin Luther King and Robert Kennedy, historic student strikes from Columbia to San Francisco State, the Soviet invasion of Czechoslovakia, the Chicago Democratic convention protests and the escalation of the Vietnam War. Over the next hour, we will air highlights from our recent coverage of four key events: the My Lai massacre, the assassination of Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., the Columbia student strike and the Catonsville Nine.

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As Trump Pulls Out of N. Korea Summit, Women Activists Head to DMZ to Promote Korean Peace Process
President Trump has canceled plans for a June 12 summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un. A top official in North Korea’s foreign ministry said Friday that Kim Jong-un is still willing to meet with Trump at any time and that the cancellation of the summit was “extremely regrettable.” In a letter to Kim, Trump cited Kim’s “tremendous anger and open hostility” in recent comments as his reason for canceling the talks. Trump went on to write, “You talk about nuclear capabilities, but ours are so massive and powerful that I pray to God they will never have to be used.” Trump sent the letter just hours after North Korea declared it had destroyed one of its nuclear weapons test sites. According to a report from NBC, the decision was made so abruptly the Trump administration did not have time to notify congressional leaders or foreign allies, including South Korean President Moon Jae-in.

“It Is About Bloody Time”: Harvey Weinstein Assault Survivor Reacts to Arrest in NYC on Rape Charges
The former Hollywood mogul Harvey Weinstein has surrendered to police this morning, as a Manhattan prosecutor brings charges that Weinstein sexually assaulted two women. His bail is expected to be set at $2 million. Law enforcement officials said Weinstein would be charged with first-degree rape and third-degree rape in one case, and with first-degree criminal sex act in a second. It’s the latest stunning development in Weinstein’s downfall, which rocked Hollywood and helped spark a global movement of women coming forward to accuse men of rape, sexual assault and sexual harassment. Part of the New York case stems from the accusations of former aspiring actress Lucia Evans, who says Weinstein sexually assaulted her back in 2004. In total, more than 100 women have come forward to accuse Weinstein of rape, sexual assault and sexual harassment, in cases that stretch back decades.

Bill Cosby Rape Survivor Says Black Women Face Disproportionate Pressure Not to Speak Out on Assault
Harvey Weinstein surrendered to police Friday, facing charges that he sexually assaulted two women. His arrest comes just one month after the public downfall of another extremely powerful man in entertainment—comedian Bill Cosby. Cosby was convicted of three counts of aggravated indecent assault for drugging and sexually assaulting Andrea Constand in 2004. She was the former director of operations for the women’s basketball team at Temple University. Like Weinstein, Cosby has been accused of rape and sexual assault by dozens of women, also in cases stretching back decades. The 80-year-old comedian is now facing up to 30 years in prison and will be sentenced later this summer.

Cuban Exile & CIA Agent Luis Posada Carriles Dies a Free Man in U.S. Despite Years of Terrorism
Former CIA operative and Cuban exile Luis Posada Carriles died Wednesday just outside of Miami. He was 90 years old. Posada Carriles is best known as the suspected mastermind of the 1976 bombing of a Cubana airline jet. For decades, the U.S. refused to extradite Posada Carriles to face terrorism charges, despite demands by Cuba and Venezuela. Posada Carriles later publicly admitted ties to a series of hotel bombings in Cuba in 1997. In 2000, he was arrested in Panama City for plotting to blow up an auditorium where Fidel Castro would be speaking. Despite his record, Luis Posada Carriles died a free man in Florida.

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NFL Bans National Anthem Protests On Same Day Video of Police Tasering of NBA Player is Released
The National Football League has announced it will fine teams if players refuse to stand for the national anthem before games. But under the new rules adopted by the league’s 32 owners, players will be allowed to stay in the locker room during the anthem. Over the past two seasons, dozens of players have knelt during the anthem to protest police shootings of unarmed black men. The on-field protests began in August 2016 when quarterback Colin Kaepernick refused to stand for the anthem to protest racism and police brutality. President Trump has praised the NFL’s new rule, saying the league is “doing the right thing.” Just hours after the NFL announcement, the sports world was jolted by the release of a video showing police officers in Milwaukee tasering NBA player Sterling Brown, who plays for the Milwaukee Bucks. Brown, who is African-American, was approached by police after he parked his car across two handicap spaces in front of a Walgreens. The body cam footage confirms Brown was not “combative,” as police initially claimed, in a dispute over the parking violation. In a statement, Brown said, “Situations like mine and worse happen every day in the black community. Being a voice and a face for people who won’t be heard and don’t have the same platform as I have is a responsibility I take seriously.”

Volcano Lava Reaches Geothermal Plant and Pacific Ocean in Hawaii, Risking Public Health Disaster
On the Big Island in Hawaii, the Kilauea volcano is continuing to erupt, spewing plumes of ash and lava. Lava is flowing increasingly close to the Puna Geothermal Venture plant, or PGV, which provides 25 percent of the Big Island’s energy. Workers are rushing to shut down the power plant to prevent the uncontrollable release of toxic gases from the site. The PGV came online in 1989 amid controversy over its location on what some residents say is sacred land. Many native Hawaiians believe the volcano is home to Pele, the goddess of fire. Others say that though geothermal energy is renewable, the plant poses risks to the health of residents and the environment.

“The Tale”: Astonishing New Movie Tackles Filmmaker Jennifer Fox’s Reckoning with Child Sexual Abuse
As the #MeToo movement has inspired women around the world to come forward with their stories of sexual harassment, abuse and assault, we turn to a remarkable new film that is a narrative memoir about a woman’s own reckoning with childhood sexual abuse. It is directed by the woman who experienced the abuse: Jennifer Fox. It premieres May 26 on HBO. “The Tale” premiered earlier this year at the Sundance Film Festival. The film’s stars include Laura Dern, Ellen Burstyn, Jason Ritter and Common. The film received rave reviews, with The Guardian calling it “a stunning sexual abuse drama” and “the mother of all #MeToo movies.”

The Sacred Space of Self, the brand new 2018 Spring Reading, is now available for pre-order. This set of 12 video presentations will cover Chiron’s transition into Aries, and Mars retrograde in Aquarius over the summer. Pre-order soon for best value. You may read more about what Eric will be covering in your Spring Reading here.

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DNC Deputy Chair Keith Ellison: The Democratic Party Should Stay Out of Primaries, Let Voters Decide
Voters in Georgia, Texas, Arkansas and Kentucky headed to the polls Tuesday to determine a number of key primaries, and it was another big night for female Democratic candidates. In Georgia, Stacey Abrams made history by becoming the first African-American woman to win a major party’s nomination for governor in the U.S. If Abrams wins in November, she will become the first African-American governor in the Deep South since Reconstruction. Meanwhile in Houston, Texas, Lupe Valdez made history by becoming the first openly gay and first Latina candidate to win a major-party nomination for Texas governor.

“We Are Lurching Toward Plutocracy”: Rep. Ellison on Rollback of Key Dodd-Frank Banking Regulations
In a rare bipartisan effort Tuesday, House lawmakers voted 258 to 159 to exempt banks with less than $250 billion in assets from many of the 2010 Dodd-Frank Act regulations, even though banks’ profits are soaring. The Dodd-Frank Act was passed after the 2008 economic crisis, which was provoked by years of risky lending by Wall Street banks. Thirty-three Democrats joined their Republican counterparts in voting for the financial regulation rollback, which, if signed into law, would leave less than 10 banks in the U.S. subject to stricter federal oversight.

Supreme Court Deals Blow to Workers’ Rights in 5-4 Decision Against Collective Action
In a major blow to workers’ rights, the Supreme Court ruled 5 to 4 Monday that employers can use arbitration clauses to prohibit workers from banding together to challenge violations of federal labor laws in class-action lawsuits. Arbitration is often confidential. Many workers may agree to mandatory arbitration clauses without even being aware of it when they sign a contract with their employer. In a rare show of public displeasure, Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg read her dissent from the bench, calling the majority opinion “egregiously wrong” and saying, “The court today holds enforceable these arm-twisted, take-it-or-leave-it contracts—including the provisions requiring employees to litigate wage and hours claims only one-by-one. Federal labor law does not countenance such isolation of employees.”

The New COINTELPRO? Meet the Black Activist Jailed for Months After FBI Targeting & Surveillance
In Texas, a black activist says he is the first person to be targeted and prosecuted under a secretive U.S. surveillance effort to track so-called black identity extremists. On December 12, activist Rakem Balogun awoke to armed FBI agents storming his Dallas apartment. He was then jailed for nearly six months without the possibility of bail as the FBI investigated him for “domestic terrorism,” in part because of his Facebook posts criticizing police brutality. He was released earlier this month, after U.S. attorneys failed to prosecute him.

The Sacred Space of Self, the brand new 2018 Spring Reading, is now available for pre-order. This set of 12 video presentations will cover Chiron’s transition into Aries, and Mars retrograde in Aquarius over the summer. Pre-order soon for best value. You may read more about what Eric will be covering in your Spring Reading here.