Nucleararmed submarine to south korea for the First Time Since the 1980s, peace activists are gathering in washington, d. C. To call on President Biden and congress to officially end the korean war. We will speak to Christine Ahn of women cross dmz and historian Bruce Cumings. Then to the assassination of malcolm x. An eyewitness to malcolms shooting reveals for the first time that he overheard a new York Police Officer ask about malcolms assassin, is he with us . Mustafa hassan was never called to testify about what he saw and heard on february 21, 1965. We will talk about why he was never called to testify. My testimony would have changed the outcome of the trial. It would have pointed the finger of guilt at the establishment. Amy we will speak to civil rights attorney who is representing malcolm xs family who are planning to file a 100 million wrongful death lawsuit against the fbi, the cia, new york city and state, the nypd and the District Attorneys Office for concealing evidence of their involvement in the assassination. All that and more, coming up. Welcome to democracy now, democracynow. Org, the war and peace report. Im amy goodman. A new study published in Nature Communications finds Atlantic Ocean currents could collapse as soon as 2025 due to Climate Change triggering catastrophic conditions around the world. Whats known as the atlantic meridional overturning circulation carries warm water from the tropics to the north atlantic, and sends colder water south along the ocean floor. The warming planet is expected to push this phenomenon over a Tipping Point as fresh water from melting arctic ice disrupts and weakens the current. This could set in motion rapid and disastrous changes to the climate, including disrupting rains that feed crops for billions of people across south asia, latin america, and west africa, a drop in temperatures in northern europe, higher temperatures in the tropics, and faster sealevel rise along the coasts of north america and europe. It also further threatens the amazon and Antarctic Ice sheets. This comes as water temperatures in florida soar past 100 degrees in the ocean, triggering signs of mass coral bleaching. The water in the florida keys hit a world record high of 101. 1 degrees fahrenheit this week. In immigration news, a federal judge in california has blocked the Biden Administration from enforcing a measure prohibiting migrants from seeking asylum at the southern border, without first applying for protection in a country they passed through on their journey to the United States. But u. S. District judge jon tigar has delayed his ruling for 14 days, keeping the policy in place while giving biden officials time to file an appeal. Tigars decision was praised by Immigration Rights activists, whove condemned President Biden for supporting asylum bans similar to those enacted by president trump. The new asylum rules went into effect in may, replacing the contested pandemicera title 42 policy, which was used to expel nearly three million Asylum Seekers at the u. S. Mexico border without due process. Bidens measure also forces migrants to make their asylum appointments on a customs and Border ProtectionSmartphone App that applicants say is riddled with issues and raises serious concerns over privacy. The aclu said the ruling is a victory, but each day the Biden Administration prolongs the fight over its illegal ban, many people fleeing persecution and seeking safe harbor for their families are instead left in grave danger. In ukraine, former u. S. Marine trevor reed, who was freed from russian imprisonment in a prisoner swap last year, was reportedly injured while fighting in ukraine and transferred to germany for treatment. The Biden Administration clarified reed was not engaged in any activities on behalf of the u. S. Government amid concerns the news could jeopardize any ongoing or future negotiations to release other u. S. Citizens imprisoned in russia. Meanwhile, Russian Media reports prominent sociologist and dissident Boris Kagarlitsky was detained and is being charged with calling for terrorism. The charges could land him in prison for up to seven years, according to his lawyer. Kagarlitsky appeared on democracy now last december. Russia will lose the war inevitably. This is a very dramatic news for the russian public. But now what is happening, the russian public is beginning to understand the reality. Amy in related news, russian lawmakers approved legislation tuesday that would increase the upper age limit for military conscription from 27 to 30 and ban drafted russians from leaving the country. In yemen, the United Nations has begun pumping over 1 Million Barrels of oil from a decaying supertanker anchored in the red sea. The ship was abandoned off the coast of yemen in 2015, at the start of the u. S. Backed, saudiled war against houthi rebels. Experts warned of a potentially Catastrophic Oil spill due to the ships corrosion and a lack of maintenance. This is u. N. Humanitarian coordinator david gressly. We expect this will take approximately 19 days to take the 2. 1 Million Barrels off the vessel. The primary issue is that this is a country still at war, civil war, but also within the region. That causes a great deal of distrust and scrutiny from a Security Point of view. Amy in tunisia, hundreds of protesters rallied in tunis, tuesday, to mark two years since president kais saied dissolved parliament, ramped up his power grab in what many are calling a coup. Protesters are also demanding saied release 20 imprisoned opposition figures. This is Lajmi Lourimi of the opposition salvation front party. The situation now is a state of frustration and despair among the citizens generally. This is the result of seizing power with an iron fist, consolidating all authorities in one hand. The unfortunate reality is that demolishing democracy does not Foster Development or stability. Amy in cambodia, Prime Minister hun sen announced he would step down in three weeks and transfer power to his oldest son hun manet. The widely expected move comes just days after hun sen won reelection in a race where he ran virtually unopposed after suppressing the only viable challenger. Indian Prime MinisterNarendra Modis bj party is facing a noconfidence vote in parliament in a bid by opposition parties to force modi to address the escalating violence in the Northeastern State of manipur. Modi is not at risk of losing the vote as the bjp and allies hold a clear majority, but anger has been mounting over the hindu nationalist leaders inaction as more than 130 people have been killed and 60,000 displaced since Ethnic Violence between the majority meitei and minority kuki communities broke out in may. Last week, a video of two kuki women being paraded naked and assaulted by a mob triggered widespread outrage and protests. It is an attack against all Vulnerable Women in this country. India is supposed to be the plurality. India is supposed to be a more welcoming culture. Women have bowed their heads and are condemning this. This is unacceptable. Amy a new report by an International Panel details the involvement of Mexican Armed forces in the 2014 disappearance of 43 ayotzinapa students. The Interdisciplinary Group of independent experts said in its findings that the mexican army, navy, police, and intelligence agencies knew the students whereabouts, including the night they were ambushed by local police and federal military forces and disappeared. The panel has also accused Mexican Government officials under the Previous Administration of hiding Key Information and using torture to obtain false testimonies in the case. This is a member of the International Panel speaking tuesday. The streets that we have seen before on september 20 6, 27 show that Government Forces were present, they participated and did not protect. They also knew what happened. The concealment of that information has contributed not only to the concealing of government possibilities but has constituted in itself and responsibility of the state in the disappearance of these young men. Amy back in the u. S. , Northwestern University is in the midst of a growing scandal over abusive hazing practices in its athletic departments. On monday, a volleyball player sued northwestern over alleged retaliation after she reported abuse. This follows lawsuits by former northwestern quarterback lloyd yates, who spoke out at a News Conference in chicago last week. There is a code of silence that felt insurmountable to break. Speaking up would lead to consequences that affected playing time and could warrant further abuse. Normalizing this culture became a necessity. The abuse and hazing was so entrenched in the northwestern football culture that even some of our coaches took part in it. The graphic, sexually intense behavior is well known throughout the program. We are physically and emotionally beaten down, and some players have contemplated suicide as a result. The abusive culture was especially does devastating for many players of color. Amy the football coach Pat Fitzgerald has been fired in the wake of the revelations. Attorney ben crump says northwesterns athletic departments normalized a pattern and practice of physical and mental abuse, and that some of the students were minors when the abuse took place. Well speak to ben crump about this, and other stories, later in the broadcast. Ups workers reached a historic tentative deal on a new contract, averting what would have been a highly disruptive strike at the end of the month. The Teamsters Union said the deal, affecting some 340,000 members, includes higher wages for all workers, creates more fulltime jobs, and guarantees air conditioning in vehicles, among other health and safety measures. Vermont senator Bernie Sanders and virginia Congressmember Bobby Scott introduced the raise the wage act of 2023 tuesday, which would increase the federal minimum wage from 7. 25 to 17 an hour by 2028. The minimum wage was last raised 14 years ago. Sanders called 7. 25 a starvation wage, adding, in the year 2023, a job should lift you out of poverty, not keep you in it. Texas Congressmember Greg Casar held an eighthour thirst strike tuesday on the steps of the u. S. Capitol in washington, d. C, to highlight the need for a federal workplace heat standard, which includes mandatory water breaks for workers. Over the course of the hot and humid day, where temperatures reached the high 80s, elected officials, advocates and workers spoke in support of legislation demanding heat protections. This is fernando arista, an electrical worker from austin, speaking out against a recently passed texas law banning water breaks. Opponents of the bill talk about business. This will help the texas economy. We workers are a part of the texas economy. If it will help our businesses, it has to help the workers at that location. Amy up to 2,000 workers in the u. S. Die every year from heat exposure. In related news, texas prisons recently raised the cost of bottled water sold in commissaries by 50 as incarcerated people endure an unrelenting heatwave without air conditioning. Prisoners say they have to buy water because the tap is unsafe, with one person likening it to sewage water. And juan ramos, former Philadelphia City councilmember and a founder and leader of the philadelphia chapter of the young lords, has died at the age of 71 after a battle with alzheimers. Ramos was just two when his family moved from puerto rico to philadelphia and became active in civil rights in high school. He spoke out against racism, police brutality, as well as poverty and housing issues in communities of color. Ramos later helped lead efforts in the Puerto Rican Community to defeat philadelphia mayor frank rizzos attempt to eliminate term limits. He went on to found and lead the puerto rican alliance, which fought for bilingual education, against police brutality, and which spearheaded a large Squatters Movement in abandoned governmentowned houses. This led to over 150 puerto rican families eventually winning titles to those homes. He also served as a Philadelphia City councilmember, a union organizer, and a church deacon. And those are some of the headlines. This is democracy now, democracynow. Org, the war and peace report. Im amy goodman. When we come back, the u. S. Sends a Nuclear Armed the submarine to south korea for the First Time Since the 1980s. Stay with us. [music break] amy that song was written for this weeks National Mobilization to end the korean war. This is democracy now , democracynow. Org, the war and peace report. Im amy goodman. In new york with Juan Gonzalez in chicago. Juan lcome to our listeners and viewers from across the country and around the world. Amy tensions are escalating again on the Korean Peninsula. The United States has deployed a nucleararmed submarine the uss kentucky to south korea for the First Time Since the 1980s. Last week, south koreas president , yoon sukyeol, became the first foreign leader to ever board a u. S nucleararmed submarine. Meanwhile, on monday, north korea fired two Ballistic Missiles into the sea to protest the u. S. On monday, north korea fired two Ballistic Missiles into the sea hours after another u. S. Submarine, the nuclearpropelled uss annapolis arrived at a port on jeju island. This all comes 70 years after the signing of the korean armistice which was signed on july 27, 1953. While the agreement halted active fighting in the korean war, a Peace Agreement was never signed. This week, peace activists are gathering in washington, d. C. For a National Mobilization to call on President Biden and congress to officially end the korean war and replace the armistice with a Peace Agreement. We are joined now by two guests. Bruce cumings, professor of history at the university of chicago. He is the author of several books on korea, including koreas place in the sun a modern history and north korea another country. first, we go to Christine Ahn, executive director of women cross dmz, a Global Movement of women mobilizing to end the korean war. Ahn is also the coordinator of the campaign korea peace now christine, talk about the significance of this week, this date, and what you are calling for in washington, d. C. Before you head out to the state department after this interview. Christine thank you so much for having us, amy, juan. It is so significant that hundreds of people from across the country, multi generational korean americans, many from divided families, humanitarian aid workers with experience on the ground in north korea, academics. We have a conference with scientists, Bruce Cumings, a threestar general who wrote a New York Times oped who said it was time to end the korean war and make peace with north korea. It is a phenomenal gathering of a broad and diverse coalition. Many longstanding korean american organizations that have been working for peace but also on social and economic justice, all coming together. We will be having a Congressional PressConference Tomorrow hosted by barbara lee, who you may know, was the only member of congress to vote against doing bush authorization to use force in iraq and afghanistan. And that is because of her father who served in the korean war. He told her there is nothing good that comes from war. That was the incentive for her to take that vote and brave stand. So we are having a press conference, a healing circle with renowned dancers, people that have won numerous awards, and then we have a white house rally beginning at 5 00 p. M. With social media stars, david kim, who ran for congress. He will also be speaking at the white house. Friday, we have a conference at George Washington university. Many folks can join virtually. Just go to koreanpeaceact ion. Org. We would love hundreds, thousands of people to gather with us. We will march from the white house toward the Korean War Memorial where we will honor all the lives that have been killed, not just the 36,000 u. S. Soldiers that have been killed, but the over 2 million mostly korean civilians. We will be carrying portraits of the people that we have lost, our ancestors, because 70 years is too long. As the situation grows more dangerous and tense, this has to end. This is not just a war between north and south korea, this is americas oldest war. We in the United States have the responsibility to pressure our government to do the right thing and end this war. Juan christine, most of the people listening to the show were not even born when the korean war erected. Could you talk about how it began erupted. Could you talk about how it began, why we still have thousands of troops stationed in korea . Christine my parents were born in the 1920s during japanese occupation. From 1910 to 1945, korea was colonized by the japanese. At the end of world war ii and the defeat of japan, the soviets and americans were scrambling. The Korean Peninsula was a place, actually was the front line of the cold war. It was actually two young u. S. Defense officials who were assigned to divide up the peninsula. They tore a page from National Geographic and literally drew a line across the 38th parallel, giving north of it to the soviets, the u. S. Keeping south of it and seoul. Truman then sent a message to stalin, and stalin accepted. But i would say the u. S. Divided the peninsula. We help military governments in south korea from 1945 to 1948. Kim ilsung emerges as the leader in the north. The u. S. Installs the president of south korea. In that period this is where bruce is very helpful. Most of the official narrative is that the korean war began on june 20 5, 1950, when the north koreans crossed over into south korea across the 38th parallel. But what bruce and other historians have found is that there were incursions back and forth for a long period of time. It was at that moment, when the north koreans crossed into south korea, that the United States, under president truman, basically called for not authorization to go to war, but limited action, went to the security council, got overwhelming vote in support of the u. S. Intervening under what is called the u. S. Command. It is not a United Nations command, as the ruse is. It is a unified command. But they still use the u. N. Flag. That is basically the beginning of the korean war. Amy i want to turn to a clip of the documentary crossings now streaming on pbs world channel. This is ree oak hee testifying at the womens peace symposium in pyongyang about her experience surviving being fired at by u. S. Soldiers during the korean war. The bullet cut through my wrist. Without thinking, i grabbed my hand and lifted the door handle. The soldiers shot my hand again, a childs hand. I fainted and fell to the ground. It was more frightening than even death. Today, at this gathering of women, i appeal to justice and to your conscience. A war which women and children will suffer the most. The kind of war in this world must be prevented. Thank you. Amy that was an excerpt from crossings now streaming on pbs world channel. Christine, i was wondering if you could respond to who she is, and also this wall street journal oped, and the phony korean Peace Movement, that attacks you and the Peace Movement, saying immobilization and legislation demands that the u. S. And the north side and unconditional Peace Agreement. Christine i have not read that piece, but i am aware of that trope. Absolutely this is a legitimate Peace Movement. It is not just peace activists across the country that are multi generational korean americans. These are a lot of faithbased leaders, like the presbyterian church, korean american leaders who have been involved in engaging with north korea. They were the ones that actually made the call to president carter to go on a plane to meet kim ilsung, because the Clinton Administration was close to conducting a preemptive strike on north korea. This is a wellestablished, long, multigenerational Peace Movement that has been calling for the u. S. To replace the ceasefire with a Peace Agreement. This extends across the border. Just this past weekend, masses of south koreans, under the korean peace appeal, which includes over 500 Civil Society organizations, gathered on the streets, protesting, singing songs. We are collectively calling for an end to this war that is threatening the future of 80 million Korean People. But all of us in this diaspora, calling on our government. The Korean People in the north and south can only deal with their government. But we in the United States must pressure the United States to do the right thing. As we saw in the last summit between trump and kim, kim and moon, there was a moment where we felt peace was actually going to break out. Unfortunately, the trump administration, under john boltons leadership, did not follow through on their commitments they made. Here we are in a situation with the Biden Administration that is basically a return to strategic patience, which is doing nothing. That result is more provocation, more military exercises, the biggest and most dangerous ones on display between the u. S. And north korea. Last year, they tested more than 200 missiles. Actually there was a csis report which actually showed there was an inverse correlation. The more military provocations there are,the less likely there will be engagement. When there is engagement, active diplomacy, there is very little provocation. Juan you mentioned the korean diaz perera diaspora in the United States. For those that dont know the history, there was a tremendous growth of korean communities starting in the 1970s when jimmy carter started reducing u. S. Troop deployments in south korea. Talk about the direct relationship between the growth of the korean diaz perera diaspora and the continued military presence in south korea. Christine absolutely. It is also the growth of democracy in south korea. South korea didnt really fully become a democracy until 1998 with the election. I would say it is both the growth and political organizing of the korean diaspora and at this gathering, we have raised funds, under 30 youth will be coming to participate. We see this new energy with this community that is unstoppable. We understand this critical history. A lot of it is shaped by progressive academics like Bruce Cumings, the generations that he has taught. Now there is another generation of academics that are teaching this critical history. I think what we are trying to do is challenge the official narrative that the korean war is a victorious war, that north korea is bad and south korea is good, when in fact it is so much more complicated. The u. S. Still has to atone for its misdeeds in the past century. Whether it is the division of korea without consulting a single korean, the brutal military occupation that basically put into power the koreans that collaborated with the japanese during occupation, participating and overseeing massacres like the jeju third, the massacre that killed up to 80,000 people on that island. Basically using the cold war to quash, detain, murder those that had any progressive values, whether it is trade union rights, gender equality rights, to be cast as communist. The cold war fought on the front lines. Here we are today, because the war never ended, we are in a new cold war. Juan Bruce Cumings is a professor from the university of chicago, expert on korea. The uss kentucky became the first Nuclear Armed submarine to come to south korea since the 1980s. Your response to especially now with about Biden Administration there is a renewal of confrontations with north korea. Bruce well, it is not really a renewal, just using a different instrument to carry out nuclear blackmail against north korea. Every president , going back decades, has sent nuclearcapable bombers near north korean waters. Obama did it, trump, biden. The arrival of a nuclear summary and is not something that has happened for 40 years and gained attention, but it is just part and parcel of the Nuclear Threat that the u. S. Has mounted against north korea since the armistice. The armistice itself was ensconced in a kind of cocoon of nuclear blackmail by the Eisenhower Administration and secretary of state john foster dulles. They made a big show of threatening north korea and china with Nuclear Weapons. They made a big show of blowing off the First Nuclear canon in nevada, which was on the front pages of many newspapers in the u. S. On may in may 1953. They detonated an enormous new pair weapon in the nevada desert around the same time. Some thought it was a hydrogen bomb. It wasnt. It was the time when the u. S. And soviet union were doing atmospheric testing of enormous weapons. Dean rusk, as christine said, became secretary of state under the kennedy administration, and he looked to the files to see if these Nuclear Threats actually brought north korea and china to the point of signing the armistice. He concluded that it didnt. Eisenhower himself said later this was mostly for show and how to control dulles, who was always talking about massive retaliation and use of Nuclear Weapons. North korea had no Nuclear Weapons from that point until 2006, and yet, the u. S. Consistently threatened no korea with Nuclear Weapons. Dulles also masterminded the placement of Nuclear Weapons in south korea in january 1958, tactical new your weapons of other types. Soon, even backpack nukes, which weighed 60 pounds, and one soldier could carry them around any place near the dmz. George h. W. Bush took those Nuclear Weapons out of south korea as a general drawdown of those weapons on a world scale, but as i said earlier, the u. S. Has continued to threaten north korea with Nuclear Weapons. It is game theory or deterrence theory 101, that after you threaten a small country long enough, they will go for their own. I have to say, it is always the Media Attention on north korea firing a missile or blowing off an atomic bomb, and almost never any attention to the decades long history of American Nuclear blackmail. Amy professor cummings, it has been said that the korean war was the most brutal more of the century measured by violence and per capita civilian death. But the korean war is also called the forgotten war. You have called it the unknown war. As we begin to wrap up, talk about where that leads, where you feel it should lead the u. S. Today, and the impacts of the sanctions on north korea, especially on the humanitarian situation on the ground there. Bruce what the professor is saying is exactly right. I also have to say it is not anything new. An historian on the vietnam war published a book where he said civilian casualties in vietnam were 40 of all casualties. Then you look at korea, 70 of all casualties. He didnt bother to comment on that. It was an unbelievably dirty war with the u. S. Air force razing every city to the ground. The u. S. Ran out of targets after a couple of months but continued pounding north korea for a couple of years. This came from the highest level, the defense secretary under eisenhower, said we should continue tearing this place up. It will make it hard for those people. It was a kind of genocidal air campaign, accompanied by political massacres of ordinary citizens, especially by south korea, but also by american soldiers from time to time. Easily the dirtiest war of the 20th century in terms of major wars, much worse than vietnam, which would surprise many people. Juan you have also said that the korean war inaugurated the u. S. Military industrial complex. Could you elaborate on that . Bruce harry truman went into the world with a Defense Budget of 13. 5 billion. Within six months, he had 56 billion, a quadrupling of defense expenditures to the highest point at her, until george bush exceeded it in 2008. Just an enormous Defense Budget, at a time when the american gdp was much smaller. Defense was about 4 of gdp during and after the korean war, but compared to a much smaller percentage today or in 2008. The korean war established a National Security state at home, cia with so much money they didnt know what to do with it, so they tried to overthrow regimes in guatemala and iran. And we established for the first Time Military bases across the globe, more than 900 today, which most americans know nothing about. Surrounding especially china. We have an africa command. It is all over the place. All of this got going, not with world war ii, when roosevelt wanted to demilitarized, but with the korean war. Amy Bruce Cumings, thank you for being with us, history professor at the university of chicago, author of several books, including koreas place in the sun a modern history. We also want to thank Christine Ahn, executive director of women cross dmz, a group working to end the korean war. Up next, an eyewitness to the assassination of malcolm x reveals for the terrorist first time that he overheard a new York Police Officer asking if malcolms assassin was one of us. Stay with us. [music break] amy this is democracy now , democracynow. Org, the war and peace report. Im amy goodman. We turn now to look at the assassination of malcolm x who was shot dead inside the audubon ballroom, february 21, 1965. On tuesday, a witness to the assassination revealed for the first time that he overheard a new York Police Officer asking about malcolms assassin is he with us . The eyewitness, Mustafa Hassan, spoke tuesday alongside malcolms daughter Ilyasah Shabazz and civil rights Attorney Ben Crump at a press conference at the malcolm x and dr. Betty shabazz memorial and educational center, housed in the former audubon ballroom. In february, the shabazz family announced plans to file a 100 million wrongful death lawsuit against a number of institutions including the fbi, the cia, new york city and state, the nypd and the District Attorneys Office for concealing evidence of their involvement in the assassination. At the time of malcolms assassination, Mustafa Hassan was a member of the organization of afroamerican unity. This was a part of malcolms security detail. Hassan later fled the country, fearing for his life. Hassan described what happened inside and outside the ballroom when malcolm was shot. There was a loud explosion that immediately caused further disruption, capturing everyones attention. A series of gunshots then rang out from another direction and i immediately ran from my post to the entrance and witnessed malcolm x being shot. Number 11, i immediately started to make my way from the back of the audubon where i was posted, toward the stage where malcolm x was located. However, the scene became chaotic as people frantically ran around seeking exits to cover and protect themselves. Number 12. I saw a man running down the aisle toward the exit where i was posted with a gun in his hand. I made the decision to attempt to stop this person because he had a gun in his hand and was heading directly toward me. Number 13. I managed to not this person down and continued toward the stage where malcolm x was lying on his back, surrounded by his followers. I know now that the identity of the man with the gun is talmage x hager. When i arrived at the stage, i saw that malcolm x was in great condition, seemingly close to death, and as a result, my extreme distress and anger, i turned attention back to the man who i had seen running away, knowing that he had a part and responsibility for what i had just witnessed. Number 16. I would later see the same man outside as he was being by malcolms followers, as a group of policemen showed up on the scene, and asked, is he with us . While at the same time holding back malcolms supporters from beating him. Repeat that. I would see the same man outside as he was being beaten by malcolms followers come as a group of policemen showed up on the scene, asking, is he with us . Amy that was Mustafa Hasan speaking from his own affidavit. He was at the audubon ballroom when malcolm x was assassinated in 1955. During tuesdays press conference, i had a chance to question Mustafa Hassan. Did you ever approached the police or the fbi, authority to share what you knew . No. Amy because . Because they had just killed malcolm x. They were the perpetrators. They knew more than i did. Consequence of being the perpetrators. Why would i go to them . For whatever reason, they failed to call me, knowing that my testimony would have changed the outcome of the trial. It would have pointed the finger of guilt at the establishment. Amy that was Mustafa Hasan speaking on tuesday about the assassination of malcolm x. Three men were later convicted of killing malcolm x. One was talmadge hayer, the man Mustafa Hasan saw shoot malcolm. Two other men, khalil islam and Muhammad Aziz, were arrested and imprisoned for decades after being falsely accused. In 2021, the two of them were exonerated. By then, khalil islam had already died, and Muhammad Aziz was 83 years old. We are joined now by civil rights Attorney Ben Crump who is representing malcolm xs family. Welcome back to democracy now talk about the significance of this testimony for the first time being heard, this eyewitness account of Mustafa Hassan, and where this fits into the lawsuit youll be filing. Ben thank you for having me, amy, thank you for being at the press conference. The testimony, for the first time in 50 years, is astonishing, especially the level of detail that was corroborated by the photographs as well as the video, when the convicted murderer, talmage x, was being manhandled by malcolms supporters, who just witnessed him shoot malcolm x, the police ran up, asking is he with us . And then asking most office on Mustafa Hassan, they were trying to get him away so that he could escape from the supporters of malcolm who were trying to make sure that he was captured. You see in the photograph, mustafa grabs onto his collar tightly. As the photographs suggested, the police are trying to separate him from the person they just saw shoot malcolm. This is mustafas belief, and when the police say, is he with us, it suggest to him that the police were involved. This is what we are arguing is completely new evidence. This has never been presented, this new information. The fact that we know fraudulent concealment is something that would allow us to toe the statutes of limitations to allow malcolms family to have some justice after all these years. We know the government concealed the fact that they have multiple informants in the audubon ballroom on may 21, 1965, when malcolm was assassinated. Essentially, those informants were kept isolated, those undercover new York Police Department members like eugene roberts, ray woods, were kept isolated from one another. We believe the police knew, when they arrived on the scene, they had undercover informants there, and they didnt know their assignments, they didnt know who they were, but they were told some of the black people are undercover informants. That is why mr. Hasan was saying that the police were saying, is he with us . Juan why has it taken over 50 eight years for this to come forward . Could you talk about who Mustafa Hasan is and perhaps why he was never questioned . Ben obviously, he was a young man who believed in the principles of malcolm x. A member of the oauu, a person who believed that black people have the right to selfdetermination, that the American Government could not continue to oppress us and deny us liberty. After they kill malcolm, like so many people in america, especially black americans, who believe in the principles that malcolm x was trying to articulate to the world, that he left america, not just for his personal safety but his familys safety. As he stated, he was worried about where america was heading to as a society. He left four months, for months, came back, saw that they were having this trial. The police, prosecutors never approached him. He was readily identifiable in all the photographs, video. Everybody knew that he was a part of the oauu. They had signins for the registration and so forth. It was clear at that they wanted him to testify about everything that he saw firsthand, he could have, but they never did that. We think that is more telling than anything. Amy before we move onto another subject about where you are right now you are a florida resident. I want to ask you about the state of the lawsuit. You are suing federal authorities, cia, fbi, new york state, new york city, nypd, talking about all of those agencies involved. The two men exonerated, although they served decades in prison, one dad, one alive, have settled for millions of dollars. Will you be able to use information on their settlement in pursuing this 100 million settlement for the shabazz family . Ben we can use some of the discovery that the lawyers with the innocent project and others used two help exonerate those individuals, help them get their compensation. The concealment of their liberty , but also betty shabazzs inability to bring a wrongful death lawsuit, conspiracy to assassinate her husband, the minister malcolm x. Juan, did you have a question . Juan go ahead. Amy let me introduce the clip. This is in florida, i want to switch topics. I want to ask about your governor, ron desantis, who doubled down on the florida board of education new rules that would require teachers to teach that enslaved people developed skills which, in some instances, could be applied for their personal benefit. on friday, Governor Desantis defended the curriculum. I think they will probably show some of the folks that eventually parlayed being a blacksmith into things later in life. The reality is all of that is rooted in whatever is factual. They listed everything out. If you have any questions, ask the department of education. These were scholars who put that together. It was not anything that was done politically. Amy the naacp has called floridas new curriculum a sanitized and dishonest telling of the history of slavery in america. the last time you were in new york at the audubon ballroom, you were threatening to sue desantis and the state of florida. He is talking about what he calls the upside of slavery. Ben it is deplorable, sickening. It is astonishing that, in 2023, we can have a person who is the second contender for the republican nomination telling his supporters and his estate that he governs his state that he governs, that it will be mandated now that students in florida from middle school on will have to be taught that slavery had positive benefits. It is asinine at every level. It has the potential to cause serious psychological trauma to africanamerican students. We will not stand for it. We will explore every possible legal remedy in the court of law. I know activists, civil rights leaders, ministers, Business Leaders all throughout the black community who will fight in the court of Public Opinion against this heresy. It is akin to trying to teach the next generation, the young people that slavery was not that bad. If we do not teach our children true history, if they do not learn from the sins of the past, then it is very likely that we will repeat those horrors. We will not allow that to happen. Juan we only have about a minute left. I want to ask you about another mushrooming scandal, the northwestern Athletic University program. You represent lloyd yates, former quarterback, wide receiver with the football team. Talk about the importance of what is happening there. Ben lloyd yates, courageous young man, who was a quarterback for the northwestern football team, whose coach, fitzgerald, has been fired amidst this hazing scandal. He was the first named plaintiff to file a lawsuit. The first person not to stay behind anonymity but put his name and phase out there, launching what i believe to be the me, too moment for college sports. We hope to eradicate this physical, psychological, and in lloyds and many others cases at northwestern, sexual hazing. There is no way they can justify this. It needs to be condemned, not condoned in any manner. Just like those sexual abuse scandals that Michigan State and ohio state had, northwestern need to step up and set a precedent for what will not be tolerated. Amy civil rights Attorney Ben Crump, thank you so much for joining us. In new york yesterday, today in miami, florida. That does it for our show. Congratulations to igor moreno on the birth of his daughter alicia anya morenocamarena. Welcome to the world. Democracy now is currently accepting applications for interns in our archive and development departments. Learn more and apply at democracynow. Org. 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