Guest: Tom Alter, Bill Gallegos
Professor Tom Alter, a tenured historian at Texas State University was fired on September 10 for speaking at an online socialist conference. His remarks were secretly recorded and doctored by a self-proclaimed fascist influencer, and within days, the university president fired him without due process — a blatant violation of his First Amendment and academic freedom rights. Tom joins me to describe what happened, why his case has become a flashpoint in the new McCarthyism sweeping U.S. campuses, and how his reinstatement by court order -- pending the decision of the University President-- marks a victory not just for him, but for free speech everywhere.
Then we turn to Los Angeles — where Trump opened his war on the enemy within" by sending thousands of National Guard soldiers and U.S. Marines into LA to enforce ICE ethnic cleansing raids, terrorize immigrant communities and crush resistance. But the city fought back. Longtime Chicano activist Bill Gallegos joins me to discuss his forthcoming Nation article “Los Angeles Boots Out Trump’s Troops.” Bill shows how labor unions, immigrant organizations, faith leaders, artists, and even business groups built a united front demanding troops out – and they won. Trump’s troops were forced to withdraw. LA showed the country what resistance and broad solidarity can achieve: when people organize and stand firm, even a President bent on repression can be pushed back. LA was supposed to be Trump's model for his authoritarian power grab, but instead it was the template for defeating it.