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At least 37 transgender and gender nonconforming people were violently killed in 2020, making it the deadliest year for trans and gender nonconforming people on record, according to a new Human Rights Campaign report. Of those killed, 22 were Black, and seven were Latinx. More than 200 trans and gender nonconforming people have lost their lives to violence since 2013, when HRC began recording and reporting violence toward trans people. The media often perpetuates systemic discrimination by covering trans and gender nonconforming people "when we're celebrities or when we're dead," says Tori Cooper, director of community engagement for the Transgender Justice Initiative at the Human Rights Campaign, noting that the true number of deaths is likely much higher. "It is important that the media counteract some of the negative imagery around us by telling stories that uplift our community, that provide a more holistic view of who we are."

The family of a former meatpacker who died from COVID-19 alleges in a lawsuit that managers at a Tyson Foods plant in Iowa knew working conditions would result in illness, and even placed bets on how many workers would be infected. The family of Isidro Fernandez, who died in April, says the plant manager set up a winner-take-all betting pool for supervisors and managers to wager on coronavirus infections. Since the start of the pandemic, at least six workers have died and more than 1,000 tested positive for COVID-19 at the Iowa facility. Tyson Foods has suspended the managers involved in the alleged betting scheme, but worker rights advocates say it is further evidence of abuse and exploitation in the meat industry. "These companies are treating them like animals. They're treating them as disposable," says Magaly Licolli, executive director of Venceremos, an advocacy group for poultry plant workers.

As the U.S. enters the holiday season, millions of people across the country are struggling to find enough to eat, with the hunger relief group Feeding America warning that some 54 million U.S. residents currently face food insecurity amid a massive public health and economic crisis. Food insecurity in the U.S. has intensified after the expiration of federal assistance programs in the CARES Act, and the United Nations World Food Programme predicts acute hunger could affect 270 million people worldwide by the end of 2020 — an 82% increase since the start of the coronavirus pandemic. We speak with author and filmmaker Raj Patel, host of the food politics podcast "The Secret Ingredient," who says hunger was already at alarming levels in the U.S. before the pandemic, and it's only gotten worse. "The long story here is the continuing war on the American working class," Patel says.

Dear Rising Up With Sonali’s listeners and viewers,   Sonali is taking this week off, so we’ll be rebroadcasting some of our best interviews from the last 6 months. We’ll resume on 11/30 with regular shows. Thanks for your continued support,   The Rising Up team!

FEATURING CHUCK COLLINS – As the coronavirus surges across the nation in record breaking numbers with more than a quarter of a million Americans dead and upwards of 200,000 new infections a day, workers on the frontlines of the economy remain more vulnerable than ever. Those employees of mega corporations deemed “essential” are routinely exposed...

FEATURING SONIA SHAH – It is no coincidence that during a time of changing climates, wealth inequality, and a global pandemic, that large masses of humans would leave their homes to escape danger and death looking for a better life. Indeed, it is only natural to migrate—as non-human species do, who do not have to...

Biden's Signal that Climate Change is a National Security Issue | Is the Pullout From the Open Skies Treaty Trump's Parting Gift to Putin? | Could Biden Set a New Course With Russia? backgroundbriefing.org/donate twitter.com/ianmastersmedia facebook.com/ianmastersmedia

As Trump Tears the Country Apart, Republicans Prefer Partisan Warfare to Patriotic Cooperation | An Assessment of Biden's New National Security Team | Janet Yellen as Biden's Likely Secretary of The Treasury backgroundbriefing.org/donate twitter.com/ianmastersmedia facebook.com/ianmastersmedia

Trump's Attempted Murder of American Democracy | The Host of the G-20's Heavy-Handed Rule and Boundless Greed | The Australian Journalist Who Broke the Story of War Heroes as War Criminals backgroundbriefing.org/donate twitter.com/ianmastersmedia facebook.com/ianmastersmedia

On today's BradCast, we see some light at the end of America's dark tunnel. [Audio link to full show follows below.] On Tuesday, the swing-states of both Pennsylvania and Nevada certified Joe Biden's victory over Donald Trump, joining Michigan from Monday. In Arizona, which certifies next week, its very Trumpy Republican Governor Doug Ducey conceded that [...]

IN TODAY'S RADIO REPORT: President-elect Joe Biden selects former Sec. of State John Kerry as special Climate Envoy, elevates role to National Security Council; GM ditches Trump and goes big on electric vehicles; Trump rolls back Arctic drilling safety rules, denies disaster aid to Pennsylvania; PLUS: No, we have not reached the 'point of no [...]

It's been a weekend and more of The Crazy since we last spoke. On today's BradCast we get you all up to date on the last several days of The Crazy as Donald Trump's attempted coup to steal back the Presidency continues to fall apart with each passing hour, and as the Republican Party decides [...]