new jersey

"It makes good common sense that people of common interest would come together," said Estina Baker of the We Are One rallies this week. "It's sort of history repeating itself in a very positive way," she notes, pointing out that the civil rights movement and workers' rights movement have a long history together. Laura spoke with Estina and Joyce Simmons, both of the NAACP, in Newark, New Jersey, about the movement begun at the One Nation rally last year and continuing now across the country. Distributed by Tubemogul.

"This is a national plan of action designed to take women back to a time when we had second class status as persons," Lynn Paltrow says of the ongoing attempts by conservatives around the country to shut down abortion rights by any way they can think of: fetal personhood, banning taxpayer funding, defunding Planned Parenthood, and making it "justifiable homicide" to kill an abortion provider.The outrage against these bills is gaining ground, though, and Lynn notes that when people wake up to the assaults on their rights, they fight back. She joins Laura in studio to discuss."There is only one state employee I'd like to see laid off, and that's Scott Walker," says Milwaukee's Ellen Bravo, who helped lead a successful campaign in Wisconsin for family leave that is now being attacked by Governor Walker's administration. As thousands of Wisconsinites gather in the capitol and Democratic state senators flee the state to avoid a vote on Walker's bill to bust the public employees' unions, Ellen points out the ongoing struggles of workers for basic rights.Ellen joins us via Skype along with Ev Liebman, who helped organize a 35,000-person rally in New Jersey against similar attacks by that state's governor, Chris Christie.Finally, Lara Logan, CBS's chief foreign affairs correspondent, was sexually assaulted in Egypt while covering the revolution--and the response has been staggering. And not in a good way. Laura has some thoughts.

Laura Flanders and Karen Hanretty debate "shutting down the government" with Ed Schultz on Tuesday, November 9. "It's not the attention-getting threats to shut government down that Democrats should be worried about; it's what the GOP extremists will do while they're at work that should have Americans scared to death" says Flanders. They also discuss New Jersey Governor Chris Christie's spending and cutting regime.

Branch Brook Park roller rink, located in Newark, NJ, is one of the few remaining urban rinks of its kind. Serving extremely diverse subcultures within Newark, this space is a microcosm of the city that surrounds it. This film will follow three characters from distinct groups that use the space; a Skate Dancer, a Gospel Skater, and a Roller Derby Girl. Despite their differences in race, class, religion, and sexuality, these skaters are united by the rink, which serves as a refuge from the stress of their lives. Newark is currently experiencing a 'renaissance', but it is unclear who this renaissance is actually meant to benefit. The rink stands in symbolic and visual opposition to the pervasive, inflexible, and false notions attached to the city of Newark. The Rink is directed and produced by GRITtv's own Sarah Friedland and Ryan Joseph, and you can contribute to finishing the film at Kickstarter.