Headlines June 14, 2023 from Democracy Now!

Cornel West has switched party affiliation and is now running to be the Green Party’s 2024 presidential nominee. The author, civil rights activist and professor of philosophy announced earlier this month he would run as a candidate with the People’s Party. West confirmed the news on “The Katie Halper Show.”

Cornel West: “Which means when it comes to infrastructure and institution, it’s much broader and deeper, access to the ballot much broader. But in the end, as you know, any candidacy to run the empire in order to dismantle the empire has to be part of a movement.”

Click here to see our recent interview with Cornel West on his presidential run.

At least 59 migrants drowned earlier today after their boat capsized off the Greek coast. Over 100 people were rescued, though it’s not clear how many passengers were on the Italy-bound vessel before it sank. It’s the deadliest shipwreck off the Greek coast this year.

In related news, the International Organization for Migration says it recorded nearly 3,800 deaths in 2022 along land and sea routes in the Middle East and North Africa region, an 11% jump from the previous year.

The U.N. said the global level of forced displacement has reached a record 110 million people.

Filippo Grandi: “This is where we stand today. We have 110 million people that have fled because of conflict, persecution, discrimination, violence, often mixed with other motives — in particular, the impact of climate change.”

Conflicts in Sudan and Ukraine are causing millions to flee. Syria and Afghanistan also continue to record massive numbers of refugees and displaced people. The mounting displacement crisis comes as aid agencies face severe funding shortages. The World Food Programme says it will be forced to cut aid to Syria by about half, affecting 2.5 million people in need.

In Massachusetts, Governor Maura Healey unveiled a new green bank that will be focused on affordable housing and environmental justice. The Massachusetts Community Climate Bank is part of the state’s effort to cut emissions by 50% by 2030, and to achieve net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. This is Governor Healey.

Gov. Maura Healey: “We’re going to be putting forward opportunities, tools to decarbonize buildings, which are, as I said, a major source of emissions. This climate bank is going to grow over time to address the urgent needs across this sector. We’re going to be able to innovate and finance deep energy retrofits, on-site electric vehicle charging and solar projects that will demonstrate the viability of these technologies at a community-wide scale.”