Abby Martin's Empire Update wraps up the last weeks in US imperialism: Possible military expansion in Kenya, Army re-focus on fighting over the North Pole, Biden's obscene military budget, Yemen hunger strike, major Cuba policy announcement, and a historic pro-Palestine bill in Congress. Get EXCLUSIVE Empire Files content, and keep us independent & ad-free, at https://www.patreon.com/empirefiles FOLLOW // https://twitter.com/EmpireFiles​ // https://twitter.com/AbbyMartin LIKE // https://www.facebook.com/TheEmpireFiles/ MERCH // https://empirefiles.store FILM // https://gazafightsforfreedom.com ... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c0PlVIfja0o

A new phenomenon has emerged in the United States: 64,000 people died in 2016 of a drug overdose—with 80% from opioids—with levels of addiction nearly 500% higher over the last six years. Behind this epidemic is a multi-billion dollar industry, that feeds drug manufacturing giants, distributers and more. With the US government failing to address the crisis, one law firm has taken to a massive lawsuit. Head of that case is Mike Papantonio, who also won major lawsuits against big tobacco, chemical corporations and more. Abby Martin interviews him about this new suit, and why he is pushing for many executives to go to jail. FOLLOW // @EmpireFiles // @AbbyMartin // @telesurenglish LIKE // https://www.facebook.com/TheEmpireFiles ... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DI6GWlQHYXw

The Empire holds by far the most prisoners than any other country on earth, in both absolute numbers and per capita. Abby Martin explores the dark reality of America's prisons: their conditions, who is warehoused in them, and the roots of mass incarceration. Featuring interviews with Eddie Conway, former political prisoner unjustly incarcerated for 44 years, and Eugene Puryear, author of "Shackled and Chained, Mass Incarceration in Capitalist America." FOLLOW @EmpireFiles & @AbbyMartin LIKE http://facebook.com/TheEmpireFiles Music by Fluorescent Grey: https://soundcloud.com/fluorescentgrey ... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RNAaIoZZFJY

On October 5, 2017, police opened fire on unarmed farmers in Tumaco, Colombia. Eight were killed, with dozens more shot. The massacre was part of a crackdown on coca farmers in the "War On Drugs" despite an agreement for crop substitution--and amidst new threats from Trump, ordering the government to use more force or face consequences. The Empire Files goes on-the-ground to investigate the massacre, interviewing witnesses and casualties. Abby Martin visits recently-destroyed farms, uses hidden cameras to confront soldiers about the operations, and explores the context of such a killing less than a year after the historic peace deal ending the country's 53-year civil war. FOLLOW // @EmpireFiles // @AbbyMartin // @telesurenglish LIKE // https://www.facebook.com/TheEmpireFiles ... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uCwLXmQNLWU