• Listen to this segment with Courtney Morris

Uprising’s guest expert Courtney Morris, an assistant professor of African American and women’s Studies at Penn State University, analyzes today’s news headlines:

More than a dozen people were killed in riots in Turkey as protesters clashed with government forces over perceived inaction against the ISIS takeover of the Syrian border town of Kobani. Kobani is a strategically important Kurdish stronghold, and fears of the spread of the Sunni militant group are impacting Kurds in particular. Hundreds of thousands of Kobani’s residents have fled and media are reporting incidents of brutality at the hands of ISIS. Meanwhile, the US continued its campaign of air strikes despite criticism over its ineffectiveness. The US government is also pressuring Turkey to fulfill its NATO obligations by engaging in the fight against ISIS more strongly. Click here for a Commondreams.org report and here for a Reuters article about the story.

The Ebola crisis in West Africa continues, this time over a strike by burial workers in Sierra Leone. The workers, who have not been paid, have left bodies of Ebola victims in the streets. The disease has spread in small numbers to various parts of the world including Spain, and the US. Fears over the spread of the disease are so great that Connecticut governor Dannel Malloy has declared a pre-emptive emergency in his state, authorizing health officials to strictly quarantine any cases of Ebola that may emerge. There are no known cases of Ebola in Connecticut. Click here for a USA Today article, and here for an RT.com article about the story.

And finally, two new cases of police brutality against young black men have emerged. A North Carolina 18 year old was pepper sprayed in the face inside his own home when police were called by neighbors who suspected he was breaking in. And, in New York, police were caught on video brutally beating and pistol-whipping a 16 year old boy on the sidewalk. The boy had his hands in the air and was unarmed. He is suffering from cracked teeth. One of the officers in that case has been suspended without pay while the other has had his badge and gun confiscated. Click here about an RT.com report, and here for an ABC report about the story.