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Uprising’s guest expert Robert Jensen, author and a professor of journalism at the University of Texas at Austin, analyzes today’s news headlines: – See more at:

The war in Syria is ramping up even as the refugee crisis in Europe continues to build up. An anonymous US source told AFP that Russian tanks and artillery had arrived in Latakia, a Syrian airbase, bolstering the arsenal of President Bashar Al Assad. A Pentagon official named Jeff Davis also confirmed the presence of Russian troops in Latakia although Russia maintains that they are simply military advisers and not participating in the fighting. According to the Guardian, “Davis said Washington would welcome Moscow’s contributions to the effort against Isis, but that military assistance for Assad could ‘risk adding greater instability to an already unstable situation.'” Millions of Syrians have been displaced by Assad’s war and also ISIS attacks. Hundreds of thousands of them are making their way in a steady stream to Europe for asylum but Hungary has now closed its border with Serbia, forcing refugees to remain stuck as they work their way north. Those who forced their way through the border have been detained. Serbia’s government has appealed to the EU for help. Click here for a Guardian newspaper article, and here for a New York Times article about the story.

Here in the US, Bernie Sanders addressed an evangelical Christian school on Monday. Speaking at Liberty University in Virginia to a packed auditorium of 12,000, Sanders, who was on unfamiliar ground quoted scripture saying, “do to others what you would have them do to you.” Mr. Sanders is Jewish. He focused the majority of his speech on income inequality, which is his main platform, but added, “I understand that issues of abortion and gay marriage are issues that you feel very strongly about. We disagree on those issues. I get that. But let me respectfully suggest that there are other issues out there that are of enormous consequence to our country and in fact to the entire world that maybe, just maybe, we do not disagree on.” Other Democratic candidates have not reached out to evangelicals as Sanders has. Click here for a New York Times article about the story.

A 198-page report by the Ferguson Commission has outlined the major problems that exist in the low-income Missouri-area neighborhood, but also suggested solutions. The report, released on Monday echoed much of what the Department of Justice cited in its report earlier this year, including changing the way local courts fine poor residents for minor offenses. It also found through a survey that a shocking 55% of residents said they are traumatized by experiences of racism. Overall, the report suggests that more than a year after the killing of 18-year old Michael Brown that sparked a rebellion, little has changed. The commission recommended that Ferguson treat non-violent offenses as civil rather than criminal cases, including ending the jailing of non-violent offenders. Addressing the crucial issue of economic justice, the panel also suggested raising the paltry minimum wage from $7.65 to $15 an hour. Click here for an NPR article about the story.