2018-10-17: News Headlines

WorkWeek Radio (2018-10-17). OSHA Investigator/Lawyer Darrell Whitman, OSC, Culture Of Corruption, GAP & The Democrats. indybay.org Federal OSHA Whistleblower Protection Program investigator and lawyer Darrell Whitman discusses his effort to defend fellow workers at OSHA WPP. He also discusses the systemic effort to cover-up the retaliation of OSHA whistleblowers from companies like FedEx, Wells Fargo, PG&E, Test American and Lockheed Martin. He reports that he went to many politicians including Diane Feinstein and Congresswoman Barbara Lee about these conditions not only at OSHA about violations of civil rights including the murder of Alan Blueford. He learned that not only were OSHA officials and the Department of Labor DOL Secretary Tom Pe…

Naomi LaChance (2018-10-17). Five States Where Voters Can Change the Criminal Justice System. truthdig.com On Nov. 6, five states will vote on ballot initiatives which, if passed, will enable their citizens to attain greater accountability from police, prosecutors and other law enforcement officials. Proposals range from restoring voting rights to the formerly incarcerated, to abolishing slavery as a punishment for a crime, to reducing the punishments for drug possession. Many of these rules have roots in Jim Crow-era structural racism, and voters in these states will have a chance to change the way the criminal justice system works.

The People United (2018-10-17). The Nation Unites Against Brian Kemp, Most Racist Secretary of State in US. indybay.org The entire nation is organizing against the nation's most racist, criminal, execution facilitating Secretary of State, Brian Kemp of Georgia…

Wayne Madsen (2018-10-17). The Arabian Game Of Thrones Heats Up. iranian.com The reported torture, murder, and dismemberment of Washington-based Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi at the Saudi consulate-general in Istanbul reminded the world that an intense power play is now taking place within the monarchies of the Arabian Peninsula and between them. In November 2017, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS) ordered the arrest and detention […]

Kali Holloway, Independent Media Institute (2018-10-16). This Pro-Slavery American Monument Stands Out as Particularly Disgusting — and Disproves the Hollow Claims of Confederate Statue Defenders. alternet.org Even amidst a glutted field of racist markers, the Harpers Ferry monument stands out. | The Heyward Shepherd memorial is an overtly pro-slavery monument erected in 1931 in Harpers Ferry, West Virginia, by the United Daughters of the Confederacy. In recognition of John Brown Day, please check out an article of mine published in the Spirit of Jefferson, adapted below, about the many reasons the marker should come down. A. . .

RT (2018-10-16). Trapped in information bubbles? Consequences of the media's polarized Trump coverage (VIDEO). rt.com Shrill media reports about Donald Trump's alleged praise of Confederate General Robert E. Lee underscore the president's deep-rooted racism, or America's fake news epidemic — depending on where you get your news from.

Vanessa Mbonu@naacpnet (2018-10-16). WATCH NOW: Bishop TD Jakes Sends a Special Message to Voters. naacp.org NAACP and Bishop TD Jakes agree on one thing: African Americans need to VOTE! Our lives depend on it. Watch his special message.

INA (2018-10-16). Erekat: Netanyahu Uses Christianity to Distort Facts. imemc.org Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) Secretary-General Saeb Erekat denounced Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, on Tuesday, for using Christianity to distort facts. "Israel's Prime Minister continues to distorting facts even by using Christianity to support his racist and xenophobic claims," Erekat said in a statement in reference to Netanyahu'

aclu (2018-10-16). Police Reform Is Coming to New York City, but Will the NYPD Follow the Law? aclu.org Police reform legislation will go into effect this week in New York City, but the law depends on the NYPD acting in good faith. | In December 2017, the New York City Council passed two police reform measures, collectively known as the Right to Know Act, which aimed to improve communication and transparency during police stops and searches. On Friday, both bills will take full effect, and the New York Police Department will be tasked with implementing the council's mandate to become more transparent and accountable. But there are good reasons to be skeptical that the NYPD will implement the law faithfully. | The…

Staff (2018-10-16). China Defends Extrajudicial Detention of Muslims in Internment Camps. truthdig.com Former captives say they are forced to disavow their religious beliefs and that their children are being placed in orphanages.

aclu (2018-10-16). How America Systematically Fails Survivors of Sexual Violence. aclu.org #MeToo exposed the widespread silencing and dismissal of survivors and the need for our institutions to do better. | Before there was Christine Blasey Ford, there was Recy Taylor, an African-American woman who was raped by six white men in 1944 and fought for justice with the help of Rosa Parks. And in between the two of them, there was aclu (2018-10-16). The Spirit of 1968 Lives on Today in Athletes like Colin Kaepernick. aclu.org Tommie Smith and John Carlos staged a stunning protest at the '68 Summer Olympics. Fifty years later, rampant racial discrimination remains. | In 1968, rage over the United States' treatment of Black America was boiling over. It culminated that year in a protest at the Summer Olympics in Mexico City that shocked the world. But perhaps the lid blowing off the kettle shouldn't have been so surprising. | In May of 1967, Martin Luther King Jr. admitted that his "dream" of 1963 had "turned into a nightmare." The

Cody Fenwick, AlterNet (2018-10-16). Fox News' Laura Ingraham Echoes 'You Will Not Replace Us' Nazi Chant in Vile Segment Attacking Legal Immigration. alternet.org She's not even trying to hide her rampant racism anymore. | Fox News' Laura Ingraham has given up trying to be subtle — she's embracing all-out Naxi rhetoric in her continuing attacks on immigrants. In a segment of her show "The Ingraham Angle" Tuesday night, the host echoed the rhetoric of the whi. . .

RT (2018-10-16). Trump insults 'horseface' Stormy Daniels after judge throws out lawsuit. rt.com After a federal judge tossed porn star Stormy Daniels' defamation lawsuit against President Trump, the president took to Twitter to gloat, calling Daniels "horseface" and her case against him "a total con." |

Shared by therealnews (2018-10-15). As Far Right Marches in London, UK Teachers Organize Against Racism. therealnews.com Educators gathered in Leeds to share strategies on how to combat growing racism, xenophobia and and Islamophobia across the UK

wsws (2018-10-15). A quarter-million protest in Berlin against the grand coalition and the return of fascism. wsws.org Nearly 250,000 people demonstrated Saturday in Berlin against racism, the far-right Alternative for Germany's witch-hunting of immigrants, and the reactionary policies of the grand coalition government.

splcenter (2018-10-15). SPLC lawsuit challenges Trump administration's turnback policy against asylum seekers. splcenter.org The Trump administration has illegally and deliberately restricted the number of individuals who can access the asylum process at ports of entry along the U.S.-Mexico border, according to an updated class action lawsuit filing from the SPLC.

David A. Love (2018-10-15). The GOP's Racist Election Strategy. progressive.org As the 2018 midterm election approaches, the party is no longer making efforts to disguise its appeals to racism.

aclu (2018-10-15). On Election Day, the Voters of New Hampshire Can Protect Their Privacy in the Digital Age. aclu.org Ballot question 2 seeks to guarantee that residents' right to privacy in their "private or personal information is natural, essential, and inherent." | "Live free or die." | As reflected in its official state motto, no state has unequivocally embraced the principles of liberty and privacy more than the state of New Hampshire. These ideals make up the core of the state's philosophical DNA. It is therefore surprising that New Hampshire is conspicuously missing from the list of the Democracy Now! (2018-10-15). Trump Admin Hints It May Resume Family Separation at Border; ACLU Says "Public Outcry Is Critical" democracynow.org The Trump administration is reportedly considering plans to resume its policy of forcibly separating migrant children from their families along the U.S.-Mexico border, even as the full number of people torn apart the last time it carried out the widely condemned practice remains unclear. A new report by Amnesty International suggests immigration officials separated some 6,000 families between April and August, a far higher number of children and parents torn apart than previously thought. Trump administration officials are now considering plans to detain asylum-seeking families together for up to 20 days and then…

Vanessa Mbonu@naacpnet (2018-10-12). President Johnson Talks African-American Vote on Jonathan Capehart Podcast. naacp.org NAACP President and CEO, Derrick Johnson, was a guest on the America On The Line podcast, hosted by Jonathan Capehart, and talked about the power of the African American vote this midterm election. President Johnson spoke about why this year's elections are especially important, and what it means for the coming years. "One election cycle […]

aclu (2018-10-12). Supreme Court Enables Mass Disenfranchisement of North Dakota's Native Americans. aclu.org A restrictive law will make it hard to vote for people who live on reservations in rural areas and don't have street addresses. | On Tuesday, the Supreme Court chose to stand by and allow the war against voting to continue. Just a little less than a month before midterm elections that will determine control of Congress, the court decided not to block North Dakota's restrictive voter ID law, which will make it harder for people in that state to cast their ballots. | Republicans in the state legislature insist that the l…

Rachel Johnson (2018-10-12). NAACP Monitoring Possible Voter Suppression Tactics in Georgia Governor Race. naacp.org Over 53,000 Voter Registration Applications on Hold in Secretary of State Kemp's Office BALTIMORE—The nation's foremost civil rights organization is closely monitoring possible voter suppression in the state of Georgia stemming from Secretary of State Brian Kemp's ongoing failure to process over 53,000 voter registration applications. "It's a stain on our system of democracy when less than a month before an […]

aclu (2018-10-12). Police Brutality Against Black Kansas City Man Caught on Video. aclu.org Police encounters too often turn violent or deadly for people of color across the nation. | Black people in Missouri are disproportionately stopped or harassed by police. Twenty years of collected data shows Black drivers are stopped at a rate 85 percent higher than white drivers. And too many police departments across the state regularly use disproportionate force in dealing with aclu (2018-10-11). Oops — Did Police Accidentally Reveal Unconstitutional Surveillance When They Tweeted a Screenshot? aclu.org We're demanding Mass. state police release their browser history and bookmarks to see if they're targeting progressive protesters for surveillance. | On September 13, dozens of natural gas explosions hit three towns north of Boston, killing one person and impacting thousands more. In the first few hectic hours after the blasts, the Massachusetts State Police official Twitter account posted a tweet reading: | Updated plotting of confirmed fires and explosions by MSP Watch Center. 39 locations confirmed thus far. Number will grow. New responses ongoing. Reminder: all residents of Lawrence/Andover/N Andover who have…

aclu (2018-10-11). Washington Supreme Court Abolishes the Death Penalty. aclu.org Washington is now the 20th state to abolish capital punishment as the public continues to sour on the barbaric practice. | On Oct. 11, the Washington State Supreme Court unanimously struck down the death penalty as unconstitutional, ruling the "death penalty is invalid because it is imposed in an arbitrary and racially biased matter" and "it fails to serve any legitimate penological goal." The death penalty is a punishment that is as flawed as it is final, and as the Washington high court acknowledges, one plagued by racial bias and arbitrariness.

RT (2018-10-11). WATCH: Kanye's insane White House solo that left Trump mindblown. rt.com From "alternate universes" and the concept of time to serious arguments about prison slavery, fatherhood and racism, rapper Kanye West owned the Oval Office in a televised monologue that left everyone scratching their heads.

splcenter (2018-10-11). Four members of Rise Above Movement indicted in Charlottesville, one went to Europe to meet with white supremacist groups before 'Unite the Right'. splcenter.org A member of racist and antisemitic Rise Above Movement (RAM) spent time in Europe meeting with white supremacists there before returning to the United States and taking part in the violent melee at the "Unite the Right" rally.

aclu (2018-10-11). Jury Sends Wisconsin a $780,000 Bill for Denying Health Care to Two Transgender Workers. aclu.org A growing number of courts are ruling that transgender public employees should have access to transition-related health care. | Shannon Andrews just helped bring comprehensive health care coverage to transgender state employees across Wisconsin. Even more reassuring, she proved that average Americans understand that discrimination against transgender people comes with a cost. | Shannon supervises a cancer research lab at the University of Wisconsin. Like other state employees, she gets health care insurance through the state. But as a transgender woman, Shannon faced state rules that specifically excluded coverag…

aclu (2018-10-11). Common Wants You To Vote Smart Justice in 2018. aclu.org This Election Day, voters have an opportunity to hold politicians accountable for their positions on criminal justice reform. | The ACLU launched its Campaign for Smart Justice with a simple but daring goal: cut the incarceration rate in this country by 50 percent and reduce the racial disparities in our prisons and jails. But we can't get there if elected officials stand in our way., , Politicians created mass incarceration, and they can end mass incarceration. Most politicians, however, need public pressure to do the right thing, which is why voters have an opportunity to send a real message come Nov. 6., , To…

Vanessa Mbonu@naacpnet (2018-10-10). "Voting needs to become ubiquitous to the Black community as quickly as possible," says NAACP President. naacp.org NAACP President and CEO, Derrick Johnson, penned an opinion piece for Essence magazine, a leading magazine publication for African-American women. In it, he emphasizes the need to mobilize the Black vote for the 2018 midterm elections, the organization's plan to support this effort, and the Black individual's role in relational organizing: "Voting needs to become […]

Nick R. Martin (2018-10-10). Judge to neo-Nazi Matt Hale: You might be broke, but you still gotta pay for your failed lawsuit. splcenter.org The top federal judge in Colorado has ordered imprisoned neo-Nazi Matt Hale to cough up more than $5,000 to repay money spent by the government as it successfully fought off his 2014 lawsuit.

Hatewatch Staff (2018-10-09). Hatewatch Headlines 10/10/2018. splcenter.org Discord a safe space for white supremacists; 'RAM' something like a racist fight club; Security for controversial speakers costs colleges millions; and more.

Democracy Now! (2018-10-09). Brazil's Eroding Democracy: Rise of Far-Right Demagogue Follows Ouster of Dilma & Jailing of Lula. democracynow.org In a stunning upset that may radically alter the political landscape of Latin America, far-right leader Jair Bolsonaro won 46 percent of the vote in Sunday's presidential election in Brazil in a far more decisive victory than expected. The former Army officer has a long history of making racist, homophobic and misogynistic comments and has openly praised Brazil's military dictatorship. He will now face Fernando Haddad of the leftist Workers' Party in a runoff on October 28. Haddad won 29 percent of the vote Sunday. Many are warning that the future of democracy in Brazil hangs in the balance. We speak with Maria L…

splcenter (2018-10-09). On the far right, neo-Nazis, racists hail Brett Kavanaugh's elevation to Supreme Court as open season on women, minority rights in America. splcenter.org To neo-Nazi-in-hiding Andrew Anglin, the elevation of Brett Kavanaugh to the U.S. Supreme Court is a milestone, one that he hopes will result in an end to women's rights across the country.

splcenter (2018-10-09). SPLC lawsuit challenging Tennessee Medicaid application delays goes to trial. splcenter.org In 2014, Don Adams put off going to the hospital for treatment of an infection after the state of Tennessee failed to promptly decide on his application to TennCare, the state's federally funded Medicaid program.

Aba Blankson (2018-10-07). NAACP Leaders Advance Education and Employment Initiative with LDS Church. naacp.org Senior leaders of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) met with leaders of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Friday, October 5, and Saturday, October 6, 2018 — another indication of the growing friendship between the two groups. At a series of meetings and presentations held with members of […]

Adam Lee (2018-10-06). Brett Kavanaugh confirmed to the US Supreme Court. naacp.org On Saturday, October 6, 2018, NAACP-opposed Supreme Court Justice nominee Brett Kavanaugh was confirmed by the full U.S. Senate to serve a lifetime appointment. He was sworn in later that evening. The final vote was 50 yeas to 48 nays. For a complete listing of how each Senator voted, please see the attached Action Update. […]

Aba Blankson (2018-10-06). Statement on Kavanaugh Senate Confirmation. naacp.org NAACP President Calls Kavanaugh Confirmation "Devasting Blow" Move Signals Dark Days Ahead for Civil Rights Communities — America Deserves Better BALTIMORE (October 6, 2018)—NAACP President and CEO Derrick Johnson released the following remarks regarding the Senate confirmation of nominee Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court. The U.S. Senate's decision today to confirm Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme […]

Democracy Now! (2018-10-05). Could Brazil Return to a Dictatorship? Glenn Greenwald on Possible Election of Far-Right Demagogue. democracynow.org Voters in Brazil head to the polls on Sunday in an election that could reshape the political landscape of South America. Polls show the current front-runner is the far-right Jair Bolsonaro, a former Army officer who has openly praised Brazil's military dictatorship, which lasted from 1964 to 1985. Bolsonaro has a long history of making racist, misogynistic and homophobic comments, and has risen in the polls since September 8, when he was stabbed while campaigning. His campaign directly benefited from the jailing of former President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva in April, who had been leading in all presidential polls…

Vanessa Mbonu@naacpnet (2018-10-05). NAACP Congratulates Rev. William J. Barber II on Winning MacArthur "Genius" Grant Award. naacp.org NAACP extends an exuberant congratulations to Rev. William J. Barber II, NAACP Member, National Board of Directors and former North Carolina State Conference President. "No one is more deserving of this award than Rev. Dr. William J. Barber, II. He is and will always be an integral part of the NAACP. As a long-standing champion […]

Vanessa Mbonu@naacpnet (2018-10-05). NAACP Statement on Senate Vote to Advance Brett Kavanaugh Nomination. naacp.org The NAACP released the following statement regarding the Senate's decision to advance the Kavanaugh nomination: "Today's Senate vote to advance a Supreme Court nominee whose record and lack of integrity, temperament & impartiality was a monumental mistake that will affect generations to come. This should have disqualified him from serving on the Court not emboldened […]

Michael Garcia Bochenek (2018-10-03). The U.S. Detention of Children Is Only Getting Worse. progressive.org No longer forcibly separating families at the border, the Trump Administration has merely changed the way children are harmed.

Max Blumenthal (2018-09-05). Censored Documentary Exposes the Israeli Government's Attack on Black Lives Matter. grayzoneproject.com Exclusive footage from the censored Al Jazeera documentary, "The Lobby — USA," shows Israeli government officials taking credit for attacks…