(2018-10-24). In racist, anti-immigrant diatribe, Trump declares, "I am a nationalist" wsws.org In speeches in the run-up to the November 6 mid-term elections, Trump has seized on the Central American caravan to step up his appeal to fascistic elements in the Republican base.
(2018-10-24). 'The US Immigration System Is Inherently Abusive and Violent and Racist' – CounterSpin interview with Tina Vasquez on immigration reporting. fair.org 
Janine Jackson interviewed Tina Vasquez about reporting on immigration for the October 19, 2018, episode of CounterSpin. This is a lightly edited transcript. | Media…
(2018-10-24). Stacey Abrams Stands By Burning the Racist, Segregationist Georgia State Flag in 1992. democracynow.org 
During Tuesday's debate, Georgia Democratic gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams defended her actions in 1992 when she helped burn the Georgia state flag, which at the time contained a prominent Confederate battle flag. In a victory for civil rights advocates, the flag was later changed. We speak to Leah Wright Rigueur, professor at the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University.
(2018-10-24). Greg Palast Sues Georgia's Brian Kemp for Purging 340,000 From Voter Rolls. truthout.org A new investigation has found Georgia secretary of state and Republican gubernatorial candidate Brian Kemp has overseen the removal of more than 340,000 current Georgia residents from voting rolls. We speak with Greg Palast, a journalist who has been investigating Brian Kemp and voter suppression in Georgia. He has joined a lawsuit against Kemp over the purge. | TRANSCRIPT: | AMY GOODMAN: This is Democracy Now! I'm Amy Goodman, with Juan González. | JUAN GONZàÅLEZ: As we continue to look at voter suppression in Georgia, a new
(2018-10-24). How Amazon, Microsoft and Tech Giants Are Powering Trump's Deportations. truthout.org A shocking new investigation by immigrant rights groups reveals how corporations like Amazon, Palantir and Microsoft are profiting from and expediting Trump's incarceration and deportation operations. Some 10 percent of the Department of Homeland Security's $44 billion budget is dedicated to data management. The report was published as new documents obtained by the Project on Government Oversight show Amazon is pushing Immigration and Customs Enforcement to start using its controversial facial recognition technology that could identify immigrants in real time by scanning faces in a video feed. We speak with Ja…
(2018-10-24). Latino Voter Suppression in Kansas: Dodge City's Only Polling Site Is Moved Outside City Limits. democracynow.org 
In Kansas, local officials are under fire for moving a majority-Latino city's single polling site outside of city limits, more than a mile from the nearest bus stop. Dodge City, Kansas, is 60 percent Hispanic, but the Associated Press reports that Hispanic turnout was just 17 percent in Ford County, where Dodge City is located, compared to 61 percent turnout for white voters in 2014. The ACLU reports that the city's lone polling site services more than 13,000 voters, compared to an average of 1,200 voters per polling site at other locations. We are joined by Johnny Dunlap, chair of the Ford County Democratic Part…
(2018-10-24). Lawsuit Over Whales, Sea Turtles Entangled in California Crab Gear Advances. indybay.org Motion Seeks to Hold State Officials Liable for Deaths of Endangered Marine Animals…
(2018-10-24). C-Sections Are Both Overused and Not Available When Needed, Study Shows. truthout.org Childbirth is often an experience of both pain and hard-won pride. But for Patrisse Cullors, a performance artist and co-founder of Black Lives Matter, her first childbirth experience left her feeling "embarrassed." She had wanted a natural birth, but after complications emerged, she says, the doctor did a cesarean section without consulting her or explaining why. "I went into having a major surgery without knowing the impact or the implications — both short-term and long-term impacts on my body," she recalls. For a long time afterward, she felt alienated and unner…
(2018-10-24). Israel Invokes Its "Fight for Survival" as It Descends into a Racist State. globalresearch.ca Israel's former Chief Justice Aharon Barak stated in a recent lecture that "what happened in Germany [the rise of the Nazis] can happen here [in Israel]." He went on to say that a regime that does not respect the separation …
(2018-10-24). Greg Palast Sues Georgia's Brian Kemp for Purging 340,000 from Voter Rolls Ahead of Election. democracynow.org 
A new investigation has found Georgia secretary of state and Republican gubernatorial candidate Brian Kemp has overseen the removal of more than 340,000 current Georgia residents from voting rolls. We speak with Greg Palast, a journalist who has been investigating Brian Kemp and voter suppression in Georgia. He has joined a lawsuit against Kemp over the purge.
(2018-10-24). Georgia NAACP Files Voter Complaint Against Secretary of State Brian Kemp Over Voting Machine Irregularities. naacp.org Electronic Voting Irregularities and Voter Suppression Issues Continue to Plague Governor's Race ATLANTA (October 24, 2018) —The NAACP Georgia State Conference President Phyllis T. Blake filed complaints with the State Board of Elections for possible voter suppression tactics regarding malfunctions of the touch screen machines in Bartow, Cobb, Henry, Dodge Counties and Dodge Counties. The […] | The post
(2018-10-24). Santa Cruz ACLU Hosts Forum on Excessive Force. indybay.org Panelists Engage in Robust Discussion on Police Practises…
(2018-10-24). The Three Evils: "Racism, Excessive Materialism and Militarism" globalresearch.ca The late Martin Luther King Jr. gave a stirring speech on August 31st 1967, and it (sadly) rings true today. In his comprehensive look at what ails not only America but most of the western world, King focused on this …
(2018-10-24). Lawsuit: US Military Contractor DynCorp Accused of "Enslaving" American Employees in Kuwaiti Tent Cities. mintpressnews.com DynCorp's old habits of treating human beings as commodities remain as ingrained as ever, largely thanks to the fact that the company has never been held accountable for its crimes against its workers as well as countless children.
(2018-10-24). NAACP Sues Shelby County Over Allegedly Defective Voter Registration Applications. naacp.org Tennessee County Should Allow Voters to Fix Applications and Vote Regular Ballots on Election Day BALTIMORE (October 24, 2018) The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), America's foremost civil rights organization, announced today that its Memphis Branch filed suit yesterday against the Shelby County (TN) Election Commission for its refusal to allow […]
(2018-10-24). Conservative Lawsuit Against Harvard Could End Affirmative Action. truthout.org Four decades ago, the US Supreme Court cited the admissions program at Harvard College as an "illuminating example" of how race could be used as one of several factors in college admissions. | "This kind of program treats each applicant as an individual in the admissions process," the court noted of Harvard's holistic admissions program in the 1978 affirmative action case known as Regents of the University of California v. Bakke. | Holistic admissions is a comprehensive proc…
(2018-10-24). Who's Behind ICE? How Amazon, Palantir, Microsoft & Tech Giants Are Powering Trump's Deportations. democracynow.org 
A shocking new investigation by immigrant rights groups reveals how corporations like Amazon, Palantir and Microsoft are profiting from and expediting Trump's incarceration and deportation operations. Some 10 percent of the Department of Homeland Security's $44 billion budget is dedicated to data management. The report was published as new documents obtained by the Project on Government Oversight show Amazon is pushing Immigration and Customs Enforcement to start using its controversial facial recognition technology that could identify immigrants in real time by scanning faces in a video feed. We speak with Jacin…
(2018-10-23). Israel Invokes Its "Fight for Survival" As It Descends Into a Racist State. mintpressnews.com 
Israel's former Chief Justice Aharon Barak recently warned that "what happened in Germany [the rise of the Nazis] can happen here [in Israel]," invoking a fierce response from Israel's increasingly right-wing politicians.
(2018-10-22). Trump Admin Attempts to Erase Existence of Trans People After Years of GOP-Led Attacks on Freedoms. democracynow.org 
The New York Times reports that the Trump administration is attempting to eliminate the rights of transgender people by creating a narrow legal definition of gender. Citing a government memo, the Times reveals that the Department of Health and Human Services has undertaken an effort across several government agencies to establish a legal definition of sex under Title IX, the federal civil rights law that bans discrimination on the basis of sex. That definition would be either male or female, unchangeable, and determined by the genitals a person is born with. The Times reports that the memo says, "Sex means a pers…
(2018-10-22). Court Tells Georgia It Can't Charge People to Read the Law. aclu.org The law doesn't belong to the state — it belongs to the people, and the government can't copyright it. | In a victory for the people of Georgia, a federal appeals court ruled on Friday that the state can no longer charge individuals hundreds of dollars to see the laws that govern them. | To get there, the court relied on a central tenet of American democracy: The government works on behalf of the public. | Quoting the Declaration of Independence, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit wrote, "The…
(2018-10-22). Mississippi Sentences Man to 8 Years in Prison for Medical Marijuana He Purchased Legally in Another State. aclu.org A Black man's harsh eight-year prison sentence for drug possession in Mississippi shows the dire need for drug law reform. | Patrick Beadle, a 46-year-old father and musician, received an eight-year prison sentence in Mississippi for possessing 2.89 pounds of marijuana. If his sentence stands, he would spend nearly a decade behind bars for possessing a substance that is legal in nine states and now all of Canada. Such a severe, inhumane sentence speaks volumes about the inanity and heartlessness of our criminal…
(2018-10-22). SPLC statement on Trump administration's efforts to remove civil rights protections from transgender Americans. splcenter.org The Trump administration has apparently redoubled its efforts to exclude transgender Americans from the protection of federal civil rights laws.
(2018-10-22). The Trump Administration Is Trying to Erase Trans People, but the Law Clearly Protects Them. aclu.org A recently leaked memo is attempting to undermine decades of court decisions saying federal law protects transgender and nonbinary people. | Over the weekend, The New York Times revealed that officials within the Trump administration are pushing for a definition of the term "sex" in federal civil rights laws that would eliminate non-discrimination protections for transgender people. Transgender people and their families understandably panicked at that news. | The reality, though, is that transgender pe…
(2018-10-22). NAACP Pennsylvania Focuses on Getting Out the Vote at State Convention. naacp.org 
The Pennsylvania State Conference kicked off its 84th annual convention in Bethlehem, PA on Friday, October 25 2018. The weekend of events brought together NAACP members, supporter and friends in an effort to encourage active NAACP branches state-wide to take part in sessions conducted by NAACP national staff members and community leaders. No matter […]
(2018-10-21). WATCH NOW: Pastor Jamal Bryant Teams Up With NAACP to Rally the Vote. naacp.org As the midterm elections rapidly approach, NAACP and Pastor Jamal Bryant team up to deliver a special message to voters. Watch below! Dr. Jamal Harrison Bryant — Vote! Our Lives Depend On It. from NAACP Hollywood Bureau on Vimeo.
(2018-10-20). Anti-Muslim Bigots Are Weaponizing Abuse Allegations Against Keith Ellison. theintercept.com 
This week, over the vehement objections of Rep. Keith Ellison, D-Minn., and his ex-wife Kim Ellison, a Minnesota family court official unsealed the divorce files for the couple's 25-year marriage. While divorce records are typically public, courts seal them if both parties agree, and no one else objects. | A lawsuit to unseal the records was filed in September by a far-right news site, Alpha News, and soon joined
(2018-10-19). South Carolina Is Lobbying to Allow Discrimination Against Jewish Parents. theintercept.com 
The Trump administration is considering whether to grant a South Carolina request that would effectively allow faith-based foster care agencies in the state the ability to deny Jewish parents from fostering children in its network. The argument, from the state and from the agency, is that the federal Religious Freedom Restoration Act should not force a Protestant group to work with Jewish people if it violates a tenet of their faith. | The case being made by South Carolina is an extension of the debate around RFRA, which is more commonly associated with discrimination against LGBTQ people, but by no means applies…
(2018-10-19). WATCH NOW: Bow Wow, Lil Mama, Jhonni Blaze and More Team Up With NAACP to Turnout the Vote. naacp.org As part of NAACP's partnership with WEtv, the cast of Growing Up Hip Hop Atlanta came together to release a PSA urging viewers to vote in this year's midterm elections.
(2018-10-19). Don't Board Our Buses Without Probable Cause or a Warrant. aclu.org The president of the Greyhound bus drivers' union urges management to stand up to Trump's deportation machine. | When I first started working at Greyhound 28 years ago, I was told that I would never be able to drive a bus. I'm a woman of color. But I got trained, and I became a bus driver. Soon after, I joined Local 1700 of the Amalgamated Transit Union, and today I am the local's president. | Local 1700 represents 3,500 Greyhound drivers, mechanics, and terminal workers. My job, as the president, is to advocate on behalf of our members for fair pay, safety, and wellbeing. But today, I'm advocating for our custom…
(2018-10-19). It's No Trick — These Virginia Cities Are Criminalizing Halloween. aclu.org Local ordinances are taking all the fun out of Halloween through excessive age and time restrictions. | In Chesapeake, Virginia, trick-or-treaters over 12 years old can be punished for trick-or-treating with a fine of "not less than $25.00 nor more than $100.00 or by confinement in jail for not more than six months or both." The potential penalty for asking for…
(2018-10-19). NAACP Announces Partnership with When We All Vote, National Bar Association, National Action Network, and National Pan-Hellenic Council Organizations. naacp.org 
BALTIMORE (October 19, 2018) — During its board meeting in Baltimore, MD, Leon W. Russell, NAACP Chairman, National Board of Directors, announced a partnership with former First Lady of the United States, Michelle Obama's organization, When We All Vote. From #NAACP Board Meeting: "When We All Vote is proud to partner with the NAACP […] | The post
(2018-10-19). ICYMI: NAACP Town Hall Galvanizes Thousands. naacp.org NAACP hosted a national tele townhall on Thursday, October 18th at 9 pm as it rallies to turnout Black voters for the midterm elections. With less than three weeks until election day, this townhall — the second in a series of GOTV calls — focused on two critical issues facing the Black community as they cast their votes on November 6: […]
(2018-10-19). WATCH NOW: NAACP President Talks the Importance of Data and Targeted Outreach in Turning Out the Black Vote. naacp.org 
NAACP President and CEO, Derrick Johnson, appeared on Washington Journal to speak about NAACP's civic engagement plan for the midterm elections and beyond. Speaking to host, Pedro Echevarria and callers across the nation, President Johnson emphasized the importance of a data-centric approach in mobilizing Black voters. Watch the interview on C-SPAN.
(2018-10-19). Ohio: If You Don't Vote, They Will. naacp.org In Ohio, If You Don't Vote, They Will Launching anything for the first time is always a challenge of unexpected obstacles, but when the intent of the project is to mobilize an entire community for generations to come, no obstacle will deter the journey. NAACP's civic engagement campaign for the 2018 elections is no different. As incidents of voter suppression and unethical campaign […]
(2018-10-18). Louisiana's Infamous Angola Prison Goes on Trial. aclu.org Angola prison is home to horrific constitutional violations that threaten the health and welfare of people incarcerated in the facility. | In November 2012, Shannon Hurd, who was serving a life sentence for stealing $14, began losing weight and experiencing flu-like symptoms. His symptoms worsened, and he developed a pain in his side. But doctors at the Louisiana State Penitentiary, also known as "Angola," repeatedly dismissed his medical complaints. | He did not receive medical care in the weeks that followed. He did not receive medical care in the months that followed. And as he waited for basic medical care, a…
(2018-10-18). SPLC statement on Trump's threat to call up troops and close the southern border. splcenter.org Today's announcement that President Trump might call up federal troops and "close our southern border" to stop immigrants from countries like Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador from entering the U.S. is racist and illegal.
(2018-10-18). In a Case that Rocked Alabama, a Man With Intellectual Disability Is Spared Death. aclu.org Almost a decade after his death sentence, the state agreed Lam Luong could not be executed and joined the defense in asking to change the sentence. | This week, in one of the highest profile cases in Alabama history, longtime ACLU client Lam Luong was resentenced to life in imprisonment without parole, nine years after he was sentenced to death. Luong's life was spared because experts hired by both the state of Alabama and the defense agreed that he met the criteria for intellectual disability. | Luong, born during the Vietnam War to a Vietnamese woman and a Black American serviceman, was convicted and sentenced…
(2018-10-18). A Tribute to Ron Dellums, Radical. zcomm.org Ron Dellums fought the good fight. He appreciated the struggle against racism is permanently joined with those against sexism, militarism, and capitalism…
(2018-10-18). Secret Government Report Shows Gaping Holes in Privacy Protections From U.S. Surveillance. aclu.org 
The Trump administration released a report from federal privacy watchdog after the ACLU filed a Freedom of Information Act request. | On Tuesday, in response to Freedom of Information Act requests, a federal privacy watchdog released an important report about how the U.S. government handles people's personal information that it sweeps up in its surveillance. Despite requests from Senator Ron Wyden and the European Union, the Trump administration had refused to make the report public [m…
(2018-10-18). Trump Administration's Warped View of Religious Freedom Abroad. zcomm.org Religious freedom arguments are increasingly being used to challenge anti-discrimination policies and access to services…
(2018-10-18). Meet Edward Blum, the Man Who Wants to Kill Affirmative Action in Higher Education. aclu.org Activist Edward Blum has been trying to destroy race-conscious college admissions for a long time. | In a federal lawsuit that went to trial this week, the organization Students for Fair Admissions is challenging Harvard University's admissions practices, arguing that the consideration of race in the process violates the Equal Protection Clause. | So what's at stake in this case? A lot. | Just two years ago, in Fisher v. the University of Texas, the Supreme Court reaffirmed that the consideration of race as part of a holistic admissions pr…
(2018-10-17). SPLC sues for records detailing Trump administration plan to arm teachers with guns using federal funds. splcenter.org The Trump administration is withholding records detailing how it has unlawfully permitted the use of federal funds to arm teachers with guns in classrooms across America, according to a lawsuit the SPLC filed today.
(2018-10-17). Why Trump's Stormy Daniels Tweet Wasn't Defamation. aclu.org Defamation is hard to prove in the United States — and that's a good thing for political debate. | On Monday, a federal judge dismissed a lawsuit brought by Stephanie Clifford, aka Stormy Daniels, against Donald Trump alleging that he defamed her on Twitter. While Trump's bullying and name-calling, particularly targeting women, are abhorrent and vulgar, it's not surprising that Clifford's suit was unsuccessful. Defamation is rela…
(2018-10-17). Ôªø'Let's just ghost him': Alt-right leaders were leery of Jason Kessler before 'Unite the Right.' Text messages show they wanted him out of the movement. splcenter.org The speakers were lined up and the promotions had started for "Unite the Right," the large gathering of racists, white supremacists and alt-righters in Charlottesville, Virginia.
(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.
(2018-10-11). Dreaming political concepts in Iran and the US: Huey Newton and Ali Shariati, through the movie Black Panther. zcomm.org Dreaming political concepts in Iran and the US: Huey Newton and Ali Shariati, through the movie Black Panther In the movie Black Panther, N'Jobu is residing in Oakland, California as a Wakandan spy when he's troubled by the racism faced by black Americans. T'Chaka, the king of Wakanda, considers N'Jobu's plot of Read more…
(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…