Houthis to Demand Body of Slain Journalist Jamal Khashoggi as Part of Saudi Prisoner Exchange
Ahmed Abdulkareem | mintpressnews.com | 2018-12-21
"If [slain journalist Jamal] Khashoggi's sons ask or if they want us to demand their father's body [as part of the Saudi-Yemeni prisoner swap] then we will do it." — Mohammed Ali al-Houthi, President of Ansar Allah's Supreme Revolutionary Committee | The post Houthis to Demand Body of Slain Journalist Jamal Khashoggi as Part of Saudi Prisoner Exchange appeared first on MintPress News.
mintpressnews.com/houthis-demand-body-slain-journalist-jamal-khashoggi-part-saudi-prisoner-exchange/253278/
Spanish regional elections: Socialist Party falters, far-right advances
Conn Hallinan | peoplesworld.org | 2018-12-21
In what seems a replay of recent German and Italian elections, an openly authoritarian and racist party made major electoral gains in Spain's most populous province, Andalusia, helping to dethrone the Socialist Party that had dominated the southern region for 36 years. Vox (Voice)–a party that stands for "Spain First," restrictions on women's rights, ending …
peoplesworld.org/article/spanish-regional-elections-socialist-party-falters-far-right-advances/
The Death Penalty in 2018: A Punishment on the Decline
ACLU | aclu.org | 2018-12-21
We have much to celebrate in 2018, and much work towards abolition in the years ahead. | An annual survey conducted by the Death Penalty Information Center shows a significant decline in 2018 in the use of the death penalty nationwide. This is as it should be — the nation is turning away from the barbaric practice of killing its people as punishment. | In 2018, 25 people were executed, marking the fourth year in a row the United States has had fewer than 30 executions. That's down dramatically from the peak of 98 executions we saw in 1999. Death sentenc…
aclu.org/blog/capital-punishment/innocence-and-death-penalty/death-penalty-2018-punishment-decline
Trump's War on Children
Christopher Brauchli | counterpunch.org | 2018-12-21
Children are in the news yet again. Not the 12,800 immigrant children that were in shelters for migrant children in the United States in September 2017, a significant increase from May 2016. In that month there were 2700 immigrant children in detention facilities that Trumpsters describe as similar to summer camps. And not the 85,000 children who Save…
counterpunch.org/2018/12/21/trumps-war-on-children/
Extremists' collectibles used to fund today's hate movement
Bill Morlin | splcenter.org | 2018-12-21
Attempts to sell neo-Nazi memorabilia online are nothing new, but a recent marketing ploy attempts to use the sale of racist antiquities to fund modern-day racist activities.
splcenter.org/hatewatch/2018/12/21/extremists-collectibles-used-fund-todays-hate-movement
"Cultural Marxism": The Quixotic Catch-All Term to Cover Feminism, Multiculturalism, Identity Politics, Civil Rights,
Caoimhghin àì Croidheáin | globalresearch.ca | 2018-12-21
"The whole aim of practical politics is to keep the populace alarmed (and hence clamorous to be led to safety) by menacing it with an endless series of hobgoblins, all of them imaginary." — H. L. Mencken | Cultural Marxism is … | The post "Cultural Marxism": The Quixotic Catch-All Term to Cover Feminism, Multiculturalism, Identity Politics, Civil Rights, … appeared first on Global Research.
globalresearch.ca/cultural-marxism-the-quixotic-catch-all-term-to-cover-feminism-multiculturalism-identity-politics-civil-rights/5663302
Kurdish-led forces 'may not be able to contain ISIL prisoners'
aljazeera | aljazeera.com | 2018-12-21
SDF discusses plan to release 3,200 local and foreign ISIL fighters after US decided to pull out its troops from Syria.
aljazeera.com/news/2018/12/kurdish-led-forces-isil-prisoners-181221124343666.html
Single Moms Get Sucked Into the Cruelest Debtors' Prison We've Ever Seen
ACLU | aclu.org | 2018-12-21
In Lexington County, SC, moms struggling to make ends meet get jailed for weeks or months at a time when they can't afford to pay court fines and fees | Twanda Marshinda Brown is a single mom in South Carolina who was supporting her children by working at Burger King. In 2016, a court in Lexington County fined her around $2,300 for two traffic offenses. The judge ordered her to make monthly payments of $100, even though she explained she could only afford to pay $50 a month whil…
aclu.org/blog/racial-justice/race-and-criminal-justice/single-moms-get-sucked-cruelest-debtors-prison-weve
Spanish Elections a Lesson for the Left
Conn Hallinan | zcomm.org | 2018-12-21
In what seems a replay of recent German and Italian elections, an openly authoritarian and racist party made major electoral gains in Spain's most populous province, Andalusia…
zcomm.org/znetarticle/spanish-elections-a-lesson-for-the-left/
Donorbox Shutters BDS Fundraising After Complaint by Israeli-Government Linked Group
AP | mintpressnews.com | 2018-12-21
JERUSALEM (AP) — A U.S. software company said Friday it blocked the fundraising account of the Palestinian-led boycott movement against Israel following a complaint by a pro-Israel group that the campaign has links to militant organizations. | Donorbox, which makes fundraising management software, confirmed that the BDS campaign's account was temporarily blocked while it investigates the allegations. | The BDS movement called the Israeli move "McCarthyite." | The decision came in response to a complaint from Shurat HaDin, an Israeli advocacy group that files lawsuits around the world against Israel's foes,…
mintpressnews.com/donorbox-shutters-bds-fundraising-after-complaint-by-israeli-government-linked-group/253232/
Congress Touts First Step Act as Criminal Justice Victory–But Critics Fear Bill Makes False Promises
Democracy Now! | democracynow.org | 2018-12-21
A major criminal justice reform bill is poised to become law after the U.S. House of Representatives overwhelmingly voted in its favor Thursday. The First Step Act, passed in the Senate earlier this week with an 87-12 vote, would roll back sentences for federal prisoners, including mandatory life terms for third-time offenders and mandatory sentences for nonviolent drug users. The bill is now heading to the desk of President Trump, who has pledged to sign it into law. The bill only affects federal prisoners, who make up less than 10 percent of the more than 2 million U.S. prisoners. It has been endorsed by a wide…
www.democracynow.org/2018/12/21/congress_touts_first_step_act_as
The Bolton Speech on Africa: A Case of the Wolf and the Foxes
Ajamu Baraka | counterpunch.org | 2018-12-21
Malcolm X reminded us that we had to be careful about the difference between the wolf and the fox. The wolf for black people were the hardcore, racist white folks with the hoods and clearly articulated stance in support of white supremacy. The fox, on the other hand were the liberals who were supposed to…
counterpunch.org/2018/12/21/the-bolton-speech-on-africa-a-case-of-the-wolf-and-the-foxes/
Critics Say First Step Act Makes False Promises About Criminal Legal Reform
Shared by Samantha Borek | truthout.org | 2018-12-21
A major criminal justice reform bill is poised to become law after the House of Representatives overwhelmingly voted in its favor Thursday. The First Step Act, passed in the Senate earlier this week with an 87-12 vote, would roll back sentences for federal prisoners, including mandatory life terms for third-time offenders and mandatory sentences for nonviolent drug users. The bill is now heading to the desk of President Trump, who has pledged to sign it into law. The bill only affects federal prisoners, who make up less than 10 percent of the more than 2 million prisoners. It has been endorsed by a wide range…
truthout.org/video/critics-say-first-step-act-makes-false-promises-about-criminal-legal-reform/
UAW official sentenced in bribery scheme as noose tightens on top union leaders
WSWS | wsws.org | 2018-12-21
Nancy Johnson, a top aide to former UAW Vice President Norwood Jewell, was sentenced to one year in prison for the illegal use of a credit card issued by the Chrysler-UAW National Training Center.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2018/12/21/corr-d21.html
#SaveHakeem — Stop deportation of Bahraini refugee
kathy_f | greenleft.org.au | 2018-12-21
Bahraini refugee Hakeem Al-Araibi has been held in detention in Thailand since November 27, facing the terrifying prospect of deportation to the country where he was tortured. | Al-Araibi fled to Australia in 2014 and was accepted as a refugee. In November, he travelled on UN travel documents to Thailand for a short holiday with his wife. When he arrived at Bangkok airport, Al-Araibi was arrested under an Interpoll "Red Notice" (an international arrest warrant) issued by the Bahrain government. | Interpol is not meant to issue red notices for refugees, so this red notice should never have been issued for Al-Araib…
greenleft.org.au/content/savehakeem-%E2%80%93-stop-deportation-bahraini-refugee
United Arab Emirates: Further Information: Possible Verdict For Human Rights Defender: Ahmed Mansoor
amnesty | amnesty.org | 2018-12-21
On 24 December 2018 the Federal Supreme Court in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) is set to hear the appeal of prominent human rights defender and prisoner of conscience, Ahmed Mansoor. The court may issue a final verdict. On 29 May 2018, Ahmed Mansoor was convicted and sentenced to 10 years in prison on charges including "insulting the UAE and its symbols".
amnesty.org/en/documents/mde25/9624/2018/en/
'Domestic Workers Don't Have Protections Against Discrimination and Harassment' – CounterSpin interview with Mariana Viturro on Domestic Workers Bill of Rights
Janine Jackson | fair.org | 2018-12-20
Janine Jackson interviewed Mariana Viturro about the Domestic Workers Bill of Rights for the December 14, 2018, episode of CounterSpin. This is a lightly edited transcript. | Media…
fair.org/home/domestic-workers-dont-have-protections-against-discrimination-and-harassment/
Trump's 'Racist' Wall Approved by House
teleSUR | telesurenglish.net | 2018-12-20
U.S. President Donald Trump has had his border wall approved by the House, in a move that sees the controversial, and openly racist leader, create a divide between the U.S. and Latin America. | RELATED: | Donald Trump Signs NICA Act And Imposes Sanctions on Nicaragua | The vote received no Democratic support, and the bill's prospects in the Senate are dim as Democrats have pledged to defeat the divisive measure, according to ABC News. | Fox News have reported that Eight Republic…
telesurenglish.net/news/Trumps-Racist-Wall-Approved-by-House-20181220-0034.html
NAACP Launches Boycott of Facebook: Platform Is Unhealthy for African Americans & U.S. Democracy
Democracy Now! | democracynow.org | 2018-12-20
Facebook is under fire again, this time for new revelations that Russian trolls targeted African Americans on social media in an effort to influence the vote ahead of the 2016 election. A pair of bipartisan reports published by the Senate Intelligence Committee Monday claim the Russian government focused on African Americans in its effort to suppress the turnout of voters likely to cast ballots for Hillary Clinton, spreading fake news and sowing discord in the run-up to the election. The NAACP has launched a Facebook boycott in response, demanding the social media giant be held responsible. We speak with Derrick…
www.democracynow.org/2018/12/20/naacp_launches_boycott_of_facebook_platform
Anti-Lynching Bill Passes the U.S. Senate
Adam Lee | naacp.org | 2018-12-20
Late in the afternoon of 12/19, the U.S. Senate unanimously passed S. 3178, the Justice for Victims of Lynching Act, which was originally introduced by Senators Kamala Harris (CA), Cory Booker (NJ) and Tim Scott (SC). This crucial legislation would make lynching a hate crime, therefore eligible for the additional federal tools and resources used […] | The post Anti-Lynching Bill Passes the U.S. Senate appeared first on NAACP.
naacp.org/latest/anti-lynching-bill-passes-u-s-senate/
Screen Shot 2018-12-20 at 7.46.15 AM.png
Ruth Conniff | progressive.org | 2018-12-20
"It was Paul Ryan and Reince Priebus who transformed the politics of Wisconsin with racist dog-whistle messaging, and that laid the foundation for Donald Trump."
progressive.org/dispatches/paul-ryans-hypocrisy-181220/
PRISON AND SENTENCING REFORM PASSES THE US SENATE
Adam Lee | naacp.org | 2018-12-20
On December 18, 2018, the U.S. Senate passed, by a vote of 87 yeas to 12 nays, its version of the First Step Act, legislation which begins to reform our nation's sentencing laws and prison terms. This bipartisan legislation, which has been strongly supported and promoted by the White House, offers some important improvements to the current federal criminal […] | The post PRISON AND SENTENCING REFORM PASSES THE US SENATE appeared first on NAACP.
naacp.org/latest/prison-sentencing-reform-passes-us-senate/
US Makes Top 5 In Record Year Of Killed Journalists
teleSUR | telesurenglish.net | 2018-12-20
Reporters Without Borders (RSF) says that the number of slain and detained journalists increased worldwide in 2018. | RELATED: | Myanmar Court Green Lights Jailed Reporters' Appeal | For the first time in history the United States is among the top five deadliest countries for murdered journalists, with six members of the media unfortunately meeting their end in the U.S. | The U.S. was fourth on the list because of the June 2018 mass shooting at the Capital Gazette in Annapolis, Maryland. Ja…
telesurenglish.net/news/US-Makes-Top-5-In-Record-Year-Of-Killed-Journalists-20181220-0025.html
Spain: Catalans Protest PM Sanchez's Visit to Barcelona
teleSUR | telesurenglish.net | 2018-12-20
Nine Catalan pro-freedom leaders, who are jailed, called Thursday for large but peaceful protests to mark a visit by Spain's cabinet. | RELATED: | Catalans Mark 1st Anniversary of Independence Referendum | Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez will chair his weekly cabinet meeting in the Catalan capital of Barcelona Friday, as a part the effort to resolve the polit…
telesurenglish.net/news/Spain-Catalans-Protest-PM-Sanchezs-Visit-to-Barcelona-20181220-0023.html
The Lives We Changed in 2018
ACLU | aclu.org | 2018-12-20
Because of the generosity of ACLU members, these people are free to live their lives again. | This year hasn't been easy: Thousands of families are still suffering the effects of family separation; the Muslim ban continues to keep loved ones apart; and whole generations of family trees are being decimated by an unfair, out-of-control mass incarceration machine. But beneath the headlines, the news alerts, and the legal battles are a few glimmers of hope that ACLU supporters made possible., , Here are some of our favorite moments from 2018. | Ansly Breathes Free Again : | Ethics teacher Ansly Damus fled…
aclu.org/blog/immigrants-rights/immigrants-rights-and-detention/lives-we-changed-2018
Congress Just Took a Big Step Toward Ending the Shackling of Pregnant Prisoners
ACLU | aclu.org | 2018-12-20
Passing the First Step Act will be a step toward upholding the rights and protecting the health of pregnant prisoners. | Congress on Thursday passed the Senate version of the First Step Act, which is now headed for signature to President Trump. He is expected to sign it on Friday. | The First Step Act would, in addition to enacting other important criminal justice reforms, prohibit the shackling of p…
aclu.org/blog/prisoners-rights/women-prison/congress-just-took-big-step-toward-ending-shackling-pregnant
Déjà vu on the Greek-Turkey Border
Human Rights Watch | hrw.org | 2018-12-20
Migrants that crossed the land border between Greece and Turkey are seen at the Pre-Removal Detention Center in the village of Fylakio, Northern Greece, February 24, 2017. | © 2017 Alexandros Avramidis /Reuters | Ten years ago, I documented a systematic pattern of brutal Greek border police pushbacks of migrants and asylum seekers at the Evros River border that divides Greece and Turkey. Last week, as I edited a new Human Rights Watch report, I felt as though I was re-reading my old report. | Here's a paragraph fro…
hrw.org/news/2018/12/20/deja-vu-greek-turkey-border
US Deporting Iraqis Without Valid Documents
Human Rights Watch | hrw.org | 2018-12-20
Protesters rally outside the federal court just before a hearing to consider a class-action lawsuit filed on behalf of Iraqi nationals facing deportation, in Detroit, Michigan, US, June 21, 2017. | © 2017 Reuters/Rebecca Cook | (Beirut) — The United States government has deported at least 30 of a planned 1,400 people originally from Iraq back to their country, in some cases threatening long imprisonmen…
hrw.org/news/2018/12/20/us-deporting-iraqis-without-valid-documents
Iran: Imprisoned Dissident Dies
Human Rights Watch | hrw.org | 2018-12-20
Rajai Shahr Prison, Karaj, Iran. | © 2004 Private | (Beirut) — Iranian authorities should immediately carry out an independent and impartial investigation into the death of an imprisoned activist on a hunger strike, Human Rights Watch said today. Anyone found responsible for wrongdoing in the death of Vahid Sayadi Nasiri should be held accountable. Iranian authorities have systematically failed to conduct transparent investigations into at least prio…
hrw.org/news/2018/12/20/iran-imprisoned-dissident-dies
'Fair report privilege': Judge backs BuzzFeed in Russian's lawsuit over Steele dossier
RT | rt.com | 2018-12-20
A federal judge in Florida ruled for BuzzFeed in a defamation lawsuit brought by a Russian internet entrepreneur accused of hacking the Democratic Party in the salacious Steele dossier that was published by the outlet. | …
rt.com/usa/446907-buzzfeed-defamation-steele-gubarev/
NASA Director Firouz Naderi Calls For Release Of Iran's Political Prisoners
The former director of NASA's Solar System Exploration program, Dr. Firouz Naderi, has joined the international call for Iran to release all political prisoners including Nasrin Sotoudeh, Farhad Meysami and Reza Khandan, who were all imprisoned this year in Iran for peacefully advocating human and women's rights. | The post NASA Director Firouz Naderi Calls For Release Of Iran's Political Prisoners appeared first on The Iranian.
iranian.com/2018/12/20/nasa-director-firouz-naderi-calls-for-release-of-irans-political-prisoners/
United Arab Emirates: Further Information: Hunger-Striking Academic In Critical Condition: Dr Nasser bin Ghaith
amnesty | amnesty.org | 2018-12-20
Dr Nasser bin Ghaith's health has severely deteriorated. The prominent Emirati economist and academic has been on hunger strike for over 70 days in al-Razeen prison in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to protest the detention conditions and the denial of access to medical care. He is a prisoner of conscience.
amnesty.org/en/documents/mde25/9621/2018/en/
Algeria: Forced to leave: Stories of injustice against migrants in Algeria
amnesty | amnesty.org | 2018-12-20
Over the past two decades Algeria has become a country of transit or final destination of many nationals from West and Central Africa looking for employment opportunities in a variety of sectors, mainly construction and agriculture. Yet despite the large number of Sub-Saharan migrants, asylum seekers and refugees in the country, Algeria still lacks a clear legal framework for migrant workers and has a law criminalizing irregular migration making it an offence punishable by up to five years in prison. | Arbitrary arrests and mass expulsions of migrants from Sub-Saharan Africa have reached an all-time high, in star…
amnesty.org/en/documents/mde28/9512/2018/en/
UAE: Fears grow for health of unjustly imprisoned academic
amnesty | amnesty.org | 2018-12-20
The authorities in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) must immediately and unconditionally release Dr Nasser bin Ghaith, a prisoner of conscience whose health has deteriorated sharply in recent days, said Amnesty International today. | Dr Nasser bin Ghaith is serving a 10-year sentence for criticizing the UAE in comments posted on Twitter after a grossly unfair politically motivated trial. | "News that Dr Nasser bin Ghaith's health has deteriorated sharply…
amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2018/12/uae-fears-grow-for-health-of-unjustly-imprisoned-academic/
Revisiting the Taco Bell Killing
Liliana Segura | theintercept.com | 2018-12-20
In the fall of 2001, lawmakers in Cook County, Georgia voted to raise taxes for the coming year. The $1.75 million hike passed "unanimously but reluctantly," according to the Adel News Tribune, which cited large expenditures in the name of law and order. There was the opening of the new county jail, requiring new staff and equipment, but, more significantly, the previous spring Adel had seen its first death penalty trial in a generation. The weeklong trial of 20-year-old Devonia Inman for the killing of a single mother named Donna Brown "quadrupled the Superior Court budget," according to the newspaper. The seque…
theintercept.com/2018/12/20/murderville-hercules-brown-dna-evidence/
Episode One: Murder at Taco Bell
Murderville, GA | theintercept.com | 2018-12-20
A murder in a small Georgia town sent a man to jail for 20 years. While he awaited trial, three more people were brutally killed. Did police get the wrong man? | The post Episode One: Murder at Taco Bell appeared first on The Intercept.
theintercept.com/2018/12/20/murderville-podcast-episode-one/
Despite Assurances From Trump, the U.S. Battle Against ISIS in Eastern Syria Is Far From Over
Ali Younes | theintercept.com | 2018-12-20
Despite assurances from President Donald Trump that the Islamic State is no more, the U.S.-led battle to oust the militant group from its last Syrian stronghold has intensified in recent weeks. | Amid heavy fighting between the Kurdish-led, U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces and hardened Islamic State fighters, scores of civilians and prisoners have been killed by American airstrikes in the eastern province of Deir al-Zour, according to sources on the ground. | As part of that campaign, U.S. warplanes bombed a hospital in the village of Al Shaafa…
theintercept.com/2018/12/20/syria-civil-war-isis-us-airstrikes/
Brutality Against Prisoners Is Often Unseen. In this Virgin Islands Jail, It Was Caught on Video
ACLU | aclu.org | 2018-12-19
The latest assault follows years of abuse and neglect at the St. Thomas jail. | When Benjamin Hodge, who is serving a nine-month sentence at the Criminal Justice Complex on St. Thomas in the U.S. Virgin Islands, told a corrections officer he had found a cockroach in his food, he did not expect that officer would choke him to near unconsciousness. | Though the jail's own chief investigator found that the officer, Jamal Crooke, had used excessive force and lied in his account of the incident, Crooke continues to work at the jail to this day. No criminal investigation was opened into potential assault charges. No kn…
aclu.org/blog/prisoners-rights/brutality-against-prisoners-often-unseen-virgin-islands-jail-it-was-caught
CYNTOIA BROWN DESERVES CLEMENCY — THIS IS NOT A DEBATE
Rachel Johnson | naacp.org | 2018-12-19
This story is one that meets at the intersection of sex-trafficking and mass incarceration. Cyntoia Brown has been imprisoned since she was 16 years old in 2004, during which time she was charged with first-degree premeditated murder and first-degree felony murder and tried as an adult. Although she was a teenager, she was tried as an […] | The post CYNTOIA BROWN DESERVES CLEMENCY — THIS IS NOT A DEBATE appeared first on NAACP.
naacp.org/latest/cyntoia-brown-deserves-clemency-not-debate/
NAACP to Host National Townhall on Thursday Dec. 20
Rachel Johnson | naacp.org | 2018-12-19
Leaders, activists, and organizers join in a candid conversation about #livingwhileblack, justice reform, protecting our vote, Facebook and more issues impacting black America FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE MEDIA CONTACT: Malik Russell/ mrussell@naacpnet.org and Vanessa Mbonu/ vmbonu@naacpnet.org BALTIMORE (December 19, 2018) — NAACP will host its final national tele townhall of the year on Thursday, December 20that 8 pm EST. The townhall is an opportunity to […] | The post NAACP to Host National Townhall on Thursday Dec. 20…
naacp.org/latest/naacp-host-national-townhall-thursday-dec-20/
Federal Judge Blocks Trump's Policy Gutting Asylum for People Fleeing Domestic and Gang Violence
ACLU | aclu.org | 2018-12-19
Once again, the Trump administration's attacks on asylum are held unlawful. | The Trump administration's campaign to dismantle our asylum system just suffered another major setback. | A federal judge in Washington, D.C., permanently blocked a June 2018 "expedited removal" policy that gutted asylum protections for immigrants fleeing domestic violence and gang brutality. Holding that "there is no legal basis for an effective categorical ban on domestic violence and gang-related claims," Judge Emmet Sullivan struck down the policy for being c…
aclu.org/blog/federal-judge-blocks-trumps-policy-gutting-asylum-people-fleeing-domestic-and-gang-violence
Trump Administration Recommends Slashing Civil Rights Protections for Students of Color
ACLU | aclu.org | 2018-12-19
A federal commission's post-Parkland recommendations include reversing an Obama-era guidance on racial disparities in school discipline. | On Tuesday, the Federal Commission on School Safety issued recommendations that it claims will help makes schools safer following the mass shooting in Parkland, Florida. But at the center of the report is a proposal that will endanger millions of public school students, especially students of color and students with disabilities, by reversing federal guidance intended to address racial disparities in school discipline. Doing away with the guidance will weaken federal civil rig…
aclu.org/blog/juvenile-justice/school-prison-pipeline/trump-administration-recommends-slashing-civil-rights
Justice for Jakelin: Lawmakers Demand Answers in Death of 7-Year-Old Girl in Border Patrol Custody
Democracy Now! | democracynow.org | 2018-12-19
Outrage is mounting over the death of a 7-year-old indigenous Guatemalan girl in Border Patrol custody, as lawmakers demand answers for the conditions that led Jakelin Caal Maquín to die after being detained at the U.S.-Mexico border. Maquin died on December 8, two days after she and her father presented themselves at the border alongside 161 other Central American asylum seekers. She had been held in detention for more than eight hours when she began to have seizures. Border Patrol agents brought the girl to the hospital after her body temperature spiked to 105.7 degrees. The 7-year-old died of dehydration, shoc…
www.democracynow.org/2018/12/19/justice_for_jakelin_lawmakers_demand_answers
Trump's Criminal Justice Reform Act Is a Meaningless Smoke Screen (Pt 1/3)
Shared by Hezvo Mpunga | therealnews.com | 2018-12-19
Congress's Criminal Justice Reform Act boosts privatization, fails to dismantle mass incarceration, nor does it implement sentencing reform. We speak to Eddie Conway and Natasha Pratt Harris about the proposed reform | The post Trump's Criminal Justice Reform Act Is a Meaningless Smoke Screen (Pt 1/3) appeared first on The Real News Network.
therealnews.com/stories/trumps-criminal-justice-reform-act-is-a-meaningless-smoke-screen-pt-1-3
Trump's Criminal Justice Reform Act Is a Meaningless Smoke Screen (Pt 2/3)
Shared by Hezvo Mpunga | therealnews.com | 2018-12-19
Congress's Criminal Justice Reform Act boosts privatization, fails to dismantle mass incarceration, nor does it implement sentencing reform. We speak to Eddie Conway and Natasha Pratt Harris about the proposed reform | The post Trump's Criminal Justice Reform Act Is a Meaningless Smoke Screen (Pt 2/3) appeared first on The Real News Network.
therealnews.com/stories/trumps-criminal-justice-reform-act-is-a-meaningless-smoke-screen-pt-2-3
ALP National Conference a sham
kathy_f | greenleft.org.au | 2018-12-19
Bill Shorten surprised no one with his laughingly tiny reforms at the Australian Labor Party National Conference over December 16–18. | If you expected debate, let alone proposals to stop the Adani coalmine or refugee boat turn-backs or the closure of off-shore detention centres, then you would have been disappointed as these things did not happen. | If you were hoping that there might be a commitment to increase the Newstart Allowance or to back progressive industrial relations reforms that will actually change the rules for workers, you would be doubly disappointed as these things were also rejected. | Cl…
greenleft.org.au/content/alp-national-conference-sham
DC attorney general sues Facebook over Cambridge Analytica
RT | rt.com | 2018-12-19
The Washington D.C. attorney general has filed a lawsuit suing Facebook for allowing political consultancy firm Cambridge Analytica to gain access to personal data of tens of millions of the site's users without permission. | …
rt.com/usa/446887-facebook-sued-cambridge-analytica/
US' poorest suffer from blood-sucking parasite because they can't afford septic tank (VIDEO)
RT | rt.com | 2018-12-19
Hookworm, a blood-sucking parasite thought eradicated in the US in the last century, is now seeing a resurgence in Alabama. In the Now explains how wealth inequality and racism put the state on par with countries like Honduras. | …
rt.com/usa/446877-alabama-hookwarm-infection-video/
People Should Be Allowed to Sue Facebook If It Violates Law on Face Recognition Privacy
ACLU | aclu.org | 2018-12-18
We filed a court brief opposing Facebook's effort to make it harder to enforce a pro-privacy law. | Ten years ago, Illinois enacted a law that imposes important protections against companies collecting and storing our biometric information — including using facial recognition– without our knowledge and consent. The law is called the Biometric Information Privacy Act. Although facial recognition was relatively crude when it was passed, the wisdom of Illinois' decision has been borne out over the last decade, as facial recognition and other biometric collection has developed and spread. | On Monday, the…
aclu.org/blog/privacy-technology/surveillance-technologies/people-should-be-allowed-sue-facebook-if-it
New Hampshire Police Arrested a Man for Being Mean to Them on the Internet
ACLU | aclu.org | 2018-12-18
Criminal defamation laws belong in the dustbin of history. | Should it be a crime to call public officials corrupt? Yes, according to the police in Exeter, New Hampshire. Earlier this year, they arrested a local man for writing a comment on a news website accusing Police Chief William Shupe of covering for a corrupt officer. | Robert Frese was accused of violating New Hampshire's criminal defamation law, which makes it a misdemeanor to intentionally and falsely disparage another person. New Hampshire's law [mda…
aclu.org/blog/free-speech/internet-speech/new-hampshire-police-arrested-man-being-mean-them-internet