(2018-11-23). How Liberals Got Seduced By Trump's Gifts To Private Prisons. counterpunch.org 
"The theory of Communism may be summed up in one sentence: Abolish all private property." — Karl Marx "Give the man his due: @realDonaldTrump is on his way to becoming the uniter-in-Chief on an issue that has divided America for generations. Congrats to everyone on both sides who fought for this." — Van Jones, of More
(2018-11-24). I've Been in Prison for 24 Years and I Feel Dead. truthout.org I have thought almost daily, since July 8, 1994, about suicide. Not because I want to die — I just do not want to live like this: imprisoned. The longing and loneliness of being away from family, friends, and from all that is dear to my heart; constantly being denigrated by prison officials; the use of physical force to control my life — handcuffs, shackles, and belly chains everywhere I go. | I do not want to live like this because this is not living. | The state regards prison not as an institution of rehabilitation, but as an instrument of retribution. Not as an institution to prepare me to lead a…
(2018-11-24). Reality Winner Battles an Eating Disorder Behind Bars. theintercept.com In August, Reality Winner stood before a federal judge, ready to accept a plea bargain of more than five years in prison for sharing classified information with journalists. Surrounded by dozens of reporters, attorneys, and activists who have followed her case, the whistleblower told the court something deeply personal that she had not even shared with her closest family members before her arrest. | Winner struggles with depression and bulimia."I try to be optimistic, and then they just surprise me and I'm just like, I signed a plea deal to get help." | Weeks later, Winner made a distressed phone call from a crow…
(2018-11-23). Free anti-death penalty activist Atena Daemi. amnesty.org Atena Daemi is an anti-death penalty campaigner and a women's rights activist serving a seven-year prison sentence in Iran for her peaceful activism. Her crime? Handing out anti-death penalty leaflets and criticizing Iran's execution record on social media. | In 2014, aged 26 years, Atena was blindfolded and arrested outside her home. For the first 28 days of her detention, she was held in a cell infested with insects and with no toilet. She said her interrogators offered to grant her easier access to the toilet in exchange for her "co-operation". Unfortunately, this was just the beginning of Atena's mistreatment…
(2018-11-23). Democratic Republic of Congo: Opposition youth leader still detained one year on: Christian Lumu Lukusa. amnesty.org Opposition youth leader Christian Lumu Lukusa has been in arbitrary detention since 22 November 2017, when he was arrested in Kinshasa, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). He was arrested by men believed to be agents of the National Intelligence Agency (Agence Nationale de Renseignements, ANR). Family visits have been restricted and he has not been allowed access to a lawyer.
(2018-11-23). China: Workers arrested for trying to set up trade union. amnesty.org Three factory workers and an NGO worker have been arrested for attempting to set up a trade union in China. In addition to restricted access to their lawyers, the four men have been unable to see or communicate with their families since their detention in July 2018. As a result, there are concerns for their well-being and their access to a fair trial.
(2018-11-23). Free sexual harassment survivor Amal Fathy. amnesty.org Amal Fathy posted a video online, speaking about her experience of sexual harassment and criticizing the Egyptian government for neglecting survivors. Now she's been sentenced to 2 years in prison for 'spreading false news' — and faces further charges. | Shortly after posting the video in May 2018, police raided Amal's home in the middle of the night and detained her, along with her husband and young child. Her family members were released, but Amal remains in prison. She's been sentenced to two years in prison for publishing a video that includes false news that could harm public peace' — and still f…
(2018-11-23). Four Days in Occupied Western Sahara—A Rare Look Inside Africa's Last Colony. democracynow.org 
In this special rebroadcast of a Democracy Now! exclusive documentary, we break the media blockade and go to occupied Western Sahara in the northwest of Africa to document the decades-long Sahrawi struggle for freedom and Morocco's violent crackdown. Morocco has occupied the territory since 1975 in defiance of the United Nations and the international community. Thousands have been tortured, imprisoned, killed and disappeared while resisting the Moroccan occupation. A 1,700-mile wall divides Sahrawis who remain under occupation from those who fled into exile. The international media has largely ignored the occupat…
(2018-11-23). Join Gulzar's campaign for the rights of persons with disabilities. amnesty.org In Kyrgyzstan where often, women are not meant to speak out and persons with disabilities are labelled as "invalids" and "diseased", Gulzar keeps on fighting for her dignity. | Gulzar Duishenova is a Kyrgyzstani woman with a disability, who lives in a society where persons with disabilities face daily discrimination. One of these forms of discrimination is accessibility; from going to the doctor, to getting on public transport. | But Gulzar is fighting to change this. She has made it her life's mission to ensure that persons with disabilities can live in dignity. The accessibility issues she faces have only stren…
(2018-11-23). Sweden: Homeless Roma and other EU migrants face widespread discrimination and dangerous conditions. amnesty.org Thousands of homeless and destitute EU migrants, mostly of Roma origin, are living in desperate and dangerous situations across Sweden while the country's authorities deliberately deny them access to the most basic services, a new report from Amnesty International has found. | Sweden: A cold welcome: Human rights of Roma and other "vulnerable EU citizens" at risk finds that marginalized EU migrants face insurmountable obstacles to access shelter, sanitation and health services, something that violates their human rights which Sweden has an ob…
(2018-11-23). Bahrain: Widespread pre-election clampdown on political opposition and activists. amnesty.org Ahead of the Bahraini parliamentary election on 24 November, Amnesty International is gravely concerned over the widespread suppression of the political opposition, activists, and civic leaders. Shi'a public figures have been disproportionately targeted in the pre-election clampdown. | | "Over the past two years, the crackdown in Bahrain has seen the political opposition detain…
(2018-11-23). Bahrain: Suppression of opposition ahead of Bahraini elections. amnesty.org With Bahrain on the cusp of elections for the lower house of its National Assembly this week, Amnesty International notes with serious concern that political opposition has been effectively suppressed over the course of the past two years, with a disproportionate impact on Shi'a political, civic, and religious leaders. Freedom of expression, association, and assembly are all absent in a context in which civic participation is restricted to those who already fully support the existing political order. Amnesty International calls on Bahrain to allow free expression of political dissent, and to fully respect the rig…
(2018-11-23). Chasing Down Fascists in Europe. counterpunch.org 
Polish government officials openly marching in a fascist parade along with tens of thousands of their country men and women. Police and city officials in the supposedly liberal city of Portland OR provoking antifascist protesters while protecting fascists and their sympathizers. An openly racist president of the United States declares that he is a nationalist. More
(2018-11-22). After Visiting Brazil's Lula in Prison, Noam Chomsky Warns Against "Disaster" Under Jair Bolsonaro. democracynow.org 
As Brazil's President-elect Jair Bolsonaro prepares to take office in January, we return to our conversation with world-renowned political dissident, linguist and author Noam Chomsky shortly after the election. Bolsonaro's impending presidency marks the most radical political shift Brazil since military rule ended more than 30 years ago. Bolsonaro is a former Army officer who has praised Brazil's former military dictatorship, spoken in favor of torture and threatened to destroy, imprison or banish his political opponents. Bolsonaro has also encouraged the police to kill suspected drug dealers, and once told a fem…
(2018-11-22). Oshkosh WI: SDS remembers 'Black Thursday,' anniversary marks mass expulsion of African American students. fightbacknews.org Oshkosh, WI – November 21 marks the 50th anniversary of one of the darkest moments in the history of the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh (UWO). On this day in 1968, 94 African American students and their supporters marched to the administrative offices at Dempsey Hall and occupied the then-university president's office. Angered by the poor living conditions, grading discrimination, inability to sign up for classes, the lack of African American history and art courses and no Black cultural center on campus, these students demanded change. | When 40 of these students set upon his office, President Roger E. Gui…
(2018-11-21). Headlines for November 21, 2018. democracynow.org Trump Sides with "Great Ally" Saudi Arabia over Khashoggi Killing, Lawmakers Condemn Trump's Defense of Saudi Arabia, WaPo Publisher Blasts Trump over Murder of Columnist Jamal Khashoggi, Rights Groups: Saudi Arabia Is Torturing Feminist Activists, Yemen: Saudi-Led War Caused 85,000 Young Children to Die from Hunger, Afghanistan: Suicide Bomber Kills 50 at Kabul Religious Gathering, DHS Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen Warns Migrant Caravan over Asylum, Texas ICE Jail to Release 29 Families After Federal Ruling on Asylum, Mississippi GOP Senate Candidate Posed for Photos in Confederate Garb, Federal Judge Strikes Down…
(2018-11-19). Meet the Prisoners Being Paid $1 an Hour to Battle the Deadly Climate-Fueled Fires of California. democracynow.org 
As the death toll from the Camp Fire rises to 77, California is combating its deadliest fire in state history using prison labor. Some 1,500 of the 9,400 firefighters currently battling fires in California are incarcerated. They make just a dollar an hour but are rarely eligible to get jobs as firefighters after their release. According to some estimates, California saves up to $100 million a year by using prison labor to fight its biggest environmental problem. In September, the Democracy Now! team traveled to the Delta Conservation Camp in Northern California, a low-security prison where more than 100 men are i…
(2018-11-19). Headlines for November 19, 2018. democracynow.org NorCal Wildfires Death Toll Soars to 77 as Trump Tours Devastation, Trump Claims Finland Prevents Fires by "Raking and Cleaning" Forests, Florida Democrats Concede Senate & Gubernatorial Races After Recounts, Abrams Ends Her Georgia Governor Bid, Vows to Fight Voter Suppression, Orange County Flips to Democrats After Cisneros Wins House Race, CIA Says Crown Prince Ordered Khashoggi Murder, Yemen: Houthi Rebels Call for Ceasefire, Turkey: Government Arrests 14 in Crackdown on Academics and Activists, Trump to Nominate Acting EPA Chief Andrew Wheeler as Permanent Leader, Trump Attacks Admiral McRaven, Who Led Osama…
(2018-11-16). As Camp Fire Death Toll Rises, Meet the Prisoners Making $1 an Hour to Fight California's Wildfires. democracynow.org 
The death toll from the Camp Fire in California has risen to at least 63, with 631 people reported missing. As California continues to battle the deadliest fire in the state's history, we turn to the hidden heroes on the front lines the raging climate-fueled wildfires: prisoner firefighters. At least 1,500 of the 9,400 firefighters currently battling fires in California are incarcerated. They make just a dollar an hour battling on the front lines but are rarely eligible to get jobs as firefighters after their release. In September, the Democracy Now! team traveled to the Delta Conservation Camp about an hour nort…
(2018-11-15). Vermont Immigrant Rights Group Sues ICE for Monitoring, Infiltrating & "Hunting Down" Organizers. democracynow.org 
A major new federal lawsuit claims that immigration agents are targeting undocumented organizers for their activism in Vermont. The suit accuses Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the Department of Homeland Security and the Vermont Department of Motor Vehicles of carrying out a multiyear campaign of political retaliation against members of the group Migrant Justice. According to the lawsuit, Migrant Justice was infiltrated by an informant, and its members were repeatedly subjected to electronic surveillance. At least 20 active members of Migrant Justice have been arrested and detained by ICE. We speak with Will…
(2018-11-15). The Blue Wave Keeps Rolling On. progressive.org By leaning into racism and voter suppression, the Republicans are trading their future for a few hard-fought, short-term victories. And despite that, across the country organized citizens delivered a rebuke to the politics of Donald Trump.