(2018-12-07). 'Racism' vs. 'anti-Semitism': CNN dragged for firing black contributor over pro-Palestine speech. rt.com 
After firing commentator Marc Lamont Hill for a supposedly anti-Semitic speech in support of Palestine, CNN is experiencing its own backlash as hundreds of professors and students sign a letter denouncing the network as racist.
(2018-12-07). Report: Palestinians In Israel Jails Continue to Suffer Medical Negligence. imemc.org Palestinians living under detention in Israeli prisons are being diagnosed with medical conditions, as of late, because of a lack of health care, a Palestinian NGO has revealed. In a report, the Prisoners' Centre for Studies said that 12 per cent of the Palestinian prisoners in occupation jails are diagnosed with …
(2018-12-07). Jerusalem Governor Banned from Entering West Bank. imemc.org Israeli authorities, on Thursday, banned Jerusalem's Governor, Adnan Gheith, from entry into the West Bank, for six consecutive months. Gheith was summoned Thursday morning, to al-Maskobieh detention and interrogation center, where he was handed a military order banning him entry to the West Bank for six consecutive months. The order, …
(2018-12-06). GOP Mum After Election Fraud Exposed in North Carolina. truthdig.com The Republican Party and President Donald Trump have spent a lot of time issuing hysterical, racist, and evidence-free warnings about the prevalence of "voter fraud" in the U.S. as a pretext to roll back voting rights, but the GOP has been conspicuously silent after what has been described as a clear case of election fraud was discovered in North Carolina's 9th congressional district (NC-09), where a Republican candidate edged out his Democratic opponent by just over 900 vote…
(2018-12-06). How George H.W. Bush and Other Conservatives Undermined his Americans with Disabilities Act Legacy. progressive.org Bush deserves credit for what he did to make the ADA happen. But federal civil rights laws are just empty symbolic gestures unless the executive branch vigorously enforces them and judges take them seriously.
(2018-12-06). Rattling the Bars: Stopping Corporate Exploitation in Prisons (Pt 2/2). therealnews.com 
Eddie Conway talks with Bianca Tylek, founder of the Corrections Accountability Corporation about thousands of corporations funding private prisons and immigration detention centers and what citizens can do about it
(2018-12-06). Triumph of the Swill: New Doc Puts Roger Ailes in the No Spin Zone. progressive.org The best exposé on Fox in years dives into its former chief's history of racism and the sexual misconduct that would ultimately be his undoing.
(2018-12-06). Americans Endorsed Voting Rights in 2018, but Some State Lawmakers Want to Sabotage These Victories. aclu.org 
State legislators are ignoring their voters' wishes and engaging in new tactics to suppress the vote. | The 2018 election ushered in a wave of voting rights victories. Voters in Florida, Michigan, Maryland, and Nevada all made it easier to register and vote, showing that voters reject voter suppression efforts and <...
(2018-12-06). Why Is GOP Silent Over Real Election Fraud in North Carolina? truthout.org The Republican Party and President Donald Trump have spent a lot of time issuing hysterical, racist, and evidence-free warnings about the prevalence of "voter fraud" in the US as a pretext to roll back voting rights, but the GOP has been conspicuously silent after what has been described as a clear case of election fraud was discovered in North Carolina's 9th congressional district (NC-09), where a Republican candidate edged out his Democratic opponent by just over 900 votes.
(2018-12-06). Re-education Camps, Infiltration, Surveillance: China Criticized over Persecution of Uyghur Muslims. democracynow.org 
The United Nations and human rights groups have accused China's government of setting up massive anti-Muslim "re-education" camps in the northwest Xinjiang province to disappear, jail and brainwash Uyghur Muslims. Some estimates put the population in the camps at up to 2 million. After months of denials, China acknowledged their existence in October, saying they are part of efforts to counter extremism. But Uyghurs say it's a form of collective punishment—and that they live under a high-tech surveillance state designed to eradicate Islam. We speak to Rushan Abbas, a Uyghur-American activist based in Washing…
(2018-12-06). Yemenis Seek Asylum on Island That Resists US Militarization. truthout.org Several days ago, I joined an unusual Skype call originated by young South Korean founders of "The Hope School." Located on Jeju Island, the school aims to build a supportive community between island residents and newly arrived Yemenis who seek asylum in South Korea. | Jeju, a visa-free port, has been an entry point for close to 500 Yemenis who have traveled nearly 5000 miles in search of safety. Traumatized by consistent bombing, threats of imprisonment and torture,…
(2018-12-06). PPS: "Israeli Soldiers Abduct Fourteen Palestinians In The West Bank" imemc.org The Palestinian Prisoners Society (PPS) has reported that Israeli soldiers abducted, on Thursday at dawn, at least fourteen Palestinians, including former political prisoners, during violent searches of homes, in several parts of the occupied West Bank. The PPS stated that the soldiers abducted Ahmad Kamal Abu Alia, Ramzi Abu Alia, …
(2018-12-06). Fred Hampton's death is just one example of the Government's covert disruption of Black Lives. mronline.org 
The police lied and said that when they knocked on the door and announced themselves, the Panthers immediately began shooting at them. This was later proven to be a lie. | Source
(2018-12-06). China Criticized Over Persecution of Uyghur Muslims. truthout.org The United Nations and human rights groups have accused China's government of setting up massive anti-Muslim "re-education" camps in the northwest Xinjiang province to disappear, jail and brainwash Uyghur Muslims. Some estimates put the population in the camps at up to 2 million. After months of denials, China acknowledged their existence in October, saying they are part of efforts to counter extremism. But Uyghurs say it's a form of collective punishment — and that they live under a high-tech surveillance state designed to eradicate Islam. We speak to Rushan Abbas, a Uyghur-American activist based in Wa…
(2018-12-06). Special Counsel sentencing memo on Flynn increases pressure on Trump. wsws.org Repeating several times in the course of the 13-page filing that Flynn had provided "substantial assistance to the government," Special Counsel Mueller recommended a sentence with no jail time.
(2018-12-06). Rosie O'Donnell wants 'madman' Trump to 'rot in jail' over alleged comments on US national debt. rt.com 
Actress and former co-host of The View Rosie O'Donnell has lashed out (again) at US President Donald Trump, calling him a "madman" who deserves to "rot in jail" over his alleged indifference to the country's growing national debt.
(2018-12-06). Army Abducts 24 Palestinians In The West Bank. indybay.org Israeli soldiers abducted, overnight until morning hours Tuesday, twenty-four Palestinians, from their homes in several parts of the occupied West Bank, the Palestinian Prisoners Society (PPS) has reported.
(2018-12-05). Why I Ended the Horror of Long-Term Solitary in Colorado's Prisons. aclu.org 
Long-term isolation has disastrous physical and mental health effects that can amount to torture. The practice must be abandoned across the nation. | In Colorado, long-term solitary confinement used to be a tool that was regularly used in corrections. The problem is that it was not corrective at all. It was indiscriminate punishment that too often amounted to torture and did not make anyone safer. | The practice was pervasive because it was considered reasonable and effective. It was neither. In practice, long-term isolation punished people in a way that not only lacked humanity but sense. And when a program lack…
(2018-12-05). This State Agency Is Refusing to Help a Trans Woman Who Says She Was Assaulted by Police. aclu.org New York's Division of Human Rights says it cannot investigate alleged police and corrections abuses because they are not public accommodations. | DeAnna LeTray of Watertown, New York, was arrested in September 2017 during a domestic dispute with her daughter's boyfriend, who she says pointed a gun at her. | LeTray, who is trans, says the Watertown police officers who arrested her mocked her gender expression and questioned her gender identity. Then, at the police station, LeTray says police ripped her hair off her head and, once she got to the jail, she was stripped naked and sexually assaulted. | LeTray filed…
(2018-12-05). President Trump Is Accelerating the Militarization of the Southwest Border. aclu.org Under President Trump, the slide toward a fully militarized border between the U.S. and Mexico is happening rapidly to the detriment of civil rights. | For decades, the ACLU has fought back against the militarization of domestic law enforcement agencies and the use of the military in our communities. Nowhere is this militarization more pronounced than on the border between the U.S. and Mexico — and President Trump is only making it worse. | The creation of the Department of Homeland Security after 9/11 accelerated the government's operations on the U.S.-Mexico border. U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP…
(2018-12-05). Headlines for December 5, 2018. democracynow.org Senators Say Crown Prince Is Guilty in Khashoggi Murder After CIA Briefing, Mueller Not Seeking Jail Time for Flynn, Cites "Substantial Assistance", Politico: NRCC Emails Hacked in 2018 Midterms, Georgia Voters Elect Republican Secretary of State, Congressmembers Call for Labor Sec. Acosta Probe over Epstein Plea Deal, DOJ Senior Official Allowed to Get Away with Sexual Assault, Federal Gov. Shuts Down for Nat'l Day of Mourning, Somalia: U.S. Reopens Permanent Diplomatic Presence, Pompeo Gives Russia 60 Days to Comply with Nuclear Treaty, West Bank: Israeli Forces Kill Disabled Palestinian in Overnight Raid, Moro…
(2018-12-05). The ignored legacy of George H.W. Bush: war crimes, racism, and obstruction of justice. mronline.org 
THE TRIBUTES TO former President George H.W. Bush, who died on Friday aged 94, have been pouring in from all sides of the political spectrum. | Source
(2018-12-05). Does the Second Amendment Protect Only White Gun Owners? aclu.org Recent police killings of Black men for possessing guns they were legally carrying shows the racial double standards of "the good guy with a gun." | The most common refrain from gun rights supporters in the wake of mass shootings or other gun violence is that the best response to a bad guy with a gun is a good guy with a gun. Yet in recent weeks, we have seen two Black men, a group already disproportionately victimized by police use of lethal force, shot and killed by police while protecting those around them w…
(2018-12-05). Student Loan Giant Navient Responds to Allegations of Abuse With a Bizarre Subpoena of a Former Federal Official. theintercept.com Navient, while fighting a lawsuit brought by the CFPB, subpoenaed a former CFPB official who is a persistent critic of the student loan industry.
(2018-12-05). Humanitarians Released on Bail in Greece. hrw.org 
| | Sean Binder, a search-and-rescue volunteer who helped migrants and asylum seekers at sea, has been detained in Greece on unfounded charges. © Private, 2018 | Four humanitarian activists who had been imprisoned on baseless charges in Greece were released on bail today by an investigative judge. The authorities should now drop the ridiculous charges against them. | Among those bailed is 23-year-old Syrian refugee Sarah Mardini. Mardini traveled by boat from Turkey to Greece in 2015. When the engine failed, she and he…
(2018-12-04). The Effects of the Muslim Ban One Year Later. aclu.org We've had one year of the Muslim ban. Congress must ensure it's the last. | Exactly one year ago today, the Supreme Court allowed the full implementation of Trump's Muslim ban. It would be months still before it heard oral arguments in Hawaii v. Trump and issued its ruling on June 26, allowing the ban to remain in place. But on Dec. 4, 2017, America began to ban millions of Muslims from the United States, even if they have family members, jobs, academic spots, or other compelling connections here, and even if they would otherwise be fully…
(2018-12-04). Thomas Farr's Judicial Nomination Defeated. naacp.org Late in the afternoon on Thursday, November 29, 2018, Senator Tim Scott (SC) announced that he intended to vote against NAACP-opposed Attorney Thomas Farr's nomination to a life-time appointment to the Federal Court in the Eastern District of North Carolina. Senator Scott's decision, along with the objections of 50 of his colleagues, was the deciding […]
(2018-12-04). Rattling the Bars: Stopping Corporate Exploitation in Prisons (Pt. 1/2). therealnews.com Eddie Conway talks with Bianca Tylek, founder of the Corrections Accountability Corporation about thousands of corporations funding private prisons and immigration detention centers and what citizens can do about it
(2018-12-04). Five things to know from the third day of testimony in the 'Unite the Right' murder trial. splcenter.org The injuries that took Heather Heyer's life after last year's racist "Unite the Right" rally in Charlottesville, Virginia captivated the court on the third day of testimony in the first-degree murder trial of neo-Nazi sympathizer James Alex Fields Jr.
(2018-12-04). Sorry To Bother You offers rich lessons in seeking radical social change. greenleft.org.au 
Sorry to Bother You
| Written & directed by Boots Riley
| In cinemas now | This review includes mild spoilers. | As an Australian living abroad, incidents of Australians being racist and/or misogynistisic that attract attention from international media outlets are frequently forwarded to me in anticipation of a seething refrain. | My response is typically motivated by a mix of rage and embarrassment, as well as a deep concern for how racial capitalism has been almost completely normalised. I am deeply concerned by the fact that not only is our social and political climate ill-equipped to address racism, i…
(2018-12-04). Imprisoned Hacktivist Jeremy Hammond Bumped a Guard With a Door — and Got Thrown in Solitary Confinement. theintercept.com Hammond is starting his third week in solitary confinement — a duration that the U.N. says is tantamount to torture.
(2018-12-03). How the FIRST STEP Act Moves Criminal Justice Reform Forward. aclu.org The FIRST STEP Act is a modest piece of legislation that tackles harsh sentencing while mostly failing to apply its reforms retroactively. | It's not often that you'll find the ACLU on the same side of an issue as President Donald Trump. | But in the waning days of the 115th Congress, lawmakers have the rare opportunity to show bipartisanship isn't completely dead. For months, advocates and lawmakers have worked together to craft a criminal justice reform bill, known as the FIRST STEP Act, that enjoys broad support from the White House and members of Congress in both parties. | Only one thing stands in the way…
(2018-12-03). The Government Is Trying to Keep Key NSA Spying Rules Secret. aclu.org We're telling a federal appeals court that democracy has no room for secret law on surveillance of Americans. | A federal appeals court in New York will hear oral argument on Tuesday in our lawsuit fighting for the public's right to know the legal justifications for government spying. | The Freedom of Information Act suit seeks the release of secret memos written by government lawyers that provided the foundation for the warrantless surveillance of Americans' international communications. In essence, these memos serve as the law that gove…
(2018-12-03). Mehdi Hasan on George H.W. Bush's Ignored Legacy: War Crimes, Racism and Obstruction of Justice. democracynow.org 
George H.W. Bush died in Houston on Friday night at the age of 94. Bush was elected the 41st president of the United States in 1988, becoming the first and only former CIA director to lead the country. He served as Ronald Reagan's vice president from 1981 to 1989. Since Bush's death, the media has honored the former president by focusing on his years of service and his call as president for a kinder, gentler America. But the headlines have largely glossed over and ignored other parts of Bush's legacy. We look at the 1991 Gulf War, Bush's pardoning of six Reagan officials involved in the Iran-Contra scandal and ho…
(2018-12-03). Hatewatch Headlines 12/3/2018. splcenter.org Black workers recount Tesla factory racism; Facebook report targeted George Soros; Milo's court documents reveal he is deep in debt; and more.
(2018-12-03). There's No Real Difference Between Border Walls and Border Fences. aclu.org 
Democrats, led by Sen. Chuck Schumer, are playing word games when it comes to funding Trump's border wall. | Sometime between now and Dec. 21*, when the current appropriation for the Department of Homeland Security will expire, Congress needs to provide the agency with another's year's funds. A single word has become a sticking point for the politicians who will vote on that funding: "wall," as in President Trump's border wall. | Trump and his Republican allies are demanding billions of dollars for walls along the U.S.-Mexico border. Democrats, wanting to be seen as opposing Trump, say that they won't vote for b…
(2018-12-03). SPLC brings first lawsuit challenging Florida sheriffs' latest collaboration agreements to detain people for ICE. splcenter.org The SPLC sued Monroe County Sheriff Rick Ramsay today for illegally holding a U.S. citizen in the county jail on a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) hold.
(2018-11-30). The five most compelling moments so far in the 'Unite the Right' murder trial. splcenter.org A juror clasped his hand over his mouth in court on Thursday as prosecutors played a video showing a young neo-Nazi sympathizer plowing his car into a group of anti-racist protestors after last year's "Unite the Right" rally in Charlottesville, Virginia.
(2018-11-30). Not So Black & White: NYT Touts Rural Voters, Buries Racism in Mississippi Election Analysis. fair.org 
The New York Times ( 11/24/18) warns that Democrats speaking "boldly" risk turning off approximately one-seventh of the electorate. | Stop me if you've heard this one before: During a high-profile election, a major newspaper decides to stubbornly focus its coverage on an increasingly narrow sliver of white voters, while minimizing the racism that colors the electorate and the eventual Republican victor's campaign. | If this sounds like a repeat of the mainstream press's response to Trump's 2016 campaign, well, it is.
(2018-11-30). US condemned for tear-gassing refugees, children. greenleft.org.au 
Legal experts and human rights advocates have denounced the tear gassing of children and other asylum seekers by US forces at the Mexico border on November 25. | "The migrants at our southern border include mothers and small children exercising their legal, human right to seek asylum," declared the ACLU in a tweet on November 26. It told the US Customs and Border Protection agency: "Tear gassing children is out…
(2018-11-30). Labor's promise to deliver in Victoria may well be illusive. greenleft.org.au 
While the final results of Victoria's November 24 state elections are yet to be announced, Labor looks set to go from 47 to 52 seats in the state's Legislative Assembly, after receiving a primary vote of 43%. | It also appears Labor will have 19 seats in the new Legislative Council, up from 14 seats, though it may pay a heavy price for preferencing some racist and anti-worker micro parties ahead of the Greens. | The Coalition received a combined primary vote of 36%, representing a 6.2% swing against it, with the Liberals predicted to go from 14 to 9 seats. The Liberals lost all its marginal seats in the south-eas…
(2018-11-29). NAACP Statement on Black Voter Turnout in Mississippi Elections. naacp.org The incredible Black voter turnout in Mississippi on November 6 — and again in the November 27 runoff election — provides a powerful example of what can happen when African Americans and other voters of color are encouraged to participate actively in our democracy. This election illustrates what can happen when voters and politicians alike […]
(2018-11-29). Farr vote at noon TODAY. naacp.org Despite the fact that a large number of North Carolina NAACPers, led by North Carolina State Conference of NAACP branches President Rev. Anthony Spearman, spent all day yesterday on a bus to come the Washington, DC, to join President Derrick Johnson and others to express their strong opposition to the confirmation of Thomas Farr to a […]
(2018-11-29). Farr vote postponed until next week. naacp.org Due to a serious personal matter which has taken a solid vote in support of the Farr nomination out of Washington, DC, until next week, Senate leadership has postponed the final vote on the Thomas Farr confirmation until next week. This gives us more time to contact our Senators and let them know of our deep […]
(2018-11-29). Hatewatch Headlines 11/30/2018. splcenter.org Vote-suppressing judge's appointment falls shy; GOP offended by its racists being called out; Tucker Carlson is neo-Nazi site's favorite pundit; and more.
(2018-11-29). Statement of Derrick Johnson on Postponement of Vote on Thomas Farr. naacp.org "The NAACP is encouraged by the Senate's decision today to postpone the vote on Thomas Farr's nomination to the Eastern District of North Carolina. The Senate does not have the votes to confirm Farr, and it hopefully it will never will. This week, a smoking gun was uncovered demonstrating that Farr himself coordinated voter suppression […]
(2018-11-28). NAACP YOUTH LEADERS COMMENT ON THE RESULTS OF THE MISSISSIPPI SENATORIAL RUNOFF ELECTION. naacp.org BALTIMORE — Youth leaders of the NAACP shared the following statements regarding the results of the Mississippi senatorial runoff election: "We are constantly in a war for a fair democracy, not only for voting rights but also for representation that is accountable to the people. Mississippi's election shows that we can't afford to ignore marginalized voters and young people […]
(2018-11-28). NAACP Statement on Recent Criminal Justice Reform Compromise Introduced in Senate. naacp.org NAACP released the following statement in support of the Crimianl Justice Reform Compromise: Our American criminal justice system is broken. Sentencing is disproportionately weighted against African Americans, and the current political climate continues to devalue black lives by reviving the same failed policies of the war on drugs that fueled mass incarceration," said NAACP President […]
(2018-11-28). 'Republicans Just Don't Want All the Votes to Count' – CounterSpin interview with Ari Berman on 2018 voter suppression. fair.org 
Janine Jackson interviewed Ari Berman about 2018 voter suppression for the November 16, 2018, episode of CounterSpin. This is a lightly edited transcript. | Media…
(2018-11-27). Hatewatch Headlines 11/28/2018. splcenter.org Facebook discrimination review still a mystery; Neuroscience explains bigotry's persistence; Proud Boys' new rules including less fighting; and more.