(2019-01-14). Judge Blocks Trump Birth Control Coverage Rules in 13 States. truthdig.com OAKLAND, Calif.—A U.S. judge in California on Sunday blocked Trump administration rules, which would allow more employers to opt out of providing women with no-cost birth control, from taking effect in 13 states and Washington, D.C. | Judge Haywood Gilliam granted a request for a preliminary injunction by California, 12 other states and Washington, D.C. The plaintiffs sought to prevent the rules from taking effect as scheduled on Monday while a lawsuit against them moved forward. | But Gilliam limited the scope of the ruling to the plaintiffs, rejecting their request that he block the rules nationwide. | Th…
(2019-01-13). The Original 'Fake News'? The BBC and the Information Research Department. globalresearch.ca IAN SINCLAIR reveals the hidden history of the BBC's relationship with the secret state, suppression of 'subversives' and support for military intervention overseas | *** | Last month Ritula Shah presented a BBC World Service discussion programme entitled Is "Fake News" A …
(2019-01-13). Brazil and the Illusion of the Rich: An Island of Prosperity Surrounded by Misery and Suffering. globalresearch.ca Frei Betto (Carlos Alberto Libânio Christo) was born in 1944 in Belo Horizonte, Brazil. He began his political engagement as Catholic student and was imprisoned by the military regime that seized power in 1964 and ruled until 1985. I interviewed …
(2019-01-13). Argentine Legend Maradona Recovering After Stomach Surgery. telesurenglish.net Argentine World Cup winning captain Diego Maradona is recovering in a Buenos Aires hospital after successfully undergoing a routine operation for stomach bleeding, according to his lawyer. | RELATED: | Maradona Shows Support To Koulibaly, 'I Too Suffered' Racism | The 58-year old former FIFA Player of the Century was found to have "inconveniences" caused by a bleeding hernia during a check up at a hospital in Olivos, on the outskirts of Buenos Aires, a source close to the controversia…
(2019-01-13). What the Government Shutdown Really Means for Federal Prisoners. commondreams.org Pay no attention to stories about prisoners feasting during the shutdown. The reality is that the shutdown only makes prison conditions worse.
(2019-01-13). Noah Perry to Legalize Human Trafficking in NY. indybay.org NYS Assembly Bill A99 for indefinite detention effectively legalizes human trafficking. First it's three days, then another five days, then another sixty days, then ninety and another ninety, and another, with no end in provision.
(2019-01-12). Spain: Sanchez Compares Far-Right Opposition To Bolsonaro. telesurenglish.net Pedro Sanchez, Spain's socialist president, has compared the right-wing opposition to far-right Brazil's President Jair Bolsonaro known for his racist, homophobic and misogynist remarks. | RELATED: | Post-Franco First for Spain: Far-Right 'Kingmaker' in Andalusia | "Today in Spain there are three right wings with one objective, which is involution: they are the 'Voxona…
(2019-01-12). Awkward! WikiLeaks calls out US concern for journalists with reminder of Collateral Murder video. rt.com 
WikiLeaks has called out VP Mike Pence over his concern for jailed Reuters journalists, reminding him of the Reuters staff killed by US fire in the infamous Collateral Murder video leaked by Chelsea Manning.
(2019-01-11). The Scott Warren Case is Part of a Crackdown on Aid to Migrants. progressive.org He offered food, water, and clothing to migrants on a deadly stretch of the U.S.-Mexico border. Now he's facing twenty years in prison. Humanitarian groups fear the situation will only get worse.
(2019-01-11). It's Time to End the Language of Oppression. commondreams.org We must be equally purposeful in our vigilance with our words if we are to break the structures that draw strength from the words of domination. (Photo: http: //organizingcatholicsforjustice.org) | http: //organizingcatholicsforjustice.org) | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/views-article/thumbs/mass.jpeg…
(2019-01-11). Tucson protests Trumps border wall threat. fightbacknews.org Tucson, AZ – Around 40 people chanting "No wall, never," joined a protest here January 10 in response to President Trump's bid to finance his racist border wall. Protesters' signs reading "Refugees welcome here!" drew many honks of solidarity from traffic in front the federal building. | Plans continue to build mobilization against the deployment of thousands of troops to the Mexico border and the threat of a border wall. The Tucson protest was organized in response to a call from by the Legalization for All Network for national actions.
(2019-01-11). NAACP Kicks Off 2019 with Women in Power Town Hall. naacp.org Panel to feature Senator Kamala Harris, Congresswomen Karen Bass, Marcia Fudge and Lucy Mcbath BALTIMORE (January 11, 2019)—NAACP will host its first tele town hall of the year, the Women in Power Town Hall, on Tuesday, January 15, 2019, at 8pm EST. The telephone program, NAACP's first public forum of the year, will provide a […]
(2019-01-11). Climate Change Afoot. thenation.com Climate Change Afoot…
(2019-01-11). Deaths of Women in Custody During Hurricane Florence Could Have Been Prevented. aclu.org Law enforcement and corrections officials must have emergency plans in place to protect any person in their custody when extreme weather strikes. | Amid rising floodwaters from Hurricane Florence in September, two women in the custody of the Horry County Sheriff's Office were left to drown in the back of a transport van. | The facts are as straightforward as they are damning. The two deputies, Joshua Bishop and Stephen Flood, transporting Nicolette Green and Wendy Newton to a hospital for mental health treatment disregarded roadblocks indicating flooded roadways. Floodwaters quickly overtook the van, and it was s…
(2019-01-11). William Barr's Unsolicited Memo to Trump About Obstruction of Justice. aclu.org Barr's critique of the Mueller investigation raises serious questions about his views of presidential power. Senators should demand answers. | Last month, news broke that in June 2018, President Trump's current nominee for attorney general, William P. Barr, sent an unsolicited 20-page memo to the Justice Department critiquing special counsel Robert Mueller's current investigation into Russian election interference. | Barr, who previously served as attorney general under Preside…
(2019-01-11). Headlines for January 11, 2019. democracynow.org Protests Target Shutdown as Federal Employees Miss First Paycheck, Trump May Raid Puerto Rico Hurricane Relief Funds for Border Wall, Protesters Gather on Both Sides of U.S.-Mexico Border as Trump Visits, Senate Leader Mitch McConnell Blocks Vote on Bill to Fund Government, Study Finds Oceans Are Absorbing Far More Heat Than Previously Known, Pentagon Says It's Withdrawing from Syria as Turkey Readies Invasion, In Cairo, U.S. Secretary of State Rebukes Obama and Threatens Iran, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi Calls Jamal Khashoggi Murder an "Atrocity", Protests Outside Supreme Court Demand Closure of Guantánamo Prison…
(2019-01-11). Minneapolis protest rejects Trump border wall and attacks on immigrants. fightbacknews.org Minneapolis, MN – Protesters gathered Wednesday evening, January 9, in frigid weather, on Lake Street in south Minneapolis to say no to President Trump's border wall and his racist attacks on immigrants. The protest was organized on less than a 24-hour notice by the Minnesota Immigrant Rights Action Committee (MIRAC). | President Trump went on national TV from the Oval Office Tuesday night, spewing a string of lies and racist manipulation in an attempt to pressure congressional Democrats to fund his border wall in order to end the partial government shutdown, which is now the second longest shutdown in U.S. hist…
(2019-01-11). SPLC releases online tool that tracks rising number of hate group flyers and banners. splcenter.org Emboldened by President Trump's rhetoric, white supremacist groups have increased their distribution of flyers and banners in public spaces across the country, spreading racist and antisemitic propaganda and seeking to recruit new members.
(2019-01-11). Exclusive: Angela Davis Speaks Out on Palestine, BDS & More After Civil Rights Award Is Revoked. democracynow.org 
In a Democracy Now! exclusive, legendary activist and scholar Angela Davis speaks out after the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute rescinded a human rights award for her, reportedly due to her activism for Palestinian rights. In September, the institute announced that it would award Davis the Fred L. Shuttlesworth Human Rights Award, named after the civil rights icon. But last Friday, the institute voted to withdraw the award and cancel this year's gala event. The institute rescinded the award days after the Birmingham Holocaust Education Center sent a letter urging the board to reconsider honoring Davis due to he…
(2019-01-11). A Potentially Tectonic Event Shakes up the Mumia Abu-Jamal Case. counterpunch.org In a huge potential break in the long-running and controversial case of Philadelphia journalist Mumia Abu-Jamal, currently serving a life-without-parole term in a Pennsylvania state prison at Mahonoy, PA for murder conviction, the Philadelphia District Attorney's Office says it has discovered six banker storage boxes of materials about the case in a locked storeroom of More
(2019-01-10). SPLC launches campaign with NAACP, other organizations to remove Confederate symbols across Georgia. splcenter.org The SPLC joined other advocacy organizations and elected officials today in demanding change to a Georgia state law that prohibits local communities from removing Confederate monuments.
(2019-01-10). Trump's Labor Department Wants to Drug-Test Applicants for Unemployment Benefits. aclu.org Blanket drug-testing likely violates the Fourth Amendment's prohibition on unreasonable searches. | What if you lost your job? It could happen to anyone, right?, , In 2016, 19.9 million people were laid off or discharged. What if you needed unemployment benefits to sustain you between jobs? That's not unreasonable either. There were 1.83 million people collecting unemployment benefits last spring. But what if you h…
(2019-01-10). William Barr Was an Ardent Champion of Mass Incarceration. aclu.org The last time he was attorney general, Barr proclaimed that only prisons reduce crime, and that we need a lot more of them. | In 1992, a little less than a year into his new job, Attorney General William P. Barr added to the zeitgeist of "tough-on-crime" policies when he issued the Bush administration's " 24 Recommendations to Strengthen Criminal Justice." Barr's harsh approach, which included expanding capacity for pretrial detention and offsetting the cost of such expansion with the labor of prisoners, was distilled by the Office of Poli…
(2019-01-10). What Are Federal Employees' Rights to Protest the Government Shutdown? aclu.org People don't lose their First Amendment rights if they work for the government. | Standing up for your First Amendment right to protest can be challenging — especially if you're a government employee. | Since Dec. 22, nearly 800,000 government employees nationwide have been affected by the partial federal government shutdown, putting a stop to work and paychecks. Despite President Trump's claim that federal workers " agree 100 percent with what I'm doing," many have wond…
(2019-01-10). Pennsylvanians Should Know How the State Police Is Monitoring Social Media. aclu.org The Pennsylvania State Police is blocking access to its social-media-monitoring policy by claiming it could harm "public safety." | "Sunshine is the best disinfectant.", , That's a line that is used so much that it's become almost trite. But it's oft-repeated because it is so true. And here in the Keystone State, the Pennsylvania State Police is doing everything in its power to block access to its policy on monitoring social media. So we're headed to the state Supreme Court to get it. | The ACLU of Pennsylvania's attempt to obtain the st…
(2019-01-10). Unjustly Jailed Blogger Faces New Charges in Azerbaijan. hrw.org 
| | Mehman Huseynov. | © 2017 Aziz Karimov | Azerbaijan authorities know no limits when it comes to silencing government critics. As everyone was celebrating the New Year, Azerbaijan authorities were busy pressing new charges against one of the country's most popular anti-corruption bloggers, Mehman Huseynov. | Huseynov has been serving a 2-year prison sentence after he was prosecuted for defaming an entire police station in Baku, because he…
(2019-01-10). US: Suit Filed Over Immigration FOIA Request. hrw.org 
| | An image of the first page of the complaint from a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) lawsuit filed on behalf of Human Rights Watch by Nixon Peabody. | © 2019 Human Rights Watch | (San Francisco, January 10, 2019) — Human Rights Watch filed suit today against the United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) for their failure to respond adequately to a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request for detailed immi…
(2019-01-10). There Are Thousands of Cyntoia Browns: Mariame Kaba on Criminalization of Sexual Violence Survivors. democracynow.org 
Cyntoia Brown was granted full clemency by Republican Tennessee Governor Bill Haslam on Monday after serving 15 years in prison. The decision follows months of intense public pressure and outrage over her case. Brown was sentenced to life in prison after being convicted of first-degree murder for shooting her rapist as a teenager. She had been sexually trafficked and repeatedly abused and drugged. The shooting happened when Brown was just 16 years old, but she was tried as an adult. We speak with Mariame Kaba, organizer and educator who has worked on anti-domestic violence programs, anti-incarceration and racial…
(2019-01-09). Frank Chapman condemns shameful and cowardly decision to revoke award to Angela Davis. fightbacknews.org Chicago, IL — Longtime leader in the Black liberation movement and the National Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression, Frank Chapman, condemned the January 4 decision of the Alabama-based Birmingham Civil Rights Institute to abruptly cancel their plan to present Angela Davis with the Fred Shuttlesworth Award. Fred Shuttlesworth was a prominent leader in the civil rights movement. | Chapman stated, "Angela Davis and Rev. Fred Shuttlesworth were dearest friends and co-leaders in the National Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression at the same time that I served as its executive director."
(2019-01-09). Chicano leader blasts Trump's racist, anti-immigrant speech. fightbacknews.org Los Angeles, CA — Longtime Chicano and immigrant rights leader Carlos Montes condemned President Trump's January 8 Oval Office speech, stating, "We are opposed to Trump's attacks on refugees at the border – and his wall. We will continue to oppose his measures, and build the movement to dump Trump." | Trump's push to further militarize the U.S. border has resulted in a prolonged partial government shutdown. | The Los Angeles community organization, Centro CSO, has called for a January 9 bannering in the Boyle Heights neighborhood, at the corner of 4th and Soto, from 4 to 6 p.m.
(2019-01-09). "A Racist, Xenophobic Attack": Immigrant Rights Activist Decries Trump Remarks About Southern Border. democracynow.org 
President Donald Trump addressed the nation Tuesday night in his first prime-time speech from the Oval Office. He urged Congress to approve $5.7 billion to build a wall on the U.S.-Mexico border, but he opted not to declare a national emergency to force construction of the wall, in a xenophobic speech riddled with falsehoods. We speak with Oscar Chacón, executive director of Alianza Americas, an immigrant rights group based in Chicago.
(2019-01-09). Longtime Reporter Leaves NBC Saying Media Is "Trump Circus" That Encourages Perpetual War. democracynow.org 
"Prisoners of Donald Trump." That's how longtime NBC reporter and analyst William Arkin described the mainstream media in a scathing letter last week announcing he would be leaving the network, accusing the media of warmongering while ignoring the "creeping fascism of homeland security." He issued the blistering critique after a 30-year relationship with NBC, calling for "Trump-free" media days and a reckoning about how the network encourages a state of perpetual warfare. We speak with Arkin, whose award-winning reporting has appeared in The New York Times, Los Angeles Times, The Washington Post. He is the author…
(2019-01-09). Why Trump's Effort to Eliminate Disparate Impact Rules Is a Terrible Idea. aclu.org The Trump administration is reportedly looking for ways to do away with disparate impact rules, a move that could hurt millions of vulnerable people. | If no one tells you they're discriminating, is it still discrimination? | According to the Trump administration, the answer is no. In a memo reported by The Washington Post last week, the administration has placed in its cross hairs a civil rights enforcem…
(2019-01-09). The Wall: The Perfect Prop for Trump's Racist Stagecraft. progressive.org Trump's political survival in the short term and in 2020 is dependent in keeping his base foaming at the mouth.
(2019-01-09). Marco Rubio and His Colleagues Need a Refresher on the First Amendment. aclu.org Rubio took to Twitter to spread a number of downright false statements about the First Amendment and the Combating BDS Act. | This week, amid a partial government shutdown, senators tried to sneak through a bill that would encourage states to suppress constitutionally protected political boycotts of Israel. | Ultimately, the Combating BDS Act failed to make it to the Senate floor, largely because enough people exercised their First Amendment right to protest the bill and educate senators t…
(2019-01-09). William Barr Helped Build America's Surveillance State. aclu.org Senators should ask Barr about his support for unconstitutional spying that endangers our rights. | William Barr, President Trump's nominee for attorney general, has a history of getting it wrong. From designing warrantless surveillance programs to justifying the president's power to disregard acts of Congress, Barr has advanced dubious legal theories that have been rejected by the courts, Congress, and the public. | As Barr begins the confirmation process, senators must question Barr on his record regarding the right to privacy and the Fourth Amendment — which raises serious concerns about his suitability…
(2019-01-08). "Crime + Punishment" Exposes Racial Quotas in the NYPD & Retaliation Against Officers Who Speak Out. democracynow.org 
A group of New York Police Department officers are challenging what they call a racially charged policy of quotas for arrests and summonses. Known as the "NYPD 12," they risked their reputations and livelihoods to confront their superiors, fight illegal quotas and demand a more just police force. We look at a film following their story called "Crime + Punishment." It has just been shortlisted for an Academy Award for Best Documentary. We speak with Stephen Maing, the film's director and producer, and Lieutenant Edwin Raymond, the lead plaintiff in a lawsuit filed by the NYPD 12.
(2019-01-08). Kurdistan Region of Iraq: Detained Children Tortured. hrw.org 
| | Exterior of the Women and Children's Reformatory in Erbil, where several dozen children are held in pre-trial detention or are serving sentences for alleged ISIS affiliation. | © 2018 Jo Becker/Human Rights Watch | (Beirut) — The Kurdistan Regional Government in northern Iraq is torturing children to confess to involvement with the Islamic State (ISIS), Human Rights Watch said today. | Children told Human Rights Watch tha…
(2019-01-08). Australia Starts Tackling Modern Slavery. hrw.org 
| | Women work in the sewing division of a factory in Phnom Penh, Cambodia's capital. Women constitute about 90 percent of the workforce in Cambodia's garment industry, which produces for many international apparel brands. Human Rights Watch has documented that workers in Cambodia frequently experience forced overtime, pregnancybased discrimination, and denial of paid maternity leave.
| © 2014 Samer Muscati/Human Rights Watch | A new law in Australia requires companies of a certain size operating in Australia to pu…
(2019-01-08). Black Panther Mumia Abu-Jamal Granted Right Of Appeal. therealnews.com 
The world's most renowned death-row inmate Mumia Abu-Jamal has been granted the right of appeal after 30 years. Eddie Conway, former Black Panther wrongfully convicted and Imprisoned for 44 years himself, now released, discusses Mumia's case with Scholar Anthony Monteiro
(2019-01-08). How we can defeat the neo-Nazis. greenleft.org.au 
On January 5, convicted neo-Nazi criminals Blair Cottrell, Neil Erikson and their followers, gathered on the foreshore of St Kilda Beach to vilify Sudanese Australians and once again scapegoat that community as "African gangs". | The group of 100 to 150 predominantly white males from various neo-Nazi gangs — The Lads, Soldiers of Odin and the Proud Boys — were racist and hostile towards the gathering counter protesters. | Erikson, a convicted stalker and former head of the neo-Nazi group the United Patriot Front, knows how to do hate speech and play the game on social media. The rally to "reclaim St K…
(2019-01-07). Nathan Damigo, founder of white nationalist group Identity Evropa, files for bankruptcy protection. splcenter.org The founder of the white nationalist group Identity Evropa is seeking federal bankruptcy protection in what appears to be a pre-emptive move stemming from a lawsuit over "Unite the Right."
(2019-01-07). Ari Berman: Dems Introduce Sweeping Voting Rights Bill to Combat Rampant Voter Suppression. democracynow.org 
Voting rights activists are hailing a new House bill that aims to restore voting rights to millions, crack down on the influence of dark money in politics, restore the landmark Voting Rights Act, establish automatic and same-day voter registration and other measures. The bill has been dubbed the For the People Act. It is the first piece of legislation introduced by the new Democratic majority in the House. We speak with Ari Berman, senior writer at Mother Jones, reporting fellow at The Nation Institute and author of "Give Us the Ballot: The Modern Struggle for Voting Rights in America." His latest piece is titled…
(2019-01-07). See No Evil: Pentagon Issues Blanket Denial That It Knows Anything About Detainee Abuse in Yemen. theintercept.com A U.N. panel found that detainees in prisons controlled by U.S. allies were beaten, electrocuted, hung upside down, and raped.
(2019-01-05). An Unconscionable Shutdown. naacp.org Today marks day 14 of the partial government shutdown and importantly, it also marks the second week without pay for the 800,000 government workers and millions of others who depend on government agencies. It's unconscionable that Americans are forced to suffer the brunt and being held as political hostages because of President Trump's unreasonable pursuit […]
(2019-01-05). Exploring the institutional drivers of gender bias. zcomm.org The Social Institutions and Gender index (SIGI) was first launched in 2009, and then updated in 2012 and 2014. The fourth edition of the SIGI was launched in December 2018. The index uses these four dimensions to measure the institutional effects on gender parity: Discrimination in the family Restricted physical integrity Restricted access to productive Read more…
(2019-01-04). Christmas in Tornillo: Activists, Lawmakers Demand Trump Shut Down Prison Camp for Migrant Children. democracynow.org 
As the government shutdown heads into its 14th day and Trump doubles down on his demands for a border wall, we turn to look at the ongoing crisis unfolding at the U.S. border and the protesters on the ground fighting back. In West Texas, immigrant rights activists are staging daily actions to shut down the Tornillo prison camp, where thousands of immigrant youth are being detained. The organizers call themselves the "Christmas in Tornillo" occupation. On New Year's Eve, they shut down the entrance of the sprawling prison camp, where 2,300 children are being held in more than 150 tents. We speak with Juan Ortiz, i…
(2019-01-03). SPLC statement on the 116th Congress. splcenter.org The challenges facing the 116th Congress are great, and none are greater than the role of the White House in exacerbating racism and extremism in nearly every facet of American life.
(2019-01-03). States and Localities Move to Reverse Racist and Regressive Tax Policies. progressive.org Forty-five states have regressive tax codes. State and local policies could change that.
(2019-01-03). '50th NAACP Image Awards' To Air Live on Tv One March 30, 2019 from The Dolby Theatre In Hollywood. naacp.org 
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE '50th NAACP IMAGE AWARDS' TO AIR LIVE ON TV ONE MARCH 30, 2019 FROM THE DOLBY THEATRE IN HOLLYWOOD 2 Hour Telecast to Spotlight and Celebrate 50 Years of NAACP Image Awards Significant Moments and NAACP Contributions During It's 110 Year History Reginald Hudlin and Phil Gurin to Return as […]