(2019-01-17). Referendum 2020: A Green New Deal vs. Racist, Classist Climate Genocide. counterpunch.org Introduction: "Nuking" the Dem Leadership's Anti-Climate Obstinacy Perverse as it may seem, I as a climate justice activist am extremely glad the corrupt corporate, militarist Democratic Party leadership has repeatedly expressed its contempt for the Sunrise Movement's much-needed, potentially game-changing call for a Green New Deal. Three recent, egregious instances of that contempt are 1) Chuck Schumer's criminally insane promotion of Trump-supporting More
(2019-01-17). Trump's new 'anti-Muslim' appointee worries civil rights groups. aljazeera.com Charles Kupperman is the latest addition to the Trump administration with ties to anti-Muslim group, say watchdogs.
(2019-01-17). Martin Luther King Commemorations Take Place Amid Government Shutdown and Worsening Capitalist Crisis. globalresearch.ca Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was born on January 15, 1929 and grew into maturity in the Deep South city of Atlanta, Georgia during the Great Depression of the 1930s and early 1940s. | Therefore King witnessed firsthand the racism and …
(2019-01-17). Iran Newspapers, Minister Criticize U.S. Arrest of Newscaster. truthdig.com DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — Iran kept up its criticism Thursday of the FBI's apparent arrest of an American anchorwoman from Iran's state-run English-language TV channel, with its foreign minister saying "she's done nothing but journalism." | The hard-line Vatan-e Emrooz paper criticized the detention of Press TV's Marzieh Hashemi as "Saudi-style behavior with a critical journalist." That's a reference to the Oct. 2 assassination of Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi at the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul. | Meanwhile, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif told Press TV that "we have a right to…
(2019-01-17). Government Mistakenly Wanted to Deport U.S. Veteran, Says ACLU. truthdig.com DETROIT — A Marine veteran with post-traumatic stress disorder was held for three days for possible deportation before federal authorities learned that he was a U.S. citizen born in Michigan, lawyers said Wednesday. | Jilmar Ramos-Gomez, 27, lives in the Grand Rapids area. He was released on Dec. 17 from a detention center in Calhoun County after personal records were provided to Immigration and Customs Enforcement, according to the American Civil Liberties Union of Michigan. | "Why did they think he was a noncitizen? Did they get him confused with someone else? Who knows," ACLU attorney Miriam Aukerman sai…
(2019-01-17). White House Denounces Rep. Steve King's Racist Remarks. truthdig.com WASHINGTON — Comments by Republican Rep. Steve King about white supremacy are "abhorrent," the White House said Wednesday as bipartisan condemnation of King continued. | White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders praised a move by House Republicans to strip the nine-term Iowa lawmaker of his committee assignments. | King told The New York Times last week that, "White nationalist, white supremacist, Western civilization — how did that language become offensive?" | The comments were widely denounced as racist. | The House on Tuesday approved a Democratic measure rebuking King, and a member of th…
(2019-01-17). Arizona Activists Face Jail Time for Providing Life-Saving. zcomm.org An interview on how the Trump administration is criminalizing humanitarian aid at the border…
(2019-01-17). The Democratic Party Obsession Militarism Will Only Grow Worse by 2020. mintpressnews.com 
For a movement, especially a Black left movement that has yet to emerge in this period, the critical task is to develop mass consciousness of the fact that U.S. imperialism is incapable of providing concessions to the poor and oppressed. History has shown that the Black left has always been in the most favorable position for bringing this reality to light. After all, Black workers struggled to throw off the yoke of slavery only to find themselves mired in the murderous jaws of Jim Crow and mass Black incarceration. A significant shift occurred in the Obama period, one that ultimately marked the culmination of thr…
(2019-01-17). Prominent Iranian jailed by FBI: Demand her freedom. fightbacknews.org Minneapolis, MN — A well-known Iranian journalist, Marzieh Hashemi, has been jailed by the FBI. Hashemi is an anchor on Iran's English language Press TV and has interviewed many progressive U.S. activists. According to credible reports, Hashemi was taken into custody at the Saint Louis, Missouri area's Louis Lambert International Airport on January 13. The FBI has since moved her to a detention facility near Washington DC. | There is no indication that Hashemi has been charged with anything. | Hashemi, who was born in the United States but resides in Iran, was on a visit to family members, including a broth…
(2019-01-17). UAE: Injustice, Intolerance, Repression. hrw.org 
| | A convoy of UAE military vehicles and personnel travels from Al Hamra Military Base to Zayed Military City, marking the return of the first batch of UAE Armed Forces military personnel from Yemen, in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. | © 2015 AP Images | (Beirut) — The United Arab Emirates in 2018 handed down draconian prison sentences to an Emirati activist and a British academic following deeply flawed trials, Human Rig…
(2019-01-17). Mauritania: Repressive Laws Restrict Peaceful Speech. hrw.org 
| | People wait to cast their vote on September 1, 2018 outside a polling station in Nouakchott for the country's legislative, regional and local elections. | © 2018 Ahmed Ould Mohamed Ould Elhadj/AFP/Getty Images | (Geneva) — Mauritanian authorities used a litany of harsh and overbroad laws on terrorism, cybercrime, apostasy, and criminal defamation to prosecute and jail human rights defenders, activists, bloggers, and politica…
(2019-01-17). San Francisco March: Annual MLK March/Parade Honoring Civil Rights History. indybay.org San Francisco Caltrain Station then march to Yerba Buena Gardens 700 4th Street, San Francisco…
(2019-01-17). Black History Month Forum: SF City Workers Rise Up Against Racism. indybay.org New Valencia Hall | 747 Polk St. (near Ellis) | San Francisco…
(2019-01-17). Pack to Court to Support Anti-Racist and Anti-Fascist Protesters in Sacramento. indybay.org Sacramento Superior Court | Dept. 18 | 720-9th St. | Sacramento, CA…
(2019-01-17). Pentagon extends troop deployment at Mexican border until September. wsws.org The Trump administration is increasing its repressive measures against immigrants, including doubling the capacity of an immigrant detention center for youth in Homestead, Florida.
(2019-01-17). Right-wing Humboldt University Professor Jorg Baberowski threatens students. wsws.org Baberowski is using his Twitter and Facebook accounts to incite his right-wing periphery against students who criticize his racist and reactionary statements.
(2019-01-17). Egypt: Lawyer Detained in Undisclosed Location: Hoda Abdelmoniem. amnesty.org On 15 January 2019, Hoda Abdelmoniem appeared before the prosecution for investigation, and her pre-trial detention was renewed for 15 days. Hoda told her daughter that she is being detained in an undisclosed location. | Hoda's last appearance before the public prosecution was on 21 November 2018, after her 20 days of enforced disappearance. From 2 December 2018 until 14 January 2019, Hoda's lawyer and family could not find her in any prison and did not know about her fate and whereabouts.
(2019-01-17). Egypt: Arbitrary Detention Extended: Islam Khalil. amnesty.org On 8 January 2019, the Cairo Criminal Court renewed Islam Khalil's detention for a further 45 days. Islam Khalil was a victim of an enforced disappearance and has been held in pre-trial detention on trumped-up charges since 10 March 2018. He is being denied access to necessary health care. The charges, of which Islam Khalil maintains his innocence, are believed to have been brought against him in retaliation for his political activism. The four other co-defendants who were facing the same charges denied knowing Islam Khalil and were released on probation on 4 September.
(2019-01-17). Putin has given Chechnya free rein to persecute LGBTI people. amnesty.org By Natalia Prilutskaya, Russia Researcher at Amnesty International | For the second time in less than two years, a violent homophobic crackdown has left LGBTI people in Chechnya fearing for their lives. Earlier this week the Russian LGBT Network confirmed reports that the Chechen authorities have resumed large-scale arrests of individuals believed to be gay or lesbian, imprisoning and torturing them. | According to the organization's protected sources, around 40 people have been arrested since De…
(2019-01-17). Campaign to free Aboriginal women jailed for unpaid fines. greenleft.org.au 
An online crowdfunding campaign set up to help Aboriginal women in Western Australia avoid jail for unpaid fines has raised $230,000 in its first four days and already settled the debts of 30 imprisoned women, with another 50 expected to be free in coming weeks. | The campaign is being organised by the Queensland-based Sisters Inside advocacy group. | In a statement calling for donations, Sisters Inside explained: "Western Australia refuses to change the laws where people who have no criminal convictions are imprisoned if they do not have the capacity to pay a fine. | "Single Aboriginal mothers make up the majori…
(2019-01-16). Could Trump's Attorney General Pick William Barr Be "Worse Than Jeff Sessions" on Civil Rights? democracynow.org 
Senate confirmation hearings began Tuesday for William Barr, President Trump's nominee for attorney general to replace Jeff Sessions. Barr served as attorney general for George H.W. Bush from 1991 to 1993. During that time, he was involved in the pardon of six Reagan officials for the Iran-Contra scandal and oversaw the opening of the Guantánamo Bay military prison, which was initially used to indefinitely detain Haitian asylum seekers. Barr also openly backed mass incarceration at home and helped develop a secret Drug Enforcement Administration program which became a "blueprint" for the National Security Agency'
(2019-01-16). Judge Blocks Trump Plan to Add Citizenship Question to Census, Citing "Smorgasbord" of Broken Rules. democracynow.org 
A federal judge in New York City has ruled against the Trump administration's decision to put a citizenship question on the census. In a lengthy opinion, U.S. District Judge Jesse Furman wrote that in deciding to add a citizenship question to the census, U.S. Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross violated a "veritable smorgasbord" of federal rules and "alternately ignored, cherry-picked, or badly misconstrued the evidence in the record before him." Ross announced the citizenship question in March, touting it as a way to enforce the Voting Rights Act and protect minorities against voter discrimination. Voting rights acti…
(2019-01-16). I'm Out of a Job Because My Boss Didn't Think I Look Like a Woman. aclu.org 
A former Chili's employee speaks out after being forced to quit for not dressing more "gender appropriate." | I didn't look the part, so I was forced to quit. | Chili's, where I worked for nearly two years, was starting a new management training program and my superiors encouraged me to apply. It was a great opportunity, and I was excited about the prospect of a promotion. | I was planning to buy a home for the first time, and the pay increase would have helped a lot. I'm a single mother, so what I earn matters. I'm also a lesbian, a part of my identity that influences how I dress. | I'd started working at a Phoe…
(2019-01-16). Imprisoned Neo-Nazi Leader Says His Hate Group Is a Religion, Court Says No. splcenter.org A federal appeals court has ruled that Matthew Hale's hate philosophy, Creativity, isn't a religion because it focuses almost exclusively on preserving the white race and lacks a coherent set of "ultimate ideas."
(2019-01-16). Steve King's Racism Must Be Formally Censured. thenation.com Steve King's Racism Must Be Formally Censured…
(2019-01-16). Trump's Anti-Iran Campaign & NDAA Clause Behind 'Inhumane' Detention of PressTV Anchor Marzieh Hashemi. mintpressnews.com The government's failure to comment on Hashemi's detention makes it difficult to analyze specifically what her arrest means. However, her detainment should serve as a chilling wake-up call for journalists, Muslim Americans, and all U.S. citizens.
(2019-01-16). 12 California kids 'disciplined' for forming human swastika, secretly exchanging racist messages. rt.com 
A middle school in California invoked disciplinary measures against a dozen kids after shocked parents discovered that they shared hateful messages in a private chat room and laid together in the shape of a swastika.
(2019-01-16). #SaveHakeem: Stop the deportation of a Bahraini refugee. greenleft.org.au 
Bahraini refugee Hakeem Al-Araibi has been held in detention in Thailand since last November 27. He faces the terrifying prospect of being deported to the country where he was tortured. | Al-Araibi, a semi-professional footballer and former member of the Bahraini national football team, was on his honeymoon and had just landed in Thailand. Australian authorities alerted Thai authorities, whereupon he was arrested. Bahrain is demanding his extradition. | Yahya Alhadid, a spokesperson for the Gulf Institute for Democracy and Human Rights, said if Al-Araibi is extradited back to Bahrain he will face "continuous elec…
(2019-01-15). NFL Coaching Hires: How Racist Is This League? thenation.com NFL Coaching Hires: How Racist Is This League?
(2019-01-15). The Birmingham Civil Rights Institute's Insult to Angela Davis Has Boomeranged. thenation.com The Birmingham Civil Rights Institute's Insult to Angela Davis Has Boomeranged…
(2019-01-15). Court Blocks Trump's Plan to Add a Citizenship Question to 2020 Census. aclu.org A federal judge has ruled that the citizenship question violated federal law. | A federal court has blocked the Trump administration's decision to add a citizenship question to the 2020 census, stating that it constitutes an "egregious" violation of federal law. The ruling deals a serious blow to the administration's plan to use the 2020 census to attack the financial and political resources of immigrants and communities of color. | In a decision released Tuesday, Judge Jesse M. Furman deter…
(2019-01-15). NAACP Statement on CBS Election 2020 News Team. naacp.org Contact: Malik Russell/mrussell@naacpnet.org BALTIMORE (January 15, 2019) — The nation's leading civil rights organization issued the following statement: "CBS News' decision to not include Black reporters on their 2020 Election news team further proves the voting power and voices of Black America continue to be undervalued. As the voting bloc which will most certainly heavily determine […]
(2019-01-15). SPLC statement on U.S. Rep. Steve King. splcenter.org If Republicans think they deserve applause for condemning Congressman Steve King's racism, they're sorely mistaken.
(2019-01-15). Will Trump's AG Pick William Barr Face Questions over Gitmo, Mass Incarceration & NSA Surveillance? democracynow.org 
Senate confirmation hearings begin today for William Barr, President Trump's nominee for attorney general to replace Jeff Sessions, who was fired in November. Barr served as attorney general for George H.W. Bush from 1991 to 1993. During that time, he was involved in the pardon of six Reagan officials for the Iran-Contra scandal and oversaw the opening of the Guantánamo Bay military prison, which was initially used to indefinitely detain HIV-positive asylum seekers from Haiti. Barr also openly backed mass incarceration at home and helped develop a secret Drug Enforcement Administration program which became a "blu…
(2019-01-15). Arizona Activists Face Jail Time for Providing Life-Saving Aid to Migrants Crossing Sonoran Desert. democracynow.org 
As the longest government shutdown in U.S. history heads into its 25th day and President Trump continues to crack down on immigrants, we look at how the Trump administration is criminalizing humanitarian aid at the border. In Tucson, Arizona, activists with the humanitarian group No More Deaths go to trial today facing charges for a slew of federal crimes, all due to their efforts to leave water and food in the harsh Sonoran Desert to help refugees and migrants survive the deadly journey across the U.S. border. The charges were filed last year in January, just a week after No More Deaths published a report accusi…
(2019-01-15). NAACP President Derrick Johnson Responds to Federal Judge Jesse Furman's Ruling on the 2020 Census. naacp.org FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: January 15, 2019 CONTACT: Malik Russell/mrussell@naacpnet.org Derrick Johnson, President of NAACP, issued the following statement on federal Judge Jesse M. Furman's ruling to block of the Trump Administration's plan to put a question about citizenship on the 2020 census: "The ruling by Judge Jesse M. Furman is a step in the right direction to […]
(2019-01-15). At Root a Radical. A New Book Re-Examines Martin Luther King's Quest for Economic Justice. progressive.org He refused to choose between economic equality and an end to racially-based discrimination.
(2019-01-15). In North Carolina, Domestic Violence Laws Still Discriminate Against LGBTQ People. aclu.org Not all LGBTQ people can get a protective order for domestic violence under North Carolina law. | Same-sex couples in North Carolina won the freedom to marry in 2014, but LGBTQ people continue to be denied equal protection under the law in many other areas of life. | North Carolina is currently the only state in the nation that prevents those in same-sex relationships from accessing protective orders for domestic violence. The ACLU of North Carolina and attorney Amily McCool of the Scharff Law Firm are challenging that unequal policy in court on behalf of a survivor of domestic violence who was denied a protectiv…
(2019-01-15). Trump pushes racist wall, but Democrats push racist cruelty too. greenleft.org.au 
When Donald Trump first announced he was running in the Republican primaries for the 2016 election, he signaled that his campaign would rely heavily on anti-Mexican racism, racism against all non-whites, anti-immigrant xenophobia and Islamophobia. | Part of this was his oft-repeated pledge to "build a wall" between the US and Mexico to keep out immigrants from Central America and Mexico. He slandered these migrants as rapists, murderers, thieves, drug dealers, sex traffickers and more. | That a person with such open racism was even able to be a candidate for the most powerful post in Washington is testimony to ho…
(2019-01-15). Headlines for January 15, 2019. democracynow.org Over 30,000 Los Angeles Teachers Walk Out in First Strike in 30 Years, Barr Pledges to Protect Mueller Probe as He Faces Senate AG Hearings, NYC Prisoners Go on Hunger Strike, Feel Effect of Gov't Shutdown, Poland Mayor, Defender of Immigrant Rights, Dies After Public Stabbing, Afghanistan: Taliban Car Bomb Kills 5, Injures Over 100, Afghanistan: New Defense Minister Accused of War Crimes, Human Rights Abuses, Brexit: Lawmakers Set to Vote on Contested Brexit Deal, Pennsylvania Judge Blocks Trump's Birth Control Restrictions Nationwide, Justice Ginsburg Declared Cancer-Free, Reviews SCOTUS Cases from Home, SCOTUS…
(2019-01-15). India: Administrative detention for facebook posts: Kishorchandra Wangkhem. amnesty.org Kishorchandra Wangkhem, a journalist based in Manipur, India, was arrested in August, and again in November 2018, because of Facebook posts where he criticised the government. While he was released on bail in both cases, on 27 November, he was arrested under the National Security Act (NSA). This draconian administrative detention law allows for him to be imprisoned for 12 months without charge or trial, in violation of regular criminal justice safeguards. The High Court of Manipur will hear his challenge to his detention under the NSA on 1 February 2019.
(2019-01-14). William Barr Has a Long History of Abusing Civil Rights and Liberties in the Name of 'National Security'. aclu.org Barr's ideas of secret trials, profiling, and discrimination must face congressional scrutiny during his confirmation hearings. | On Tuesday, the Senate Judiciary Committee will begin hearings on William Barr's nomination to be the next attorney general of the United States, offering senators an opportunity to scrutinize his record and views. | Such scrutiny is especially crucial in the Trump era. As we've seen throughout his time in office, from imposing the Muslim ban to the recent shutdown fight over border wall funding, President Trump has tried to use "national security" as a pretext to justify discriminator…
(2019-01-14). Headlines for January 14, 2019. democracynow.org Gov't Shutdown Now Longest in U.S. History, Trump Admin Considered Disaster Relief Funds to Build Border Wall, Interior Dept. Pushes Ahead Plans for New Arctic Drilling Leases, Texas: Tornillo Immigrant Prison Camp Shuts Down, Los Angeles: Public Teachers Go on Strike, Dems Vow to Investigate After 2 New Reports on Trump's Relationship with Russia, WSJ: Nat'l Sec. Council Asked About Possible Military Strike on Iran in 2018, Trump Threatens to "Devastate Turkey Economically" If Syrian Kurds Targeted, Saudi Arabia: Sec. of State Pompeo Meets with Crown Prince 3 Months After Khashoggi Killing, Canada Grants Asylum…
(2019-01-14). Venezuela: Self-Proclaimed 'Interim President' Released After 'Irregular' Detention. venezuelanalysis.com The officers responsible have been detained and suspended, reportedly on Maduro's orders.
(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). 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). 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). 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). 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…