(2019-01-19). 2019 Women's Marches to Push Forward 'More Proactive' Agenda. telesurenglish.net The third edition of the Women's March in New York City will be accompanied by other U.S. cities in a new Saturday mobilization for women's rights and against President Donald Trump's Administration ahead of the 2020 elections. | RELATED: | US: Activist Group Seeks Domestic Workers' Bill of Rights | The Women's March began as a way to bring together several generations of activists…
(2019-01-19). For the People Act. naacp.org The first legislation to be introduced in the 116th Congress is H.R. 1, the For the People Act. H.R. 1 is a comprehensive bill with provisions to protect and support eligible American citizens to cast a free and unfettered vote and for the American people to be sure their vote was counted. The For the […]
(2019-01-19). Institute Index: The Racial Injustice of the Government Shutdown. commondreams.org Percent of the federal government workforce that's black, a disparity explained by a history in which African Americans subject to racial discrimination in the private sector turned to public employment: more than 18…
(2019-01-19). Released Emails Show NYPD Spied on Black Lives Matter. telesurenglish.net Hundreds of recently released New York Police Department (NYPD) emails show the extent of efforts officers in the city took to closely monitor activists during Black Lives Matter protests that took hold in the city after the deaths of Eric Garner and Michael Brown at the hands of police officers in New York City and Ferguson, Missouri, respectively. | RELATED: | LA Teachers Launch Strike in US Second Largest School District | Internal emails obtained by attorney M.J. Williams thr…
(2019-01-19). Feds Confirm Jailed Iranian TV Anchor Not Charged With Crime. truthdig.com WASHINGTON—Federal officials confirmed Friday that a prominent American-born anchorwoman on Iranian state television was jailed in the U.S. as a material witness and has not been charged with any crime, according to court papers. | Marzieh Hashemi has appeared twice before a U.S. district judge in Washington and has been appointed an attorney. U.S. government officials expect her to be released immediately after her testimony before a grand jury. | The order to unseal some parts of her case came days after she was first detained. It did not include details on the criminal case in which she was named a witne…
(2019-01-19). We have had enough of Trump and the war on women. fightbacknews.org Enough is enough. Trump, his administration, and his backers are waging war on women, and millions of women are making it clear that we are not going to be pushed backwards. From the massive Women's Marches, to the midterm elections, to the constant, everyday resistance, women are standing up against Trump's reactionary agenda. | Trump and his supporters in the Senate want to pack the Supreme Court and roll back reproductive rights, and they have gotten a start by appointing the drunken misogynist Brett Kavanaugh. Accompanying the administrations outrageous policy of placing immigrants in detention, Trump's Justi…
(2019-01-19). US Jails American Journalist Without Charge. theantimedia.com 
(ANTIWAR.COM) — It took a solid week after her detention in St. Louis, but Marzieh Hashemi, an anchor for Iran's PressTV and an American citizen, has finally gotten into a courtroom, and learned that she is neither being accused of any crimes nor is she facing any charges. That said, they're not expecting to let her go …
(2019-01-19). Activists face jail time & $500 fine for dropping supplies to migrants in wildlife refuge. rt.com 
A US federal judge has found four volunteers with a local aid group guilty of petty offenses after they entered a wildlife refuge without a permit to leave food and water for illegal migrants seeking to cross the US-Mexico border.
(2019-01-19). Chicago cop who shot black teen Laquan McDonald 16 times sentenced to nearly 7 years. rt.com 
Jason Van Dyke, former Chicago police officer found guilty in the fatal shooting of a black teenager in 2014, has been sentenced to 81 months in prison in a case that sparked nationwide protests and reignited racial debate.
(2019-01-19). Democrats claims 'Russians' tried to hack them after 2018 midterms. rt.com 
'Dozens' of officials at the Democratic National Committee received phishing emails a week after the 2018 midterm elections, the DNC said in a legal filing as part of its ongoing lawsuit against Russia and WikiLeaks.
(2019-01-19). Calls for FBI Probe of Homeland Secretary Follow Child Detention Memo Leak. truthout.org After releasing a damning draft memo that showed the Trump administration planned to "traumatize" migrant children with family separations and expedite deportation by denying asylum hearings, Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.) on Friday called for an FBI investigation into whether Homeland Security Sec. Kirstjen Nielsen lied when she testified before Congress about the policy. | In a letter sent to FBI Direct…
(2019-01-19). Since Decriminalization, 96% of People Arrested for Weed in Baltimore Are Black. therealnews.com 
Journalist Brandon Soderberg and 34-year police veteran Neill Franklin discuss "Structural Racism and Cannabis: Black Baltimoreans still disproportionately arrested for weed after decriminalization."
(2019-01-19). No End in Sight: The Perils of Trump's Guantánamo. truthout.org From the Muslim ban to the continuing proxy war in Yemen, the new era of the "war on terror" under the Trump administration has kept Guantánamo largely invisible. But two years since Donald Trump's inauguration, there has been a host of cruel measures implemented under his leadership, despite his emphasis on other problematic policies. | Rather than becoming a relic of the war on terror, Trump has instead attempted to revive Guantánamo as a legitimate facility to incarcerate Muslim prisoners. As an institution that has long set the precedent for the mistreatment of Muslims suspected of terrorism,…
(2019-01-18). The Justice Department Shouldn't Be Snooping on Journalists. aclu.org Rolling back Justice Department rules that protect journalists' privacy would undermine freedom of the press. | At a time when President Trump regularly attacks the news media, the Department of Justice may be preparing to make it easier for the government to obtain journalists' private communications data. | The public relies on both journalists and whistleblowers for vital information about our government's most controversial activities. Weakening the current rules that protect reporters — as wel…
(2019-01-18). Alaska Governor's Mass-Firing of State Workers Violated the First Amendment. aclu.org Gov. Dunleavy's actions are a throwback to a corrupt spoils system that our system strived to eradicate for generations. | Days after being elected governor of Alaska, Michael Dunleavy requested resignations from more than 1,200 at-will state employees. Those who didn't resign were later fired. This kind of political retaliation against non-political state workers is an attack on the very foundations of free speech and good government. | It is not unusual for newly elected chief executives at the federal, state, and local levels to replace political appointees. But such political tests can only reach so far down…
(2019-01-18). Oppose William Barr Nomination. naacp.org The United States Senate is considering the nomination of William P. Barr to be the next Attorney General of our United States in extraordinary times. The next Attorney General of our United States has the opportunity to reverse course and place the Justice Department back on track to fulfill its historic role in safeguarding our civil […]
(2019-01-18). The Case Against Galveston County's Pretrial Detention System Survives the Government's Challenge. aclu.org A win could set a precedent for prosecutor accountability and right to counsel in bail hearings that could help reform pretrial detention nationally. | If you are accused of a crime and arrested in Galveston County, Texas, you better hope you can afford to pay the preset bail amount to get out of jail. If not, then you will join hundreds of other people who are incarcerated simply because they cannot afford to buy their freedom. In Galveston and communities across the country, there is one pretrial detention system for the poor and an entirely different one for everyone else. | Thirty-six-year-old Aaron Booth fou…
(2019-01-18). NAACP to Participate in Women's March to Empower and Uplift Black Women Voices. naacp.org FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE BALTIMORE (January 18, 2019) —NAACP is proud to support the Women's March and uplift the voices of all black women, and as such, Spelman NAACP Chapter President, Amari Fennoy, will speak at the Women's March in Washington, D.C. on Saturday, January 19. Fennoy will be speaking to ensure that the voice of […]
(2019-01-18). Spectre Unmasked: Racist 'Alt-Right' Podcaster Used To Be Local Reporter. splcenter.org A notorious white nationalist podcaster with a history of instigating harassment campaigns and threats of violence against reporters is in fact a journalist himself, Hatewatch has learned.
(2019-01-18). US-born anchor for Iranian TV jailed without charges. wsws.org The police state style abduction and imprisonment of Marzieh Hashemi is part of Washington's wider preparations for war against Iran.
(2019-01-18). Will "Tough on Crime" Policies Fuel Mass Incarceration? therealnews.com 
As three of the most powerful men in Maryland vow to crack down on repeat violent offenders, community advocates question their plans to address the root causes of inequality and violence
(2019-01-18). Merkley Calls for FBI Perjury Probe into Homeland Secretary Nielsen After Child Detention Memo Leaked. commondreams.org After releasing a damning draft memo that showed the Trump administration planned to "traumatize" migrant children with family separations and expedite deportation by denying asylum hearings, Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.) on Friday called for an FBI investigation into whether Homeland Security Sec. Kirstjen Nielsen lied when she testified before Congress about the policy. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/complicity_booker_nielsen_trump_shithole_0.jpg…
(2019-01-18). Madagascar: Next president must tackle historic rights violations. amnesty.org The next president of Madagascar, Andry Rajoelina, must tackle historic human rights violations, including excessive use of pretrial detention and arbitrary detentions of human rights defenders, Amnesty International said ahead of his inauguration tomorrow. |
(2019-01-18). Release of Syrian man wrongly convicted of terrorism in Hungary an "overwhelming relief" amnesty.org Ahead of tomorrow's early release of Ahmed H, a Syrian man who was unfairly jailed for "complicity in an act of terror" during clashes with police at the Serbia-Hungary border in September 2015, Eda Seyhan, Amnesty International's Europe Counter Terrorism Campaigner, said: | | "After spending three-and-a-half years behind bars, Ahmed will finally be reunited with his wife and two young daughters. His…
(2019-01-18). Morocco: Conviction of Hirak El-Rif protest leader Nawal Benaissa upheld. amnesty.org Responding to the news that the appeals court in Al Hoceima has upheld the conviction of Nawal Benaissa, confirming her 10-month suspended prison sentence with a fine, Heba Morayef Amnesty International's Director for the Middle East and North Africa said: | "This verdict is an appalling miscarriage of justice. Nawal Benaissa's only 'crime' was to join peaceful protests to demand the rights of people in the Rif region. The Moroccan authorities are blatantly targeting Nawal Benaissa for her role in the Hirak El-Rif movement and are making an example of her to intimidate others who may wish to speak out. Instead of…
(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). Rochester Could Break Through the Thin Blue Line Protecting Abusive Police. aclu.org How the city could create New York's first independent review board with the power to discipline officers. | We know what happens when we allow police to police themselves. Too often, they escape punishment when they abuse the people they are supposed to protect. A lack of meaningful police accountability not only skirts justice, but people's lives are in danger when officers who repeatedly harm civilians keep their jobs. | The Rochester City Council in New York introduced a draft bill this week that addresses this fundamental problem. The bill would create a civilian-controlled Police Accountability Board with t…
(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). 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). 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…
(2019-01-17). 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…
(2019-01-16). 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). 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). 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). Chili's Denied Meagan Hunter a Promotion Because She Needed to 'Dress More Gender Appropriate'. aclu.org 
The ACLU is taking action against Chili's, which discriminated against a server for not fitting her boss' idea of what a woman should look like. | Meagan Hunter loved her job as a server at Chili's Grill & Bar in Phoenix, Arizona — and she excelled at it. She was thrilled when her supervisors suggested that she apply for a new training program to become a manager. | In order to learn more about the opportunity, she attended a seminar on Chili's Certified Shift Leader program. She wore a men's button-up shirt, fitted slacks, and boat shoes — an outfit similar to what male managers at Chili's wear. So s…
(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). 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). 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). 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). 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). 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). 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). 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). 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). 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). 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). Venezuela: Self-Proclaimed 'Interim President' Released After 'Irregular' Detention. venezuelanalysis.com The officers responsible have been detained and suspended, reportedly on Maduro's orders.