(2019-01-30). Incompetence Plus Malice Add Up to Trump's Losing Formula on Immigration. truthdig.com From the beginning of Donald Trump's presidential campaign, the immigration issue has defined his political profile. More than anything else, it has opened a window on his authoritarian mind, his disdain for the truth and for democratic institutions. Such contempt has revealed the dangers of Trumpism to much of a nation governed, often imperfectly, by the law. The way immigrants are locked up in detention centers without trial warns us of the possibility of a police state. | Last week, the president's braggadocio crumbled in the face of facts and the strategic opposition of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. She clearly…
(2019-01-30). Marzieh Hashemi: Journalist returns to Iran after US detention. aljazeera.com Marzieh Hashemi arrives in Tehran, Iranian broadcaster Press TV says, after being held for 10 days in Washington, DC.
(2019-01-30). 3 Injured in Iran Police Station Attack. telesurenglish.net An attack consisting of two bomb explosions was perpetrated by the Jaish al-Adl group on a police station in the city of Zahedan, southeastern Iran, injuring three police officers. | RELATED: | US: Iranian TV Anchor Released from Detention Without Charge | The group reported they'd targeted the police station with "two strong bombs," which are allegedly handmade. | "Investigations showed that the explosion was caused by a handmade explosive device, which led to a bomb squad being…
(2019-01-30). ACLU Urges Supreme Court to Uphold Separation of Church and State. commondreams.org ______________________________…
(2019-01-30). Smith College Overhauls Policing Practices After Black Student Racially Profiled. aclu.org 
After a Smith College employee called the cops on a Black student as she ate lunch, Smith will take up the ACLU's recommendations for police reforms. | This past July, Oumou Kanoute was a rising sophomore at Smith College, working on campus over the summer to mentor high school students interested in science, technology, engineering, and math, or STEM, careers. A young Black immigrant and the daughter of a single mother, Oumou is exactly the kind of striver colleges like Smith seek to attract. | But Oumou felt anything but welcome on that late July afternoon. As she ate in a common room, wearing the unofficial Sm…
(2019-01-30). NAACP Challenge to 2020 Census Preparations Moves Forward. naacp.org Federal judge denies Census Bureau motion to dismiss suit over inadequate government preparations for the 2020 Census The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) and its allies today won a major court ruling that allows them to proceed with a federal lawsuit challenging the government's inadequate preparations for the 2020 Census. "[T]he census must […]
(2019-01-30). Turkey frees US consulate staff convicted of terror charge. aljazeera.com Interpreter Ulucay was one of two US diplomatic mission employees imprisoned in Turkey.
(2019-01-30). Chesa Boudin: A Radical Child of the Criminal Justice System Seeks to Reform the San Francisco DA's Office. counterpunch.org "Corruption is a dagger at the heart of democracy. The best antidote to corruption, racism, and tyranny is transparency and civic engagement." — Chesa Boudin The name, Chesa Boudin, may not mean much to San Francisco voters, at least not yet. After all, his campaign for DA has just begun. But to American radicals of at More
(2019-01-30). NYT flirts with irrelevancy after publishing Mary Poppins blackface exclusive. rt.com 
Does the new Mary Poppins film feature blackface? No, but the NYT has nonetheless argued that the movie somehow borrows from racist 1930s minstrel jokes, the latest outrage-laden interpretation of a children's classic.
(2019-01-30). Prisons Across the U.S. Are Quietly Building Databases of Incarcerated People's Voice Prints. theintercept.com 
Roughly six months ago at New York's Sing Sing prison, John Dukes says he was brought out with cellmates to meet a corrections counselor. He recalls her giving him a paper with some phrases and offering him a strange choice: He could go up to the phone and utter the phrases that an automated voice would ask him to read, or he could choose not to and lose his phone access altogether. | Dukes did not know why he was being asked to make this decision, but he felt troubled as he heard other men ahead of him speaking into the phone and repeating certain phrases from the sheets the counselors had given them. | "I was c…
(2019-01-30). Indonesia: Further information: Sentenced to one year in prison for posting FB video: Agustinus Yolemal. amnesty.org Agustinus Yolemal, a Papuan pro-independence activist was convicted for inciting hatred and hostility and sentenced to 1 year's imprisonment by the Timika District Court in Papua Province on 14 January 2019. He has decided not to file appeal as he is concerned about the safety of his family as well as the boy who was implicated in the video he posted on Facebook. Detained since September 2018, Agustinus Yolemal will serve another 8 months in prison.
(2019-01-30). Report: Airbnb Profiting From War Crimes, Israeli Settlements. telesurenglish.net Airbnb, Booking.com, Expedia and TripAdvisor are "fuelling human rights violations against Palestinians" by continuing listings in Israeli settlements on occupied Palestinian land, human rights organization, Amnesty International said Wednesday. | RELATED: | Airbnb Faces Israeli Class-action Lawsuit Over Boycott of Illegal Settlements | In a report, titled "Destination: Occupation," the organizati…
(2019-01-29). The One Wall Trump Doesn't Like. aclu.org The Trump administration continues to push laws and policies that breach the wall separating religion and the government. | President Trump may be the world's most renowned fan of building walls, but there's at least one wall he loathes: the wall of separation between church and state. From the Muslim ban to his so-called "religious freedom" executive order, Trump and his theocratic supporters have pushed l…
(2019-01-29). Trump Says 58,000 Texans Voted Illegally. Here's What Actually Happened. aclu.org Voter fraud is extremely rare. States using unreliable data to justify purges of eligible voters, unfortunately, is not. | The president of the United States is once again spreading unsubstantiated claims about rampant voter fraud and undermining faith in the integrity of our democracy. This time, he's claiming that 95,000 noncitizens were registered to vote in Texas and more than half have actually voted. These numbers,…
(2019-01-29). Zimbabwe's Capitalist Crisis: Imperial Vultures and Subimperial Doves Both Turn Away From Economic Carcass. counterpunch.org Return of the IMF? The most crucial potential bailout lender for Zimbabwe is still the much-feared IMF, to which Robert Mugabe's regime (questionably) repaid all arrears in late 2016. A series of self-delegitimizing 21st-century leaders have helped reduce its reputation: Rodrigo Rato (jailed last October for bank fraud), Dominique Strauss-Kahn (resigned in disgrace but demanded IMF support for his 2011 rape More
(2019-01-29). US Caught Helping ISIS Commanders Escape from Taliban Prison in Afghanistan. globalresearch.ca A large number of prisoners, all of them senior members of Daesh (also ISIS or ISIL) terrorist group, broke out of a Taliban prison in northwest Afghanistan after US troops helped them escape through a covert operation. | According to Tasnim …
(2019-01-29). AGO proposes nationwide raids on books containing 'banned ideas'. mronline.org 
Attorney General Muhammad Prasetyo is proposing that massive raids be carried out to hunt down books which contain communist teachings and banned ideologies. The proposal was made after the seizure of hundreds of books around the country allegedly containing "banned ideas". — Taufiq Siddiq, Jakarta "I'm proposing that if possible, yes massive raids be carried […] | Source
(2019-01-29). NAACP Statement on Racist and Homophobic Attack on Jussie Smollett. naacp.org "The recent racist and homophobic attack on acclaimed actor and activist Jussie Smollett is troubling. The rise in hate crimes is directly linked to President Donald J. Trump's racist and xenophobic rhetoric. It is dangerous for any society to allow a tone of divisiveness and hatred to dominate the political discourse. As this rhetoric continues to […]
(2019-01-29). Protest Is Coming to Super Bowl LIII. thenation.com Protest Is Coming to Super Bowl LIII…
(2019-01-29). Violent Attacks Against Palestinians Is Deeply Concerning: UN. telesurenglish.net The "protracted and extremely violent attack" against Palestinian al-Mugheir villagers along the occupied West Bank is a cause for serious concern, the United Nations said Tuesday. | RELATED: | 'Racist' Israeli Hospitals' Unethical Search of Palestinians | On Saturday a group of 30 Israeli settlers opened fire against Palestinian farmers working the…
(2019-01-29). 2-year-old expelled by mall, community demands disability rights. fightbacknews.org Wyoming, MI – Discrimination against a two-year-old girl with a disability brought close to 150 people to Rogers Plaza Town Center for "Walking with Claire" on January 27. | On a Sunday afternoon, the normally empty mall was filled with family, friends and disability rights activists wearing, "Walking with Claire" t-shirts. Some held signs reading, "Disabled lives matter!" and "We heart our community! Everybody belongs!" | The large crowd gathered to walk slowly behind Claire and her parents, Andrew Dykstra and Hiliary Goddard-Dykstra, to the far end of the mall. There everyone sat down on the floor together to r…
(2019-01-29). China: Rights Website Founder Sentenced to 5 Years. hrw.org 
(New York) — Chinese authorities should immediately quash the conviction and unconditionally release the founder of a human rights news website, Human Rights Watch said today. On January 29, 2019, a court in Hubei province sentenced Liu Feiyue to five years in prison after convicting him on charges of "inciting subversion of state power." | | | Liu Feiyue. | Source: Chinese Human Rights Defenders | Liu, 48, is a veteran activist and founder of Minsheng Guancha (Civil…
(2019-01-28). Headlines for January 28, 2019. democracynow.org U.S. & Taliban Agree to Path for Afghan Peace Deal, Federal Employees Return to Work as Gov't Agencies Temporarily Reopen, Venezuela: Maduro Gov't Defies U.S. and European Calls to Support Opposition, Philippines: Twin Bombs Rock Cathedral, Killing At Least 20, U.N. Condemns Killing of Palestinian by Israeli Settlers, Israeli Forces Kill 3 Palestinians Across Occupied Territories, Brazil: Mining Dam Collapse Kills At Least 58, Hundreds Still Missing, France: Protesters Take Streets for 11th Week, Call Out Police Brutality, Germany to Shut Down All Coal Plants by 2038, Birmingham Civil Rights Institute Reinstates…
(2019-01-28). In Congress, a Threat to Americans' First Amendment Right to Boycott. aclu.org A new bill promotes state laws targeting boycotts of Israel — even though multiple judges have found such laws to be unconstitutional. | The Senate is scheduled to vote Monday on a bill that includes language that would encourage states to pass unconstitutional laws penalizing businesses and individuals who participate in politically motivated boycotts against Israel. | More than two dozen states have adopted such laws in the past four years. Their collective target is the boycott, divestment, and sanctions (BDS) movement, "a glob…
(2019-01-28). Racist Website Faith And Heritage Is Closing Up Shop. splcenter.org Faith and Heritage, a website launched in 2011 espousing the racist "Kinist" interpretation of Christian theology, announced on Jan. 13 that it would stop publishing articles.
(2019-01-27). New Yorkers rally for Marzieh Hashemi. fightbacknews.org New York, NY — On January 25 several dozen activists gathered in Grand Central Station to bring attention to the case of Marzieh Hashemi. Hashemi is a Muslim, African-American journalist who was imprisoned on January 13 when she was arrested by the FBI at the Saint Louis International Airport. She was on her way to visit her sick brother in Denver. For almost two weeks she as held as a "material witness" for an undisclosed investigation. | Hashemi was finally released shortly before the protest, but her family asked for the protesters who were mobilizing to continue their plans, so they could bring awarenes…
(2019-01-27). Netanyahu Forms Alliances with Far-Right Authoritarian Leaders. therealnews.com 
Shir Hever says Netanyahu is abusing his image as a protector of the Jewish people, and cuts deals with far-right and anti-Semitic heads of state, absolving them of their racism towards Jews in exchange for their superficial support for the State of Israel. All this, to win the upcoming Israeli elections
(2019-01-25). Trump Administration Puts Religious Beliefs Over the Best Interests of Children. aclu.org The Department of Health and Human Services has exempted South Carolina from federal nondiscrimination requirements for child welfare programs. | Across the United States, there are over 440,000 children in the public child welfare system. Nearly a quarter of these children are awaiting adoption with many living in group homes because no family is available to care for them. In the end, too many of these children will age out of the system without ever becoming part of a loving family. Despite these facts, the Trump administration this week made it even harder for these children to find foster and adoptive parent…
(2019-01-25). Data Reveals Driving as a Person of Color in Illinois Leads to More Unjustified Searches. aclu.org Baseless traffic stops and inconsistent search standards harm the public trust and damage police-community relationships. | In January 2016, Richard Jackson, a Black man, was driving to his home on Chicago's West Side when he noticed a car trailing him. As he turned into the alley leading to his driveway, the unmarked police car pulled him over and four officers leapt out, demanding that he lower all four of his car's windows. Jackson's grandparents, who live with him, watched from their home's window in fear. | After running his license, one officer told Jackson he would be let go with a warning. But when Jackso…
(2019-01-25). It's Time to Update Aging Voting Equipment Before the 2020 Election. aclu.org Sixteen million voters encountered problems voting in 2016. A big culprit was aging voting equipment. | When Ronald Campbell went to his polling location in Horry County, South Carolina, to vote in the 2018 midterms, he wasn't expecting it to become an odyssey. But when he and his wife arrived at their polling location, the lines were so long that Ronald feared he and his wife wouldn't be physically able to stand for the amount of time it would take to get to the voting booth. Nevertheless, they returned to the polling location four separate times throughout the day until the line had become reasonable — th…
(2019-01-25). Weekend Read: 'I'm going to be paying it down until I die.'. splcenter.org The women incarcerated in Corinth, Mississippi, have a phrase for it: "sitting it out." We have another name for it: "debtors' prison."
(2019-01-25). My Time as an NAACP LAW Fellow. naacp.org I applied for the NAACP's law fellows program because of the organization's legacy in protecting the rights of people of color and in doing so the rights of all people. Law school has allowed me to more fully contextualize the history of race in the United States, and I recognized the crucial role the NAACP has played […]
(2019-01-25). South Dakota Rejects Restrictions on Trans Athletes. hrw.org 
| | Rainbow flags for sale are photographed on June 24, 2017. | © 2017 Reuters | South Dakota lawmakers have rejected a bill which would have barred transgender students from participating in athletics consistent with their gender identity. | The ACLU and other organizations spoke out against the bill, with the South Dakota High School Activities Association, the Association of School Boards in South Dakota, the South Dakota Education Associa…
(2019-01-25). Egypt's LGBT Crackdown Expands to Stifle Journalists. hrw.org 
| | Screenshot of an August 2018 television segment in which Egyptian anchor Mohamed Al-Ghaity interviewed an unidentified gay guest. Al-Ghaity was sentenced to one year in prison for the interview in January 2019. | © 2018 LTC TV/YouTube | An Egyptian television anchor was unexpectedly sentenced to one year in prison for interviewing a gay man on TV last week. The conviction of Mohamed Al-Ghaity,…
(2019-01-24). My NAACP Law Fellowship. naacp.org I thoroughly enjoyed my 1L summer at the NAACP and I cannot speak highly enough about my experience there. I decided to go to law school because I wanted to learn how to address the ways systemic issues such as housing discrimination and mass incarceration adversely affect the African American community. Working for the NAACP […]
(2019-01-24). Arizona Provides Me Unequal Healthcare Because I'm Transgender. aclu.org I'm part of a class-action lawsuit to ensure that the state of Arizona includes transition-related health care in its insurance coverage. | I'm a professor of family studies and human development at the University of Arizona, and I have dedicated my career to studying how discrimination impacts LGBTQ adolescents. I'm also transgender, and I know from experience that growing up is different — and still much more difficult — for LGBTQ youth. So it came as a disappointment when I learned that the state university where I work does not cover transition-related healthcare for its employees or their depende…
(2019-01-24). A Trans Woman Was Charged With 'False Personation' for Giving the NYPD Her Real Name. aclu.org 
While in custody, officers cuffed Linda Dominguez to her cell using pink handcuffs and repeatedly called her by her old first name. | On her way home from the bus stop on a spring night in the Bronx last year, Linda Dominguez cut across a park because it was the most direct route to her apartment. Even though others leaving the bus were also crossing the park, three officers from the New York City Police Department singled out and arrested Linda, a Latina transgender woman, and took her to the precinct. | Linda, who doesn't speak English, had no idea why the police had stopped her or what they were arresting her…
(2019-01-24). Lawyer Wolfgang Kaleck: Bush, Rumsfeld & Cheney Are a Troika of Tyranny & Should Be in Prison. democracynow.org 
As Venezuela faces an attempted coup supported by the U.S., Brazil and the European Union, we speak with human rights attorney Wolfgang Kaleck. In November, John Bolton accused Venezuela, Cuba and Nicaragua of being part of a "troika of tyranny." Kaleck says the real "troika of tyranny" is George W. Bush, Dick Cheney and Donald Rumsfeld, who should be in prison for war crimes. Kaleck is a human rights attorney who for decades has been at the forefront of the legal fight to hold powerful actors and governments around the world accountable for human rights abuses. His new book, titled "Law Versus Power: Our Global…
(2019-01-24). 3 Members of a Kansas Militia Once Plotted To Bomb a Mosque, Now Are Going to Prison. splcenter.org Three members of a militia group known as "the Crusaders" were sentenced Friday to a total of 81 years in prison for plotting to bomb Somali and Muslim communities in Kansas.
(2019-01-24). Decades of Financial Deregulation & Racist Housing Policy Brought Us 2007 Meltdown, with More to Come (Pt 2/3). therealnews.com 
Carter, Reagan, Clinton, the Bushes, Obama, and now Trump deregulated Wall Street and did nothing to help Black and Brown homeowners in America. White collar criminologist Bill Black discusses the social structure of mortgage discrimination. Part 2: The Effects
(2019-01-24). Iran: Prominent Labor Activist Rearrested. hrw.org 
(Beirut) — Iranian authorities on January 20, 2019 arrested two activists who had alleged that authorities tortured them in detention, Human Rights Watch said today. The arrests of Ismael Bakhshi, a prominent labor rights activist, and Sepideh Gholian, a journalist and labor rights activist, came the day after Iranian state television broadcast confessions that they said they were forced to make in detention. | | | Screen shot from Islamic Republic of Iran Broad…
(2019-01-24). Decades of Financial Deregulation & Racist Housing Policy Brought Us 2007 Meltdown, with More to Come (Pt 1/3). therealnews.com 
Carter, Reagan, Clinton, the Bushes, Obama, and now Trump deregulated Wall Street and did nothing to help Black and Brown homeowners in America. White collar criminologist Bill Black discusses the social structure of mortgage discrimination. Part 1: The History
(2019-01-23). ACLU: Trump's Anti-Trans Ban Has No Military Justification, Is Driven by Animus & Discrimination. democracynow.org 
On Tuesday, the Supreme Court revived President Donald Trump's plan to ban transgender people from serving in the U.S. military. In a 5-4 decision, the Supreme Court lifted two lower court rulings that had blocked the ban from going into effect on constitutional grounds. Justices Stephen Breyer, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Sonia Sotomayor and Elena Kagan dissented. A third injunction remains in place for now. We speak to Chase Strangio, staff attorney at the ACLU, which is challenging the Trump administration's ban on servicemembers who are transgender.
(2019-01-22). Uniting against racism. greenleft.org.au 
A collective of alt-right and neo-Nazi groups organised what they called a "political meeting" at St Kilda beach on January 5. It came a week after the neo-Nazi Neil Erikson led a group of acolytes down to the same beach to harass and film African Australians in an attempt to incite violence. | Various hate-filled Facebook pages promoted the "meeting", including one described as "Rise Up Australia — Romper Stomper 2.0", a reference to a film about white supremacists in Footscray who attacked and violently assaulted Vietnamese Australians. | The event was not a "political meeting" nor was it ever intended to…
(2019-01-20). How to Spend MLK Day. naacp.org 
Tomorrow, our nation will honor the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., a man whose dream of an America that was truly equal for all its people has inspired generations of people to fight to bend the arc of the moral universe toward justice. From the Montgomery Bus Boycott to marching across the Edmund Pettus Bridge, […]
(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 […]
(2019-01-18). 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.
(2019-01-17). 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). 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."
(2019-01-15). 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.