(2019-04-08). UN Recognizes Access to Clean, Affordable Water and Climate Justice as Civil Rights Under International Law. commondreams.org ______________________________…
(2019-04-08). Kirstjen Nielsen's Brutal and Calamitous Leadership of the Department of Homeland Security Comes to an End. aclu.org She implemented some of the Trump administration's most vicious policies and repeatedly violated the law. | Late yesterday, President Trump announced that Kirstjen Nielsen has resigned as the Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). Trump said that Kevin McAleenan, the commissioner of U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), will serve as Acting Secretary. | Nielsen's tenure as head of one of the country's largest government agencies was a humanitarian catastrophe, consistently showing a clear disregard for civil rights and people's lives. Indeed, just over a week prior to her resignation, CBP age…
(2019-04-08). Kings Bay Plowshares: Peace Activists Face 25 Years for Action at U.S. Nuclear Submarine Base. democracynow.org 
A group of peace activists have been jailed for over a year before trial for entering the Kings Bay Naval Submarine Base in Georgia last April to protest U.S. nuclear weapons. The action took place on April 4, 2018—the 50th anniversary of Martin Luther King's assassination. Armed with hammers, crime scene tape and baby bottles containing their own blood, seven anti-nuclear activists secretly entered Kings Bay—one of the largest nuclear submarine bases in the world—under the cover of night. Their goal was to symbolically disarm the six nuclear ballistic missile submarines kept there. Each submari…
(2019-04-08). The Burning of Highlander Center: a Fascist-like Attack. counterpunch.org 
The deadly racist spree in Charlottesville in 2017 and the killing of 11 congregants at the Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburg in 2018 were fire bells in the night. Another rang out in New Market, Tennessee on March 29 as the main building at the Highlander Research and Education Center burned to the ground, More
(2019-04-08). The Political Left is Bigger Than Imagined: Ask the Feds. counterpunch.org 
There has always been official disdain for the political left in the U.S. The suppression of left movements began with the Palmer raids of 1919-1920 in the First Red Scare. Anarchists were deported in a manner similar to the removal of immigrants from the U.S. today, some of whom committed only minor offenses, and some of whom More
(2019-04-08). Trump's Big Lie About Health Care. counterpunch.org Donald Trump's madcap presidency is now seeking to strip 20 million Americans of their health care coverage. He has instructed the Justice Department to join the lawsuit seeking to declare the Affordable Care Act unconstitutional. He then proclaimed that Republicans would offer a far better alternative, tweeting they'll become the "Party of Great Health Care." More
(2019-04-08). Praising Roma's contributions in Europe, UN expert urges end to rising intolerance and hate speech. un.org An independent United Nations expert called on Monday for immediate action to end discrimination and combat racist rhetoric against Roma, Europe's largest minority group.
(2019-04-08). The One Word the Mainstream Media Maddeningly Refuses to Use. truthdig.com No matter how egregious the remarks or transparent the speaker's motivations, the press cannot bring itself to call out racism by its name.
(2019-04-08). Meet the Grown-Ups Keeping Kids Out of Prison. thenation.com Meet the Grown-Ups Keeping Kids Out of Prison…
(2019-04-08). Israeli Troops Arrest 19 Palestinians in West Bank. plenglish.com Ramallah, Apr 8 (Prensa Latina) Israeli forces on Monday detained at least 19 Palestinians from several parts of the West Bank, the Palestinian Prisoners" Society (PPS) reported.
(2019-04-08). French Politicians Mobilize to Demand 'Free Lula'. plenglish.com Paris, Apr 8 (Prensa Latina) Leftwing politicians mobilized in France to demand the release of former Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and denounce his unjust imprisonment, the local press reported Monday.
(2019-04-08). Purdue Pharma, maker of highly addictive painkiller OxyContin, settles with state of Oklahoma for $270 million. wsws.org The settlement is the first of roughly 2,000 lawsuits pending in federal and state courts against Purdue and other opioid manufacturers, including Johnson & Johnson and Teva Pharmaceutical.
(2019-04-08). State of decay: US inmates sue jail over mold, mice & maggots falling on dining tables. rt.com 
The sorry state of a California prison, with mice falling on dining tables and mold growths covering the walls, has prompted inmates to sue the management. Lawyers say it is part of a systemic infrastructure decay problem.
(2019-04-08). Chelsea Manning, Jailed for Resisting Grand Jury, Released from Solitary Confinement. indybay.org In Northern Virginia, U.S. Army whistleblower Chelsea Manning has been released from solitary confinement after 28 days and moved into the general population of the Truesdale Detention Center.
(2019-04-08). Portuguese Organization Demands Freedom for Lula. plenglish.com 08 de abril de 2019, 15: 36Lisbon, Apr 8 (Prensa Latina) On Monday, the Portuguese Council for Peace and Cooperation (CPPC) reiterated its solidarity with the Brazilian people and demanded the release of former President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, who served an unjust year in prison.
(2019-04-08). University of Arizona students arrested for protesting Border Patrol agents. wsws.org In Arizona, a Class 1 misdemeanor is punishable by up to six months in jail and three years' probation, along with a $2,500 fine plus surcharges.
(2019-04-08). NAACP TROUBLED BY BLACK CHURCH BURNINGS IN THE SOUTH. naacp.org BALTIMORE — Derrick Johnson, President and CEO of the NAACP, made the following statement in response to recent outbreak of Black church burnings: "What is happening in Tennessee and Louisiana is domestic terrorism and we must not turn a blind eye to any incident where people are targeted because of the color of their …
(2019-04-07). 25 years on from genocide against the Tutsi, UN Chief warns of 'dangerous trends of rising xenophobia, racism and intolerance'. un.org In a message to commemorate the 25-year anniversary of the genocide against the Tutsi, during which Hutu and others who opposed the genocide were also killed, UN chief António Guterres has warned of dangerous trends of rising xenophobia, racism and intolerance in many parts of the world.
(2019-04-05). Chicago elections and what's coming next. fightbacknews.org Chicago, IL – The corporate media has missed what is most important about Chicago's April 2 elections. Its focus on the uninspiring mayoral contest between Toni Preckwinkle and Lori Lightfoot helped contribute to the lowest voter turnout ever. Only 29% of registered voters went to the polls. | What this election did see was a record number of young candidates challenging incumbents, and the greatest amount was in the Black wards of the city. According to Aislinn Pulley, an organizer with Black Lives Matter-Chicago, "What was significant were the young activists – mostly Black and Latino – that fought neighborhood…
(2019-04-05). I Was Arrested and Detained for Passing Out Fliers Near a Courthouse. aclu.org The government has no business criminalizing political speech just because it happens outside a courthouse. | In the land of the free, people still get arrested for speaking out about what they believe in., , A little over a year ago, I was arrested and detained for 10 hours in New York City because I was handing out leaflets advocating jury nullification. I was arrested under a state law that makes it a crime to talk about judicial proceedings within 200 feet of a courthouse. I filed a First Amendment lawsuit because political speech shouldn't be a crime, no matter where it takes place. | Jury nullification is a…
(2019-04-05). Willie McCoy Should Be Alive Today. aclu.org We need use of force bills to pass in California and nationwide to change police standards. | The events that led to the murder of Willie McCoy by City of Vallejo police began with a 911 call came from a Taco Bell employee. In the recording, the employee sounds perplexed: "I have a person unresponsive to car horn honks in my drive-through," he said. He then added, "He's unresponsive. I've already had, like people try to knock on the window. I have no idea what's going on." The dispatcher sent out Vallejo police officers for what's known as a "wellness check." Officers arrived…
(2019-04-05). The Case Against the CIA's Censors. counterpunch.org 
I have joined in a lawsuit with four former federal employees to end the government's censorship of our writings on national security issues. The current publications review system of our military and intelligence agencies is dysfunctional, inhibiting our ability to participate in national security debates. The government has a legitimate interest in protecting bona fide secrets, but the review system is opaque, exceeding legitimate national security boundaries and compromising free speech. More
(2019-04-05). Meet the Family Suing Boeing in First U.S. Wrongful Death Suit Since Ethiopia Crash Kills 157. democracynow.org 
The first American lawsuit has been filed against Boeing for its role in the Ethiopian Airlines crash that left 157 people dead last month. The family of 24-year-old Samya Stumo, who died in the crash, sued Boeing and filed a claim against the Federal Aviation Administration on Thursday. They filed the suit in federal court in Chicago, where Boeing is headquartered. It reads in part, "Blinded by its greed, Boeing haphazardly rushed the 737 MAX 8 to market, with the knowledge and tacit approval of the United States Federal Aviation Administration … Boeing's decision to put profits over safety … and the regulat…
(2019-04-05). Calling Racism by Its Real Name. fair.org 
Note that the New York Times' headline ( 1/10/19) was not "Steve King Defends White Supremacy"—though that was surely the most newsworthy aspect of this profile. | It should go without saying that things we don't have names for…go without saying. For years, that's been the deal with corporate media and racism. Actions, policies, statements and ideas that regular people have no trouble identifying as racist become, in elite media hands, "racially tinged," "racially charged," "race-related." And if racism isn…
(2019-04-05). Maisha Simmons to Lead NAACP Foundation Relations Efforts. naacp.org BALTIMORE (April 5, 2019)—Maisha Simmons, MPA recently joined the NAACP as the Deputy Chief Director of Development/ Sr. Director of Foundation Relations. Most recently Simmons served as a Senior Program Officer at the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) in an administrative role supporting the management of team operations and functions. "We are excited to have …
(2019-04-05). NAACP-supported bill updating the Violence Against Women Act passes the US House! naacp.org Earlier today the U.S. House of Representatives passed, by a margin of 263 yeas to 158 nays, H.R. 1585, a bill to update and strengthen the NAACP-supported and very successful Violence Against Women Act of 1994 (VAWA). VAWA has been reauthorized and strengthened by strong bipartisan majorities in 2000, 2005, and 2013. The law is seen today …
(2019-04-05). Chelsea Manning's lawyers file the 'strongest appeal' possible to secure her release on bail. thecanary.co Chelsea Manning's lawyers have asked for her immediate release from jail. In a new filing seen by The Canary, they ask that the Fourth … | Read more Chelsea Manning's lawyers file the 'strongest appeal' possible to secure her release on bail | By Bryan Wall
(2019-04-05). An Open Letter to Chelsea Manning: A Free Woman in An American Prison. dissidentvoice.org We are now faced with the fact, my friends, that tomorrow is today. We are confronted with the fierce urgency of now. In this unfolding conundrum of life and history, there is such a thing as being too late. Procrastination is still the thief of time. Life often leaves us standing bare, naked, and dejected …
(2019-04-05). A Top Progressive Consulting Firm Is Doing PR for an Israeli Spy Company. theintercept.com 
A prominent political communications shop that works on Democratic campaigns, employs Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton campaign alums, and boasts of its role in the fight for gun control and LGBT equality is representing an Israeli firm notorious for selling powerful surveillance technology to authoritarian governments around the world. | NSO Group, which is facing multiple lawsuits charging that its technology was used to spy on journalists and dissidents, hired SKDKnickerbocker to help with media inquiries as the spy firm tri…
(2019-04-05). Jeremy Corbyn calls for lawyers to be allowed to visit Abdullah àñcalan. greenleft.org.au 
British Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn met with Kurdish solidarity activists on March 30, according to the campaign website freedomforocalan.org. | The activists have been working with Imam Sis, a Kurdish activist living in Wales who has been on hunger strike since December 17, protesting the isolation of imprisoned Kurdish leader, Abdullah à&ntil…
(2019-04-04). Corporate Media More Worried About Avocado Toast Than Human Lives. fair.org 
The New York Times ( 4/1/19) describes the impact that closing the southern border would have on "American manufacturers," "grocery shoppers and farmers," "business owners," "border residents" and, finally—in the last two paragraphs of a 33-paragraph story—on "migrants." | Trump's border policies display zero regard for human rights, but for several news outlets, as Trump foments xenophobia, what's at stake is brunch.
(2019-04-04). SPLC seeks release of detained journalist whose work challenged ICE, a year after he was arrested. splcenter.org Memphis journalist Manuel Duran filed a habeas petition yesterday, seeking his immediate release from detention.
(2019-04-04). We Are Fighting Maricopa County's Rampant Prosecutorial Misconduct. aclu.org The Arizona Supreme Court has a chance to address the way prosecutors use and abuse their power and hold them accountable. | The Arizona Supreme Court will soon consider the misconduct of one of Maricopa County Attorney Bill Montgomery's top prosecutors: Juan Martinez. Martinez gained national notoriety when he prosecuted Jodi Arias for murder in 2008, but his aggressive and often unethical conduct was well-known in Arizona well before then…
(2019-04-04). How VAWA Takes on the Systems That Perpetuate Domestic and Sexual Violence. aclu.org VAWA goes beyond support for survivors to addressing laws that perpetuate violence | Today the House of Representatives passed the Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act of 2019 (H.R. 1585). This VAWA bill authorizes programs and funding that support survivors of gender-based violence. But it also does more: It tackles some of the laws and institutions that perpetuate domestic violence and sexual assault across the country. Dismantling these structural causes of gender-based violence is essential to ensuring the security and dignity of survivors, their families, and communities. | Protecting the Right to…
(2019-04-04). State Data Law Heightens Privacy Protection for Virginians. aclu.org This week a judge in Fairfax County banned police from creating privacy-eroding databases using information gathered from license plate readers. | Powerful new technologies make mass surveillance easier than ever for law enforcement. One such technology, automatic license plate readers (ALPRs), capture location data that can reveal people's religious, political, sexual, medical, and social activities. For years, law enforcement agencies across the country have collected and stored this data with very little oversight and few legal…
(2019-04-04). New Images From an Alabama Prison Reveal Horrific Conditions and Abuse. aclu.org Brutal conditions and violence are unseen hallmarks of our prison system. | A trove of photographs depicting brutalized and murdered prisoners in Alabama's St. Clair Correctional Facility has thrust the treatment of our nation's 2.3 million incarcerated people into public view. The first horror is what these people have endured in prison. The second horror is that while shocking, it is not a surprise. | As a lawyer who has represented prisoners for more than two decades, I have come to expect such violence and degradation of human…
(2019-04-04). What California's Death Penalty Moratorium Means For The Marginalized. therealnews.com 
Davey D discusses Governor Gavin Newsom's executive order and California's prison industrial complex—from Tookie Williams to Prop 66…
(2019-04-04). There are thousands of hunger strikers in prisons across Turkey. These are their 'last messages'. thecanary.co Thousands of prisoners across Turkey are on hunger strike. Kurdish MP Leyla Güven started the hunger strike while in prison. Now at home, Güven … | Read more There are thousands of hunger strikers in prisons across Turkey. These are their 'last messages'. | By Emily Apple
(2019-04-04). Mandatory detention: A history of bipartisan cruelty. greenleft.org.au 
How did Australia go from a place where its migrant hostels fostered some of the world's most famous bands to one where the detentions centres it presides over are described as "hell on Earth"? | Prior to May 1992, there was no mandatory detention in Australia. | At most, a couple of hundred people came via boat to seek asylum each year. They were housed in places such as the Villawood Migrant Hostel. | Some of the migrants who first met and jammed at these hostels went on to form iconic bands such as the Easybeats and AC/DC. It was…
(2019-04-03). Activists in Oshkosh, WI host vigil for Amber Evans. fightbacknews.org Oshkosh, WI – On March 31, local activists and members of United Action Oshkosh (UAO) held a vigil to honor and commemorate the life and work of activist Amber Evans. | Evans, whose body had been identified a week prior after being pulled from the Scioto River in Columbus, Ohio, was a 28-year-old organizer involved heavily with movements such as Black Lives Matter, the Juvenile Justice Coalition, the People's Justice Project, and local anti-fascist projects. | Gathering in the Opera House Square in downtown Oshkosh, attendees of the vigil held a moment of silence for two minutes, symbolizing the two months…
(2019-04-03). Legislation Would End Debt-Based Driver's License Suspensions in Minnesota. aclu.org Courts are supposed to deliver justice, not act as debt collectors. | Minnesota is one of more than 40 states across the country that suspends people's driver's licenses for outstanding tickets and fees, a practice that disproportionately harms low-income people. But the Minnesota Legislature may act to end this wealth-based penalty through legislation introduced in both chambers. If it becomes law, more than 50,000 Minnesotans will have their licenses restored. | The bill would repeal the provision of Minnesota law that allows…
(2019-04-03). 'A Lot of That Science They Point to Is Science They Paid For' – CounterSpin interview with Carey Gillam on Monsanto lawsuit. fair.org 
Janine Jackson interviewed Carey Gillam about Hardeman v. Monsanto for the March 29, 2019, episode of CounterSpin. This is a lightly edited transcript. | Media…
(2019-04-03). NAACP supported Violence Against Women Act reauthorization and strengthening coming to House floor tomorrow. naacp.org H.R. 1585, legislation to strengthen and support programs authorized by the hugely successful and NAACP-supported Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) is expected to be voted on by the full U.S. House tomorrow, 4-4-19. We need to pass it by a strong majority of Members to demonstrate our support for strengthening VAWA and protecting all survivors. …
(2019-04-03). DOJ: Conditions in Alabama prisons likely unconstitutional. splcenter.org The Alabama prison system is already fighting a years-long SPLC lawsuit over the neglect of prisoners with medical and mental health needs. Now, the U.S. Justice Department is threatening to sue the state because its prisons are beset by "rampant violence," "unchecked extortion," and "severe and widespread sexual abuse."
(2019-04-03). Supreme Court Deems Torture Of Prisoners During Executions Permissible. shadowproof.com The U.S. Supreme Court ruled Missouri may use lethal injection against a prisoner with a medical condition that will cause him to choke to death on his blood.
(2019-04-03). Beyond Prisons: Rachel Herzing On Political Education. shadowproof.com Rachel Herzing joins Beyond Prisons for a conversation on political education, transformation, and more. | Rachel is the co-director of Center for Political Education, a resource for political organizations on the left, progressive social movements, the working class and people of color. She has been an organizer, activist, and advocate fighting the violence of policing and imprisonment for over 20 years. | She is a co-founder of Critical Resistance, a national grassroots organization dedicated to abolishing the prison industrial complex. She was also the director of research and training at Creative Intervention…
(2019-04-02). America's Pretrial System Is Broken. Here's Our Vision to Fix It. aclu.org We envision a country where pretrial incarceration is all but eliminated. | Every year, millions of people are arrested, required to pay money bail they cannot afford, separated from their families and loved ones, or subjected to long periods of incarceration based on the mere accusation of a crime. This all occurs while people are presumed innocent under the law. Black and brown people, their loved ones, and those without the economic resources to thrive suffer the worst harms. | Yet while there is broad consensus that our money bail system is in dir…
(2019-04-02). Chelsea Manning's Attorneys Challenge Prolonged Solitary Confinement, Demand Her Release From Jail. shadowproof.com Chelsea Manning remains in conditions of prolonged solitary confinement, and her attorneys argue she should be released from jail pending her appeal. | "Ms. Manning's conditions of confinement must either be modified so as not to constitute punishment or she must be released," Manning's attorneys declared. "Since the jail cannot turn back the clock on punishment that has already occurred, her confinement in adseg in excess of 15 days already constitutes an incurable due process violation. She must therefore be released." | On March 8, Manning was detained at the William G. Truesdale Adult Detention Center in Alex…
(2019-04-02). White Supremacist Symbol Found Spray-Painted at the Site of Fire, Civil Rights Center Says. splcenter.org Someone painted a white supremacist symbol at the scene where fire ravaged a building tied to the civil rights movement, according to a statement from the Highlander Research and Education Center.
(2019-04-02). As Trump Threatens Another Obamacare Repeal, Mother Warns That Losing ACA Would "Wipe Me Out" democracynow.org 
Just a week after President Trump's Justice Department supported a federal court ruling to wipe out the Affordable Care Act, Trump changed course in a series of tweets Monday and said he is willing to wait until after the 2020 presidential election for Congress to vote on a new healthcare plan. Trump has vowed to replace the ACA so that the Republican Party will be known as "the party of healthcare." We speak with Jamie Davis Smith, a mother of four, civil rights attorney and member of Little Lobbyists and Health Care Voter. Her daughter Claire has multiple severe disabilities. In a recent op-ed for The Washingto…