(2019-04-10). The American People Support LGBTQ Equality. Congress Should Too. aclu.org Opponents of equality are spewing myths about transgender people and nondiscrimination protections on Capitol Hill. | In the past seven days, the House of Representatives has held two historic hearings on the Equality Act, HR 5, a bipartisan bill that would add explicit protections from discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity to our civil rights laws, and update the laws to provide increased protection for all women and people of color. What was most notable from…
(2019-04-10). Congressional Action to End the Bans—Now and Into the Future. aclu.org Trump thought he won, but Members of Congress are pushing back. | For the first time since President Trump issued his Muslim ban, Congress proposed a legislative solution today to protect immigrant communities from discriminatory bans, immediately and permanently. | The long-awaited NO Ban Act, introduced by Senator Chris Coons (D-Del.) and Representative Judy Chu (D-Calif.), would immediately rescind the Muslim ban as well as President Trump's asylum ban and refugee ban, definitively ending these discriminatory abus…
(2019-04-10). The BE HEARD Act Will Overhaul Workplace Harassment Laws. aclu.org The groundbreaking, comprehensive bill takes on workplace harassment and discrimination. | For more than a decade, Tarana Burke and survivors across the country have used #MeToo to share their experiences of sexual violence, raise women's voices, and respond to the needs of survivors. In its current incarnation, #MeToo has sparked an unprecedented examination of sexual harassment, including sexual assault, in our workplaces, and illuminated the multiple manifestations of workplace discrimination. | In the midst of this historic reckoning, the ACLU and coalition partners drafted and shared with members of Congress…
(2019-04-10). What Netanyahu Hopes to Gain from Attacking Palestinian Prisoners. mintpressnews.com 
Considering the direct impact of the situation in Israeli prisons on the collective psyche of all Palestinians, any more reckless steps by Netanyahu will soon result in greater collective resistance, a struggle that Israel cannot easily suppress.
(2019-04-10). Freed MOVE 9 revolutionaries tie the knot. workers.org 
Mike and Debbie Africa, MOVE 9 members unjustly imprisoned in 1978, were finally released in 2018. The MOVE 9 were falsely convicted and sentenced to life in prison for the killing of a white cop during a brutal police assault on their house. On April 6 Debbie and Mike were . . . | Continue reading Freed MOVE 9 revolutionaries tie the knot at Workers.org
(2019-04-10). US: Understaffed Prison Mailrooms Cause Ban on Book Donations. telesurenglish.net The Washington State Department of Corrections discretely implemented a new policy effective since March 25, which bans nonprofit organizations from donating books to prisons. | RELATED: | More Than a Million Florida Ex-Convicts Obtain Voting Rights | The policy took donors by surprise, including the Seattle-based nonprofit Books to Prisoners, which tweeted that "they didn't bother to tell us first. We only know now because we found this memo on their website today. We're ready t…
(2019-04-10). It's Time to End US Military Aid to the Philippines. counterpunch.org Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte's bloody "War on Drugs" has now claimed over 27,000 lives — almost all poor and indigent people, including children, summarily executed by police or vigilantes. Over 140,000 pre-trial detainees are being held in overcrowded Philippine prisons, many on trumped up drug charges; 75 percent of the total prison population still awaits More
(2019-04-10). Cuban men thrown into Louisiana prisons despite legal asylum requests. splcenter.org Suicide. Self-harm. Medical neglect. Isolated in segregation. Quarantined and left without legal counsel.
(2019-04-10). The Boston Trial: Another African Convicted in Another Racist, Chauvinist Western Court. globalresearch.ca Last week a jury in Boston Federal Court convicted Rwandan asylum seeker Jean Leonard Teganya of fraud and perjury for lying on his immigration papers about his involvement in the 1994 Rwandan Genocide. In other words, yet another racist, chauvinist, …
(2019-04-10). 3 New Studies That Will Make You Rethink Systemic Racism. truthdig.com It affects our schools, our water, even the air we breathe. And like climate change, it demands an urgent, comprehensive response.
(2019-04-10). Kenya: Human Rights Orgs Join Extrajudicial Killings Case. telesurenglish.net A Kenyan judge has allowed the Independent Medico-Legal Unit (IMLU) and Kenya Humans Right Commission (KHRC) to act as interested parties in a lawsuit filed by widows and mothers against the government regarding extrajudicial killings. | RELATED: | Philippines: Court Orders Release of Anti-Drug Killing Reports | The participation of these human rights organizations is expected to give the case a boost. They will be added to the list of other interested parties, which includes th…
(2019-04-10). Greece: Syriza government mobilises riot police against refugees. wsws.org In enforcing the European Union's anti-immigrant policy on the continent's southern border, Syriza willingly acts as the jailer of all refugees stranded within its country's borders.
(2019-04-10). Dems Introduce Bill to End Trump's 'UnAmerican' Muslim Ban. commondreams.org Democrats in both chambers of Congress introduced legislation to end President Donald Trump's racist Muslim ban Wednesday, generating support from advocates and lawmakers opposed to the administration's policy."We are happy to see elected officials who are using their legislative powers to dismantle the Trump administration's bigoted policies." | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/ilhan.nobanact_0.jpg…
(2019-04-10). ACLU Letter to Santa Cruz City Council Opposes Ross Camp Closure. indybay.org On April 8, the ACLU of Northern California and the National Law Center on Homelessness & Poverty sent a joint letter to the Santa Cruz City Council opposing the closure of the Ross homeless encampment. "[W]e are concerned about any plan to criminalize the living behaviors of residents of the Ross Camp, either directly or indirectly. Due to the lack of available shelter bed, Martin bars the City from carrying out such a plan," the letter states.
(2019-04-10). When We Fight We Win: Building Community Power to Dismantle the Prison System. indybay.org First Congregational Church of Oakland, 2501 Harrison Street, Oakland, CA 94612…
(2019-04-09). Kirstjen Nielsen's Cruel Legacy: Outgoing DHS Secretary Proudly Separated Families & Caged Children. democracynow.org 
Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen has been forced out of her role at the helm of President Trump's immigration policy after reportedly resisting a move by the president to revive his family separation policy at the U.S. border. We look at Nielsen's legacy with Renée Feltz, a Democracy Now! correspondent and producer who has long reported on the criminalization of immigrants, family detention and the business of detention. Nielsen oversaw Trump's "zero tolerance" family separation policy last year and came under fire by Democrats for lying to Congress about the policy, as well as for withh…
(2019-04-09). Trump Picks Family Separation Advocate Kevin McAleenan to Be Acting Secretary of Homeland Security. aclu.org By elevating McAleenan, the president has signaled that he seeks to maximize cruelty. | With his selection of Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Commissioner Kevin McAleenan to serve as acting secretary of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), President Trump has once again shown that he has no regrets over his administration's disastrous policy of separating families. | McAleenan was one of the three DHS officials to recommend the cruel and inhumane policy to outgoing Secretary Kirstjen…
(2019-04-09). Utah Passed a Law to Protect Noncitizens From Automatic Deportation. aclu.org By reducing the maximum penalty for a misdemeanor by one day, lawmakers reduced the harm of an unfair federal immigration law | Utah is known for its red rock canyons, steep ski slopes, and a mega-majority Republican legislature. And now it can be recognized as one of just a handful of states to pass legislation that helps noncitizens avoid deportation if they are convicted of a misdemeanor. | The bill, which was signed into law by Gov. Gary Herbert on March 25, clarifies that misdemeanor convictions in Utah can no longer be interpreted as aggravate…
(2019-04-09). Protests Across Brazil and the World for the Release of Lula, "Political Prisoner" therealnews.com 
On the anniversary of the imprisonment of former Workers Party president Lula da Silva, tens of thousands protested in Brazil and around the world demanded his release. Mike Fox reports from Curitiba, Brazil…
(2019-04-09). Stephen Miller's Uncle: Trump's Anti-Immigrant Comments Demonize Asylum Seekers & Stir Racist Hatred. democracynow.org 
As his administration intensifies anti-immigrant policies at the border, President Trump has reportedly put adviser Stephen Miller in charge of the administration's immigration policy. The Wall Street Journal reports Miller has backed the reinstatement of Trump's family separation policy and has been pushing officials at the Homeland Security and Justice Departments to "get in line" with a more hard-line immigration approach. This news comes as Trump told the Republican Jewish Coalition leadership Saturday, "Our country's full. What can you do? We can't handle any more. Our country is full." We speak with Stephen…
(2019-04-09). Iran says U.S. military forces in Middle East are part of terrorist group, after U.S. puts terrorist tag on Iran's military. fightbacknews.org Minneapolis, MN – Iran's authoritative FARS News Agency is reporting the Supreme National Security Council has designated the United States Central Command as a terrorist entity, following a decision by the U.S. to put the terrorist tag on an important part of Iran's military – the Islamic Revolution Guard Corps. | The U.S. move to designate Iran's military as 'terrorist' violates international law and raised concerns about future treatment of prisoners of war. | The U.S. administration has been angered by Iran's support for progressive and anti-imperialist movements in Yemen, Iraq, Palestine and Lebanon. Iran ha…
(2019-04-09). Kyle Korver Challenges Every White Athlete to Listen and Act. thenation.com Kyle Korver Challenges Every White Athlete to Listen and Act…
(2019-04-09). US Senators Propose Ban Online Tricks to Gather Personal Data. telesurenglish.net Two U.S. senators introduced a bill on Tuesday to ban online social media companies, like Facebook and Twitter, from tricking consumers into unknowingly giving up their personal data. | RELATED: | Facebook Charged for Racial Discrimination in Housing Ads | "Misleading prompts to just click the 'OK' button can often transfer your contacts, messages, browsing activity, photos, or location information without you even realizing it," Republican Deb Fischer explained in a statement iss…
(2019-04-09). Pornhub joins Twitter users targeting Nunes with #YachtCocaineProstitutes hashtag trending. rt.com 
Rep. Devin Nunes has filed a $150 million lawsuit against McClatchy for derailing his probe into Clinton campaign corruption and 'Russian interference' with claims about prostitutes and cocaine, sparking extreme Twitter trolling.
(2019-04-09). In leaked court testimony, Assange denounces his illegal detention. wsws.org The WikiLeaks founder declared: "No journalist, no citizen, should accept that what they speak about can be defined from day to day by reasons of political expediency."
(2019-04-09). A Harvard Professor Filed a Shareholder Lawsuit to Restrict Shareholder Rights. theintercept.com Over the past two years, some senior officials at the Securities and Exchange Commission have indicated that they would be open to corporations foisting mandatory arbitration on their shareholders, and now a team of pro-corporate players are ready to put them to the test. Two lawyers have joined with a high-profile Harvard professor on a pivotal case that could strip away shareholders' rights to sue public companies. The Harvard professor, Hal S. Scott, runs a Wall Street advocacy group support…
(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). Battle of Dignity 2 Begins: Statement by the PFLP in the Occupation Prisons. fightbacknews.org Fight Back News Service is circulating the following April 8 statement from the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP). | The organization of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine inside the prisons calls for a general mobilization among its ranks, announcing the first to enter the hunger strike. | In the context of the Battle of Dignity (Karameh) 2, which was decided upon by the prisoners' movement inside the Zionist detention camps immediately after the prison administration disavowed their own agreements, the organization declares that the Popular Front in the prisons is mobilizing in…
(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). Meet the Grown-Ups Keeping Kids Out of Prison. thenation.com Meet the Grown-Ups Keeping Kids Out of Prison…
(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). Israeli Forces Briefly Detain 15-Year-Old Brother of Ahed Tamimi. theantimedia.com (MEE) — Israeli forces raided the home of prominent former prisoner Ahed Tamimi overnight and detained her 15-year-old brother Mohammed in the occupied West Bank village of Nabi Saleh, their father told Middle East Eye. The teenager was released on bail on Monday evening after some 17 hours in custody. "They stormed in at around 2: 30 am. We woke …
(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). 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). 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). 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). 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). 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). 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). 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). 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). 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). 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). 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). 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). 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). 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). '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…