(2019-05-13). I've Been to Guantanamo. It's No Place for Kids. aclu.org The Administration's proposal of sending immigrant children to Guantanamo Bay is dangerous and inhumane. | Over the last year, the country has been shocked by reports of the inhumane treatment of children and families in immigrant detention. Now, the Trump administration appears to be increasing the scope and severity of its immigrant detention scheme by potentially detaining immigrants at Guantanamo Bay. | News broke last week that the Defense Department awarded a $23 million dollar contract to construct a "Contingency Mass Migra…
(2019-05-13). What's Trending: Black News Recap. naacp.org 
Blavity: Civil Rights Organizations Are Fighting For Crystal Mason, Who Was Imprisoned For Voting, To Be Released From Prison Crystal Mason, a Texas woman who was sent to prison for voting, is fighting for her freedom with the help of new additions to her legal team.The Texas Civil Rights Project, American …
(2019-05-13). Chelsea Manning restates her refusal to testify against Julian Assange as new grand jury subpoena looms. wsws.org Speaking on CNN's "Reliable Sources" program just three days after being released from federal detention, Manning made clear that she will resist the new grand jury subpoena, even at the cost of being sent back to prison.
(2019-05-13). Saudi Arabia Says 2 Tankers Were Targeted In 'Sabotage Attack'. telesurenglish.net Saudi Arabia's Energy Minister Khalid Al-Falih said on Monday that two of his country's oil tankers were targeted by a "sabotage attack" near the United Arab Emirates (UAE). | RELATED: | Saudi Arabia, Kenya Release 100s of Ethiopian Prisoners | Al-Falih confirmed that two Saudi oil tankers did suffer heavy damage, but no oil leaks or casualties were reported. | "Fortunately, the attack didn't lead to any casualties or oil spill; however, it caused significant damage to the structures…
(2019-05-13). Following SPLC lawsuit, judge grants New Orleans students the chance to walk on graduation day. splcenter.org A state court in Louisiana issued an injunction today that allowed six high school seniors to participate in graduation ceremonies at their New Orleans charter school after they were banned from doing so following a minor senior prank last month.
(2019-05-13). Anti-monopoly App Store lawsuit against Apple gets go-ahead from US Supreme Court. rt.com 
The US Supreme Court is letting a group of consumers proceed with their antitrust lawsuit against Apple after rejecting the tech behemoth's argument that iOS App Store users aren't really its customers.
(2019-05-13). Lawsuit by 44 states accuses pharma giants of 'multi-year conspiracy' to hike drug prices by over 1,000%. nationofchange.org "Teva and its co-conspirators embarked on one of the most egregious and damaging price-fixing conspiracies in the history of the United States."
(2019-05-13). Lawsuit Targets Trump Administration Renewal of Oregon Ranchers' Grazing Permit. commondreams.org ______________________________…
(2019-05-13). Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law Statement in Response to Supreme Court Ruling Abandoning Precedent in Franchise Tax Board of California v. Hyatt. commondreams.org ______________________________…
(2019-05-13). Arundhati Roy on Why She Admires WikiLeaks & Opposes Assange's Extradition to the U.S. democracynow.org 
In Sweden, prosecutors are reopening an investigation into sexual assault allegations against WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, and are seeking his extradition to face charges in Sweden. Prosecutors had dropped the investigation in 2017 because they said the case could not proceed while Assange was holed up at the Ecuadorian embassy in London, where he lived for seven years before being forcibly removed by British police last month. Assange has since been sentenced to 50 weeks in jail in Britain for skipping bail in 2012 to avoid extradition to Sweden. Assange has denied the sexual assault accusations. Assange pr…
(2019-05-13). With Casino Tweet, Trump Uses His Racism to Cover Up His Corruption. truthout.org For a while, a popular assessment of Donald Trump's wild, early-morning rants and attacks on Twitter was that they served as a strategic distraction from even more sinister and potentially damaging goings-on. Eventually, however, political pundits accustomed to norms and decorum came to accept that while Trump may be a brilliant marketer, he is also just a stubborn old man whose worst habits can't be tamed. | Twitter, for Trump, is an effective medium to continue controlling media coverage — or to complain about "Fox & Friends" — from the comfort of his bed. Unlike during the presidential campaign,…
(2019-05-13). Australia: GetUp's silence over the persecution of Julian Assange. wsws.org The protest group's reaction to the incarceration of Assange signals its complicity and is a political godsend for Australia's political elite.
(2019-05-12). 'Green' Beto O'Rourke joins the swamp, hires fossil fuel and private prisons lobbyist. rt.com 
Beto O'Rourke's hiring of a former oil industry lobbyist is a puzzling move for a Democrat who touts his green credentials. But such contradictions are par for the course in the Washington DC swamp. |
(2019-05-12). Ecuador To Deliver Assange's Documents, Devices to US: Report. telesurenglish.net The Attorney general of Ecuador has agreed to deliver all of Julian Assange's personal materials to the United States, according to a report by the Spainish newspaper which says it had seen the official document detailing the agreement. | RELATED: | We Have to Save His Life: Pamela Anderson Visits Assange in Prison | The documents, mobile phones, computer files, memory units, and other devices of the WikiLeaks co-founder are in the Ecuadorean embassy in London where Assange…
(2019-05-11). Texas Passes Bill to End the Shackling of Pregnant Women in Prison. theantimedia.com (TT) — The Texas Senate unanimously passed a bill Friday that would end the shackling of pregnant women in prison and would provide female inmates with more — and higher quality — menstrual products. House Bill 650, authored by Rep. James White, R-Hillister, is a comprehensive bill that addresses many issues related to the conditions of the state's …
(2019-05-11). As protests grow, Algerian army arrests Workers Party leader. wsws.org The army is imprisoning Louisa Hanoune on baseless charges to send a signal that it will deal ruthlessly with anyone, even figures with close ties to the regime.
(2019-05-11). US govt overclassifies docs to prevent public learning about crimes — whistleblower. rt.com 
The government is trying to prevent whistleblowing and investigative journalism, a former FBI agent told RT speaking on the case of an ex-intelligence analyst facing 50 years in prison for leaking files about the US drone program.
(2019-05-11). Newest Beto O'Rourke Hire Lobbied for Keystone XL, Seaworld, and Private Prisons. theintercept.com Beto O'Rourke's hiring of Jeff Berman is the latest step his presidential campaign has taken away from the insurgent energy of his Senate run.
(2019-05-11). 'Stop Arming Israel, Stop Bombing Gaza': Thousands March in London Demanding Justice for Palestinians. theantimedia.com (CD) — Thousands took to the streets of London on Saturday to show solidarity with the Palestinian people and demand an end to Israel's brutal occupation. Ahed Tamimi—the 18-year-old Palestinian activist who became a global protest icon after she was imprisoned for slapping Israeli soldiers outside of her home in the occupied West Bank—joined Saturday's march and delivered a …
(2019-05-10). House Funding Bill Shows How Far We've Come in the Fight for Reproductive Freedom—And How Far We Have to Go. aclu.org A key bill makes important strides for reproductive health, and shows why we need presidential candidates to show leadership on abortion coverage. | This week the House Appropriations Committee advanced the Labor, Health, and Human Services appropriations bill, the annual bill that funds federal health and education programs. It makes important strides forward on reproductive health and rights–and it also shines a light on the need for presidential leadership on abortion coverage…
(2019-05-10). Iraqi Immigrants Deserve Their Day in Court. aclu.org My dad was almost deported without a fair hearing. But a new bill could ensure that doesn't happen again. | This week, two of my home-state congressmen introduced bipartisan legislation to ensure that approximately 1,000 Iraqis who are now at risk of deportation or detention are given two years to have their immigration cases heard. I'm so grateful to Congressman Andy Levin (D-Mich.) and Congressman John Moolenaar (R-Mich.) for their action because no other family should h…
(2019-05-10). The Mueller Report Isn't The Only Thing That William Barr Is Hiding. aclu.org Barr's attempt to block a report detailing how often the government seeks to spy on Twitter's users is inappropriate and dangerous. | Attorney General William Barr recently invoked a powerful, rarely used privilege to withhold information from the public, marking a dramatic turn of events in a battle over the release of a highly contested report. | Only this time, we're talking about a report that would provide much-needed information on the government's spying activities. | For the past five years, Twitter has been trying to make public a transparency report with detailed statistics about how often the U.S. gove…
(2019-05-10). NAACP to Hold People's Hearing for Voting Rights in Birmingham. naacp.org On May 13, the NAACP, a member of the W.K. Kellogg Racial Equity Anchor Collaborative, will hold a People's Hearing on voting rights in Birmingham, Alabama. At the hearing, Birmingham-area residents will publicly share their personal experiences facing voting rights interference and barriers at the polls — which disproportionately impact historically disenfranchised voters and communities …
(2019-05-10). Trump Steps up War on Whistleblowers: Air Force Vet Daniel Hale Arrested For Leaking Drone War Info. democracynow.org 
A former U.S. intelligence analyst was arrested Thursday and charged with violating the Espionage Act for allegedly leaking documents about the secretive U.S. drone program. | Daniel Hale, 31, was arrested in Nashville. He faces up to 50 years in prison. Hale is accused of disclosing 11 top secret or secret documents to a reporter. The indictment does not name the reporter but unnamed government sources have told media outlets that the reporter is investigative journalist Jeremy Scahill of The Intercept. In 2015, The Intercept published a special report called the Drone Papers exposing the inner workings of the U…
(2019-05-10). SPLC Action Fund: Alabama House Bill 380 would limit paroles, increase prison overcrowding. splcenter.org The Alabama House of Representatives this week passed House Bill 380 (HB 380), which would give the governor more control over the state parole board and set minimum sentences that incarcerated people must serve before they can be released on parole.
(2019-05-10). Another Whistleblower Bites the Dust as The Intercept Adds a Third Notch to Its Burn Belt. mintpressnews.com 
The Intercept, which has long been associated with the documents shared by whistleblower Edward Snowden, has yet to fire any of the reporters responsible for these breaches that have seen two whistleblowers already imprisoned and third, Daniel Hale, likely to be imprisoned.
(2019-05-10). Manzanar pilgrimage commemorates Japanese-American internment victims. peoplesworld.org 
MANZANAR NATIONAL HISTORIC SITE, Calif.—Surrounded by barbed-wire fences and watchtowers, it was described as a "prison in the desert." Former inmates said that when waking up in the morning, they were shaking with cold and covered with sand that kept coming in through gaps in the floorboards and walls. Around 230 miles north of Los …
(2019-05-10). Chris Grayling's privatisation of the probation service was so flawed, the government is planning to renationalise it. thecanary.co The government is reportedly planning to renationalise the probation service. Prison reform campaigners have welcomed the news. But it only comes after the Conservatives' own disastrous reforms to the sector. | Criticised from the outset: | On May 10, the Times reported that justice secretary David Gauke was "preparing to…
(2019-05-10). Chelsea Manning Released From Jail But Received Another Subpoena To Testify Before WikiLeaks Grand Jury. shadowproof.com Chelsea Manning was released from a jail in Alexandria, Virginia, on May 9, but according to her defense attorneys, she received another subpoena to testify before the grand jury investigating WikiLeaks prior to her release.
(2019-05-10). Headlines for May 10, 2019. democracynow.org Trump Increases Tariffs on $200 Billion of Chinese Goods, Trump Nominates Patrick Shanahan as Pentagon Chief, Former U.S. Intel Analyst Charged Over Whistleblowing About Drone Program, Chelsea Manning Freed from Jail After 62 Days as WikiLeaks Grand Jury Expires, Dozens of Civilians Die as Syrian and Russian Warplanes Pound Idlib, Baghdad Suicide Bomb Claimed by ISIS Kills 8, French Activists Contest Saudi Arms Shipment, Citing Civilian Deaths in Yemen, U.S. Seizes North Korean Ship, Accusing it of Violating Sanctions, Water and Power Cut to Venezuelan Embassy in D.C. as Activists Continue Occupation, Alabama Sen…
(2019-05-10). "We Have No Reason to Trust the Police": Sandra Bland Arrest Video Reignites Anger Over Her Death. democracynow.org 
The family of Sandra Bland is calling for authorities to reopen the investigation into her death. The 28-year-old African-American woman died in a Texas jail cell in 2015, three days after she was arrested for allegedly failing to signal a lane change. Authorities have claimed Sandra Bland committed suicide while in jail by hanging herself with a garbage bag, but her family has long rejected this claim. On Monday, the Dallas TV station WFAA aired cellphone video filmed by Bland capturing the moment when she was pulled over. In the 39-second video you can see the officer — Brian Encinia — drawing his s…
(2019-05-10). "Black Mama's Bail Out Day": Movement Grows to Free Black Women From Jail for Mother's Day. democracynow.org 
Racial justice groups around the country are bailing black women out of jail so they can spend Mother's Day with their families. For the third year in a row, "Black Mama's Bail Out Day" is raising money to bail out as many black women from jail as possible. The effort is taking place in dozens of cities to call attention to the injustice of cash bail. We speak to Mary Hooks, the co-director of Southerners On New Ground, which is part of the National Bail Out Collective.
(2019-05-10). WW commentary: When the state executes a white supremacist. workers.org 
Three white supremacists dragged James Byrd Jr., an African-American man, to his death in 1998 in Jasper, Texas, after they chained him to the back of their pickup truck. This lynching was one of the most horrific racist crimes in modern U.S. history and shocked people worldwide. Three men were . . . | Continue reading WW commentary: When the state executes a white supremacist at Workers.org
(2019-05-10). Danny Baker's final apology, and what the reaction to it tells us about racism. thecanary.co 
This week, the BBC fired Danny Baker for his racist tweet about the latest royal baby. Almost immediately, the Centrist light entertainment luvvies swamped Twitter with apologia. He's such a great guy! He's been the victim of a politically correct Twitter hit mob! He was taken out of context! The excuses were endless. But due to the resistance of black Twitter and allies, Baker was forced to reflect further and make a fullsome apology. The whole debacle and its aftermath can teach us a lot about how racism works. If we're prepared to listen.The Danny Baker moment: Portraying a mixed race child as a chimpan…
(2019-05-09). Congress, Laws Suppressing Boycotts of Israel Are Unconstitutional. Sincerely, Three Federal Courts. aclu.org Congress has a constitutional duty to protect the rights of the American people, including the First Amendment right to participate in boycotts. | Congress just got yet another reminder that the First Amendment right to political boycotts is alive and well in the United States, and any legislative attempt to infringe on that right puts them squarely against the Constitution. | Last week a federal district court in Texas blocked as unconstitutional a state law that required government contractors to certify that they d…
(2019-05-09). No One Should be Forced to Give Birth Alone in a Jail Cell. aclu.org A mentally ill woman gave birth in a county jail in Florida. Incredibly, she is not the first. | At 3 a.m., inside her solitary jail cell in Broward County, Florida, Tammy Jackson began having contractions. It took hours for corrections officers to reach a doctor, who said he'd check on Jackson when he came into work…
(2019-05-09). Statement on the Indictment of Alleged Drone Strike Whistleblower. theintercept.com The Intercept does not comment on matters relating to the identity of anonymous sources. | In an indictment unsealed on May 9, the government alleges that documents on the U.S. drone program were leaked to a news organization. These documents detailed a secret, unaccountable process for targeting and killing people around the world, including U.S. citizens, through drone strikes. They are of vital public importance, and activity related to their disclosure is protected by the First Amendment. The alleged whistleblower faces up to 50 years in prison. No one has ever been held accountable for killing civilians in d…
(2019-05-09). Trump ratchets up anti-immigrant campaign. greenleft.org.au 
While much of the media continues to focus on the Mueller report and the squabbles between the White House and the Democratic-controlled House of Representatives, US President Donald Trump's real crimes are scarcely addressed or are ignored altogether. | This column will take up one of these crimes, Trump's intensification of his racist war on immigrants. He is not alone on this — the ultra-right throughout Europe and elsewhere have similar anti-immigrant policies. | In recent weeks Trump has appointed new officials at the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
(2019-05-09). After Judge's Ruling, Charlottesville May Be Stuck With Statues of Confederate Generals Lee, Jackson. splcenter.org A judge has ruled that a civil rights-era law forbidding the removal of "war memorials" applies to Confederate statues that became flashpoints during a deadly Virginia gathering of white nationalists and neo-Nazis.
(2019-05-09). 'Free Clarrie O'Shea': When unions broke the rules to change them. greenleft.org.au 
Fifty years ago, an industrial penal powers dispute provoked the biggest strike wave in Australia's post-war history. | On May 15, 1969, Clarrie O'Shea, Victorian secretary Australian Tramway & Motor Omnibus Employees' Association (ATMOEA), was jailed for refusing to pay fines imposed under the anti-union penal powers of the Conciliation and Arbitration Act. | Over the next week, more than 1 million workers went on strike to demand freedom for O'Shea and the repeal of the penal powers. | Tribune, the newspaper of the Communist Party of Australia at the time, reported on May 21, 1969: "The long struggle…
(2019-05-09). Anti-Racist Canada promotes Video by Anti-Palestinian, FOX News Filmmaker. dissidentvoice.org Why would Anti-Racist Canada (ARC) promote a video by a FOX News filmmaker who compares the Left to the KKK and claimed Swedish police refuse to go into immigrant neighbourhoods? Is it because the ARC collective is an example of people who fight racism except if it is anti-Palestinian? Recently, ARC retweeted long-time anti-Palestinian activist …
(2019-05-09). The Revelations of WikiLeaks: No. 2 —The Leak That 'Exposed the True Afghan War'. consortiumnews.com The Afghan Diaries set off a firestorm when it revealed the suppression of civilian casualty figures, the existence of an elite U.S.-led death squad, and the covert role of Pakistan in the conflict, as Elizabeth Vos reports. This is the second article in… Read more →
(2019-05-09). Wisconsin: The Perfect Place to Address America's Apartheid. progressive.org Behind the stats about incarceration rates, lies a basic structure of law that accommodates white people. What better place to host the 2020 Dem convention?
(2019-05-08). Remembering the Woman Who Renovated the House that RBG Built. aclu.org Lenora Lapidus led the ACLU's Women's Right Project for nearly two decades. She died on Sunday, May 5. | On the 50th anniversary of Selma's Bloody Sunday, one of the darkest stains in our nation's civil rights history, President Obama spoke with hope and confidence about Americans who were "unencumbered by what is, because you're ready to seize what ought to be." Lenora Lapidus lived her life by this principle. | Public servants come in many forms. They're elected officials, politicians, activists, lawyers, organizers, students, ordinary citizens, and steadfast patriots. Our beloved Lenora represen…
(2019-05-08). NAACP Statement on House Hearings Regarding Domestic Terrorism. naacp.org The NAACP, the nation's foremost civil rights organization, released the following statement in response to the House Committee on Homeland Security hearing on domestic terrorism today: "We welcome this vital and necessary hearing. The hatred and venom that has already harmed our nation needs to be addressed at the highest levels of government. Nothing is …
(2019-05-08). Lawsuit challenges massive overuse of solitary in Florida prisons. splcenter.org Admire Harvard has spent nearly 10 years locked up in solitary confinement in the Florida prison system.
(2019-05-08). Cecile Richards: Georgia's New "Fetal Heartbeat" Bill Criminalizes Women Who Seek Abortions. democracynow.org 
Georgia's Republican Governor Brian Kemp signed into law Tuesday a six-week abortion ban, or so-called "fetal heartbeat law" that bans abortions once a fetal heartbeat can be detected—something that typically happens just six weeks into a pregnancy and before many women realize they're pregnant. It is now one of the country's most restrictive abortion laws. "It doesn't just make abortion illegal," says | Cecile Richards, former head of Planned Parenthood. "It basically would allow women to be convicted and either sentenced to death or to life imprisonment in Georgia." She notes the real medical crisis for w…
(2019-05-08). Chelsea Manning: Despite Heartbreak And Hardship, Cooperation With WikiLeaks Grand Jury Not An Option. shadowproof.com Editor's Note: The following declaration from Chelsea Manning was filed in a federal court in Alexandria, Virginia, on May 6. It is part of her defense attorneys' ongoing efforts to free her from the William G. Truesdale Adult Detention Center. Shadowproof is republishing the statement to help bring further attention to what Manning has endured. | Throughout her declaration, Manning makes it abundantly clear she will never testify before the grand jury investigating WikiLeaks. "I can either go to jail or betray my…
(2019-05-08). Wednesday's Daily Brief: updates from the Near East and Libya, Ebola in DR Congo, World War remembrance. un.org On Wednesday, we cover: chronic hunger in the Middle East; the toll of war on Gazans; the one-year-long detention of an academic in Iran; Syrian health facilities under attack; Ebola casualties in the Democratic Republic of the Congo hitting the 1,000 mark; and a two-day remembrance effort for those who died during the Second World War.
(2019-05-08). Saying 'No' to Immigrant Detention. progressive.org Private companies want to build new immigrant detention facilities, but communities around Chicago are stopping them in their tracks.