(2019-05-27). It Is Indifference of the Israelis that Is Killing People. globalresearch.ca In the past, whenever I went to (or more precisely, 'through') Israel, it was for some antagonistic purpose: to write about the brutal suppression of the intifada in Gaza or Hebron, to comment on the insanity of the land grab …
(2019-05-27). Stalinist CPM and CPI suffer meltdown in India's national election. wsws.org The Stalinists' electoral debacle is the outcome of their decades-long political suppression of the working class and key role in implementing a "pro-market," "pro-investor" agenda.
(2019-05-27). Fisheries Meeting Aims to Ensure Enough West Coast Salmon for Starving Orcas. indybay.org Lawsuit Prompts Consultation to Save Southern Resident Killer Whales…
(2019-05-27). Support the Coalition for Police Accountability's Lawsuit Intervention. indybay.org Federal Courthouse, Dept 2, 17th Floor | 450 Golden Gate Ave., San Francisco…
(2019-05-27). At Least 15 Killed in Brazilian Prison Riot. telesurenglish.net A large prison riot broke out in the Brazilian state of Amazonas on Sunday, killing at least fifteen people, a statement of the state secretariat for prisons read. | RELATED: | Thousands of Brazilians Join the 'Free Lula' Campaign | The inmates at the Amazonas jail were choked to death or stabbed with toothbrushes, Colonel Marcos Vinicius Almeida, head of the state's jails, said in the statement. | The riot began during visiting hours. There were no hostages and violence was directed be…
(2019-05-27). US federal prisoner dies after more than 35 years in solitary confinement. wsws.org The dehumanizing conditions of solitary confinement described by Dickens in 1842 have been replaced in the 21st century with its "modern" version, used widely in the US prison system.
(2019-05-26). Marginalizing Migrants and People of Colour Within the Labour Movement: Dialogues on Race and Class. globalresearch.ca "You Can't Have Capitalism Without Racism." | — Malcolm X (1964) [1] | "All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others." | -George Orwell, Animal Farm (1945) | LISTEN TO THE SHOW | Click to download the audio (MP3 format)…
(2019-05-26). 'Time for some statue removals?' Twitter reacts to MLK sex life claims, rape comments. rt.com 
US civil rights icon Martin Luther King Jr. allegedly "looked on and laughed" as a Baptist minister friend raped a woman, according to FBI records accessed by an American historian.
(2019-05-26). After 200 days, Kurdish hunger strikes end in victory. thecanary.co Thousands of Kurdish activists have finally ended their hunger strike. Politicians, political prisoners and activists around the world had been starving themselves to protest the isolation of Kurdish leader Abdullah àñcalan. | Kurdish MP Leyla Gàºven started the hunger strikes in November 2019, and on 26 May — her 200th day without food — she announced…
(2019-05-26). UN Mission in Afghanistan gravely concerned about ill-treatment of prisoners by Taliban, following first-hand testimony. un.org The UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) expressed "grave concern" on Sunday over "credible accounts" it has been given that Taliban militants have been mistreating prisoners, which in some cases "may amount to torture".
(2019-05-25). Philippines: Expect the people's resistance to rise further. fightbacknews.org Fight Back News Service is circulating the following May 22 statement by Jose Maria Sison, the National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP) Chief Political Consultant. | Expect the people's resistance to rise further against the escalation of oppression and exploitation | As a result of his rigging the May 13 elections, Duterte has more than two-thirds majority in the Senate and is in a position to dictate the realization of his fascist dictatorship through charter change to bogus federalism and declare martial law nationwide at his whim. | Foreign monopoly capitalism, domestic feudalism and bureaucratic c…
(2019-05-25). "They'll Give Me a Detention but It'll Be Worth It"—A Climate Scientist Interviews His Climate Striking Daughter. commondreams.org Young people take part in the March 15, 2019 global youth strike for climate justice in Nottingham, England. (Photo: kthtrnr/flickr/cc) | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/views-article/thumbs/climate-scientist-interview-daughter.jpg…
(2019-05-25). Louisiana law turning pipeline protests into felonies violates constitution, new lawsuit alleges. nationofchange.org "By turning so much of the land in this state into critical infrastructure, the average person can find themselves facing five years in prison for literally just being in the wrong place at the wrong time."
(2019-05-25). Virginia Prisons Putting Up Obstacles to Ramadan Observance. theintercept.com For the last three weeks, Muslims around the world have been observing the month of Ramadan by fasting from food and drink from dawn to sunset — a period of about 16 to 18 hours in the United States. The six to eight non-fasting hours, then, are an important time to recharge and rehydrate. Yet in at least two Virginia state prisons, according to civil rights groups, Muslims are being denied basic rights, despite constitutional protections and federal laws around religious freedom. | In one Virginia prison, Muslims known to be fasting are not being served breakfast before sunrise, while at another prison, Mu…
(2019-05-25). "Truth ultimately is all we have:" Julian Assange appeals for public support. wsws.org In the first publicly-released comments to supporters since his arrest, Assange detailed his conditions of isolation at Belmarsh prison and called for supporters to mobilise in his defence.
(2019-05-25). Only Donald Trump Can Stop Mohammed bin Salman's Execution Spree. theantimedia.com (MEE) — The world took no notice when three Muslim scholars — Salman al-Odah, Awad al Qarni and Ali al-Omari — were first detained in September 2017. Reuters reported at the time that all three were outside the state-backed clerical establishment and recorded Odah's past period of imprisonment two decades earlier for having tried to set up a Muslim Brotherhood inspired …
(2019-05-24). DHS is Locking Immigrants in Solitary Confinement. aclu.org As ICE detention numbers reach record high, new reports are extremely troubling. | In 2012, I visited the federal supermax prison ADX Florence in Colorado and spoke with men living in solitary confinement. I listened closely to their stories of anguish, but I could not understand how they survived it. They told me of the horror of being trapped in a small room, without access to fresh air or sunlight, for at least 22 hours a day—alone, afraid, and not knowing when it would end. I learned that people in solitary confinement talk to the walls, to themselves, to no one — sometimes they stop talking altog…
(2019-05-24). When President Trump Rejects Congressional Subpoenas, He Rejects the Constitution and the Powers it Gave Congress. aclu.org What President Trump objects to so strenuously is nothing more than a system of accountability. | President Trump really, really doesn't like the fact that congressional committees are investigating him. On Wednesday, he was so mad that he stormed out of a meeting with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi about critically needed infrastructure legislation after only three minutes, much like the proverbial boy who takes the football home if he loses a disputed call. | Trump's tantrum reflects the fact that the American people and their representatives are getting closer to seeing behind the curtain of secrecy that Trump has…
(2019-05-24). Alabama Is Trying to Ban Abortion. Today We Filed Suit to Stop Them. aclu.org Abortion is a right and this attack on abortion rights won't succeed. | Last week, Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey signed legislation banning nearly all abortions. The law, which threatens doctors with up to 99 years in prison for performing abortions, is the anti-abortion opposition's true agenda on display: ban abortion, jail doctors, and push this essential health care out of reach. | These are undoubtedly dark times in the fight for reproductive freedom as Alabama and states across the South and Midwest aggressively push to place such onerous restrictions on abortion so that the procedure is all but rendered inaccessib…
(2019-05-24). Real history: Memorial Day was born in struggle against the Klan. peoplesworld.org 
We must not forget that Memorial Day, which we celebrate on Monday, belongs to the foes of racism. The day people place flowers on the graves of fallen veterans was founded by the enemies of the Ku Klux Klan. Memorial Day belongs to the democratic traditions of the American people. It sprang out of the …
(2019-05-24). Jeremy Scahill: New Indictment of Assange Is Part of a Broader War on Journalism & Whistleblowers. democracynow.org 
The Espionage Act charges filed against Julian Assange mark just the latest attempt by the Trump administration to criminalize journalism and whistleblowers. Army whistleblower Chelsea Manning is back in jail for refusing to testify before a grand jury. Two weeks ago, drone whistleblower Daniel Hale was arrested in Tennessee. We air a new video by The Intercept titled "Why You Should Care About Trump's War on Whistleblowers," featuring Jeremy Scahill. We also speak to Scahill and Pentagon Papers whistleblower Daniel Ellsberg about how the corporate media has failed to stand up for Assange and others.
(2019-05-24). US abortion rights attacks escalate. greenleft.org.au 
Legislative attacks on abortion rights in the US have escalated this year, as social conservatives have shifted tactics with an unprecedented wave of state abortion bans adopted. | The most restrictive legislation was signed into law by Alabama's governor on May 15. It bans abortion altogether, except for cases of medical emergency. Pregnancy resulting from sexual assault is no exception and doctors performing abortions are criminalised with penalties of up to 99 years in jail. | On May 7, Georgia became the fourth state this year (after Kentucky, Mississippi and Ohio) to sign into law an abortion ban from t…
(2019-05-24). The mainstream media is exploiting 'veganism' for clicks in an article about serious child neglect. thecanary.co British media reported that Swedish parents were convicted for "gross negligence" after their child became dangerously malnourished. But headlines have focused on the family's plant-based diet. And by doing so, the media is pushing myths about veganism. | "VEGAN": | A court in Gothenburg, Sweden, jailed two paren…
(2019-05-24). MintCast Episode 3: Iran, Chelsea Manning, ElectionGuard and the Embassy Protection Collective. mintpressnews.com MinCast hosts Alan MacLeod and Whitney Webb discuss the week's top stories, including U.S. attempt to escalate the situation in Iran, the unjust re-imprisonment of Chelsea Manning, Microsoft's new ElectionGuard product and get a first-hand account of the Venezuelan Embassy Protection Collective from Alex Rubenstein.
(2019-05-24). Daniel Ellsberg: Espionage Charges Against Assange Are Most Significant Attack on Press in Decades. democracynow.org 
As the Justice Department charges WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange with 17 counts of violating the Espionage Act, we speak to Pentagon Papers whistleblower Daniel Ellsberg. In 1971, he was charged with violating the Espionage Act for leaking a top-secret report on U.S. involvement in Vietnam to The New York Times and other publications. At the time, Ellsberg faced over 100 years in prison. He tells Democracy Now!, "There hasn't actually been such a significant attack on the freedom of the press … since my case in 1971."
(2019-05-23). An Outright Reversal of Roe V. Wade Isn't All We Should Fear. aclu.org The anti-abortion movement can decimate the right to abortion even without getting it overturned. | Across the country, people are talking about abortion as legislatures in the South and Midwest mount a full-scale attack on our reproductive freedom. Naturally, people are stressed and angry. I am too. I've been fighting to protect abortion access for more than 25 years. | I'm worried about the future of Roe v. Wade — deeply worried. But I'm worried about more than that. I'm worried that the courts will gut the right to abortion and that there won't be an ou…
(2019-05-23). Connecticut's Democratic Governor Is Stonewalling a Bill That Would Make Phone Calls From Prison Free. theintercept.com With two weeks left in the legislative session, Gov. Ned Lamont has yet to express support for the bill, which is the first of its kind in the country.
(2019-05-22). CONTACT YOUR HOUSE MEMBER TO "VOTE YEA" FOR H.R. 1500, THE "CONSUMERS FIRST ACT" TODAY! naacp.org The NAACP worked with friends, colleagues, the Obama Administration and coalition partners on Capitol Hill, to create The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) as part of the 2010 Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act. It was crafted to help consumers navigate the often-complicated world of finances; to ensure that high-cost, unsustainable loans of …
(2019-05-22). We're Suing Maricopa County Attorney Bill Montgomery to Release the Records He's Hiding From Arizonans. aclu.org Prosecutorial transparency serves everyone. But in Maricopa County, Arizona, secrecy trumps transparency, and the people suffer for it. | Maricopa County Attorney Bill Montgomery claims to be a big believer in data. As reported last year, Montgomery has blocked effective, commonsense criminal justice reform proposals from becoming law in part by criticizing them as having "no data to support" them, and as being "pet projects" "base…
(2019-05-22). How ICE Is Using Solitary Confinement to Punish Asylum Seekers, Including LGBT & Disabled Immigrants. democracynow.org 
Since 2012, ICE has used solitary confinement as a routine punishment for thousands of immigrants and asylum seekers locked up in immigration jails across the country. We look at a new, damning investigation by the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists that has revealed this widespread abusive use of solitary confinement in immigration jails overseen by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. The United Nations special rapporteur on torture says solitary confinement should only be used in exceptional circumstances, and defines extended use of solitary as "inhuman and degrading treatment." Despit…
(2019-05-21). How the 'war on gangs' feeds mass incarceration. liberationnews.org 
Why gang databases and raids are not a solution.
(2019-05-21). Children of ISIL terrorists likely held in 'secret detention facilities', UN human rights office warns. un.org In Syria, it is suspected that children whose fathers fought for terrorist group ISIL are being held in unidentified "settlements" and "secret detention facilities" away from their mothers, the UN human rights office (OHCHR) said on Tuesday.
(2019-05-21). Detained, Abused & Denied Medical Care: How Trump Immigration Policies Led to Child Deaths at Border. democracynow.org 
A 16-year-old Guatemalan boy died in U.S. custody Monday after spending a week in immigration jail. Carlos Gregorio Hernandez Vasquez was found dead at a Border Patrol station at Weslaco, Texas, just one day after being diagnosed with the flu. He was not hospitalized. This marks the fifth death of a Guatemalan child apprehended by Border Patrol since December. Before last year, it had been more than a decade since a child died in the custody of U.S. immigration officials. We speak with Fernando Garcia, the founding director of the Border Network for Human Rights, an advocacy organization based in El Paso, and Jen…
(2019-05-21). U.S. HOUSE PASSES THE NAACP-SUPPORTED EQUALITY ACT. naacp.org On May 17, 2019, by a bipartisan vote of 236 yeas to 173 nays the U.S. House voted to approve and send to the Senate H.R. 5, the NAACP-supported Equality Act. We must now do all we can to ensure the U.S. Senate takes up and passes the Equality Act as soon as possible, so …
(2019-05-21). Family of Jailed Saudi Feminist Loujain Al-Hathloul: She Was Waterboarded, Flogged & Electrocuted. democracynow.org 
It's been a year since women's right activist Loujain Al-Hathloul was detained and jailed in Saudi Arabia for leading a movement to lift the kingdom's ban on female drivers and overhaul its male "guardianship" system. Despite international outcry, she's been imprisoned ever since. During that time, her family says, she's been held in solitary confinement and faced abuse, including electric shocks, flogging and threats of sexual violence. The Saudi government has resisted calls from human rights groups and lawmakers from around the world to release Loujain and the other jailed activists. We speak with two of Louja…
(2019-05-20). What's Trending: Black News Recap. naacp.org 
Washington Post: Billionaire Robert F. Smith pledges to pay off Morehouse College Class of 2019‚Ä≤s student loans Smith told the graduates how he launched his lucrative career. He gave them wise words on grit and success. Then he deviated from his prepared remarks. "My family is going to create a grant to …
(2019-05-20). Alabama's Abortion Ban Is a Political Stunt That Will Cost Its Taxpayers. aclu.org The draconian law is a flagrantly unconstitutional attack on more than 40 years of established Supreme Court precedent. | This piece originally appeared at the Alabama Political Reporter. | For years, the Alabama legislature has been passing laws that push abortion out of reach. Now politicians have finally shown their true colors and are trying to ban abortion outright. | On Wednesday, Governor Ivey signed H.B. 314 — one of the most extreme attacks on the ri…
(2019-05-17). NAACP and Civil Rights Groups Hold Rally on the 65th Anniversary of Brown v. Board. naacp.org 
On May 16, NAACP along with civil rights organizations and members of Congress held a rally on Capitol Hill to make the promise of Brown v. Board of Education a reality for all. In honor of the 65th anniversary of Brown v. Board of Education, speakers addressed the still urgent struggle for education equity as well …
(2019-05-17). Ohio Lawmakers Ignored Us When They Banned Abortion. They Can't Ignore Us in the Courtroom. aclu.org When Ohio legislators decided to sign the bill into law, we knew we had to both continue to provide care and defend access to that care in the courts. | Last month, Gov. Mike DeWine signed the Ohio Legislature's abortion ban into law. The law recklessly prohibits abortions starting around six weeks. As an abortion provider, I can tell you this is, in fact, a ban on all abortions in Ohio. Approximately 90% of abortions in Ohio take place at or after six weeks. Before six weeks, most people do not even know they are pregnant. | In defense of people across Ohio, I knew that our clinic couldn't stand by and do nothin…
(2019-05-16). Chelsea Manning Faces More Jail And Steep Fines To Force Compliance With Grand Jury Subpoena. shadowproof.com *Listen to the story by clicking the above player. Unable to break Chelsea Manning's spirit by jailing her, the United States escalated efforts to force her to testify before a grand jury investigating WikiLeaks by imposing steep financial penalties. Judge Anthony Trenga held Manning in civil contempt and ordered her…
(2019-05-15). Justice Department: If FDA Regulated Execution Drugs, They Would Ban Them. shadowproof.com The Justice Department's Office of Legal Counsel drafted an opinion that definitively argues the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) may not ban or regulate drugs used to execute prisoners. | As state governments that have yet to abolish the death penalty struggle to obtain drugs for lethal injections, a key issue is whether certain lethal injection protocols violate the Constitution's prohibition against cruel and unusual punishment. | Texas sued the FDA in 2017 after the agency blocked [ PDF] a shipment of lethal in…
(2019-05-14). NAACP Opposes Wendy Vitter and all Nominees Who Refuse to Affirm Brown v Board of Education. naacp.org BALTIMORE — Today, the NAACP announced its opposition to the nomination of Wendy Vitter to the Eastern District of Louisiana and all nominees refusing to endorse the Supreme Court's seminal ruling in Brown v. Board of Education. "This week, we celebrate the 65th anniversary of the Supreme Court's landmark decision in Brown v. Board of …
(2019-05-14). Pesticide Lawsuits and the Threat Hiding in the Perfect Lawn. progressive.org More than 13,400 consumer lawsuits against Monsanto and Bayer AG, which manufacture the weed-killer Roundup, allege it is the cause of various cancers. Now, a new judgment has awarded one couple $2 billion in damages.
(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). 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). SPLC launches voting rights legal team, testifies before U.S. House panel in Alabama. splcenter.org Ever since state and local law enforcement officers attacked peaceful civil rights marchers with billy clubs and tear gas on "Bloody Sunday" in 1965, Alabama has been at the epicenter of the fight for voting rights.
(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). 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.
(2019-05-09). 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.
(2019-05-08). 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 …