2019-07-30: News Headlines

Staff (2019-07-30). Four Immigrants Have Died at Stewart ICE Facility in Georgia. truthout.org | | A 44-year-old immigrant from Mexico died last week at Stewart Detention Center, one of the largest immigration jails in the United States and one that has been plagued by allegations of neglect and abuse for years. Pedro Arriago-Santoya was the fourth person to die at Stewart in just two years and the seventh person to die while in the custody of Immigration and Customs Enforcement since October. An immigration judge had ordered Arriago-Santoya be deported in June. Instead, he was transferred to Stewart…

Staff (2019-07-30). Four Immigrants Have Died at Stewart ICE Facility in Georgia. Advocates Want It Shut Down. democracynow.org A 44-year-old immigrant from Mexico died last week at Stewart Detention Center, one of the largest immigration jails in the United States and one that has been plagued by allegations of neglect and abuse for years. Pedro Arriago-Santoya was the fourth person to die at Stewart in just two years and the seventh person to die while in the custody of Immigration and Customs Enforcement since October. An immigration judge had ordered Arriago-Santoya be deported in June. Instead, he was transferred to Stewart on July 10 as his removal proceedings continued. Two weeks later he was pronounced dead at a Georgia hospital.

Amy Goodman (2019-07-30). Baltimore residents: Trump's attacks on the city are rooted in "racism and white supremacy" nationofchange.org President Trump is facing widespread outrage after describing Baltimore as a "disgusting, rat and rodent infested mess" in tweets attacking Congressmember Elijah Cummings, one of the most prominent African-American lawmakers in Washington. Trump tweeted that Cummings's district is "considered the Worst in the USA," and said "no human being would want to live there." Trump's initial tweets came after Fox News ran a story about Baltimore and after Cummings criticized the conditions of immigration jails along the Mexican border. Officials across Baltimore and Maryland denounced the president's remarks, and The Ba…

Staff (2019-07-30). Headlines for July 30, 2019. democracynow.org Gilroy, CA Shooter Touted White Supremacist Text, Posted Racist Content Before Massacre, Trump Renews Attacks on Rep. Cummings, Lashes Out at Al Sharpton, Senate Fails to Override Trump Vetoes on Bills Blocking Arms Sales to Saudi Arabia, Saudi Air Raids Kill At Least 10 in Northern Yemen, 5 Teenage Students Killed by Security Forces in Sudan, Brazil: At Least 57 Killed in Prison Riot, 164 Environmental Activists Killed in 2018, Indigenous Activists Protest Real Estate Development in New Zealand, Greenland's Ice Sheet at Risk of Record Melting, CNN and MSNBC to Host Climate Crisis-Centered Events, Kamala Harris R…

Staff (2019-07-30). The Lines Between Us: The Modern History of Baltimore Apartheid (1/2). therealnews.com As Trump unloads a racist attack on Baltimore, we speak with author Lawrence Lanahan, who charts the history of segregation from redlining to the civil rights movement…

RT (2019-07-30). 'Principal' 9/11 suspect 'open' to help victims sue Saudi Arabia if death penalty ditched — media. rt.com One of the main alleged architects behind the 9/11 attacks in the US may now assist victims with their lawsuit for damages, if the US government spares him the death penalty, WSJ reports, citing court documents.

RT (2019-07-30). Man charged with felony over cop-mocking Facebook page allowed to sue cops. rt.com An Ohio man charged with — and acquitted of — a felony over a satirical Facebook page mocking his local police department can sue both the city and the police who tried to send him to prison, a federal judge has ruled.

WSWS (2019-07-30). Universal Music Group coverup continues in response to artists' class-action lawsuit. wsws.org The social and legal fallout from the June 2008 music vault fire in Hollywood, which destroyed an invaluable popular music archive at Universal Studios and which Universal Music Group (UMG) covered up for years, is ongoing.

RT (2019-07-30). Dismissed! Judge throws out Democrat lawsuit against Trump campaign, Russia & WikiLeaks. rt.com Arguments by the Democratic National Committee in a lawsuit against Russia, WikiLeaks and the Trump campaign over the 2016 election were "entirely divorced" from facts, a federal judge in New York said as he threw out the case.

Nancy Ukai (2019-07-30). Detention, Denialism, & Activism Now. indybay.org Futures Without Violence | 100 Montgomery Street | The Presidio – SF CA 94129…

Staff (2019-07-29). Baltimore Residents: Trump's Attacks on the City Are Rooted in "Racism and White Supremacy" democracynow.org President Trump is facing widespread outrage after describing Baltimore as a "disgusting, rat and rodent infested mess" in tweets attacking Congressmember Elijah Cummings, one of the most prominent African-American lawmakers in Washington. Trump tweeted that Cummings's district is "considered the Worst in the USA," and said "no human being would want to live there." Trump's initial tweets came after Fox News ran a story about Baltimore and after Cummings criticized the conditions of immigration jails along the Mexican border. Officials across Baltimore and Maryland denounced the president's remarks, and The Balti…

Steven Sahiounie (2019-07-29). The Continuing Denial of Rights and Justice to the Palestinian People. globalresearch.ca The right of resistance to occupation, by the Palestinian people, is grounded in international law. Freedom-loving people of the world must remember the words of Nelson Mandela: | "We know too well that our freedom is incomplete without the …

If Americans Knew (2019-07-29). The Israel Anti-Boycott Act: The Bill that Could Imprison "Israel Boycotters" for 20 years. globalresearch.ca In a recent post on the Mondoweiss website, Journalist Philip Weiss examines the Israel Anti-Boycott Act that would punish those boycotting Israel with a minimum civil penalty of $250,000 and a maximum criminal penalty of $1 million and 20 years …

Fight Back (2019-07-29). Twin Cities marches on Eagan mall demanding justice for Isak Aden. fightbacknews.org Eagan, MN – Hundreds of community members rallied and marched on the Twin Cities Premium Outlets in Eagan on Saturday afternoon, July 27, to demand justice for Isak Aden, a Somali man who was killed by police in this Saint Paul suburb on July 2. | Since the suburbs aren't known as Black Lives Matter strongholds, and the Eagan police had militantly tried to prevent family members and protesters from addressing the city council the week before, the rally was started as a line-up along the public sidewalk with chants and political speeches for an hour. This allowed for the crowd to swell as plans were made for furth…

Staff (2019-07-29). Headlines for July 29, 2019. democracynow.org Baltimore Pushes Back After Trump Calls City "Rodent Infested Mess" and Attacks Rep. Cummings, Gunman Kills 3, Injures 15 at Gilroy Garlic Festival in Northern California, Shooting at Brownsville, Brooklyn, Block Party Kills 1, Injures 11, SCOTUS OKs Trump Plan to Use Military Funds for Border Wall, U.S. and Guatemala Sign Controversial Immigration Deal Despite Widespread Opposition, Dir. of National Intelligence Dan Coats Resigns, Brazilian President Bolsonaro Threatens Glenn Greenwald with Imprisonment, Miners Raid Tribe in Brazil, Killing Leader as Amazon Suffers Mass Deforestation by Illegal Loggers, Russian…

ACLU (2019-07-29). Supreme Court Order No 'Big Victory' For Trump's Border Wall. The Fight Continues. aclu.org The Supreme Court has not yet decided the case, or given Trump's abuse of emergency powers the stamp of approval. | Late Friday evening, the Supreme Court gave the Trump administration a temporary green light to begin construction of the border wall using military funds Congress denied. The order, while temporary and limited to specific wall projects where fencing already exists, threatens to permanently damage border communities, the environment, and our Constitution's separation of powers. | But it's not the "big victory" President Trump q…

Staff (2019-07-29). Russia Arrests Nearly 1,400 at Opposition Protest as Leading Activist Is Possibly Poisoned in Jail. democracynow.org Police in Moscow used violent force to stop an opposition protest on Saturday, arresting nearly 1,400 people in what's been described as the largest mass arrest in Russia in a decade. Meanwhile, Alexei Navalny—one of Russia's most prominent opposition figures—has been hospitalized after suffering an acute allergic reaction in jail. Navalny's doctor said he may have been exposed to "some toxic agent." Saturday's protest was organized to denounce the recent barring of opposition candidates from running in an upcoming election for Moscow City Council. We speak with Samuel Greene, director of the Russia I…

Ramzy Baroud (2019-07-29). Bassam Shakaa: The Making of a Palestinian 'Organic Intellectual'. mintpressnews.com Between his birth in Nablus in 1930 and his death, Bassam Shakaa fought a relentless struggle for Palestinian rights. He challenged Israel, the PA, US imperialism and reactionary Arab governments. Throughout this arduous journey, he survived exile, prison and an assassination attempt.

Rose Ramirez, Dedrick Asante-Muhammad (2019-07-29). Trump housing proposal on mixed status families could evict 55,000 kids. peoplesworld.org In 1968, just a week after Martin Luther King, Jr.'s assassination, Congress passed the Fair Housing Act, or FHA. The law secured everyone's right to housing regardless of race, national origin, disability, familial status, sex, or religion. The FHA protects people from discrimination when they're renting, getting a mortgage, or seeking housing assistance—including applying for …

John McEvoy (2019-07-29). Jeremy Corbyn joins international outcry to free Brazilian political prisoner Lula da Silva. thecanary.co UK opposition leader Jeremy Corbyn has called on the Brazilian government to free the "world's most prominent political prisoner", Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. | Free Lula!: | The words 'Lula livre' (free Lula) have reverberated around the world since 2017, when the double digit presidentia…

Staff (2019-07-29). Biden's Criminal Justice Plan Can't Reform the System He Helped Create. truthdig.com Joe Biden's Criminal Justice plan is a band aid on an open wound he helped inflict, particularly on poor Black and brown communities. Kamau Franklin and Jacqueline Luqman take a closer look at the contradiction | FORMER VICE PRESIDENT JOE BIDEN This very day, violent drug offenders will commit more than 100,000 crimes on this day alone. In a nutshell, the president's plan doesn't include enough police officers to catch the violent thugs, not enough prosecutors to convict them, not enough judges to sentence them, and not enough prison cells to put them away for a long time. | JACQUELINE LUQMAN This is Jacquelin…

teleSUR (2019-07-29). Alleged 9/11 Mastermind Open to Testify Against Saudi Arabia. telesurenglish.net The alleged mastermind of Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, Khalid Sheikh Mohammed indicated through a letter that he would accept to be deposed by victims of the attacks who are suing Saudi Arabia for damages, if the United States drops the capital charges he faces, according to reports published Monday. | RELATED: | US Fires Commander of Guantanamo Bay Prison | Mohammed's letter was revealed on Friday by lawyers representing the plaintiffs, including individuals and businesses, seeking billions of dol…

teleSUR (2019-07-29). Brazil Prison Riot Kills 52, with 16 Decapitated. telesurenglish.net At least 52 inmates died, with 16 decapitated, in a prison riot Monday in the northern Brazilian state of Para, the state's prison authority said, underlining the struggle Brazil's far-right government faces to restore order in the country's jails. | RELATED: | At Least 15 Killed in Brazilian Prison Riot | State authorities said the riot began around 7 a.m. Monday in a prison in the city of Altamira, and involved rival criminal gangs who took at least two penitentiary officers hostage as they bat…

Jonathan Cook (2019-07-29). Sur Baher Home Demolitions illustrate a Vicious Spiral of Oppression in Palestine. dissidentvoice.org Recent events have shone a spotlight not only on how Israel is intensifying its abuse of Palestinians under its rule, but the utterly depraved complicity of western governments in its actions. The arrival of Donald Trump in the White House two-and-a-half years ago has emboldened Israel as never before, leaving it free to unleash new …

teleSUR (2019-07-29). Accusations of Ethical Abuses Face UNRWA Top Officials. telesurenglish.net Several high officials of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) were accused of serious ethical abuses of power including nepotism and retaliation, according to a confidential and internal ethics report obtained by the Agence France Presse (AFP). | RELATED: | New Zealand Grant Boosts Palestine Refugees Fund Core Programs | The report described a senior management team practicing "nepotism, retaliation, discrimination and other abuses of auth…

Jake Johnson, staff writer (2019-07-29). "It Doesn't Have to Be This Way": Faith Leaders Rally at Detention Center Demanding End to Inhumane Treatment of Immigrants. commondreams.org "We are here in unity with local leaders who invited us. We have seen just a glimpse of the horrible conditions our immigrant neighbors are facing at the border." | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/william_barber.jpg

Staff (2019-07-26). Despite Faulty Drugs & Racist Implementation, Trump Is Bringing Back the Federal Death Penalty. democracynow.org Attorney General William Barr announced Thursday that the federal government is resuming the death penalty after nearly two decades. The execution of five death row prisoners were immediately ordered beginning in December. There are currently 62 prisoners on federal death row, including white supremacist Dylann Roof, who murdered nine black worshipers at the historic Emanuel AME Church in June 2015, and Boston Marathon bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev. Federal prosecutors are expected to push for the death penalty in both cases. This news comes despite a growing movement opposing the death penalty in the United States. T…

splcenter (2019-07-26). Family of Herbert Lee to visit Civil Rights Memorial that honors his sacrifice. splcenter.org Clifton Franklin was a high school football running back who — at 16 — wanted to play in a big game between Louisiana rivals. His mother, however, had other plans.

Staff (2019-07-26). Child Separation & Prison Camps: China's Campaign Against Uyghur Muslims Is "Cultural Genocide" democracynow.org Chinese authorities have been accused of systematically separating Muslim children from their families in the far western region of Xinjiang. According to a new report commissioned by the BBC, China is rushing to build boarding schools where children, mostly from the Uyghur community, are deliberately removed from their families, as well as their language and culture. This comes as an estimated 1 million adults from the Uyghur community are being imprisoned in camps that China claims are "vocational training centers" designed to combat extremism. We speak with independent researcher Adrian Zenz, who did the resea…

Staff (2019-07-26). Headlines for July 26, 2019. democracynow.org Trump Administration to Bring Back Federal Executions After 16-Year Hiatus, 44-Year-Old Mexican Immigrant Dies in ICE Custody, Trump Threatens to Impose Travel Ban on Guatemalans, Oklahoma Suspends Plans to Jail 1,600 Migrant Children at Fort Sill, 150 Migrants Feared Dead in Shipwrecks Off Libyan Coast, Five Dead as Europe Swelters Under Record-Setting Heat, "Unprecedented" Wildfires Scorch Over 1 Million Acres of Alaskan Forest, California and Automakers Agree to Fuel Efficiency Targets Opposed by Trump, Rep. Ilhan Omar Introduces Zero Waste Act as Part of Green New Deal, GOP Blocks Election Security Bills as S…

ACLU (2019-07-26). When Kicking Around an Orange Gets You On Probation. aclu.org I was in 8th grade. I just didn't want to get in more trouble, so I signed the papers, like I was told to. | I was in 8th grade when it happened. I'll never forget the feeling of those cold, clanky pairs of metal constraints. I was being handcuffed in front of my friends and classmates. | As a lot of middle school students do, I was fooling around with my friends outside at lunch. We found an orange and started kicking it around like a soccer ball. It turns out I picked a bad day to fool around, and a bad person to tick off. A school resource officer — basically a cop — was stationed in the cafeteria,…

ACLU (2019-07-25). This County Criminalized Students for Bad Grades — Until Now. aclu.org Today, we filed a landmark settlement that will end the relationship between the probation department and school districts in Riverside. | Since 2001, the Riverside County, California probation department has been needlessly funneling young people struggling with grades, behavior, trauma, and mental health into the criminal justice system. | This direct line to the criminal system is the product of a partnership between local school districts and the county probation department called the Youth Accountability Team (YAT). Instead of counselors or other school and community-based supports stepping in to support and…

ACLU (2019-07-25). Hawaiians are Taking to the Streets and Exercising their First Amendment Rights. aclu.org We're ensuring the right to protest and cultural access at the world's tallest mountain. | Driving up Daniel K. Inouye Highway on the Big Island of Hawai'i at 4: 30 in the morning is a sight few will forget: a silent, pitch-black road, with black lava and sparse trees. The dark air is a chilly 50 degrees. In our backpacks are packaged tuna, crackers, water, walkie talkies, and a voice recorder. However, the most important items are without a doubt our blue ACLU of Hawai'i legal observer vests and first aid kit, which is stocked with goods like antacid (to rinse our eyes of pepper spray) and earbuds. Sitting in the…

splcenter (2019-07-25). SPLC: Resuming barbaric practice of federal executions serves no useful purpose. splcenter.org The U.S. Department of Justice announced today that it plans to resume the executions of people who are awaiting the death penalty in federal prisons, ending nearly two decades in which the federal government had not imposed capital punishment.

susan_p (2019-07-25). Puerto Rico: The people rise up against oppression and exploitation. greenleft.org.au The people of Puerto Rico have risen up and forced Governor Ricardo Rosselló to resign, writes Barry Sheppard.

pip.hinman (2019-07-25). Sex workers thrown under bus in Latimer case. greenleft.org.au The case of the release from prison of repeat sex offender Edward William Latimer shines a light on WA's archaic laws which place sex workers in harm's way, writes Emma Softly.

ACLU (2019-07-24). Trans People Led the Fight Against HB2 in North Carolina. And We're Winning. aclu.org Transgender people in North Carolina cannot be banned from facilities based on their gender under H.B. 2 replacement law. | It's been more than three years since North Carolina lawmakers passed House Bill 2, the hateful North Carolina law that compromised the ability of transgender people like me to safely navigate our daily lives. | As the lead plaintiff in the lawsuit the ACLU and Lambda Legal filed to stop this measure, I've spent the last three years fighting alongside LGBTQ North Carolinians and others to mitigate the harm caused by H.B. 2…

ACLU (2019-07-22). Arkansas Wants to Make Sure You Know 'Almonds Don't Lactate'. aclu.org An Arkansas law censoring plant-based products isn't just absurd and unnecessary, it's unconstitutional. | The state of Arkansas thinks you're confused about whether a veggie burger comes from a cow. In fact, it thinks you're so confused that it passed a law making it illegal for companies to use words like "meat," "roast," and "sausage" to describe products that are not made from animals. Under the law, it doesn't matter if those words are modified by "vegan…

Liberation staff (2019-07-21). Justice Dept decision not to charge Eric Garner's killer sparks outrage. liberationnews.org In a blow to all who seek to keep their communities safe from hostile police, on July 1 the Federal government announced that Officer Daniel Pantaleo will not face any federal civil rights charges for murdering Eric Garner in Staten Island, New York, five years ago.

patrick (2019-07-19). BDS Movement welcomes U.S. Congress resolution affirming right to boycott. bdsmovement.net BDS Movement welcomes U.S. Congress resolution affirming right to boycott: UpdateIn a historic move, Congress members Ilhan Omar, Rashida Tlaib and US civil rights veteran John Lewis introduce resolution affirming the right to boycott. | Right To BoycottJuly 19, 2019 | By: | | Palestinian BDS National Committee (BNC)

James Jeffrey (2019-07-18). The Dark Side of the Moon Mission. progressive.org "For that kind of money," Vonnegut cracked on the CBS Evening News, "the least [NASA] can do is discover God." Civil rights activists, anti-Vietnam War protesters and even top scientists were skeptical of the Apollo moon mission at the time.

splcenter (2019-07-17). SPLC sues Trump administration over new rule that makes migrants who pass through other countries ineligible for asylum. splcenter.org The SPLC and its partners filed a lawsuit and an emergency motion this week seeking to block a new Trump administration rule that categorically bars asylum for migrants who cross the southern border without applying for and being denied asylum in any country that they pass through on their way to the U.S.

splcenter (2019-07-15). Author of 'Emanuel Nine' church massacre book to speak at Civil Rights Memorial Center. splcenter.org As the prosecution made its closing argument, photos of the nine people that Dylann Roof had shot to death in a Charleston, South Carolina, church appeared on the screen in bloody, gruesome detail.

ACLU (2019-07-12). Pompeo's New 'Human Rights' Commission is Up To No Good. aclu.org The Trump administration appears to be trying to find new moral footing for the president's discriminatory policies. | This week, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo formally announced the creation of a "Commission on Unalienable Rights." Its stated purpose, according to a notice published in the Federal Register in May, is to provide "fresh thinking about human rights discourse where such discourse has departed from our nation's founding principles of natural law and natural rights." | Th…

splcenter (2019-07-11). Manuel Duran, journalist who reported on ICE, freed from detention. splcenter.org Manuel Duran, an investigative journalist who was detained after reporting on the collusion between U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and local law enforcement in Memphis, Tennessee, was released today from ICE detention and will be reunited with his fiancée.

ACLU (2019-07-11). CBP Can't Detain Domestic Flight Passengers for Refusing Suspicionless ID Checks. aclu.org The Constitution protects passengers deplaning domestic flights just as it protects people on the street or in a car. | In February 2017, two U.S. CBP officers stood on a jet bridge at New York's JFK Airport to meet Delta Flight 1583 as it taxied to the gate upon arrival from San Francisco. As passengers prepared to deplane, they were told by flight attendants — at the direction of the two officers — that all passengers would have to show identification documents to the officer…

Paul Dobson (2019-06-24). UN Human Rights Head Visits Venezuela, Meets Maduro and Guaido. venezuelanalysis.com Michelle Bachelet commented on access to food and medicine, allegations of political prisoners, and the impact of sanctions, among other issues.

CounterSpin (2019-06-21). Brian Mier on Brazilian Political Scandal. fair.org The Brazilian anti-corruption crusade, called Car Wash or Lava Jato, that put popular ex-president Lula da Silva in prison and paved the way for fascist president Jair Bolsanaro—all while being celebrated in the US corporate press—was actually, as critics contended, less interested in corruption than in keeping Lula's Workers Party out of power.