Baltimore residents: Trump's attacks on the city are rooted in "racism and white supremacy"
Amy Goodman | nationofchange.org | 2019-07-30
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…
nationofchange.org/2019/07/30/baltimore-residents-trumps-attacks-on-the-city-are-rooted-in-racism-and-white-supremacy/

Four Immigrants Have Died at Stewart ICE Facility in Georgia. Advocates Want It Shut Down
Staff | democracynow.org | 2019-07-30
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.
www.democracynow.org/2019/7/30/pedro_arriago_santoya_ice_custody_death

Four Immigrants Have Died at Stewart ICE Facility in Georgia
Staff | truthout.org | 2019-07-30
| 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…
truthout.org/video/four-immigrants-have-died-at-stewart-ice-facility-in-georgia/

Man charged with felony over cop-mocking Facebook page allowed to sue cops
rt.com | 2019-07-30
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. | …
rt.com/usa/465345-police-parody-lawsuit-approved-ohio/

'Principal' 9/11 suspect 'open' to help victims sue Saudi Arabia if death penalty ditched — media
rt.com | 2019-07-30
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.com/usa/465361-suspect-nine-eleven-penalty/

The Lines Between Us: The Modern History of Baltimore Apartheid (1/2)
Staff | therealnews.com | 2019-07-30
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…
therealnews.com/stories/the-lines-between-us-the-modern-history-of-baltimore-apartheid-1-2

Dismissed! Judge throws out Democrat lawsuit against Trump campaign, Russia & WikiLeaks
rt.com | 2019-07-30
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. | …
rt.com/usa/465430-dnc-lawsuit-trump-russia-wikileaks/

Universal Music Group coverup continues in response to artists' class-action lawsuit
wsws.org | 2019-07-30
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.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2019/07/30/umgf-j30.html

Detention, Denialism, & Activism Now
Nancy Ukai | indybay.org | 2019-07-30
Futures Without Violence | 100 Montgomery Street | The Presidio – SF CA 94129…
indybay.org/newsitems/2019/07/27/18825011.php

Baltimore Residents: Trump's Attacks on the City Are Rooted in "Racism and White Supremacy"
Staff | democracynow.org | 2019-07-29
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…
www.democracynow.org/2019/7/29/donald_trump_elijah_cummings_baltimore_tweets

Supreme Court Order No 'Big Victory' For Trump's Border Wall. The Fight Continues
aclu.org | 2019-07-29
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…
aclu.org/blog/national-security/supreme-court-order-no-big-victory-trumps-border-wall-fight-continues

Russia Arrests Nearly 1,400 at Opposition Protest as Leading Activist Is Possibly Poisoned in Jail
Staff | democracynow.org | 2019-07-29
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…
www.democracynow.org/2019/7/29/moscow_opposition_protests_alexei_navalny

Twin Cities marches on Eagan mall demanding justice for Isak Aden
Fight Back | fightbacknews.org | 2019-07-29
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…
www.fightbacknews.org/2019/7/28/twin-cities-marches-eagan-mall-demanding-justice-isak-aden

Bassam Shakaa: The Making of a Palestinian 'Organic Intellectual'
Ramzy Baroud | mintpressnews.com | 2019-07-29
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.
mintpressnews.com/bassam-shakaa-making-palestinian-organic-intellectual/260804/

The Israel Anti-Boycott Act: The Bill that Could Imprison "Israel Boycotters" for 20 years
If Americans Knew | globalresearch.ca | 2019-07-29
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 …
globalresearch.ca/role-jewish-democrats-bill-could-imprison-israel-boycotters-20-years/5684973

Biden's Criminal Justice Plan Can't Reform the System He Helped Create
Staff | truthdig.com | 2019-07-29
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…
truthdig.com/articles/bidens-criminal-justice-plan-cant-reform-the-system-he-helped-create/

Jeremy Corbyn joins international outcry to free Brazilian political prisoner Lula da Silva
John McEvoy | thecanary.co | 2019-07-29
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…
thecanary.co/trending/2019/07/29/jeremy-corbyn-joins-international-outcry-to-free-brazilian-political-prisoner-lula-da-silva/

Brazil Prison Riot Kills 52, with 16 Decapitated
telesurenglish.net | 2019-07-29
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…
telesurenglish.net/news/brazil-prison-riot-52-killed-16-decapitated-20190729-0009.html

Alleged 9/11 Mastermind Open to Testify Against Saudi Arabia
telesurenglish.net | 2019-07-29
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…
telesurenglish.net/news/Alleged-911-Mastermind-Open-to-Testify-against-Saudi-Arabia-20190729-0025.html

Sur Baher Home Demolitions illustrate a Vicious Spiral of Oppression in Palestine
Jonathan Cook | dissidentvoice.org | 2019-07-29
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 …
dissidentvoice.org/2019/07/sur-baher-home-demolitions-illustrate-a-vicious-spiral-of-oppression-in-palestine/

Trump housing proposal on mixed status families could evict 55,000 kids
Rose Ramirez, Dedrick Asante-Muhammad | peoplesworld.org | 2019-07-29
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 …
peoplesworld.org/article/trump-housing-proposal-on-mixed-status-families-could-evict-55000-kids/

Accusations of Ethical Abuses Face UNRWA Top Officials
telesurenglish.net | 2019-07-29
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…
telesurenglish.net/news/Accusations-of-Ethical-Abuses-Face-UNRWA-Top-Officials-20190729-0024.html

"It Doesn't Have to Be This Way": Faith Leaders Rally at Detention Center Demanding End to Inhumane Treatment of Immigrants
Jake Johnson, staff writer | commondreams.org | 2019-07-29
"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 …
commondreams.org/news/2019/07/29/it-doesnt-have-be-way-faith-leaders-rally-detention-center-demanding-end-inhumane?cd-origin=rss

Child Separation & Prison Camps: China's Campaign Against Uyghur Muslims Is "Cultural Genocide"
Staff | democracynow.org | 2019-07-26
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…
www.democracynow.org/2019/7/26/china_xinjiang_uyghurs_internment_surveillance

Family of Herbert Lee to visit Civil Rights Memorial that honors his sacrifice
splcenter.org | 2019-07-26
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.
splcenter.org/news/2019/07/26/family-herbert-lee-visit-civil-rights-memorial-honors-his-sacrifice

When Kicking Around an Orange Gets You On Probation
aclu.org | 2019-07-26
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.org/blog/juvenile-justice/when-kicking-around-orange-gets-you-probation

Despite Faulty Drugs & Racist Implementation, Trump Is Bringing Back the Federal Death Penalty
Staff | democracynow.org | 2019-07-26
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…
www.democracynow.org/2019/7/26/trump_administration_federal_death_penalty_announcement

This County Criminalized Students for Bad Grades — Until Now
aclu.org | 2019-07-25
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.org/blog/juvenile-justice/school-prison-pipeline/county-criminalized-students-bad-grades-until-now

Hawaiians are Taking to the Streets and Exercising their First Amendment Rights
aclu.org | 2019-07-25
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…
aclu.org/blog/free-speech/rights-protesters/hawaiians-are-taking-streets-and-exercising-their-first-amendment

SPLC: Resuming barbaric practice of federal executions serves no useful purpose
splcenter.org | 2019-07-25
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.
splcenter.org/news/2019/07/25/splc-resuming-barbaric-practice-federal-executions-serves-no-useful-purpose

SPLC: Resuming barbaric practice of federal executions serves no useful purpose
splcenter.org | 2019-07-25
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.
splcenter.org/news/2019/07/25/splc-resuming-barbaric-practice-federal-executions-serves-no-useful-purpose

Sex workers thrown under bus in Latimer case
pip.hinman | greenleft.org.au | 2019-07-25
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.
greenleft.org.au/content/sex-workers-thrown-under-bus-latimer-case

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

Trans People Led the Fight Against HB2 in North Carolina. And We're Winning
aclu.org | 2019-07-24
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.org/blog/lgbt-rights/transgender-rights/trans-people-led-fight-against-hb2-north-carolina-and-were

With the Right to Boycott Under Attack, Some Members of Congress Are Pushing Back
aclu.org | 2019-07-23
In a sea of anti-BDS legislation, a resolution championing the right to political boycotts emerges. | More than 250 million Americans, some 78 percent of the population, live in states with anti-boycott laws or policies. With the right to boycott under attack across the United States, some members of Congress are pushing back against these dangerous and unrelenting attacks., , Last week, Representative Ilhan Omar (D-MN), along with Representatives John Lewis (D-GA) and Rashida Tlaib (D-MI), introduced a…
aclu.org/blog/free-speech/right-boycott-under-attack-some-members-congress-are-pushing-back

Arkansas Wants to Make Sure You Know 'Almonds Don't Lactate'
aclu.org | 2019-07-22
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…
aclu.org/blog/free-speech/arkansas-wants-make-sure-you-know-almonds-dont-lactate

Justice Dept decision not to charge Eric Garner's killer sparks outrage
Liberation staff | liberationnews.org | 2019-07-21
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.
liberationnews.org/demonstrations-hit-justice-dept-decision-not-to-charge-eric-garners-killer/

BDS Movement welcomes U.S. Congress resolution affirming right to boycott
patrick | bdsmovement.net | 2019-07-19
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) …
bdsmovement.net/news/bds-movement-welcomes-us-congress-resolution-affirming-right-boycott

The Dark Side of the Moon Mission
James Jeffrey | progressive.org | 2019-07-18
"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.
progressive.org/dispatches/dark-side-of-moon-mission-jeffrey-190718/

SPLC sues Trump administration over new rule that makes migrants who pass through other countries ineligible for asylum
splcenter.org | 2019-07-17
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.org/news/2019/07/17/splc-sues-trump-administration-over-new-rule-makes-migrants-who-pass-through-other

Author of 'Emanuel Nine' church massacre book to speak at Civil Rights Memorial Center
splcenter.org | 2019-07-15
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.
splcenter.org/news/2019/07/18/author-emanuel-nine-church-massacre-book-speak-civil-rights-memorial-center

Author of 'Emanuel Nine' church massacre book to speak at Civil Rights Memorial Center
splcenter.org | 2019-07-15
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.
splcenter.org/news/2019/07/18/author-emanuel-nine-church-massacre-book-speak-civil-rights-memorial-center

Pompeo's New 'Human Rights' Commission is Up To No Good
aclu.org | 2019-07-12
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…
aclu.org/blog/human-rights/pompeos-new-human-rights-commission-no-good

Manuel Duran, journalist who reported on ICE, freed from detention
splcenter.org | 2019-07-11
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.
splcenter.org/news/2019/07/11/manuel-duran-journalist-who-reported-ice-freed-detention

CBP Can't Detain Domestic Flight Passengers for Refusing Suspicionless ID Checks
aclu.org | 2019-07-11
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…
aclu.org/blog/national-security/cbp-cant-detain-domestic-flight-passengers-refusing-suspicionless-id-checks