The Mississippi raid: Trump's attack on immigrants and his Democratic enablers
wsws.org | 2019-08-09
Hundreds of children have been traumatized by having their parents ripped away from them and, in many cases, shipped to an Immigration and Customs Enforcement prison 150 miles away.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2019/08/09/pers-a09.html

Chelsea Manning faces $441,000 in fines and another year in jail for refusing to testify against WikiLeaks
wsws.org | 2019-08-09
A federal judge rejected Manning's motion to reconsider daily fines, which will bankrupt her as she refuses to testify before a grand jury impaneled to bring frame-up charges against WikiLeaks founder and publisher Julian Assange.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2019/08/09/mann-a09.html

New Fears for Julian Assange
Consortiumnews | globalresearch.ca | 2019-08-09
Legendary journalist John Pilger has been to see Assange in Belmarsh Prison in London and his report is not encouraging. | Journalist John Pilger visited imprisoned WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange on Tuesday and has raised an alarm about Assange's "deteriorated" health….
globalresearch.ca/new-fears-julian-assange/5686028

John Pilger warns: "Do not forget Assange. Or you will lose him"
wsws.org | 2019-08-09
The well-known journalist outlined the WikiLeaks founder's deteriorating health, and the draconian conditions in which he is being held in a British prison.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2019/08/09/pilg-a09.html

When comedian Dick Gregory tried to bust the word
Robert Lipsyte | nationofchange.org | 2019-08-09
One afternoon in New York City in the spring of 1964, I marched at the head of a small civil rights demonstration, one of the few white people in the group. I was carrying a watermelon. It was a Dick Gregory joke. To say the least, not everyone liked that joke, but I thought it …
nationofchange.org/2019/08/09/when-comedian-dick-gregory-tried-to-bust-the-word/

Leading Civil Rights Lawyer Shows 20 Ways Trump Is Copying Hitler's Early Rhetoric and Policies
Steven Rosenfeld | commondreams.org | 2019-08-09
We're used to thinking of Hitler's Third Reich as the incomparably evil tyranny that it undoubtedly was. But Hitler didn't take power by force. He used a set of rhetorical tropes codified in Trump's bedside reading that persuaded enough Germans to welcome Hitler as a populist leader. (Photo: photolibrarian/Flickr/cc) | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/views-article/thumbs/nazigermany.jpeg …
commondreams.org/views/2019/08/09/leading-civil-rights-lawyer-shows-20-ways-trump-copying-hitlers-early-rhetoric-and?cd-origin=rss

Civil Rights and Public Interest Groups Urge Tech Companies to Enact Meaningful Changes
commondreams.org | 2019-08-09
______________________________…
commondreams.org/newswire/2019/08/09/civil-rights-and-public-interest-groups-urge-tech-companies-enact-meaningful?cd-origin=rss

A Federal Court Sounds the Alarm on the Privacy Harms of Face Recognition Technology
aclu.org | 2019-08-09
The court ruled that a lawsuit alleging that Facebook is violating Illinois' biometric privacy law can proceed | On Thursday, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit became the first appellate court in the nation to directly address the privacy harms posed by face recognition technology. The decision is a significant advance in the fight against the threats of face surveillance, sounding the alarm on the potential for this technology to seriously violate people's privacy. | In Patel v. Facebook, a group of Facebook users from Illin…
aclu.org/blog/privacy-technology/surveillance-technologies/federal-court-sounds-alarm-privacy-harms-face

Mass-Shootings as Expressions of U.S. Racism
Gary Leupp | counterpunch.org | 2019-08-09
Nineteenth century U.S. racism, resting in part on biblical myth (the curse of Ham) and Social Darwinist notions of racial hierarchies, focused on the defense of slavery and suppression of uppity blacks. Its cruelest, most terrorist tool was the lynching. Twenty-first century racism rests on the myth of a lost golden era of white ("White")…
counterpunch.org/2019/08/09/mass-shootings-as-expressions-of-u-s-racism/

Court Upholds North Dakota Law Stripping Voting Rights From Native Americans
Staff | truthout.org | 2019-08-09
| The Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals last week upheld a law that strips nearly 10 percent of all voting-age Native Americans living in North Dakota of their right to vote. | The case is as much about local infrastructure and lack of regard for North Dakota's indigenous population as it is about voter suppression and a state forcing voters to comply with a requirement that the state itself has made impossible to follow. | Thousands of Native Americans who do not have residential addresse…
truthout.org/articles/court-upholds-north-dakota-law-stripping-voting-rights-from-native-americans/

One rule for some, jail for the rest
pip.hinman | greenleft.org.au | 2019-08-09
You could be forgiven for thinking theft is suddenly socially acceptable given recent events — provided you act remorsefully after being caught. However, that acceptance only extends so far. | The Fair Work Ombudsman fined celebrity chef George Calombaris $200,000 for underpaying staff $7.8 million in wages. | In 2017 it was estimated that Calombaris's wealth sat at $4.5 million, making him the sixth-richest chef in Australia at the time. | Most of the media focused on a fragile, contrite Calombaris talking about how much he loved his staff. Very little attention was paid to the employees who had their wage…
greenleft.org.au/content/one-rule-some-jail-rest

Justice for David Dungay Jnr campaign hits Kempsey
pip.hinman | greenleft.org.au | 2019-08-09
Relatives and supporters of David Dungay Jnr took over the town of Kempsey, in north coast New South Wales, to speak out against a corrective services system that claimed the life of the 26-year-old Dunghutti man. | Dungay, who was from Kempsey, died while in police custody in 2015 after being pinned down by prison officers and injected with strong sedatives for refusing to stop eating biscuits. He was due to be released three weeks later. | The protest was co-ordinated by David's mother, Leetona, his family and the Indigenous Social Justice Association (ISJA). It was part of a series of efforts to shed light on…
greenleft.org.au/content/justice-david-dungay-jnr-campaign-hits-kempsey

We have Until Aug 13 to Oppose Trump's Anti-Trans Health Care Plan
aclu.org | 2019-08-09
A proposed rule would undermine protections for transgender people and others facing discriminatory denials of health care and insurance coverage | The Trump Administration has shown it will stop at nothing to undermine access to health care for marginalized communities. Most recently, the Administration has proposed to undermine critical protections against sex discrimination in Section 1557 of the Affordable Care Act, the Health Care Rights Law. Instead of combatting discrimination in accessing health care an…
aclu.org/blog/lgbt-rights/transgender-rights/we-have-until-aug-13-oppose-trumps-anti-trans-health-care-plan

Why Do We Hate Immigrants?
Kevin Powell | thenation.com | 2019-08-08
Why Do We Hate Immigrants?
thenation.com/article/immigrants-detention-centers-ice-el-paso/

Denver's City Council, Led by Democratic Socialist, Stuns For-Profit Prison Operators by Nuking Contracts
Ryan Grim | theintercept.com | 2019-08-08
It wasn't about pulling money from the halfway houses but from "organizations that put kids in cages, run concentration camps," said one council member.
theintercept.com/2019/08/08/private-prisons-contract-denver/

Judge Dictates Preventive Detention Against Rafael Correa
telesurenglish.net | 2019-08-08
Judge Daniella Camacho has issued a preventive detention order against former President Rafael Correa and former vice president Jorge Glas for the 2012-2016 "Bribes" case. | RELATED: | Ecuador: Former FM Patiño is Another Victim of Persecution | The same decision was made against Glas and former ministers Vinicio Alvarado and Walter Soliz. They are being accused of crimes of illicit association, influence peddling and bribery of 22 former politicians and business owners. | "I order…
telesurenglish.net/news/Judge-Dictates-Preventive-Detention-Against-Rafael-Correa-20190808-0025.html

7 Colombian Soldiers Sentenced For Extrajudicial Killing
telesurenglish.net | 2019-08-08
Seven members of Colombia's armed forces were sentenced Thursday, to 34 years in prison for carrying out an extrajudicial killing. The sentence overturned a ruling last year that absolved the troops of responsibility. The killing was part of the 'false positives' scandal, whereby civilians were murdered and then dressed in guerilla uniforms so that soldiers could claim rewards. | RELATED: | One Sector Blocks Peace in Colombia: Ex-FARC Guerrilla Leader | In 2006, seven soldiers k…
telesurenglish.net/news/7-Colombian-Soldiers-Sentenced-For-Extrajudicial-Killing-20190808-0009.html

The hidden refugee 'hell' in Melbourne
pip.hinman | greenleft.org.au | 2019-08-08
Located in the suburb of Broadmeadows, Melbourne Immigration Transit Accommodation (MITA) has been described as a "hidden hell for refugees". | Addressing a forum organised by the Refugee Action Collective (RAC) on August 5 by video message, Iraqi refugee Ali Yousuf, who was previously in MITA and is now in an Adelaide detention centre, said MITA guards regularly provoke people, seeking any reaction as an excuse to attack them. Yousuf suffered a broken hand when assaulted by a guard. | Yousuf said that detention is a waste of money that could be spent on helping the sick and people with disabilities. | He said th…
greenleft.org.au/content/melbournes-refugee-hell

The real threat to free speech
pip.hinman | greenleft.org.au | 2019-08-08
greenleft.org.au/content/real-threat-free-speech

Argentinian Bishop Handpicked by Pope Faces Sex Abuse Trial
telesurenglish.net | 2019-08-08
Argentinian Bishop Gustavo Zanchetta left an Oran court room smiling for the press Thursday after a 10-minute hearing to face charges of "aggravated continuous sexual abuse," Crux Now reports. | RELATED: | Pope Holds Bishops Accountable for Sexual Abuse in Church | Zanchetta is facing 10 years in prison for allegedly sexually abusing two seminarians in 20…
telesurenglish.net/news/Argentinian-Bishop-Handpicked-by-Pope-Faces-Sex-Abuse-Trial-20190808-0026.html

Chelsea Manning jailed for a YEAR for refusing to testify against Assange
rt.com | 2019-08-07
Refusal to testify against WikiLeaks is costing whistleblower Chelsea Manning over $400,000 in fines and another year in jail, after a federal judge ruled that she must pay for what he called contempt of court. | …
rt.com/usa/466018-manning-year-jail-fine/

UN Security Council 'utterly failed' Syrian detainees; a victim voices her plea to 'end impunity and stop this horror'
United Nations | un.org | 2019-08-07
The Security Council has "utterly failed Syrian detainees and their families", Amina Khoulani, Co-founder of Families for Freedom, told the Security Council on Wednesday, during a meeting focussed on those who have been jailed or gone missing across Syria, during years of brutal conflict.
news.un.org/feed/view/en/story/2019/08/1043891

All States have 'primary responsibility' to protect against hate attacks
United Nations | un.org | 2019-08-06
The UN's top rights official has added her voice to condemnation of the weekend mass-shootings in the cities of El Paso and Dayton, insisting on Tuesday that "not just the US, but all States" should do more to stop discrimination.
news.un.org/feed/view/en/story/2019/08/1043791

New Civil Rights Memorial to be installed on 54th anniversary of Voting Rights Act
splcenter.org | 2019-08-05
Jimmie Lee Jackson was beaten and shot by Alabama state troopers during a peaceful voting rights march on Feb. 18, 1965.
splcenter.org/news/2019/08/06/new-civil-rights-memorial-be-installed-54th-anniversary-voting-rights-act

'You don't have any rights': CBP agents interrogate US citizen and seize his phone after Venezuela solidarity trip
Max Blumenthal | thegrayzone.com | 2019-08-03
The detention of a US citizen returning from Venezuela was an apparent extension of the US government's efforts to punish…
thegrayzone.com/2019/08/03/cbp-agents-interrogate-us-citizen-venezuela/

"You're Gonna Kill Me": Bodycam Video Shows Dallas Officers Mocking Man as He Died Pinned to Ground
Staff | democracynow.org | 2019-08-02
In August 2016, 32-year-old Tony Timpa called 911 to ask for help. Timpa had schizophrenia and depression, and was off his medication for schizophrenia. Timpa told the Dallas dispatcher that he was scared. The police responded, and within 20 minutes Timpa was dead. For the past three years, the city of Dallas has fought efforts to release police bodycam footage showing what happened, but the video was finally released this week after a prolonged legal battle. The shocking video contains disturbing footage, with officers arriving on the scene where Timpa was already handcuffed by a private security guard. In the v…
www.democracynow.org/2019/8/2/tony_timpa_family_lawsuit_bodycam_footage

Inside the Hive Mind
Leo ·ªåládimú | progressive.org | 2019-08-01
After several years submerged in violent prison racism, I became a fascist.
progressive.org/magazine/inside-the-hive-mind-oladimu-191801/

Oklahoma Victims Compensation Program Disproportionately Denies Funds for Black Victims
aclu.org | 2019-07-31
Data shows that Black victims are often denied compensation for the very same crimes as committed against white victims, who did receive compensation. | Tiras Johnson, age 23, was unarmed when he was shot and killed in Tulsa, Oklahoma. His family was devastated by his death, and they were struggling to pay for Tiras' funeral. Like many victims' families, Tiras' mother applied for financial compensation through the Oklahoma Crime Victims Compensation Act in order to cover his funeral costs, but instead received a surprising response in the mail. | The letter, addressed to Tiras' mother, Netarsha, explained that h…
aclu.org/blog/racial-justice/race-and-criminal-justice/oklahoma-victims-compensation-program

Los Angeles demands justice for Anthony Vargas — #JailKillerCops!
Kameron Hurt | liberationnews.org | 2019-07-31
On July 27, over 60 members of the Los Angeles community gathered outside the East Los Angeles Sheriff's Department to celebrate the life of Anthony Daniel Vargas, who would have been celebrating his 22nd birthday that day.
liberationnews.org/los-angeles-demands-justice-for-anthony-vargas-jailkillercops/

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

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

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

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

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