(2019-01-29). George Orwell's Message in a Bottle. counterpunch.org 
Last June the United States became the only nation to withdraw from the United Nations Human Rights Council, which a Trump official called a "cesspool of political bias." Just one day earlier, the U.N. Human Rights office had called Trump's detention of children at the Mexican border "unconscionable." Three days later, when the U.N. rapporteur More
(2019-01-29). China VP Arrives in US For Talks, Huawei Detention Concerns. telesurenglish.net Chinese Vice Premier Liu He arrived in Washington D.C. on Monday in an attempt to move forward a new round of trade negotiations with the White House despite the extradition request of Huawei CFO sticking out like a sore thumb. | RELATED: | Canada: Gov't Sacks Diplomat Critical of Huawei CFO Extradition | Liu is heading a delegation composed of stat…
(2019-01-29). Trump Says 58,000 Texans Voted Illegally. Here's What Actually Happened. aclu.org Voter fraud is extremely rare. States using unreliable data to justify purges of eligible voters, unfortunately, is not. | The president of the United States is once again spreading unsubstantiated claims about rampant voter fraud and undermining faith in the integrity of our democracy. This time, he's claiming that 95,000 noncitizens were registered to vote in Texas and more than half have actually voted. These numbers,…
(2019-01-29). The One Wall Trump Doesn't Like. aclu.org The Trump administration continues to push laws and policies that breach the wall separating religion and the government. | President Trump may be the world's most renowned fan of building walls, but there's at least one wall he loathes: the wall of separation between church and state. From the Muslim ban to his so-called "religious freedom" executive order, Trump and his theocratic supporters have pushed l…
(2019-01-29). Zimbabwe's Capitalist Crisis: Imperial Vultures and Subimperial Doves Both Turn Away From Economic Carcass. counterpunch.org Return of the IMF? The most crucial potential bailout lender for Zimbabwe is still the much-feared IMF, to which Robert Mugabe's regime (questionably) repaid all arrears in late 2016. A series of self-delegitimizing 21st-century leaders have helped reduce its reputation: Rodrigo Rato (jailed last October for bank fraud), Dominique Strauss-Kahn (resigned in disgrace but demanded IMF support for his 2011 rape More
(2019-01-29). Trauma: A Tool of Social Oppression. zcomm.org The experience of trauma can also spark rebellion in the human spirit. In the fires of injustice and despair, rebels and revolutionaries are also made…
(2019-01-29). America's 7 Racist Exclusions. zcomm.org From Muslim Visa Ban to 1930s Exclusion of Jews…
(2019-01-29). NAACP Statement on Racist and Homophobic Attack on Jussie Smollett. naacp.org "The recent racist and homophobic attack on acclaimed actor and activist Jussie Smollett is troubling. The rise in hate crimes is directly linked to President Donald J. Trump's racist and xenophobic rhetoric. It is dangerous for any society to allow a tone of divisiveness and hatred to dominate the political discourse. As this rhetoric continues to […]
(2019-01-29). AGO proposes nationwide raids on books containing 'banned ideas'. mronline.org 
Attorney General Muhammad Prasetyo is proposing that massive raids be carried out to hunt down books which contain communist teachings and banned ideologies. The proposal was made after the seizure of hundreds of books around the country allegedly containing "banned ideas". — Taufiq Siddiq, Jakarta "I'm proposing that if possible, yes massive raids be carried […] | Source
(2019-01-29). US Caught Helping ISIS Commanders Escape from Taliban Prison in Afghanistan. globalresearch.ca A large number of prisoners, all of them senior members of Daesh (also ISIS or ISIL) terrorist group, broke out of a Taliban prison in northwest Afghanistan after US troops helped them escape through a covert operation. | According to Tasnim …
(2019-01-29). Protest Is Coming to Super Bowl LIII. thenation.com Protest Is Coming to Super Bowl LIII…
(2019-01-29). 2-year-old expelled by mall, community demands disability rights. fightbacknews.org Wyoming, MI – Discrimination against a two-year-old girl with a disability brought close to 150 people to Rogers Plaza Town Center for "Walking with Claire" on January 27. | On a Sunday afternoon, the normally empty mall was filled with family, friends and disability rights activists wearing, "Walking with Claire" t-shirts. Some held signs reading, "Disabled lives matter!" and "We heart our community! Everybody belongs!" | The large crowd gathered to walk slowly behind Claire and her parents, Andrew Dykstra and Hiliary Goddard-Dykstra, to the far end of the mall. There everyone sat down on the floor together to r…
(2019-01-29). NBC's Tom Brokaw provokes backlash over "assimilation" comment. wsws.org During Sunday's broadcast of "Meet the Press," former NBC News anchorman Tom Brokaw gave vent to the racism, anti-immigrant bigotry and sheer ignorance that media pundits usually keep under wraps.
(2019-01-29). China: Rights Website Founder Sentenced to 5 Years. hrw.org 
(New York) — Chinese authorities should immediately quash the conviction and unconditionally release the founder of a human rights news website, Human Rights Watch said today. On January 29, 2019, a court in Hubei province sentenced Liu Feiyue to five years in prison after convicting him on charges of "inciting subversion of state power." | | | Liu Feiyue. | Source: CHRD | Liu, 48, is a veteran activist and founder of Minsheng Guancha (Civil Rights and Livelihood Wat…
(2019-01-29). Iran: Labour rights activists at risk of further torture: Esmail Bakhshi and Sepideh Gholian. amnesty.org Iranian labour rights activists Esmail Bakhshi and Sepideh Gholian, who were rearrested on 20 January after speaking out about beatings and other abuse they suffered in detention in late 2018, are at grave risk of further torture. The authorities must release them immediately and unconditionally as they are prisoners of conscious jailed solely on the basis of their peaceful activism in defence of workers' rights.
(2019-01-29). China: Founder of human rights website jailed for five years. amnesty.org | Responding to the five-year prison sentence imposed by a Chinese court against Liu Feiyue, founder of human rights website "Civil Rights and Livelihood Watch, for "inciting subversion of state power", Patrick Poon, China Researcher at Amnesty International, commented: | "Today's deplorable verdict against L…
(2019-01-28). Twitter Explodes Over Male UAE Gender Equality Award Winners. telesurenglish.net A storm of tweets bombarded the United Arab Emirates (UAE) after it was clear women had been completely excluded from this year's gender-equality awards ceremony. | RELATED: | Yemeni Mothers Protest Detentions of Sons in Infamous UAE-run Prisons | "Gender balance has become a pillar in our governmental institutions," said UAE vice president, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, as he handed out medals and certificates to the delegation of men representing the finance…
(2019-01-28). Why More Americans Are Breaking Their Silence on Israel. counterpunch.org Most folk outside the United States — and until this month, most Americans — won't have heard of Michelle Alexander. She's a civil rights lawyer and academic and has written a book called The New Jim Crow, and a few months ago The New York Times took her on as a regular columnist. Like millions of black — and More
(2019-01-28). Headlines for January 28, 2019. democracynow.org U.S. & Taliban Agree to Path for Afghan Peace Deal, Federal Employees Return to Work as Gov't Agencies Temporarily Reopen, Venezuela: Maduro Gov't Defies U.S. and European Calls to Support Opposition, Philippines: Twin Bombs Rock Cathedral, Killing At Least 20, U.N. Condemns Killing of Palestinian by Israeli Settlers, Israeli Forces Kill 3 Palestinians Across Occupied Territories, Brazil: Mining Dam Collapse Kills At Least 58, Hundreds Still Missing, France: Protesters Take Streets for 11th Week, Call Out Police Brutality, Germany to Shut Down All Coal Plants by 2038, Birmingham Civil Rights Institute Reinstates…
(2019-01-28). In Congress, a Threat to Americans' First Amendment Right to Boycott. aclu.org A new bill promotes state laws targeting boycotts of Israel — even though multiple judges have found such laws to be unconstitutional. | The Senate is scheduled to vote Monday on a bill that includes language that would encourage states to pass unconstitutional laws penalizing businesses and individuals who participate in politically motivated boycotts against Israel. | More than two dozen states have adopted such laws in the past four years. Their collective target is the boycott, divestment, and sanctions (BDS) movement, "a glob…
(2019-01-28). Remembering Ramona Ripston, the ACLU Leader Who Reimagined Civil Liberties. thenation.com Remembering Ramona Ripston, the ACLU Leader Who Reimagined Civil Liberties…
(2019-01-28). Those MAGA-Hatted Covington Kids. counterpunch.org Yes, the Black Hebrew Israelites spat racist taunts at the MAGA-hatted Kentucky high school kids. And yes, the drumming Native American inserted himself between the two groups. But the head MAGA boy did block the drummer's path and stood there with a defiant smirk that exactly duplicated the sneers of his predecessors a couple generations More
(2019-01-28). Racist Website Faith And Heritage Is Closing Up Shop. splcenter.org Faith and Heritage, a website launched in 2011 espousing the racist "Kinist" interpretation of Christian theology, announced on Jan. 13 that it would stop publishing articles.
(2019-01-28). Bahrain: Verdict on opposition leader is bitter blow to freedom of expression. amnesty.org Responding to the news that Bahrain's Court of Cassation has upheld the conviction of opposition leader Sheikh Ali Salman, Amnesty International's Middle East Campaigns Director Samah Hadid said: | "Today's verdict is yet another nail in the coffin for the right to freedom of expression in Bahrain and exposes the country's justice system as a complete farce. The decision to uphold Sheikh Ali Salman's conviction and life prison sentence following an unfair trial highlights the authorities' determination to silence critical voices. |
(2019-01-28). China: Disgraceful 4 and a half years prison term for human rights lawyer Wang Quanzhang. amnesty.org | Responding to the 4 and a half years prison sentence handed down by a Chinese court to human rights lawyer Wang Quanzhang, who was found guilty of "subverting state power", Doriane Lau, China Researcher at Amnesty International, commented: | "Today's verdict is a gross injustice. It's outrageous that Wang Quanzhang is being punished for peacefully standing up for human rights in China.
(2019-01-27). New Yorkers rally for Marzieh Hashemi. fightbacknews.org New York, NY — On January 25 several dozen activists gathered in Grand Central Station to bring attention to the case of Marzieh Hashemi. Hashemi is a Muslim, African-American journalist who was imprisoned on January 13 when she was arrested by the FBI at the Saint Louis International Airport. She was on her way to visit her sick brother in Denver. For almost two weeks she as held as a "material witness" for an undisclosed investigation. | Hashemi was finally released shortly before the protest, but her family asked for the protesters who were mobilizing to continue their plans, so they could bring awarenes…
(2019-01-27). Netanyahu Forms Alliances with Far-Right Authoritarian Leaders. therealnews.com 
Shir Hever says Netanyahu is abusing his image as a protector of the Jewish people, and cuts deals with far-right and anti-Semitic heads of state, absolving them of their racism towards Jews in exchange for their superficial support for the State of Israel. All this, to win the upcoming Israeli elections
(2019-01-26). What the mountain taught the mouse. mronline.org 
Inequality is sexist. It is also transphobic and racist. This is a reality demonstrated by Oxfam's recent report on wealth and inequality, and a reality well understood by the people who live it. | Source
(2019-01-25). Trump Administration Puts Religious Beliefs Over the Best Interests of Children. aclu.org The Department of Health and Human Services has exempted South Carolina from federal nondiscrimination requirements for child welfare programs. | Across the United States, there are over 440,000 children in the public child welfare system. Nearly a quarter of these children are awaiting adoption with many living in group homes because no family is available to care for them. In the end, too many of these children will age out of the system without ever becoming part of a loving family. Despite these facts, the Trump administration this week made it even harder for these children to find foster and adoptive parent…
(2019-01-25). Data Reveals Driving as a Person of Color in Illinois Leads to More Unjustified Searches. aclu.org Baseless traffic stops and inconsistent search standards harm the public trust and damage police-community relationships. | In January 2016, Richard Jackson, a Black man, was driving to his home on Chicago's West Side when he noticed a car trailing him. As he turned into the alley leading to his driveway, the unmarked police car pulled him over and four officers leapt out, demanding that he lower all four of his car's windows. Jackson's grandparents, who live with him, watched from their home's window in fear. | After running his license, one officer told Jackson he would be let go with a warning. But when Jackso…
(2019-01-25). It's Time to Update Aging Voting Equipment Before the 2020 Election. aclu.org Sixteen million voters encountered problems voting in 2016. A big culprit was aging voting equipment. | When Ronald Campbell went to his polling location in Horry County, South Carolina, to vote in the 2018 midterms, he wasn't expecting it to become an odyssey. But when he and his wife arrived at their polling location, the lines were so long that Ronald feared he and his wife wouldn't be physically able to stand for the amount of time it would take to get to the voting booth. Nevertheless, they returned to the polling location four separate times throughout the day until the line had become reasonable — th…
(2019-01-25). Weekend Read: 'I'm going to be paying it down until I die.'. splcenter.org The women incarcerated in Corinth, Mississippi, have a phrase for it: "sitting it out." We have another name for it: "debtors' prison."
(2019-01-25). My Time as an NAACP LAW Fellow. naacp.org I applied for the NAACP's law fellows program because of the organization's legacy in protecting the rights of people of color and in doing so the rights of all people. Law school has allowed me to more fully contextualize the history of race in the United States, and I recognized the crucial role the NAACP has played […]
(2019-01-25). South Dakota Rejects Restrictions on Trans Athletes. hrw.org 
| | Rainbow flags for sale are photographed on June 24, 2017. | © 2017 Reuters | South Dakota lawmakers have rejected a bill which would have barred transgender students from participating in athletics consistent with their gender identity. | The ACLU and other organizations spoke out against the bill, with the South Dakota High School Activities Association, the Association of School Boards in South Dakota, the South Dakota Education Associa…
(2019-01-25). Egypt's LGBT Crackdown Expands to Stifle Journalists. hrw.org 
| | Screenshot of an August 2018 television segment in which Egyptian anchor Mohamed Al-Ghaity interviewed an unidentified gay guest. Al-Ghaity was sentenced to one year in prison for the interview in January 2019. | © 2018 LTC TV/YouTube | An Egyptian television anchor was unexpectedly sentenced to one year in prison for interviewing a gay man on TV last week. The conviction of Mohamed Al-Ghaity,…
(2019-01-24). My NAACP Law Fellowship. naacp.org I thoroughly enjoyed my 1L summer at the NAACP and I cannot speak highly enough about my experience there. I decided to go to law school because I wanted to learn how to address the ways systemic issues such as housing discrimination and mass incarceration adversely affect the African American community. Working for the NAACP […]
(2019-01-24). Arizona Provides Me Unequal Healthcare Because I'm Transgender. aclu.org I'm part of a class-action lawsuit to ensure that the state of Arizona includes transition-related health care in its insurance coverage. | I'm a professor of family studies and human development at the University of Arizona, and I have dedicated my career to studying how discrimination impacts LGBTQ adolescents. I'm also transgender, and I know from experience that growing up is different — and still much more difficult — for LGBTQ youth. So it came as a disappointment when I learned that the state university where I work does not cover transition-related healthcare for its employees or their depende…
(2019-01-24). A Disturbing Number of Missouri Towns Evict Residents for Calling the Police. aclu.org The ACLU is urging towns across Missouri to repeal unjust 'nuisance ordinances.' | Over the last few decades in towns and cities across America, local authorities have passed laws that punish people for calling 911 with steep fines and eviction, even when they are seeking police protection. Known as nuisance ordinances, these laws present victims of crime with an impossible choice. As a domestic violence survivor in St. Louis put it: "If I…
(2019-01-24). A Trans Woman Was Charged With 'False Personation' for Giving the NYPD Her Real Name. aclu.org 
While in custody, officers cuffed Linda Dominguez to her cell using pink handcuffs and repeatedly called her by her old first name. | On her way home from the bus stop on a spring night in the Bronx last year, Linda Dominguez cut across a park because it was the most direct route to her apartment. Even though others leaving the bus were also crossing the park, three officers from the New York City Police Department singled out and arrested Linda, a Latina transgender woman, and took her to the precinct. | Linda, who doesn't speak English, had no idea why the police had stopped her or what they were arresting her…
(2019-01-24). 3 Members of a Kansas Militia Once Plotted To Bomb a Mosque, Now Are Going to Prison. splcenter.org Three members of a militia group known as "the Crusaders" were sentenced Friday to a total of 81 years in prison for plotting to bomb Somali and Muslim communities in Kansas.
(2019-01-24). Lawyer Wolfgang Kaleck: Bush, Rumsfeld & Cheney Are a Troika of Tyranny & Should Be in Prison. democracynow.org 
As Venezuela faces an attempted coup supported by the U.S., Brazil and the European Union, we speak with human rights attorney Wolfgang Kaleck. In November, John Bolton accused Venezuela, Cuba and Nicaragua of being part of a "troika of tyranny." Kaleck says the real "troika of tyranny" is George W. Bush, Dick Cheney and Donald Rumsfeld, who should be in prison for war crimes. Kaleck is a human rights attorney who for decades has been at the forefront of the legal fight to hold powerful actors and governments around the world accountable for human rights abuses. His new book, titled "Law Versus Power: Our Global…
(2019-01-24). Iran: Prominent Labor Activist Rearrested. hrw.org 
(Beirut) — Iranian authorities on January 20, 2019 arrested two activists who had alleged that authorities tortured them in detention, Human Rights Watch said today. The arrests of Ismael Bakhshi, a prominent labor rights activist, and Sepideh Gholian, a journalist and labor rights activist, came the day after Iranian state television broadcast confessions that they said they were forced to make in detention. | | | Screen shot from Islamic Republic of Iran Broad…
(2019-01-24). Five Years After Ferguson, St. Louis County's New Prosecutor Confronts a Racist Criminal Justice System. theintercept.com 
The 2014 police killing of Michael Brown inspired a nationwide movement to elect progressive prosecutors. Now, Wesley Bell will try to reform St. Louis.
(2019-01-24). Decades of Financial Deregulation & Racist Housing Policy Brought Us 2007 Meltdown, with More to Come (Pt 1/3). therealnews.com 
Carter, Reagan, Clinton, the Bushes, Obama, and now Trump deregulated Wall Street and did nothing to help Black and Brown homeowners in America. White collar criminologist Bill Black discusses the social structure of mortgage discrimination. Part 1: The History
(2019-01-24). Decades of Financial Deregulation & Racist Housing Policy Brought Us 2007 Meltdown, with More to Come (Pt 2/3). therealnews.com 
Carter, Reagan, Clinton, the Bushes, Obama, and now Trump deregulated Wall Street and did nothing to help Black and Brown homeowners in America. White collar criminologist Bill Black discusses the social structure of mortgage discrimination. Part 2: The Effects
(2019-01-23). ACLU: Trump's Anti-Trans Ban Has No Military Justification, Is Driven by Animus & Discrimination. democracynow.org 
On Tuesday, the Supreme Court revived President Donald Trump's plan to ban transgender people from serving in the U.S. military. In a 5-4 decision, the Supreme Court lifted two lower court rulings that had blocked the ban from going into effect on constitutional grounds. Justices Stephen Breyer, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Sonia Sotomayor and Elena Kagan dissented. A third injunction remains in place for now. We speak to Chase Strangio, staff attorney at the ACLU, which is challenging the Trump administration's ban on servicemembers who are transgender.
(2019-01-23). Baltimore Rejects Plan to Arm School Police During School Day. therealnews.com 
The Baltimore school board rejected the proposal amid heated debate. Meanwhile, we get a response to an ACLU and NAACP-LDF letter demanding Maryland adequately fund Baltimore schools
(2019-01-22). Uniting against racism. greenleft.org.au 
A collective of alt-right and neo-Nazi groups organised what they called a "political meeting" at St Kilda beach on January 5. It came a week after the neo-Nazi Neil Erikson led a group of acolytes down to the same beach to harass and film African Australians in an attempt to incite violence. | Various hate-filled Facebook pages promoted the "meeting", including one described as "Rise Up Australia — Romper Stomper 2.0", a reference to a film about white supremacists in Footscray who attacked and violently assaulted Vietnamese Australians. | The event was not a "political meeting" nor was it ever intended to…
(2019-01-21). MLK Day Special: Rediscovered 1964 King Speech on Civil Rights, Segregation & Apartheid South Africa. democracynow.org 
As the nation marks 90 years since the birth of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., we air a rediscovered speech he delivered on December 7, 1964, days before he received the Nobel Peace Prize in Oslo. In a major address in London, King spoke about segregation, the fight for civil rights and his support for Nelson Mandela and the anti-apartheid struggle in South Africa. The speech was recorded by Saul Bernstein, who was working as the European correspondent for Pacifica Radio. Bernstein's recording was rediscovered by Brian DeShazor, director of the Pacifica Radio Archives.
(2019-01-20). How to Spend MLK Day. naacp.org 
Tomorrow, our nation will honor the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., a man whose dream of an America that was truly equal for all its people has inspired generations of people to fight to bend the arc of the moral universe toward justice. From the Montgomery Bus Boycott to marching across the Edmund Pettus Bridge, […]