(2019-02-03). Fishermen and Winnemem Wintu file lawsuit to protect San Joaquin River salmon. indybay.org Noah Oppenheim, Executive Director of the Pacific Coast Federation of Fishermen's Association called Friday's lawsuit, "a long overdue wake-up call that the State Water Board must now do its job to prevent the imminent extinction of this irreplaceable fishery. For decades this regulatory process has been captured by water agencies with no compunctions about hastening the end of salmon fisheries. Today salmon fishermen and fishing communities are raising their voice." | "Unless the Board is ordered to comply with the law and these flows are restored at the scientifically recommended levels, California's salmon wil…
(2019-02-03). "'Vicious' And 'Brutal'" — Life Inside a Freezing Federal Prison With No Heat. theintercept.com 
Inside accounts are seeping out of a New York prison where hundreds of people have been incarcerated without heat as the city endured arctic weather.
(2019-02-02). Freezing Inmates Desperate for Heat at Federal Detention Center in Brooklyn. truthdig.com 
More than a thousand people incarcerated at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn, N.Y., say they have been locked in freezing cells for a week. Activists and inmates' family members gathered outside the federal facility on Saturday to demand humane conditions. | A power outage has left the jail's more than 1,600 inmates to endure this week's brutal cold snap without light or heat. Because they are also without computers, inmates have been unable to contact loved ones, renew medical prescriptions or email attorneys for…
(2019-02-02). The Media's Pro-Israel Bias Echoes Coverage of Apartheid. truthdig.com When apartheid reigned in South Africa, Western media commentary frequently suggested that if a one person, one vote system were adopted, black South Africans would massacre whites, oppress them or force them to flee. The same line of thinking can today be found in media discussions of Israel/Palestine, with warnings that Israelis and Palestinians sharing a single, democratic country would lead to Palestinians slaughtering Jewish people or driving them out. Such analyses reveal the racist assumption that black people and Arabs are too prone to irrational violence to be trusted with democracy. | A New York Times (…
(2019-02-02). Activists Call for Virginia Governor Ralph Northam's Resignation. truthdig.com Democratic Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam is facing intensifying demands for his resignation from all sides on Saturday after a photo from his medical school days surfaced on Friday exposed "uninhibited" racist behavior from his past. | While the image shows one person in blackface standing next to another individual in a Ku Klux Klan uniform, Northam on Friday apologized for the photo but did not divulge which of the two people might be him nor tender his resignation. "I am ready to do the hard work of regaining your trust," Northam said. | But…
(2019-02-02). There Is No Argument for Ralph Northam to Keep His Job. thenation.com There Is No Argument for Ralph Northam to Keep His Job…
(2019-02-02). Racist Photo Prompts Candidates to Address Issue. truthdig.com RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — The Latest on Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam and a racist photo in a 1984 yearbook (all times local): | 6: 15 p.m. | Democratic presidential hopefuls are getting their first major test on how they will address racial tensions that have polarized American life. | A racist photo tied to Democratic Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam from his days in medical school has prompted them to deal with the question. | Nearly every major declared and potential Democratic candidate called for Northam's resignation after the disclosure of the yearbook photo, which shows one person in blackface and another hoode…
(2019-02-02). A "Smart" Border Wall Is Just as Racist as a Physical Barrier. truthout.org The government shutdown is over at last, thanks to Democrats who brokered a deal to keep Trump happy and get America back to work. That deal didn't include even one penny for a physical wall along the border, as demanded by numerous constituents — but it did contain what's being billed as funding for a " <...
(2019-02-02). Brooklyn detainees bang on prison windows for help during cold weather blackout (VIDEO). rt.com 
Shocking footage filmed outside a federal prison in Brooklyn, New York, shows inmates apparently banging on the walls and windows of their cells to draw attention to their freezing conditions.
(2019-02-02). Virginia governor admits to KKK/blackface yearbook photo, refuses to resign. rt.com 
Governor Ralph Northam of Virginia is refusing to resign over photos from his medical school yearbook showing him wearing either a KKK costume or blackface. He campaigned in 2017 on accusing his Republican opponent of racism.
(2019-02-02). For Display of 'Uninhibited Racism,' Demand Grows for Virginia Governor Ralph Northam's Immediate Resignation. commondreams.org Democratic Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam is facing intensifying demands for his resignation from all sides on Saturday after a photo from his medical school days surfaced on Friday exposed "uninhibited" racist behavior from his past. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/northam.jpg…
(2019-02-02). Liberal host Bill Maher makes 'racist' fried chicken retort to black Republican congressman. rt.com 
The media personality made the uncalled-for joke in the middle of a heated, but unrelated, exchange with Republican Congressman Will Hurd — in an incident more egregious than Maher's 2017 "house n*****" controversy.
(2019-02-02). Philippines: Congress Aims to Lock Up More Children. hrw.org 
| | | | | | In this photo taken last year in Manila, children are detained in a Bahay Pagasa detention center, the same type of facility the Philippine government plans to use under a proposed new law that would lower the age of criminal responsibility. | | © 2018 Carlos Conde/Human Rights Watch | (New York) — Philippine legislators should reject a draft law to lower the age of criminal liability from 15 to 12, Human Rights W…
(2019-02-02). Lawsuit alleges Amazon caused worker's death. wsws.org The wife of a worker who died at a Joliet, Illinois Amazon warehouse in 2017 has filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Amazon for the extreme delay of medical treatment that led to his death.
(2019-02-02). 'Wasn't me, I wore blackface on another occasion': Virginia gov backpedals on yearbook photo scandal. rt.com 
Ralph Northam, who is under pressure to resign as governor of Virginia over an offensive photo from his yearbook, denied he was either of the two men shown in the picture. A day earlier he said otherwise.
(2019-02-02). Controversial ATCA Legislation Halts US Aid to Palestine. telesurenglish.net February 1 ushered in an end to some US$60 million in U.S. aid to Palestinian security forces following legislation – which would leave foreign aid recipients vulnerable to anti-terrorism lawsuits – coming into effect on January 31. | RELATED: | UN Cuts Palestine Food Aid After U.S. Reduced Funding | "At the request of the Palestinian Authority, we have wound down certain projects and programs funded with assistance under the authorities specified in ATCA (Anti-Terrorism Clarification A…
(2019-02-02). Demand Grows for 'Racist' Virginia Governor Ralph Northam's Immediate Resignation. theantimedia.com 
(CD) — Democratic Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam is facing intensifying demands for his resignation from all sides on Saturday after a photo from his medical school days surfaced on Friday exposed "uninhibited" racist behavior from his past. While the image shows one person in blackface standing next to another individual in a Ku Klux Klan uniform, Northam …
(2019-02-01). The U.S. 12-Step Method to Conduct Regime Change. commondreams.org Vice President Mike Pence speaks at Iglesia Doral Jesus Worship Center after meeting with Venezuelan exiles and community leaders on February 01, 2019 in Doral, Florida. Vice President Pence met with families, political prisoners and former elected officials who were forced to flee their country due to political persecution. (Photo: Joe Raedle/Getty Images) | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/views-article/thumbs/venezuela_regime_change.jpg…
(2019-02-01). Gandhi and American Civil Rights. consortiumnews.com Howard Thurman travelled to India and returned to the U.S. intent on bringing nonviolence to the struggles of African Americans, writes Walter E. Fluker. Howard Thurman's image on Howard University chapel's stained glass window. (Fourandsixty from Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA) By… Read more →
(2019-02-01). Congress, Don't Give DHS Unrestricted Authority to Build a 'Smart Wall'. aclu.org What Congress must do to ensure that border technology doesn't trample on the rights of border communities. | On Thursday, House Democrats unveiled their proposal for a $55 billion Department of Homeland Security budget. The proposal includes some strong provisions — including no funding for a border wall, no new Border Patrol agents, and a requirement for Immigration and Customs Enforcement to cut its detention of immigrants and phase out the jailing of immigrant families. But there are also a number of troubling elements, ch…
(2019-02-01). ICE Partners Again With a Sheriff It Once Severed Ties With Because of Racial Profiling. aclu.org Sheriff Terry Johnson is known for racial profiling. He just secured $2.8 million in taxpayer funding to do ICE's bidding. | Whether it's Jeff Sessions, Stephen Miller, or Sheriff Joe Arpaio, the Trump administration has a real knack for empowering and absolving people who push discriminatory law enforcement and immigration policy. Now there's another name to add to that list: Sheriff Terry Johnson of Alamance County in North Carolina. Six years after the federal government severed ties with Sheriff Johnson for his office's discriminatory policing of Latinx residents, Uncle Sam and the Alamance County Sheriff's O…
(2019-02-01). US Enemies and the Lawless 'Rule of Law'. counterpunch.org For weeks of front-end news, a China-Canada rift has gripped Canada. The story-line is endlessly repeated and runs like this: "Experts from both sides of the border agree that imprisonment of Huawei CFO Meng Wanzhou is strictly abiding by the rule of law, and China cannot or does not want to understand how the rule More
(2019-02-01). "Do We as a Society Have a Right to Kill?": Chinonye Chukwu's Film "Clemency" Examines Death Penalty. democracynow.org 
As the state of Texas this week carried out the nation's first execution of the year, we look at "Clemency," a new film starring Alfre Woodard that examines the death penalty from the perspective of those who have to carry out executions as well as the condemned. Woodard portrays prison warden Bernadine Williams as she prepares to oversee what would be her 12th execution as warden in the aftermath of one that was horribly botched. As her life seems to unravel, Williams, for the first time, grapples with what it means to be part of a system of state-sanctioned murder, as the execution date for Anthony Woods, playe…
(2019-02-01). Corporations Have Paid Out at Least $2.7 Billion in Civil-Rights and Labor Lawsuits Since 2000. thenation.com Corporations Have Paid Out at Least $2.7 Billion in Civil-Rights and Labor Lawsuits Since 2000…
(2019-02-01). 'There Is No Such Thing as a Nonracist'. progressive.org An Interview with Ibram X. Kendi…
(2019-02-01). 28 Ways to Celebrate Black History Month. naacp.org Issa Rae Rooting For Everybody Black GIF from Issarae GIFs Since the 1970s, the month of February has been an exceptional period for the Black community as we devote 28 days — 29 if we're lucky — to commemorate all things Black. Black History Month is celebrated across the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Germany […]
(2019-02-01). Immigrants in US subjected to nasal force-feeding at ICE detention center. wsws.org The Trump administration has imported the savage tortures carried out at Guantanamo Bay and other CIA prisons, for use against immigrants and refugees.
(2019-02-01). Vietnam: Hanoi Misleads UN on Rights Record. hrw.org 
| | Twenty-five political prisoners currently locked up for exercising basic rights. | | © 2018 Private | (Geneva) — Vietnam presented a grossly inaccurate picture of its human rights record at the United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva on January 22, 2019, Human Rights Wat…
(2019-02-01). ICE Force-feeding Immigrant Detainees on Hunger Strike. hrw.org 
| | Screenshot from a 2013 video of Yasiin Bey (aka Mos Def) volunteering to undergo the standard operating procedures for force-feeding of detainees at the Guantanamo Bay detention facility. | © 2013 The Guardian/YouTube | ICE officials are force-feeding six immigrant detainees who are on hunger strike in Texas, according to an investigation published by the Associated Press. | The AP reported indications that nearly 30 men — mostly from India an…
(2019-02-01). "Always in Season" Looks at 2014 Hanging in North Carolina and Racial Terrorism. truthout.org As we mark the beginning of Black History Month, we look at Always in Season, a disturbing new documentary that examines lynching in the United States both past and present. It also looks closely at the case of Lennon Lacy, a 17-year-old African-American high school student who, on August 29, 2014, was found hanging from two belts attached to a wooden swing set in a largely white trailer park in Bladenboro, North Carolina. Local authorities quickly determined his death to be a suicide, but Lacy's family and local civil rights activists feared authorities may have been covering up a lynching. We speak with Lacy…
(2019-02-01). The price Peter Norman paid for his anti-racism. greenleft.org.au 
The Peter Norman Story
| Written by Andrew Webster & Matt Norman
| Macmillan, 2018
| $34.99 | Australian sprinter Peter Norman had just run a blistering 20.6 seconds in the men's 200-metre final at the 1968 Mexico City Olympic Games to claim the silver medal. After he heard about the plans of the gold and bronze medallists, African-American runners Tommy Smith and John Carlos, to protest against racism in the US, Norman agreed to support their actions by wearing an Olympic Project for Human Rights (OPHR) badge, stating: "I'll stand with you". | In The Peter Norman Story, his nephew Matt Norman, w…
(2019-02-01). Bolton Threatens to Send Venezuela's Maduro to Guantanamo Bay Prison. theantimedia.com 
(CD) — National Security Adviser John Bolton—the neoconservative who's played a key role in the Trump administration's effort to overthrow the Venezuelan government—suggested on Friday that President Nicolás Maduro could find himself locked away in the U.S. military prison at the Guantánamo Bay Naval Station in Cuba if he does not soon step aside. Bolton—who has repeatedly threatened U.S. military action to force …
(2019-01-31). What Breastfeeding Has to Do With Economic Security. aclu.org A recent study from the Center for WorkLife Law reveals the heavy toll of breastfeeding discrimination and the pressing need for more protections. | The discrimination began almost immediately after Barbara, an emergency room nurse, returned from maternity leave. Like most breastfeeding parents, Barbara needed to pump regularly to keep up her milk supply and prevent infection. But while her co-workers got smoke breaks, Barbara wasn't allowed to take time to pump, leaving her in pain: "I'd feel like my breasts [were] bursting," she said. | When she did get breaks, Barbara found herself expressing breast milk for h…
(2019-01-31). Dialogue: Women's March Leaders on Anti-Semitism, Islamophobia, Racism & More. democracynow.org 
Thousands took to the streets for women's marches across the country on January 19, exactly two years after Donald Trump's inauguration sparked a burgeoning women's movement. But some of this year's marches were steeped in controversy. In November, Teresa Shook, one of the founders of the Women's March movement, called for the removal of the four national co-chairs: Bob Bland, Tamika Mallory, Carmen Perez and Linda Sarsour. She accused them of allowing "anti-Semitism, anti-LBGTQIA sentiment and hateful, racist rhetoric to become a part of the platform." Much of the criticism focused on links between some of the c…
(2019-01-31). Headlines for January 31, 2019. democracynow.org Venezuela: U.S. Urges Military to Back Guaidó as Protesters Take to Streets, Reuters: UAE Hired Ex-NSA Agents to Spy on Opponents and Critics, Congress Reintroduces War Powers Resolution to End War on Yemen, Trump Hits Back After Intelligence Chiefs Contradict Him on Iran, N. Korea, Israeli Forces Kill Teenage Palestinian Girl at West Bank Checkpoint, Israel: Thousands of Israeli Ethiopians Protest Racism, Police Brutality, Migrants: Scores Killed in 2 Boat Wrecks Off Djibouti Coast, Humanitarian Ship Docks in Italy After European Nations Agree to Process Migrants, Colombia: 2 Community Leaders Killed Amid Mounti…
(2019-01-31). Catholic Bishop in Kentucky: Trump agenda is anti-life and immoral. peoplesworld.org 
In the midst of controversy over videos showing young men from a Catholic high school in Kentucky harassing a Native American in Washington, D.C., the Catholic Bishop of Lexington, Kentucky, John Stowe, issued a remarkable op-ed in the Lexington Herald-Leader condemning President Trump's racist and anti-immigrant agenda as a violation of Catholic moral principles. The …
(2019-01-31). Senate Judiciary Vote on the Barr Nomination. naacp.org The Senate Judiciary Committee will vote on whether or not to send the NAACP-opposed nomination of William P. Barr to the full Senate with a positive recommendation on Thursday, February 7, 2019. We need to contact the entire Senate Judiciary Committee and urge that they oppose this misguided nomination. For information on the nominee, as […]
(2019-01-31). US Interrogators Are Working in UAE Prisons in Yemen. theantimedia.com 
(MEMO) — US interrogators are present in UAE prisons in Yemen, the Daily Beast has revealed today, providing shocking evidence that the American military is a witness to the torture of Yemenis. In a series of interviews, two former detainees have testified to being interrogated by men with American accents, who looked on as they were beaten and electrocuted. …
(2019-01-31). Darwin pub staff take a stand against racism. greenleft.org.au 
Staff at the Rorkes pub in Darwin walked off the job on January 22 after refusing to follow the owner's orders to ban Aboriginal patrons from the premises. | Larrakia elder June Mills called for a boycott after allegations of racism against owner Mitchell McNamee came to light. | Staff told ABC News that McNamee had told them to ban Indigenous patrons using the excuse of "no singlets". Thom Brock, a former…
(2019-01-30). Smith College Overhauls Policing Practices After Black Student Racially Profiled. aclu.org 
After a Smith College employee called the cops on a Black student as she ate lunch, Smith will take up the ACLU's recommendations for police reforms. | This past July, Oumou Kanoute was a rising sophomore at Smith College, working on campus over the summer to mentor high school students interested in science, technology, engineering, and math, or STEM, careers. A young Black immigrant and the daughter of a single mother, Oumou is exactly the kind of striver colleges like Smith seek to attract. | But Oumou felt anything but welcome on that late July afternoon. As she ate in a common room, wearing the unofficial Sm…
(2019-01-30). NAACP Challenge to 2020 Census Preparations Moves Forward. naacp.org Federal judge denies Census Bureau motion to dismiss suit over inadequate government preparations for the 2020 Census The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) and its allies today won a major court ruling that allows them to proceed with a federal lawsuit challenging the government's inadequate preparations for the 2020 Census. "[T]he census must […]
(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). 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). 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). 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…
(2019-01-28). 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). 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.
(2019-01-27). 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