(2019-02-08). Why Ann Coulter Has Power: U.S. Politics are Authoritarian by Design. counterpunch.org Recently a correspondent from overseas wrote to ask me how it is that Donald Trump perseveres with his absurd nativist demand — replete with threats of a second government shut-down or a Declaration of National Emergency — for a completed wall to stop a fake and racist brown menace on the southern United States border despite the fact that his demand and his threats are opposed by a solid majority of U.S.-Americans. More
(2019-02-08). #DefundHate: Progressives Tell Democrats Trump's Anti-Immigration Agenda 'Does Not Deserve a Dime' More. commondreams.org At a rally on Capitol Hill Thursday, two progressive freshman lawmakers whose own personal immigration experiences have helped inspire them to fight President Donald Trump's racist anti-immigration agenda, were among those demanding that Congress defund the agencies tasked with violating immigrants' and refugees' rights. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/screen_shot_2019-02-08_at_8.57.49_am.jpg…
(2019-02-08). Discover Systemic Institutional Racism Seeking to Destroy the Legacy of Negro Bar, CA. indybay.org Together, we can begin to quantify and qualify systemic institutional racism, ongoing disenfranchisement unique to "previous condition of servitude" and unacknowledged second class citizenship mandated by the 1849 California Constitutional Convention.
(2019-02-08). Kurdish activist: 'I'm on hunger strike for freedom'. greenleft.org.au 
Leyla Guven, a member of Turkey's parliament for the left-wing, Kurdish-led People's Democratic party (HDP), launched an indefinite hunger strike on November 7 from Amed Prison, where she was held jailed by Turkey's regime. Her demand is for an end to the isolation of jailed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) leader Abdullah Ocalan. | Jailed by Turkey since 1999, Ocalan is the recognised leader of the Kurdish liberation movement. Since 2011, his lawyers have been unable to met with him. | Guven's hunger strike, which entered its 81st day on February 6, has sparked protests by Kurdish communities and their supporters…
(2019-02-08). Morocco: Free Facebook Commentator. hrw.org 
(Beirut) — Moroccan authorities should free an entrepreneur who was sentenced to two years in prison in violation of his right to free speech and review his conviction given its abusive nature, Human Rights Watch said today. An appeal of Soufian al-Nguad's conviction is underway and continues on February 11, 2019. | | | Soufian al-Nguad, from his Facebook account. | © 2018 Private | A court of first instance in Tetouan, a city in northern…
(2019-02-08). Trump mistakenly praises Church for 'abolition of civil rights,' Dems go wild (VIDEO). rt.com 
Donald Trump mistakenly lauds Christians for suppressing civil rights — the opposite of what he was due to say — and his political opponents mock the president, and hint that he was sending a coded message to his base.
(2019-02-08). Indonesia: Free Three Papuan Activists. hrw.org 
| | Yanto Awerkion (far left) detained in the Timika police station in September 2017 for his role in organizing a petition calling on the UN to organize a referendum in Papua. | (Jakarta) — Indonesian authorities should release and drop treason charges against three Papuan activists for peaceful advocacy in the Papua mining town of Timika, Human Rights Watch said today. The Indonesian government is currently imprisoning at least nine people…
(2019-02-07). The South Dakota Legislature's Transphobia. aclu.org Members of the legislature have renewed their attack on transgender students with three separate bills targeting their civil rights. | After a short-lived victory in January, transgender students in South Dakota are once again being targeted with legislation that would put them at greater risk and, at the same time, cause serious damage to the state's reputation and economy. | On Jan. 24, lawmakers in the state Senate scuttled a bill requiring transgen…
(2019-02-07). Pennsylvania Can't Be a Model for Reform if We Undermine People's Rights. aclu.org Members of the state's General Assembly should deny ballot access to a "victims' rights" constitutional amendment that threatens due process. | Elected officials and corrections administrators in Pennsylvania have been doing a bit of a victory lap after the recent announcement that our state prison population dropped by 1,000 people in 2018. On the heels of the passage of the Clean Slate Act — a new law to automatically seal some people's criminal records from public view — some ha…
(2019-02-07). When Colleges Confine Free Speech to a 'Zone,' It Isn't Free. aclu.org Arkansas State University's policy requiring preapproval from the school for protest anywhere on campus violates the First Amendment. | On certain college campuses, administrators have created "Free Speech Zones" — spaces where people are allowed to speak, protest, or gather signatures for causes they believe in. While it may sound like these zones are designed to promote speech, they actually do the opposite by confining political expression to designated areas, often in out-of-the-way locations on campus. | That's why this week, in a legal challenge to Arkansas State University's "Free Expression Areas" <...
(2019-02-07). Political Scientist: Blackface Is a National Problem & Virginia's Top Officials Must Step Down. democracynow.org 
A reckoning about racism and sexual assault has left Virginia's government in disarray, with the state's top three elected officials—all Democrats—facing political crises that threaten to upend their careers and the state's leadership. The controversy that has enveloped Virginia since Governor Ralph Northam admitted last week to wearing blackface took a shocking turn Wednesday, when Attorney General Mark Herring also admitted to wearing blackface at a college party. Just days prior, Herring—who is second in line for Virginia's governorship—had called for Governor Northam to resign. The fir…
(2019-02-07). Jessica J. Gonz√°lez Testifies Before Congress: Net Neutrality a Step Toward Remedying Structural Racism in Communications. commondreams.org ______________________________…
(2019-02-07). Federal Judge Dismisses Lawsuit Against BDS Supporters. mintpressnews.com In the court's 20-page ruling, U.S. District Judge Rudolph Contreras wrote that the pro-Israeli group had "danced around key issues" and was unable to show that they had suffered enough monetary damages to warrant a federal case.
(2019-02-07). Lawsuit Dismissed Against American Studies Association Over Israel Boycott. bdsmovement.net 
Lawsuit Dismissed Against American Studies Association Over Israel Boycott: In the NewsUS federal judge dismisses lawsuit seeking to deter academic associations from adopting boycotts for Palestinian rights. | Academic Boycott Right To BoycottFebruary 5, 2019 | By: | | Palestine Legal
(2019-02-07). Activists Avoid Jail in U.K. After Blocking Plane From Deporting Migrants. theintercept.com On Wednesday morning, a group of British activists entered Chelmsford Crown Court, about 30 miles northeast of London, carrying backpacks and tote bags stuffed full. The Stansted 15, as the group has become known, had arrived for a sentencing hearing, and some of them had come prepared to face years in jail. In December, the activists were found guilty of committing a terrorism-related offense after they broke into an airport and blocked the departure of a government-chartered plane that was set to deport migrants and asylum-seekers. | But the group need not have packed their bags. Twelve of the defendants receiv…
(2019-02-07). With Top Officials Embroiled in Scandal, Democrats May Lose Virginia. truthout.org Democrats swept all three statewide races in Virginia in 2017, but all three office-holders are now embroiled in multiple scandals that could result in Republican House Speaker Kirk Cox becoming the commonwealth's new governor. | Last week, the conservative news site Big League Politics published a photo from Gov. Ralph Northam's medical school yearbook showing two men, one dressed in blackface and the other in a Ku Klux Klan robe, and purporting that one of th…
(2019-02-07). Russia exploited 'racist, sexist, anti-Semitic' US to divide people, tweets 'insane' Kamala Harris. rt.com 
A California senator and media-appointed frontrunner for the 2020 Democratic nomination has finally managed to unravel the conundrum of so-called Russian 'interference' in the 2016 election — it's so simple you won't believe it.
(2019-02-07). Fighting Racism With a Racist in the White House. truthout.org Keeanga-Yamahtta Taylor, author of From #BlackLivesMatter to Black Liberation and editor of How We Get Free: Black Feminism and the Combahee River Collective, talked to Socialist Worker about the state of Black America and the next steps in the anti-racist struggle in the era of Trump. | Socialist Worker: Ten years ago, Barack Obama was inaugurated as the first Black presid…
(2019-02-07). Russia: Journalist Faces Unjustified Criminal Charges. hrw.org 
| | Svetlana Prokopyeva, Pskov. | © 2019 Pavel Dmitriyev | (Moscow) — Russian authorities opened a criminal investigation against a journalist for criticizing the authorities in her comments about a recent suicide bombing, Human Rights Watch said today. Russia also fined the radio station and newsfeed websites that carried her comments. | If she is prosecuted, the journalist, Svetlana Prokopyeva, faces up to seven years in prison on charges of "justifyi…
(2019-02-07). Spanish state vs Catalonia: putting a political trial on trial. greenleft.org.au 
On February 12, the trial of 12 Catalan politicians and social movement leaders involved in the October 1, 2017 independence referendum is set to begin in the Spanish Supreme Court. | The leaders face sanctions as harsh as 25 year's jail for their alleged offences — rebellion, sedition and embezzlement of public funds. | It is the first of three trials. Other defendants, including former police chief, José Lluís Trapero, will face the National High Court. Those members of the Catalan parliament who allowed discussion and voting on the referendum enabling law will face the High Court of Justice of Catalonia…
(2019-02-07). Support grows to free Hakeem Al-Araibi. greenleft.org.au 
The campaign to stop the refoulment of refugee Hakeem al-Araibi from Thailand to Bahrain is growing, with many football authorities taking a stand. | Sports stars, trade unionists, the Bahraini community, human rights organisations and politicians gathered in Melbourne and Sydney on February 1 to demand that Araibi be freed from a Thai prison. | Meanwhile, the Bahraini government has formally lodged a request to extradite Araibi from Thailand to Bahrain to face trumped up charges. If this happens, his life will be in danger. | Araibi is a semi-professional footballer and former member of the Bahraini national foo…
(2019-02-07). Blackface Is a National Problem and Virginia's Top Officials Must Step Down. truthout.org A reckoning about racism and sexual assault has left Virginia's government in disarray, with the state's top three elected officials — all Democrats — facing political crises that threaten to upend their careers and the state's leadership. The controversy that has enveloped Virginia since Governor Ralph Northam admitted last week to wearing blackface took a shocking turn Wednesday, when Attorney General Mark Herring also admitted to wearing blackface at a college party. Just days prior, Herring — who is second in line for Virginia's governorship — had called for Governor Northam to resi…
(2019-02-06). How to Shine a Light on U.S. Government Surveillance of Americans. aclu.org Before Congress votes to reauthorize key spying laws, it must demand answers. | This year, Congress must vote on reauthorizing provisions of the Patriot Act that are due to expire — including Section 215, which the government abused for years to illegally collect Americans' phone records in bulk. As this debate gets underway, both Congress and the public need some answers. | In 2015, Congress passed the USA Freedom Act to reform parts of the Patriot Act and make other much-needed changes to the government's surveil…
(2019-02-06). Headlines for February 6, 2019. democracynow.org Trump Attacks Immigrants, Abortion Rights, Democratic Investigations in SOTU, Stacey Abrams Slams Gov't Shutdown, Voter Suppression in SOTU Response, School Apologizes for Racist Yearbook Photos as VA Gov. Northam Resists Resignation, Pope Francis Acknowledges Priests Sexually Abused Nuns, Ex-President of Costa Rica Accused of Sexual Assault, At Least 29 Haitian Migrants Killed in Shipwreck, Taliban Attacks Kill 50 in Afghanistan, CNN: Saudis Gave U.S. Weapons to al-Qaeda, Other Militants in Yemen, CENTCOM Head Was Not Notified of U.S. Troop Withdrawal from Syria, Anti-BDS Lawsuit Against Salaita & American Studi…
(2019-02-06). NYT Reports on 'Perception' of Subway Danger—but Can't Perceive Racism. fair.org 
As is usually the case, the answer to the headline's question (New York Times, 2/4/19) is "no." | In recent months, most of the media coverage of New York's subway system has been focused on the staggering cost to keep it in good working order and whether there's a better way to run city transit.
(2019-02-06). MAGA teen gearing up to sue dozens of media outlets, celebrities in 'landmark' libel case. rt.com 
More than 50 media outlets, celebrities and public figures could be targeted in a libel suit aiming to vindicate a MAGA-hat-wearing teen who was savaged by social media after he faced off with a Native American activist.
(2019-02-06). Russia: Jehovah's Witness Convicted. hrw.org 
| | Dennis Christensen (behind the windows) talks with his interpreter at the Zheleznodorzhy District Court in Oryol, January 28, 2019 | © 2019 Human Rights Watch | (Moscow) — A Russian court on February 6, 2019 convicted Dennis Christensen, a Jehovah's Witness adherent and Danish citizen, on extremism charges for practicing his faith, Human Rights Watch said today. The court sentenced Christensen to six years in prison. The conviction is a blatant viol…
(2019-02-06). VA Governor Northam Won't Address Racist Reality, Runs From Blackface Past. therealnews.com 
The reemergence of Blackface as an issue, around Gov. Northam's inaction, exposes the depth of American racism. Our panel with Jacqueline Luqman and Eddie Conway explores the topic
(2019-02-06). The Power Is Back on at Brooklyn Jail, but a Visiting Federal Judge Found Untreated Gunshot Wound, "Black Blotchy Mold," and Ongoing Crisis. theintercept.com 
A spate of court hearings relating to a federal jail revealed a humanitarian crisis that goes beyond freezing temperatures and a power outage.
(2019-02-05). Headlines for February 5, 2019. democracynow.org Venezuela: European Leaders, Lima Group Recognize Guaidó as President, VA Gov. Northam Delays Resignation Decision over Racist Yearbook Photo, VA Lt. Gov. Fairfax Denies 2004 Sexual Assault Accusation, Old Photo of Sen. McConnell in Front of Confederate Flag Resurfaces, Dems Invite Targets of Trump Policies to SOTU Address, Trump to Nominate David Malpass to Head World Bank, Trump to Nominate Ex-Oil Lobbyist Bernhardt as Head of Interior Dept., Iraqi President Salih Blasts Trump for Saying U.S. Troops Will Monitor Iran from Iraq, Somalia: Al-Shabab Claims Car Bomb & Shooting That Kills At Least 12, U.K. Panel: Sa…
(2019-02-05). NAACP Weekly News Update 01/27/19 to 02/05/19. naacp.org …
(2019-02-05). NAACP Secures Agreement to Increase 2020 Census Transparency. naacp.org Commerce Department settles federal suit, will release planning and budget documents FEBRUARY 5, 2019 — The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) along with the NAACP Connecticut State Conference and the NAACP Boston Branch have reached an agreement in partial settlement of federal litigation against the U.S. Department of Commerce, in […]
(2019-02-05). Pressure Mounts on Prosecutor to Drop Controversial Case Against Black Police Chief. therealnews.com 
After the Maryland Court of Special Appeals overturned the misconduct conviction of Pocomoke's first black police chief Kelvin Sewell, the ACLU of Maryland submitted a petition urging Special Prosecutor Emmitt Davitt not to retry the case
(2019-02-05). "Change Is Taking Too Long" — Cabinet Member Speaks Out Amid Gov. Ralph Northam's Blackface Fallout. theintercept.com Pressure for Ralph Northam to resign mounts after a photo surfaced of a man in blackface, initially understood to be Northam, next to a man in KKK robes.
(2019-02-05). Iran: Environmentalists' Flawed Trial. hrw.org 
| | A campaign poster showing environmental activists, Taher Ghadirian, Niloufar Bayani, Amirhossein Khaleghi, Houman Jokar, Sam Rajabi, Sepideh Kashani, Morad Tahbaz and Abdolreza Kouhpayeh, who have been in detention for six months. | © 2018 #anyhopefornature Campaign | (Beirut) — Iran's judicial authorities are violating fair trial standards in the case of eight environmentalists who have been detained for over a year, Human Rights Watch said today.
(2019-02-05). UPDATE: Students and Faculty Plan Walkout Over Johns Hopkins' ICE Contract. therealnews.com 
"ICE is a racist institution that terrorizes black and brown communities and violates the human rights of the families it separates," says one Hopkins professor.
(2019-02-04). NAACP Mourns the Passing of Actor Kristoff St. John. naacp.org Prayers Go Out to Family of 10-Time NAACP Image Award Winner BALTIMORE (February 4, 2019)—The nation's foremost civil rights organization issued the following statement regarding the passing of actor Kristoff St. John, who passed away today at age 52. The NAACP mourns the passing of Kristoff St. John and our condolences and prayers go out […]
(2019-02-04). Chicago: Emergency demonstration to demand, "Hands off Venezuela! Not another U.S. coup!" fightbacknews.org Chicago, IL — A Chicago protest to demand an end to U.S war moves against Venezuela is set for Tuesday, February 5, 5: 30 p.m., at the Federal Plaza, (219 S. Dearborn Street.) | "The people of Venezuela are in urgent need of solidarity. Join us to stand against the blatant attempt by Trump to overthrow the democratically elected government of Nicolás Maduro in Venezuela," say protest organizers. | The demonstration is being organized by Freedom Road Socialist Organization, and is endorsed by: U.S. Palestinian Community Network, Chicago ALBA Solidarity Committee, Black Lives Matter – Chicago, Party for Social…
(2019-02-04). The Supreme Court Is Considering Whether the Government Can Dodge the First Amendment by Outsourcing Its Power. aclu.org A case about a video banned from public access cable TV could have important implications for our constitutional rights. | The First Amendment bars the government from censoring speech that it doesn't like. That rule also goes for a private organization that takes on a government role. But when exactly is an organization considered a stand-in for the government? The Supreme Court will soon hear a case to decide. | Before smartphones, the internet, and digital cameras, it wasn't easy to get your videos in front of…
(2019-02-04). High School Could Have Been Hell for My Transgender Son. Don't Make It Hell for the Next Kid. aclu.org I had hoped that my son would wait until after high school to come out as transgender. But I realized I'd prefer a thriving son over a dead daughter. | This piece was originally published on USA Today. | When I gave birth to my first baby, the doctor said, "It's a girl!" Before I even knew my child, those words helped me imagine the future. | But the future was different from what I expected. | By the time my c…
(2019-02-04). Headlines for February 4, 2019. democracynow.org Calls Mount for VA Gov. Northam to Resign over Racist Yearbook Photo, Trump Sends Aid to Venezuela, Says Military Intervention "An Option", Trump: U.S. Should Maintain Troops in Iraq to "Watch" Iran, Trump Floats Another Gov't Shutdown or Nat'l Emergency over Border Wall Funding, El Salvador Elects Outsider Nayib Bukele as President, Mexico Denies Entry to U.S Lawyers & Journalists Working with Migrants, Iraq: Gunman Shoots Novelist Alaa Mashzoub, Amnesty Int'l: Boko Haram Killed At Least 60 in Nigeria Attack Last Week, Russia Suspends INF in Response to U.S. Withdrawal, U.N.: At Least 29 Children Died on Way to…
(2019-02-04). Historian: Americans Must Face Violent History of Blackface Amid Virginia Gov. Racist Photo Scandal. democracynow.org 
We discuss the history behind calls for Democratic Virginia Governor Ralph Northam to resign after a photo surfaced on his 1984 Eastern Virginia Medical School yearbook page showing a man wearing blackface posing next to a man wearing a Ku Klux Klan outfit. The yearbook also features an image of a white man in a wig, dress and black face. The photo's caption reads, "'Baby Love,' who ever thought Diana Ross would make it to Medical School!" Another photo in the yearbook shows three men in blackface. We are joined by Rhae Lynn Barnes, assistant professor of American cultural history at Princeton University and auth…
(2019-02-04). Virginia Legislative Black Caucus: Governor Northam Must Resign over Blackface Yearbook Photo. democracynow.org 
Calls are mounting for Democratic Virginia Governor Ralph Northam to resign after a photo surfaced from his medical school yearbook page showing a man wearing blackface posing next to a man wearing a Ku Klux Klan outfit. On Friday, Northam apologized for the photo in his 1984 Eastern Virginia Medical School yearbook. However, on Saturday, he reversed course and claimed neither of the men in the racist yearbook photo was him as he initially thought. As Northam resisted growing calls for his resignation, he admitted to a separate instance of blackface: darkening his face to imitate Michael Jackson in a 1984 dance c…
(2019-02-04). Youth and College Director Tiffany Dena Loftin Recognized by NBC. naacp.org 
This #BlackHistoryMonth NBC BLK recognized 10 women shaping their environment and altering the lives of those in their communities. Our Youth and College Director, Tiffany Dena Loftin, was recognized for using her voice and talent to make sure young black people's lives matter. Loftin has been raising her voice since she was an undergraduate at […]
(2019-02-04). NAACP and RWJF Partner to Improve Health Equity. naacp.org Leveraging grassroots activism and cross-sector commitment for better health for everyone in America February 4, 2019 Princeton, N.J. — The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation have expanded their partnership to improve health and opportunity in communities of color across the United States. For almost 10 years, […]
(2019-02-04). As Virginia Governor Waffles on Blackface Yearbook Photo, NAACP Leader Calls His Apology "Invalid" democracynow.org 
Democratic Virginia Governor Ralph Northam is facing calls to resign after a photo surfaced on his 1984 Eastern Virginia Medical School yearbook page showing a man wearing blackface posing next to a man wearing a Ku Klux Klan outfit. Northam apologized for the photo on Friday, but walked back his statements on Saturday, claiming neither of the men in the photo was him. He did admit to using blackface to portray Michael Jackson at a dance contest. We speak with Reverend Kevin Chandler, president of the Virginia State Conference of the NAACP.
(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). 'There Is No Such Thing as a Nonracist'. progressive.org An Interview with Ibram X. Kendi…
(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…