(2019-02-10). Spain: Right-wing Groups Protest Catalan Independence Talks. telesurenglish.net Thousands demonstrated in Madrid Sunday against Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez's proposed talks to ease political tensions in Catalonia, in a protest organized by center-right and far-right opposition parties. | RELATED | Two More Jailed Catalan leaders Join Hunger Strike | Demonstrators waving Spanish flags filled the Plaza de Colon in the city center in the largest protest Sanchez has faced, with their slogan "For a united Spain, elections now!" a reminder of the pressure on his mi…
(2019-02-10). Author Chris Wilson Unveils his Master Plan with New Book. therealnews.com 
Chris Wilson, convicted as an adult at 17 and sentenced to life in prison without parole, tells his harrowing story in his new book, The Master Plan. The book details him turning his life around in prison, including teaching himself 5 languages and helping other youth offenders re-enter society.
(2019-02-10). Feds sue Lockheed Martin for kickbacks & fraud in Hanford nuclear site clean-up contracts. rt.com 
Contractors involved in a multibillion decontamination effort at the notorious Hanford nuclear site have been accused of defrauding US taxpayers, according to a lawsuit against Mission Support Alliance and Lockheed Martin.
(2019-02-09). Brazil: PT Commemorates 39 Year Anniversary 'Freedom For Lula'. telesurenglish.net The Brazilian Workers Party ( PT) commemorated on Saturday its 39th anniversary, in Sao Paulo, under the theme of freedom for former President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva – the party's most important leader, who has been wrongfully imprisoned. | RELATED: | Brazilian Citizens March Against Baseless Lula Sentence | The anniversary takes place on Sunday, February 10,…
(2019-02-09). The Problem Is Not "Fake News." It's the Noise That Drowns Out the News. truthout.org I put my head in a blender quite completely by accident on Thursday morning, and I'm still trying to get my legs back under me. It started just after 6: 00 a.m. when I made the enormous unforced error of turning on MSNBC's "Morning Joe." Co-host Joe Scarborough and Washington Post columnist Jonathan Capehart were discussing the ongoing debacle in Virginia, so I thought, "What the hell. Let's see what the Hot TV Take is today." | Bad mistake. | Scarborough, who has molted more times than a Scre…
(2019-02-09). Why the Justice Department Can't Be Trusted to Investigate Abysmal Conditions in Federal Prisons. theintercept.com 
"This recent crisis at MDC has brought new attention to an old reality. What has taken place at MDC is not exceptional."
(2019-02-09). The Future of the Prison Abolition Movement. truthout.org Prison abolition had been a widely discussed idea for centuries, and was adopted — even by centrists — in the 1970's. During the last 40 years and a staggering boom in imprisonment — prison abolition seemed like a fringe idea. "Get rid of prisons?!" Only radical activists thought that was possible. But in the last decade the tide has been turning. We've had the work of Michelle Alexander and her book The New Jim Crow. We've seen people released from prison become advocates and lawyers, and change the terms of the discussion — people like Vonya Quarles. Even news personalities like Marc Lam…
(2019-02-08). It's Not Just Ralph Northam—Anti-Blackness is 'Vintage Americana'. progressive.org It's Black Lives Matter at School Week, but black children in continue to suffer because America isn't ready to confront its anti-blackness.
(2019-02-08). In Alabama, a Muslim Man Was Denied the Presence of His Imam During His Execution. aclu.org The Supreme Court's ruling to move forward with Domineque Ray's execution violates the Establishment Clause's principle of religious neutrality. | Domineque Ray was pronounced dead last night at 10: 12 p.m. Thirty minutes prior, his execution by lethal injection began. | His last words were a proclamation of his Muslim faith in Arabic. But Ray's imam was missing from the room, despite Ray's repeated requests to the state for his imam's presence. In the days leading up to his death, Ray w…
(2019-02-08). Dems Accuse Trump Admin of "State-Sponsored Child Abuse" as Separated Migrant Children Scandal Grows. democracynow.org 
Trump administration officials are acknowledging that there may be thousands more missing immigrant children who were separated from their parents than originally reported. This was the focus of a hearing on Thursday of the House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations. We speak to Lee Gelernt, deputy director of the ACLU Immigrants' Rights Project. He is the lead lawyer on the ACLU's national challenge to the Trump administration's family separation practice. He testified at the hearing yesterday.
(2019-02-08). New Bill Limits When California Police Can Use Deadly Force. aclu.org State legislators must pass legislation to stem California's wider epidemic of police violence and to specifically protect communities of color. | As a nation, we must address the brutal reality and deadly consequences of police violence. We have seen far too many people, particularly Black and brown people, killed by police. We have seen too many families and communities shattered by loss and tragedy. Enough is enough. We must limit when police officers can use deadly force and take someone's life. | Current laws in California fail to protect against unnecessary killings by police officers. Officers here —…
(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). Final Senate vote on NAACP-opposed US Attorney General nominee William Barr may be as soon as 2/12/19. naacp.org On February 7, 2019, the Senate Judiciary Committee voted, by a margin of 12 yeas to 10 nays and along straight party lines, to send the nomination of William P. Barr to the floor of the full Senate with a positive recommendation for consideration. We now need to contact the entire Senate and urge that […]
(2019-02-08). Headlines for February 8, 2019. democracynow.org Supreme Court Temporarily Blocks Louisiana Abortion Law, Green New Deal: Rep. Ocasio-Cortez & Sen. Markey Introduce Landmark Resolution, U.S. Spy Agencies: Saudi Crown Prince Said He Would Go After Khashoggi "With a Bullet", Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos Accuses National Enquirer of "Extortion and Blackmail", Report: U.S.-Based Plane Caught Bringing Arms into Venezuela, U.S. Special Envoy Elliott Abrams Rules Out Negotiations with Maduro, Senate Judiciary Committee Narrowly Backs William Barr to Become Attorney General, Acting AG Matthew Whitaker to Testify on Capitol Hill, Arizona Prisoner Dies Weeks After Warning "I Am…
(2019-02-08). Israeli Troops Kill 2 Gaza Teens During Weekly Border Protests. telesurenglish.net Israeli troops shot dead two Palestinian teenagers including a 14-year-old boy during Gaza border protests Friday, Palestinian health officials said. | RELATED: | 'Racist' Israeli Hospitals' Unethical Search of Palestinians | Palestinians have been staging weekly protests since last March dubbed as the March for Return protests in which the demonstrators call for their return to the villages their ancestors were kicked out from upon the foundation of Israel in 1948. | Gaza, home to…
(2019-02-08). Honoring Frank Robinson's legacy. peoplesworld.org 
Wouldn't it be incredible sport fans if we could say racism in the big leagues ended the day Jackie Robinson Broke the color line? Or when then the first African-American major league manager was hired? Or…or. or… There were countless moments in history where the scourge of racism in sports could have been defeated. There …
(2019-02-08). League of the South Member Tyler Davis Takes Plea for Beating Man After 'Unite the Right'. splcenter.org A member of the neo-Confederate group League of the South has taken a plea for his role in the beating of DeAndre Harris in the hours after the racist "Unite the Right" rally in Charlottesville, Virginia.
(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). Rising Star Matt Gaetz Represents Everything That's Wrong With Trump's Republican Party. theintercept.com 
The Florida congressperson tried to expel a grieving father from a hearing on gun violence, and he has voiced racist ideas and conspiracy theories.
(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). 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). 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…
(2019-02-08). Bangladesh Opposition Leader Zia in Prison a Year. hrw.org 
| | Bangladesh's former prime minister and opposition leader Khaleda Zia, center, leaves after a court appearance in Dhaka, Bangladesh, December 28, 2017. | © 2017 AP Photo/A.M. Ahad, File | One year ago, Khaleda Zia, the leader of Bangladesh's main opposition party, the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), was sent to prison. Zia was convicted ahead of the December 2018 elections when the courts acted on longstanding cases against her. | While Human Rights Watch takes no position on the underlying merits of the ca…
(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). Anti-LGBT Groups Launch Movement Against Federal Equality Act. splcenter.org Anti-LGBT hate group leaders and activists recently launched a new project, the #Gone2Far movement (GTFM), to oppose H.R. 2282, the federal Equality Act, which seeks to amend the Civil Rights Act of 1964 to include protections for the categories of a person's sex, sexual orientation and gender identity.
(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). 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). 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). 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). 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). 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). 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). 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…
(2019-02-06). 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). This Lawsuit Hopes To Stop Identity Evropa's Founder From Hiding Behind Bankruptcy. splcenter.org A group of Charlottesville, Virginia, residents is asking a federal judge to block white nationalist and founder of Identity Evropa Nathan Damigo from protecting his assets by filing for bankruptcy.
(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). 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). 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). 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). Historical marker alongside Alabama highway will honor civil rights martyr William Lewis Moore. splcenter.org Jerry Smith was humming along U.S. Highway 11 in his light-green, 1961 Chevrolet Corvair, when he came upon something unusual.
(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). NAACP Weekly News Update 01/27/19 to 02/05/19. naacp.org …
(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). 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). 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.
(2019-02-05). 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.
(2019-02-04). 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…