(2019-02-11). Fact-Checking Common Myths on Transition-Related Care for Trans People. aclu.org Transition-related care is medically necessary for many transgender people, yet insurance companies continue to deny coverage for these treatments. | Dashir Moore, a transgender man from Georgia, wanted a fresh start in life. So at the age of 31, he packed up and moved to Colorado, a state that offered both a great lifestyle and trans healthcare. He hoped he could finally be himself. | Things went well at first. Almost immediately after Dashir arrived in Colorado, he was able to update the gender marker on his driver's license. He got a job as a customer service rep. | Then he scheduled chest surgery. No strang…
(2019-02-11). Trapped Emirati Woman Rejected Asylum in Macedonia. telesurenglish.net An Emirati woman who fled her family is currently trapped in a detention center in North Macedonia where her claim for asylum has been rejected. | RELATED: | Saudi Woman Arrives in Canada After Being Granted Asylum | The woman's friends claim her request for asylum was rejected because of pressure by the Emirati government on Macedonia's authority, accord…
(2019-02-11). Why Trump Won't Get the Black Vote. progressive.org By failing to address issues such as housing, maternal mortality, and mass incarceration, Trump will continue to marginalize black constituents.
(2019-02-11). A Lawsuit Threatens a Groundbreaking School-Desegregation Case. thenation.com A Lawsuit Threatens a Groundbreaking School-Desegregation Case…
(2019-02-11). Headlines for February 11, 2019. democracynow.org Shutdown Talks Stall as Friday Deadline Looms, Virginia: Gov. Northam Refuses to Step Down Amid Racism Crisis, Second Woman Accuses Virginia Lt. Gov. Fairfax of Rape, Venezuela: U.S. and Russia Dig In at U.N. with Rival Resolutions, Venezuela: Standoff over Aid Pits Military Against Guaidó Supporters, Rio: At Least 13 Dead in Shootout, Haiti: At Least 2 Killed in Anti-Government Protests, Gaza: Israeli Forces Kill 2 Teenage Protesters, Acting Pentagon Chief: No Orders to Withdraw U.S. Troops from Afghanistan, AMI, Saudi Official Respond After Bezos Accuses Nat'l Enquirer of Blackmail, Denver Public School Teacher…
(2019-02-11). Cubs Ownership Has a Racism Problem. thenation.com Cubs Ownership Has a Racism Problem…
(2019-02-11). Rape Victim Who Smuggled DNA Evidence Out of Rikers Wins Settlement. theintercept.com 
A woman raped by Rikers guards has settled a lawsuit against New York City, which she accused of "deliberate indifference" to sexual abuse at the jail.
(2019-02-11). 'Back to school necklaces': Outcry after Long Island school posts bizarre noose poster. rt.com 
A Long Island middle school is under fire over a classroom collage depicting two nooses as "back to school necklaces," which has been described a highly offensive and racist by shocked locals.
(2019-02-11). US Military Fuel Tanks Threaten Aquifer in Hawaii. truthout.org The North Korean missile scare in Hawaii a year ago was alarming. But that fear has abated. Once again the greatest perceived threat to the island of Oahu comes from our own US military. | A massive complex of 20 US military storage tanks is buried in a bluff called Red Hill that overlooks Honolulu's primary drinking water supply, 100 feet below. | The walls on the 75-year-old jet fuel tanks are now so thin that the edge of a dime is…
(2019-02-11). ICE Detainees on Hunger Strike Being Force-Fed Like Those at Guantánamo. consortiumnews.com Organizations ranging from the ACLU to Human Rights Watch condemn the practice as "inherently cruel, inhuman, and degrading," writes A. Naomi Paik. Protesters depicting detainees of the U.S. detention facility at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. (AP Photo/Lefteris Pitarakis) By A. Naomi… Read more →
(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.
(2019-02-10). 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.
(2019-02-09). 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."
(2019-02-08). 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). 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). 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). 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). 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). 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). 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). 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). 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). 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). 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). 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). 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). 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: 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). 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). 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…
(2019-02-06). 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
(2019-02-05). 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 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). 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). 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). 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). 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). Lights Back On at NYC Jail After Hundreds Protest, But Prisoners Still Without Heat in Winter. democracynow.org 
More than 1,600 prisoners at a Brooklyn federal detention center were forced to endure freezing temperatures during last week's polar vortex, with no heat, no light, no hot water for showers and no hot meals. Demonstrators rallied throughout the weekend to protest the conditions at the Metropolitan Detention Center, which is run by the Bureau of Prisons. Prisoners communicated with protesters by banging on the jail windows. On Sunday afternoon, some of the protesters, including family members of those incarcerated, were pepper-sprayed by guards. Democracy Now! was there on the ground. By 6: 30 p.m., officials said…
(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.