(2019-02-27). Congress Is Unlikely to Stop Trump's "Emergency," But Lawsuits Could. zcomm.org Today, the House of Representatives is poised to adopt a resolution overturning Donald Trump's trumped-up "national emergency" proclamation, in which he claims authority to fulfill his campaign promise to build a wall at the southern border. The National Emergencies Act requires Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell to bring the House resolution to a vote within Read more…
(2019-02-27). Frank Chapman speaks in Minneapolis about Black liberation and socialism. fightbacknews.org Minneapolis, MN – On February 20, Freedom Road Socialist Organization hosted Black liberation leader Frank Chapman. Over 50 people attended the event. | In a program entitled "The Radical History of the Black Freedom Movement," the talk began with an explanation of how capitalism was "consciously dependent," as Chapman put it, on slavery. However, Chapman insisted that an honest portrayal of Black history could not focus only upon enslavement and oppression. | "The first thing we got right was the day we started to fight," Chapman exclaimed. He furthered the point by explaining: "If you talk about slavery, you ha…
(2019-02-27). Cohen Tips Off NYT: Will Call Trump "Racist" , "Con Man" and "Cheat" in Wednesday Testimony. globalresearch.ca Former Trump attorney Michael Cohen — who will soon head to prison after pleading guilty to eight criminal charges — will testify to Congress on Wednesday that President Trump is a "con man" and a cheat," according to a copy …
(2019-02-27). A History of the Indonesian Massacres, 1965-1966. counterpunch.org The Killing Season: A History of the Indonesian Massacres, 1965-66, by Geoffrey B. Robinson. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 2018. Half a million people killed and more than a million imprisoned and tortured; the tragedy that befell Indonesia in 1965 was among the more dramatic moments in 20th-century history. It was also one of the most More
(2019-02-27). Thousands of Detained Children Sexually Abused While in US Custody. theantimedia.com 
(CD) — A House hearing on the Trump administration's family separation policy on Tuesday revealed that thousands of children in U.S. custody over the past five years have been subjected to sexual abuse in migrant detention centers. Rep. Ted Deutch (D-Fla.) released documents from the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) showing that more than 4,500 complaints …
(2019-02-27). Sanders and Systemic Racism: Did he Answer the Critics? therealnews.com 
In the CNN Town Hall, Bernie Sanders acknowledged he could have been stronger in his approach to racial inequities; he was asked if he supported reparations for descendents of African slaves — a discussion with Jacqueline Lukman, Eugene Puryear, Norman Soloman, hosted by Paul Jay…
(2019-02-27). US Marine under investigation for 'dynamite swastika' and other racist tweets. rt.com 
A Marine stationed in Hawaii is in hot water after an amateur investigator linked him to a series of racist and Nazi-supporting tweets, including a photo of a swastika made from TNT blocks.
(2019-02-27). Patty Hearst and the SLA's militarist disaster. greenleft.org.au 
American Heiress: The Kidnapping, Crimes & Trial of Patty Hearst
| Jeffrey Toobin
| Profile Books, 2017, 371 pages | "Death to the fascist insect that preys upon the life of the people." With this hyperbolic declaration by "General Field Marshall" Cinque M'tume (the nom-de-plume of a Black prison escapee), the Symbionese Liberation Army (SLA) introduced itself to the American people in the early 1970s. | It derived its mysterious name from contrasting the "symbiosis" of a harmonious socialist society to the "parasitism" of a capitalist elite. | The political catch-phrase, and the military pretension of it…
(2019-02-27). Land and racism, the walking tour. indybay.org American Youth Hostel | 312 Mason Street | San Francisco, CA | (meet in the lobby)…
(2019-02-26). What Does Alabama's Attorney General Have to Hide in the Police Killing of EJ Bradford? aclu.org Steve Marshall sows community distrust as he withholds evidence he relied on to decide a local cop was "justified" in killing an innocent Black man. | In Alabama, a family is still grieving after local police killed their son on Thanksgiving night after a gunman opened fire at a mall. But several months after the incident, the Alabama attorney general is still keeping the Bradfords, and the region's Black community, in the dark about critical details of what happened that night. The Bradfords and the community still don't know the identity of the Hoover Police Department officer who fired the fatal shots and the…
(2019-02-26). Prosecutors Have the Power to Stop Bad Roadside Drug Tests From Ruining People's Lives. aclu.org Local prosecutors can play a pivotal role in preventing flawed roadside tests from jeopardizing innocent people's liberty. | Three years ago on New Year's Eve, Dasha Fincher was arrested in Monroe County, Georgia, after the deputies performed an on-the-spot test of a bag of blue substance that they found in the car in which she was a passenger. The suspicious stuff in the bag came up positive for methamphetamines. After her arrest, the judge in her case set bail at $1…
(2019-02-26). Texas Is Planning an Execution Based on Fraudulent Testimony. aclu.org Two of Texas's unreliable "future danger" experts have been discredited, but Billy Wayne Coble may be executed this week based on their faulty claims. | Billy Wayne Coble was convicted of a Texas triple homicide in 1989. On Thursday, he is scheduled for execution., , A former ACLU client, Coble's story was not a happy one before he found himself on death row. He was a Vietnam veteran who had been raised by a mother who was institutionalized for mental illness and by a father debilitated by alcoholism. But if Coble's execution goes forward, he wi…
(2019-02-26). Black History: Trump Era Resistance, Mumia's Plight, and Freedom for the Move 9. globalresearch.ca "Bi-partisanship between neoliberals and conservatives built the monster we now call 'mass incarceration.' No so-called 'progressive prosecutor' can or will unbuild it. That's because it took the entire system — DAs, judges, cops, defense lawyers, and prison administrators, not …
(2019-02-26). Incarceration Is a Deadly Health Risk: Former Chief Medical Officer of NYC Jails Speaks Out. democracynow.org 
The former chief medical officer of New York City jails has just published a remarkable new book about the health risks of incarceration. The book is titled "Life and Death in Rikers Island." Dr. Homer Venters offers unprecedented insight into what happens inside prison walls to create new health risks for incarcerated men and women, including neglect, blocked access to care, physical and sexual violence, and brutality by corrections officers. Venters further reveals that when prisoners become ill, are injured or even die in custody, the facts of the incident are often obscured. We speak to Dr. Venters and Jennif…
(2019-02-26). The Bitter Fruit of Trump's China Bashing: Anti-Asian Racism. counterpunch.org 
Donald Trump's New Cold War with Beijing has caught Chinese foreign students at American universities in its crosshairs. His administration has tightened restrictions on their visas, accused them of spying for the Chinese state and its high tech giants, and in the process whipped up a climate of Anti-Asian racism. Trump's policies have yielded bitter More
(2019-02-26). Editors' Pick: 28 Black-Owned Businesses on the Rise. naacp.org 
Black History Month might be drawing to a close, but the celebration of all things Black should be a year-long event. Taking into account that Nielsen estimates the Black buying power to be at $1.2 trillion, a great way to celebrate Black culture should be to put some of this money back into our communities. …
(2019-02-26). Today: In Historic Moment NAACP Rings Closing Bell on Wall Street to Highlight Launch of New Minority Impact ETF. naacp.org 
NEW YORK — February 26, 2019 — Today the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) joined Impact Shares in ringing the closing bell at the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE), to highlight the launch of the NAACP Minority Empowerment ETF (NYSE Arca: NACP). L-R: NAACP Economic Director Marvin Owens, …
(2019-02-26). Greg Craig: A Washington Insider May Be Headed to Jail for His Work in Ukraine. mintpressnews.com 
A quintessential DC insider is likely going to jail on a minor charge and it's good he's not getting away with it, says John Kiriakou.
(2019-02-26). Republican agenda: Voter suppression and election fraud. peoplesworld.org 
In North Carolina, the State Board of Elections has thrown out the election results in its 9th congressional district for fraudulent activity—probably the first time in U.S. history this has happened. The fraud was committed by a campaign, not by voters, and by a Republican, not a Democrat. For years, Republicans have campaigned for voting restrictions claiming, …
(2019-02-26). NAACP Infusing Social Justice into Wall Street in Historic Bell Ringing Group Joins with Impact Shares in Highlighting New Minority Impact ETF. naacp.org Discussion on "Using Capital Markets to Create Social Equity" to Precede Event Contact: Malik Russell — mrussell@naacpnet.org NEW YORK — February 26, 2019 — The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) will join Impact Shares, the first 501(c)(3) nonprofit exchange-traded fund (ETF) platform, in ringing the Closing Bell at the New York Stock …
(2019-02-26). Dallas protesters say 'Hands off Venezuela'. fightbacknews.org Dallas, TX – On February 22, protesters gathered at Dealey Plaza to demand an end to U.S. interference in Venezuela. The protest was called by the Dallas Peace and Justice Center and Veterans for Peace Chapter 106. | Protesters held signs that read "Hands off Venezuela" and "No more war for oil." One banner read "Support the Bolivarian Revolution." Local activist Hadi Jawad led chants such as "Trump, Bolton, Abrams, too, we don't want your stinking coup." | One speaker suggested Elliott Abrams, the U.S. special envoy to Venezuela, should be imprisoned for his role in the Guatemalan genocide, stating, "During…
(2019-02-26). An Israeli Teenager Defies His Country's War Machine. truthdig.com Hilel Garmi's phone is going straight to voicemail and all I'm hoping is that he's not back in prison. I'll soon learn that he is. | Prison 6 is a military prison. It's situated in the Israeli coastal town of Atlit, a short walk from the Mediterranean Sea and less than an hour's drive from Hilel's home. It was constructed in 1957 following the Sinai War between Israel and Egypt to house disciplinary cases from the Israeli Defense Forces, or IDF. | Hilel has already been locked up six times. "I can smell the sea from my cell, especially at night when everything is quiet," he tells me in one of our phone conversati…
(2019-02-26). From teen-sexting to pot sales? Anthony Weiner wades into weed business after early release — report. rt.com 
Disgraced former Democratic congressman Anthony Weiner has reportedly been flirting with the idea of starting a marijuana business, while still halfway through his jail sentence for sexting a 15-year-old, the Daily Mail reports.
(2019-02-26). 'Shocking' Report Reveals Thousands of Migrant Children Have Been Sexually Abused While in US Custody. commondreams.org A House hearing on the Trump administration's family separation policy on Tuesday revealed that thousands of children in U.S. custody over the past five years have been subjected to sexual abuse in migrant detention centers. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/tornillo.jpg…
(2019-02-26). 'Colored'? IBM apologizes for eyebrow-raising race tags in job posting. rt.com 
Tech giant IBM has apologized for the "racially insensitive terms" that appeared on its recruitment website, claiming…
(2019-02-26). Racist Anti-LGBTQ Violence Is Real. Smollett Doesn't Change That. truthout.org We live in a society where violence against people of color and LGBTQ folks is on the rise. That is serious and unacceptable. This reality transcends the Jussie Smollett case, and the real culprits are not people making false allegations but people perpetrating very real crimes — most of them unsolved — on a routine basis. | On January 29, "Empire" series television actor Jussie Smollett claimed to have been the victim of a racist and homophobic hate crime near downtown Chicago. According to the actor and advocate, his assailants punched him, threw a rope around his neck, doused him with a liquid t…
(2019-02-26). Former Chief Medical Officer of New York City Jails Says Incarceration Is Deadly. truthout.org The former chief medical officer of New York City jails has just published a remarkable new book about the health risks of incarceration. The book is titled Life and Death in Rikers Island. Dr. Homer Venters offers unprecedented insight into what happens inside prison walls to create new health risks for incarcerated men and women, including neglect, blocked access to care, physical and sexual violence, and brutality by corrections officers. Venters further reveals that when inmates become ill, are injured or even die in custody, the facts of the incident are often obscured. We speak to Dr. Venters and Jennife…
(2019-02-25). The Supreme Court Rightly Cited the Black Codes in Ruling Against Excessive Fines, Fees, and Forfeitures. aclu.org The justices held that the Eighth Amendment protects people from state and local authorities' abusive reliance on monetary penalties to raise money. | Last week, the U.S. Supreme Court issued a rare unanimous ruling in Timbs v. Indiana, holding for the first time that the Eighth Amendment's Excessive Fines Clause applies to state and local governments — not just federal authorities. | The fact that this landmark decision is unanimous is itself remarkable. But it bears noting that in…
(2019-02-25). NAACP Makes Public New Documents About 2020 Census Preparations. naacp.org Commerce Department releases previously withheld documents exposing deficiencies in 2020 Census The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) is making public previously withheld documents about the 2020 Census, revealing alarming deficiencies in the federal government's preparations and budgeting for the decennial headcount. The NAACP, together with the NAACP Connecticut State Conference and the NAACP Boston Branch, obtained these records as …
(2019-02-25). "They Just Want Me in Prison": MintPress Interviews Jailed Ukrainian Journalist Kirill Vyshinsky. mintpressnews.com The Ukraine courts are still dependent on political authorities, and the special service is used to carry out political schemes and to fight inconvenient points of view and dissent, rather than to protect national security. — Imprisoned Ukrainian-Russian journalist Kirill Vyshinsky tells Eva Bartlett.
(2019-02-25). Kenyan activists slam US-Guaido coup in Venezuela. peoplesdispatch.org On February 18, progressive organizations in Kenya held a forum at the Kenya National Theater in downtown Nairobi to mark "Dedan Kimathi Day". Kimathi was the leader of the Kenya Land and Freedom Army, popularly known as "the Mau Mau", who led the fight for the country's liberation against British colonialism in the 1950s. He was killed in 1957 after leading the heroic armed struggle, which was widely supported by the people, for years. | The forum was attended by around 200 people. The main speaker was Professor Maina wa Kinyatti, a freedom fighter who was imprisoned by the Daniel arap Moi dictatorship, a histor…
(2019-02-25). Trump slams Oscar-winner Spike Lee for 'racist hit on your President'. rt.com 
US President Donald Trump has denounced Oscar-winning American film director, producer, writer, and actor Spike Lee as a 'racist' on Twitter following the latter's acceptance speech at the Academy Awards Sunday.
(2019-02-24). "When we say Hands off Venezuela', we are saying Viva Socialism" peoplesdispatch.org People from across the world have come to Caracas to join together as left, anti-capitalist, anti-imperialist, anti-patriarchal and anti-racist forces to affirm their solidarity with the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela and denounce the fierce attacks it currently faces by the US empire and its allies. The meeting is taking place at a key moment in Venezuela as it is currently a most brutal attacks on all fronts from the US empire and its allies. | The event was launched with a vibrant mística ceremony celebrating traditional Venezuelan dance and music, as well as a show of the diversity of the encounter itself.
(2019-02-23). Hakeem al-Araibi's release celebrated in Pascoe Vale. greenleft.org.au 
On February 22, I had the privilege of attending the Pascoe Vale Football Club's celebration of Hakeem Al-Araibi's homecoming after roughly 2.5 months in a Thai jail for no crime — other than being a refugee and a human rights advocate. | It was a moving event, and gave a glimpse of the incredible diversity of people who had worked for Hakeem's release, starting with the Bahraini community who alerted many to Hakkem's arrest when they organised a 7-day protest in front of the Thai consulate in…
(2019-02-22). I Moved to Colorado for Freedom as a Transgender Man. Instead, I Found Discrimination. aclu.org Dashir Moore came to Colorado in part for the transgender friendly laws, but he found his employer refused to cover transition-related care. | This piece was originally published in The Denver Post. | When I was a kid, my mom gave me Barbies, but I preferred to play with G.I. Joes. By high school, I was dressing in my brothers' clothes. At Georgia State University, I first heard the word to name who I am: transgender. | I began living as male. I shaved my head and started getting fade haircuts. I started tak…
(2019-02-22). "The Green Book: Guide to Freedom": How African Americans Safely Navigated Jim Crow America. democracynow.org 
The Academy Awards take place this weekend, and one of the top contenders is the movie "Green Book," which has renewed interest in the history of "The Negro Motorist Green Book." So today we look at a remarkable new documentary called "The Green Book: Guide to Freedom," that offers a real look at the history of a travel guide that helped African Americans safely navigate Jim Crow America. The film premieres Monday on the Smithsonian Channel and details the violence, insults and discrimination black travelers faced on the road, as well as the pride and sense of community they felt in the safe spaces they created a…
(2019-02-22). Student Activists Participate in NAACP Board Meeting. naacp.org 
Led by Tiffany Dena Loftin, former SGA president at University of California, Santa Cruz, over 20 students attended the NAACP Annual Board Meeting in New York City, February 14-16, 2019. Our NAACP Youth were heavily involved and took part in conversations including youth engagement in local issues and training for college and youth units. On Friday, …
(2019-02-21). The Government Cannot Force E-mail Companies to Copy and Save Your Account 'Just in Case'. aclu.org Police are issuing warrantless preservation demands to force email providers to seize users' private communications. | Paper letters have a final resting stop — whomever they are addressed to. From a practical standpoint, and a legal one, that feature of regular mail made understanding and applying privacy protections relatively straightforward. But as our communication technologies have changed, courts have struggled to grant a similar degree of privacy protection to communications in the modern era. | Digital communications present new problems. For example, your email does not live in your letterbox but…
(2019-02-21). SPLC lawsuit: ICE raid at Tennessee slaughterhouse violated workers' constitutional rights. splcenter.org On a quiet, chilly morning in April 2018, Alma drove through the verdant Tennessee hillsides to the ramshackle slaughterhouse where she had been working on the kill floor for more than two years.
(2019-02-20). Civil rights groups sue New Orleans for map of surveillance camera locations. splcenter.org Representing a Louisiana public defender, the SPLC and the American Civil Liberties Union of Louisiana today filed suit against the City of New Orleans over its refusal to provide a map of the city's 400 real-time surveillance cameras. Though the cameras themselves are publicly visible, the City of New Orleans has refused to comply with a public records request for a map of their locations.
(2019-02-20). A Supreme Court Milestone for Students' Free Speech Rights. aclu.org In 1969, a group of public school students protesting the Vietnam War made First Amendment history that stands strong to this day. | This month marks 50 years since the landmark Supreme Court ruling that cemented students' rights to free speech in public schools, Tinker v. Des Moines. We're inspired to see that students still take advantage of their First Amendment rights and speak out on political issues today. | We grew up in Iowa, where our father was a Methodist minister. Believing that faith s…
(2019-02-20). William Barr confirmed as US Attorney General. naacp.org On February 14, 2019, the United States Senate voted, by a margin of 54 yeas to 45 nays, in support of the confirmation of NAACP-opposed William P. Barr to be the Attorney General of the United States. He was sworn in later that day. To see why the NAACP opposed this nomination and how each …
(2019-02-19). A Wisconsin School District Shrugged After High School Coaches Body-Shamed Cheerleaders. aclu.org Parents say staff are subjecting students to pervasive gender discrimination in the Kenosha Unified School District. | The cheerleaders at Tremper High School in Kenosha, Wisconsin, looked forward to the annual spring banquet as a time to celebrate their hard work in the company of over 100 friends and family members. What they never expected was for the banquet to become a humiliating exercise in body shaming. | In the banquet hall of a Kenosha restaurant in March 2018, the cheer coaches presented some squad members with…
(2019-02-19). NAACP Challenge to Prison Gerrymandering Moves Forward, First Statewide Challenge in the Nation. naacp.org February 19, 2019 CONTACT: Malik Russell / mrussell@naacpnet.org / 443-610-0361 Vanessa Mbonu /vmbonu@naacpnet.org Doni Bloomfield /‚ÄØDoni.Bloomfield@ylsclinics.org Federal judge refuses to dismiss suit over discriminatory counting of incarcerated persons New Haven, CT (Feb. 19, 2019) — The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), together with the NAACP Connecticut State Conference and individual NAACP members, won a key ruling today that allows their …
(2019-02-18). Jewish Activists Hold Solidarity Shabbat Defending Angela Davis in Birmingham & Across U.S. democracynow.org 
Jewish supporters of Angela Davis across the nation held solidarity Shabbat on Friday evening, the night before the civil rights icon had been expected to receive the Fred L. Shuttlesworth Human Rights Award from the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute. The institute rescinded the honor in January due to Davis' support of the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement targeting the Israeli government and Israeli institutions. The institute later reversed this decision after international outcry, but Davis has yet to accept the award. Democracy Now! was in Birmingham on Friday and attended a Shabbat in support of An…
(2019-02-18). Birmingham Civil Rights Group Reoffers Award to Angela Davis—But She Says Community Should Decide. democracynow.org 
The Birmingham Civil Rights Institute sparked international outrage in January when it rescinded the Fred L. Shuttlesworth award for civil rights icon Angela Davis, soon after the Birmingham Holocaust Education Center sent a letter urging the board to reconsider honoring her due to her support of the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement. Facing swift and widespread outcry, the institute then reversed its decision and reinstated the award, but Davis has yet to accept it. Democracy Now! spoke with the president and CEO of the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute, Andrea Taylor, on Saturday, before an alternate e…
(2019-02-18). Racial Equity Groups Mobilize In Support of Voting Rights Act Hearings. naacp.org Atlanta Event 2nd in Series of National Hearings to Restore Voting Rights ATLANTA (February 18, 2019) — On Tuesday, February 19, all eyes will be on Georgia when the Subcommittee on Elections of the Committee on House Administration holds its "Field Hearing on Voting Rights and Election Administration in Georgia." Scheduled for 9: 30 AM EST …
(2019-02-16). NAACP Restructures to Advance Advocacy Strategy. naacp.org New York (February 16, 2019)—The nation's most prominent civil rights organization announced today during its annual national board meeting in New York, a strategic restructuring which better positions the organization to lead the critical policy advocacy and social justice work needed to ensure the rights of all people. The group also signed memoranda of understanding …
(2019-02-15). Black Civil Rights Advocate Takes Control of Neo-Nazi Hate Group the National Socialist Movement. splcenter.org The antisemitic and neo-Nazi group the National Socialist Movement (NSM) is now under the control of a black civil rights advocate from California who once dissolved a notorious Ku Klux Klan chapter in Mississippi.
(2019-02-15). Ibram X. Kendi on Surviving Cancer & His Anti-Racist Reading List for Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam. democracynow.org 
As we celebrate the remarkable life and legacy of Frederick Douglass on his 201st birthday, we are joined by Ibram X. Kendi, a professor of history and international relations and founding director of the Antiracist Research and Policy Center at American University. Kendi spoke Thursday night at the Library of Congress at an event honoring Frederick Douglass. He is the National Book Award-winning author of "Stamped from the Beginning: The Definitive History of Racist Ideas in America" and a contributing editor at The Atlantic.