(2019-04-14). Amid Pesticide Scandal, Senate Confirms David Bernhardt as Interior Secretary. globalresearch.ca Despite an unfolding controversy over the suppression of scientific evidence of pesticide dangers, David Bernhardt was confirmed today to become the next secretary of the Interior. The final Senate vote, largely along party lines, was 56-41. | The vote comes as …
(2019-04-14). Lawsuit Forces Federal Protection for Endangered Orcas' West Coast Habitat. indybay.org SEATTLE, April 12, 2019 — The Center for Biological Diversity has won a victory in the legal battle to force the Trump administration to protect the West Coast habitat of the last remaining Southern Resident killer whales.
(2019-04-14). Basra struggles to tackle drug abuse problem filling prisons. indybay.org The southern Iraqi city of Basra is struggling to cope with a growing drug problem that has overcrowded prisons and strained police resources, only months after violent protests over poor municipal services. Basra's prison system is clogged up.
(2019-04-14). Hero's Camp Plaintiffs Demand City Provide Indoor Shelter for Entire Homeless Population in Santa Cruz. indybay.org Today, homeless residents of the Hero's Camp, who are suing the City of Santa Cruz to prevent their eviction, held a press conference to officially announce the lawsuit. Following the press conference, representative Alicia Kuhl announced that the group is demanding the city provide indoor shelter space for for the "entire" homeless population in Santa Cruz before the encampment, which is located next to Ross Dress for Less and the Gateway Plaza, be vacated.
(2019-04-14). Historic Lawsuit Filed by Homeless People in Santa Cruz to Block Eviction of Survival Camp. indybay.org Hero's Camp (behind Ross at the Gateway Plaza), River Street, Santa Cruz…
(2019-04-13). Creating a Crucial Path Forward After Prison. truthdig.com Susan Burton, the co-author of " Becoming Ms. Burton: From Prison to Recovery to Leading the Fight for Incarcerated Women," says she never stood a chance in today's America. Her childhood was marked with abuse and racism, and the inexplicable death of her 5-year-old son—hit in a crosswalk by a car driven by a police detective who was never charged in the incident—drove her to alcoholism, which ultimately led to her incarceration. | Her tragic story reflects certain realities for those with similar backgrounds.
(2019-04-13). WikiLeaks 'Collaborator' Ola Bini in Preventative Custody. telesurenglish.net Swedish programmer and digital privacy activist Ola Bini has been placed in preventative detention by Ecuador's Criminal Unit judge for the crime of cyber-attacking computer systems. | RELATED: | Alleged WikiLeaks Collaborator Ola Bini Arrested in Ecuador | Judge Rodolfo Navarrete accepted the request of prosecutor Fabian Chavez to put Bini in custody and ordered a 90-day fiscal investigation of Bini's accounts that have also been frozen. | The judge dismissed allegations of hum…
(2019-04-13). What Wikileaks and Assange have revealed to the world. uwidata.com 
UWI reviews Wikileaks most important revelations On April 11, 2019, Wikileaks co-founder and editor Julian Assange was imprisoned. After his Ecuadorian citizenship being annulled, he was arrested inside the South American country's embassy in London where he had lived for 7 years. His next court date is set to take place on May 2. While …
(2019-04-13). NAACP President Responds to President Trump's Islamophobic Tweet. naacp.org NAACP President and CEO, Derrick Johnson, released the following statement in response to President Trump's Islamophobic tweet: "Trump's recent tweet invokes painful memories to promote his racist agenda. This is maddening but not surprising for a President whose presidential campaign and presidency has been based on hate, xenophobia, and bigotry. The President needs to realize that his …
(2019-04-13). In Pictures: Venezuela Turns Out for Militia Day Celebrations. telesurenglish.net Tens of thousands of people are taking part in the Saturday march in Caracas to commemorate Chavez' release from prison after an attempted coup on the president 17 years ago, waving Venezuelan flags and holding pictures of the deceased president. | The day commemorates the nation's response to the attempted overthrow of now-deceased President Hugo Chavez, April 13, 2002. |
(2019-04-13). Supporters to rally in defence of Assange outside Belmarsh Prison, London. wsws.org The protests organised by the Julian Assange Defence Committee and supported by the Socialist Equality Party (UK) and the WSWS will be held from 4pm today.
(2019-04-13). Assange's 'Conspiracy' to Expose War Crimes Has Already Been Punished. theantimedia.com (FAIR) — WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange should never have been punished for working with a whistleblower to expose war crimes. Chelsea Manning, the whistleblower, has done more time in prison, under harsher conditions, than William Calley, a key perpetrator of the My Lai massacre. Remarkably, Manning is in jail again, failed by organizations that should unreservedly defend her, as the US …
(2019-04-13). Assange Held at "Britain's Guantanamo Bay" as UN Urges Fair Trial. theantimedia.com (ZH) — WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange faces a likely extended extradition battle after this week's dramatic end to his seven-year asylum stay holed up in Ecuador's London embassy. He's now in a British jail, and though UK authorities have yet to confirm the precise place of his detention, multiple reports suggest that he's being held in what's dubbed "Britain's Guantanamo Bay" — or …
(2019-04-13). Trump officials discussed using troops to run migrant detention camps. wsws.org Trump has been able to carry through his anti-immigrant program, despite popular opposition, because the Democrats have done nothing to seriously oppose it.
(2019-04-13). Sri Lankan writer imprisoned at instigation of Buddhist extremists. wsws.org The SEP and the IYSSE condemn the arrest of award-winning Sri Lankan author Shakthika Sathkumara and demand his immediate release.
(2019-04-12). Civil Rights Groups and Pro-war Republicans—An unholy Alliance in the Soft War Against China. counterpunch.org Last month, Mike Pompeo, amidst his soft war campaign to undermine the governments of Venezuela, Iran, and Lebanon, expressed concern for the 'abhorrent' allegations of Chinese Muslim internment. Pompeo, currently working to destabilize a number of Global South nations and groups, did not suddenly develop a moral consciousness for the plight of Muslims. Rather, his More
(2019-04-12). Headlines for April 12, 2019. democracynow.org Julian Assange's Lawyers Vow to Fight His Extradition to the United States, Ecuadorean Ex-President Criticizes Successor for Allowing Assange to Be Arrested, Trump Claims "I Know Nothing About WikiLeaks" Despite Praising Site Repeatedly in 2016, Sudanese Protesters Denounce Military Rule, Call for Civilian Government, Report: White House Pushed Plan to Send Migrants to Sanctuary Cities to Punish Dems, Official Who Compared Family Detention Centers to Summer Camps Set to Become Head of ICE, More Offshore Drilling Feared as Senate Confirms Ex-Oil Lobbyist to Head Interior, Report: Amazon, Netflix, IBM, Chevron Paid…
(2019-04-12). What Ivanka Told Us About Trump's Meeting With el-Sisi. counterpunch.org 
Ivanka Trump, daughter of the US president and wife of Middle East "expert" Jared Kushner — he who has supposedly produced a Middle East "peace plan" to be revealed after Benjamin Netanyahu wins the Israeli elections — has just given her support to a regime which has locked up women political prisoners, "disappeared" others, and whose army forcibly carried out virginity tests More
(2019-04-12). Shredding Asylum: the Arrest of Julian Assange. counterpunch.org 
The man seemed like a bearded emissary, a holy figure nabbed in his sleep. He looked similarly pale as to how he did in 2013, but he cut a more shocking figure. Most prisoners would have had room to move in a compound. The Ecuadorean embassy in London only offered modest space and access to More
(2019-04-12). No longer anonymous: MSU student breaks silence on campus sexual assault. peoplesworld.org 
Last year a courageous victim of sexual assault at Michigan State University, known only to the public as "Jane Doe," filed a lawsuit against her three attackers, and shined a light on MSU's culture of silence when allegations of sexual assault arise. On April 11, exactly one year after filing the legal complaint and four years …
(2019-04-12). Rapper Stormzy just made an epic stand against racism. thecanary.co Rapper and activist Stormzy just took an epic stand against racism. He cancelled a headline gig at an Austrian festival. And his reasons for … | Read more Rapper Stormzy just made an epic stand against racism | By Fréa Lockley
(2019-04-12). Why the Highlander Attack Matters. thenation.com Why the Highlander Attack Matters…
(2019-04-12). Shredding Asylum: The Arrest of Julian Assange. dissidentvoice.org The man seemed like a bearded emissary, a holy figure nabbed in his sleep. He looked similarly pale as to how he did in 2013, but he cut a more shocking figure. Most prisoners would have had room to move in a compound. The Ecuadorean embassy in London only offered modest space and access to …
(2019-04-12). Weekend Read: Alabama's illegal – and deadly – prison system. splcenter.org We've been locked in a legal battle with the state of Alabama for the past five years over the sickening mistreatment of people in its prisons who have medical and mental health needs.
(2019-04-12). Bernie Sanders Wants Incarcerated People to Vote. Here's Why He's Right. commondreams.org A Puerto Rican prison inmate casts his ballot, as prisoners voted two days early in the Democratic primary, at Correctional Institute 501, in Bayamon, Puerto Rico, on May 30, 2008. (Photo: Brennan Linsley / AP file) | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/views-article/thumbs/prison_0.jpeg…
(2019-04-12). Rise in suicide attempts in Texas prisons alarms advocates. peoplesworld.org …
(2019-04-12). The US Government is Still Fighting to Keep the Truth About CIA Torture Secret. theantimedia.com The U.S. government is still afraid to reveal the full extent of torture used on terror suspects in the years following the 9/11 attacks, but do the American people even care anymore? (TMU) — A recent report by The New York Times explores the case of Majid Khan, a prisoner of the United States who plead …
(2019-04-12). Worldwide outrage over arrest of WikiLeaks publisher Julian Assange. wsws.org After nearly seven years of confinement to the Ecuadorian embassy in London, Assange now faces the possibility of a year in a UK prison and extradition to the United States.
(2019-04-12). Single mother takes action against ParentsNext 'mission impossible'. greenleft.org.au 
Single mother of three Juanita McLaren lodged a complaint in the United Nations in March against the Australian government over its discrimination against single mothers. | McLaren is being supported by the National Council of Single Mothers and their Children which wants the parenting payments' scheme and the newly-introduced ParentsNext program to be held up to greater scrutiny. | Since 2012, single parents have been moved from the single parenting payment (now $384.25 a week) to the News…
(2019-04-12). Protesters Call on UK to #FreeAssange Outside British Embassy in Washington DC. theantimedia.com (MPN) — Demonstrators gathered on Thursday — just hours after the arrest of Wikileaks publisher Julian Assange by UK authorities — outside of the British Embassy in Washington D.C. to denounce the unprecedented affront to freedom of the press. Protesters also took the opportunity to highlight the injustice of the jailing of Chelsea Manning over her refusal to …
(2019-04-12). Toe the line or go to jail: Tulsi Gabbard says Assange arrest is a message to Americans. rt.com 
2020 candidate Tulsi Gabbard has spoken out against the US government's plans to extradite and punish WikiLeaks co-founder Julian Assange, calling it a "blow to transparency and a blow to a free press." |
(2019-04-12). Betsy DeVos Quietly Making It Easier for Dying For-Profit Schools to Rip Off a Few More Students on the Way Out. theintercept.com 
The Obama administration initially dithered while for-profit colleges preyed on students, but eventually it cracked down on the sector. Not Betsy DeVos.
(2019-04-12). Indian elections: the challenges of unseating a racist. greenleft.org.au 
Elections in India will take place from April 11 to May 23. Green Left Weekly's Susan Price spoke to Kavita Krishnan, a member of the politburo of the Communist Party of India (Marxist-Leninist) Liberation (CPI-ML) about their campaign to challenge Narendra Modi's far-right Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government. | In which seats is the CPI-ML fielding candidates? Are there opportunities for the left to coordinate efforts to defeat the BJP? | The CPI-ML is contesting 22 seats [across 10 states]: 4 in Bihar; 3 each in Uttar Pradesh and Punjab; 2 each in West Bengal, Jharkand, Odisha, Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu…
(2019-04-12). How You Can Be Certain the US Charge Against Assange is Fraudulent. theantimedia.com (CJ Opinion) — Julian Assange sits in a jail cell today after being betrayed by the Ecuadorian government and his home country of Australia. A British judge named Michael Snow has found the WikiLeaks founder guilty of violating bail conditions, inserting himself into the annals of history by labeling Assange "a narcissist who cannot get beyond his own …
(2019-04-12). 'A More Just and Equitable Future': Advocates Welcome Markey's Privacy Bill of Rights. commondreams.org Advocates for strengthening personal data protections welcomed Sen. Ed Markey's Privacy Bill of Rights Act, introduced Friday, as "necessary to ensuring that fairness, privacy, and civil rights flourish in the internet age." | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/gettyimages-109661575211.jpg…
(2019-04-11). The American Public Deserves to See the Mueller Report With as Few Redactions as Possible. aclu.org Considering the "extraordinary public interest" in the Mueller report, any redactions made by Attorney General Barr must be limited and defensible. | Few matters are of greater public interest than the contents of the report produced by Special Counsel Robert Mueller on his recently completed investigation into Russia's interference in the 2016 presidential election, alleged collusion with the Trump administration, and any interference with the Mueller investigation. Attorney General William Barr has conceded that there is extraordinary public interest in the report. Yet there remain grave concerns that he will r…
(2019-04-11). The Unfinished Gaza War: What Netanyahu Hopes to Gain from Attacking Palestinian Prisoners. dissidentvoice.org The current violence targeting Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails dates back to January 2. It was then that Israel's Public Security Minister, Gilad Erdan declared that the "party is over." "Every so often, infuriating pictures appear of cooking in the terrorist wings. This party is coming to an end," Erdan was quoted in the Jerusalem …
(2019-04-11). As Brazil descends into fascism, UK MPs call for the 'world's most prominent political prisoner' to be freed. thecanary.co Former presidential frontrunner Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva — known as Lula — was jailed in April 2018. One year later, his prosecutors are … | Read more As Brazil descends into fascism, UK MPs call for the 'world's most prominent political prisoner' to be freed | By John McEvoy
(2019-04-11). NAACP'S RESPONSE TO THE ARREST OF SUSPECT IN THE LOUISIANA CHURCH BURNINGS. naacp.org BALTIMORE — The NAACP issued the following statement regarding the arrest of Holden Matthews in connection to fires at three historically Black churches in Louisiana: "The arrest of Holden Matthews for the horrific burnings of Black churches in Louisiana is just another example of the hate-fueled times that we live in. In African-American communities in …
(2019-04-11). Betsy DeVos Uses a Racist Research Study to Defend Rescinding Obama-Era Discipline Guidance. progressive.org The researchers argued that disparities in disciplining of black and white students are due to "prior problem behavior."
(2019-04-11). 'Love After Lockup' and Its Subtle Message of Prison Abolition. thenation.com 'Love After Lockup' and Its Subtle Message of Prison Abolition…
(2019-04-11). Beyond Prisons: Message From Liberation Through Reading. shadowproof.com The following is a quick message delivered on behalf of our friends at Liberation Through Reading. | They have an event coming up in Philadelphia, PA on Saturday, April 13th at the A-Space (4722 Baltimore Avenue) from 12PM-4PM, gifting Black children with free Black books. Details are below. | Contact Erica Caines at ericacaines@gmail.com |
| In almost 2 years, #LiberationThroughReading has gifted well over 1000 BRAND NEW representative books to Black children of all reading levels. Each book gifted features Black characters and written by Black authors. | After hosting several events in Anne Arundel County,…
(2019-04-11). Ahmed Abu Artema on the Palestinian Great March of Return. progressive.org "The only possible option for them is to continue knocking on the walls of their prison with the hope that the world will hear them."
(2019-04-11). Assange's prosecution would be 'unconstitutional' & may backfire on US journalists — ACLU. rt.com 
In response to the arrest of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange in London, the American Civil Liberties Union's (ACLU) Ben Wizner released a statement highlighting the serious danger his prosecution would pose for all journalists.
(2019-04-11). Parkland victims file 22 lawsuits claiming negligence led to bloodshed. rt.com 
A barrage of lawsuits filed by Parkland victims and survivors blame Broward County Sheriff's Office and the school district for their failure to prevent the massacre, alleging gross negligence by officials.
(2019-04-11). Unsealed Assange indictment proves Chelsea Manning's imprisonment is 'purely punitive' — legal team. rt.com 
Chelsea Manning's team has demanded her release in light of the revelation that US charges against Julian Assange were filed over a year before her arrest on contempt charges — proving her prosecution has been "purely punitive."
(2019-04-11). No fair trial awaits Assange at US 'Espionage Court,' only more charges — CIA whistleblower Kiriakou. rt.com 
WikiLeaks' Julian Assange is facing extradition and a trial at a US court infamous for sending whistleblowers to jail. CIA whistleblower John Kiriakou, whose case was tried there says there won't be a fair trial for Assange.
(2019-04-10). The American People Support LGBTQ Equality. Congress Should Too. aclu.org Opponents of equality are spewing myths about transgender people and nondiscrimination protections on Capitol Hill. | In the past seven days, the House of Representatives has held two historic hearings on the Equality Act, HR 5, a bipartisan bill that would add explicit protections from discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity to our civil rights laws, and update the laws to provide increased protection for all women and people of color. What was most notable from…
(2019-04-10). Congressional Action to End the Bans—Now and Into the Future. aclu.org Trump thought he won, but Members of Congress are pushing back. | For the first time since President Trump issued his Muslim ban, Congress proposed a legislative solution today to protect immigrant communities from discriminatory bans, immediately and permanently. | The long-awaited NO Ban Act, introduced by Senator Chris Coons (D-Del.) and Representative Judy Chu (D-Calif.), would immediately rescind the Muslim ban as well as President Trump's asylum ban and refugee ban, definitively ending these discriminatory abus…
(2019-04-10). The BE HEARD Act Will Overhaul Workplace Harassment Laws. aclu.org The groundbreaking, comprehensive bill takes on workplace harassment and discrimination. | For more than a decade, Tarana Burke and survivors across the country have used #MeToo to share their experiences of sexual violence, raise women's voices, and respond to the needs of survivors. In its current incarnation, #MeToo has sparked an unprecedented examination of sexual harassment, including sexual assault, in our workplaces, and illuminated the multiple manifestations of workplace discrimination. | In the midst of this historic reckoning, the ACLU and coalition partners drafted and shared with members of Congress…