(2019-05-08). WW editorial: Palestine will be free! workers.org 
Another horrific attack on the Palestinian population occurred over the May 4-5 weekend. Once again, the deaths include some of the most vulnerable — of a people who have already been made entirely vulnerable by decades of apartheid conditions, including routine starvation, imprisonment, unemployment. Once again, big business media played . . . | Continue reading WW editorial: Palestine will be free! at Workers.org
(2019-05-07). After Florida Re-enfranchises 1.4 Million, Republicans Push New "Poll Tax" For Formerly Incarcerated. democracynow.org 
Civil rights groups are decrying what they say is a new poll tax after the Florida Senate passed a bill Friday that would require formerly incarcerated people with felony convictions to repay all fines and fees to courts before their voting rights are restored. This comes six months after voters in Florida approved a measure to restore voting rights to 1.4 million people with nonviolent felonies who have fully completed their sentences, overturning a Jim Crow-era law aimed at keeping African Americans from voting. Nearly 65 percent of voters approved the constitutional amendment to re-enfranchise people with form…
(2019-05-07). After Florida Re-enfranchises 1.4 Million, Republicans Push New "Poll Tax" truthout.org Civil rights groups are decrying what they say is a new poll tax after the Florida Senate passed a bill Friday that would require formerly incarcerated people with felony convictions to repay all fines and fees to courts before their voting rights are restored. This comes six months after voters in Florida approved a measure to restore voting rights to 1.4 million people with nonviolent felonies who have fully completed their sentences, overturning a Jim Crow-era law aimed at keeping African Americans from voting. Nearly 65 percent of voters approved the constitutional amendment to re-enfranchise people with f…
(2019-05-07). After nearly two months in jail, Chelsea Manning submits powerful appeal for release. wsws.org Manning has been detained for contempt of court after she refused to testify before a grand jury impaneled to bring frame-up charges against WikiLeaks publisher and journalist Julian Assange.
(2019-05-07). Video: At Sydney rally Assange's father demands Australian government secure son's release. wsws.org Two days after Assange was sentenced to 50 weeks in jail, protesters rallied in Sydney's Martin Place.
(2019-05-07). Ecuador's Crackdown on Abortion Is Putting Women in Jail. thenation.com Ecuador's Crackdown on Abortion Is Putting Women in Jail…
(2019-05-07). Mistakenly Jailed Pretrial, an Ohio Mother Lost Her Job and Kids. aclu.org When you're incarcerated pretrial in America, it doesn't take long for life to fall apart. And that's without a conviction. | On April 11, Hamilton County police in Cincinnati, Ohio arrested Ashley Foster in a Target parking lot on charges of trafficking heroin. Foster was with her two young sons, one of whom…
(2019-05-07). Reuters Journalists Jailed for Reporting on Rohingyas, Freed. telesurenglish.net Two Reuters journalists jailed in Myanmar after they were convicted of breaking the Official Secrets Act walked free from a prison on the outskirts of Yangon Tuesday after spending more than 500 days behind bars. | RELATED: | Rohingya Women Request ICC Probe Into Genocide | The two reporters, Wa Lone, 33, and Kyaw Soe Oo, 29, had been convicted in September and sentenced to seven years in jail in a case that stained Myanmar's progress toward democracy and sparked an outcry from diplomats and h…
(2019-05-07). Release of prize-winning Reuters journalists in Myanmar welcomed by UN. un.org The release of two prize-winning Reuters journalists jailed in Myanmar after reporting on the massacre of Rohingya Muslims has been welcomed by the UN human rights office, OHCHR, which warns however that press freedom there remains "dire".
(2019-05-07). Getting It Right on Immigration. counterpunch.org As the 2020 presidential campaign intensifies in the coming weeks and months, we'll see candidates and pundits airing a wide variety of proposals on immigration policy. We'll get recommendations on border security, asylum, detention, the status of the Dreamers, the status of the 11 million people living in the U.S. without documentation, and the role More
(2019-05-07). The growth of popular democracy. nationofchange.org In 1975 just 46 countries were considered to be electoral democracies; forty years later, according to The Global State of Democracy report 2017, the number had risen to 132, accounting for 68% of nations. The bulk of the increase occurred after 1989 following the collapse of the Soviet Union and what was to be the beginning of the global protest movement. While staging general elections every five years or so is an important step away from the autocratic alternative, unless democratic values are embraced and introduced, true democracy remains little more than a slogan, social injustice and suppression in vari…
(2019-05-07). Air Pollution Crisis Exposes More Environmental Racism in Illinois. theintercept.com 
Wendy Abrams has used her wealth to help protect the environment and public health. She's the founder of a public art exhibit meant to raise awareness on climate change, serves on the board of the Waterkeeper Alliance, and has been on the boards of the NRDC Action Fund and the Environmental Defense Fund's National Council. She helped found the Abrams Environmental Law Clinic at the University of Chica…
(2019-05-07). Antisemitism and Relating to Others: Why Tolerance Isn't Enough. counterpunch.org 
Although the focus of this essay is on Jewish experiences and Jewish responses, other religious and secular readers concerned about responding to so much hatred, bigotry, racism, sexism, and other forms of oppression, exploitation, and injustice today can easily transform my wordings into their own contextualized terms. Most of our responses to hatred, bigotry, antisemitism More
(2019-05-07). Independent Oversight of Texas Prisons. indybay.org In this essay, Comrade Malik details the forms of oversight, abuse and oppression that occur regularly in Texas prisons.
(2019-05-07). Lawsuit Challenges Massive Timber Sale in Alaska National Forest. commondreams.org ______________________________…
(2019-05-07). Lawsuits Challenge Trump Administration's Refusal to Release Documents on Pesticides. commondreams.org ______________________________…
(2019-05-07). Mayor Watkins Blocks Food Not Bombs Proclamation. indybay.org Mayor Martine Watkins has blocked a city proclamation proposed to honor the work of Food Not Bombs in Santa Cruz. In a letter to Councilmember Chris Krohn, Watkins stated it would not be "appropriate" to issue a proclamation honoring Food Not Bombs because the organization is "suing the city". Santa Cruz Food Not Bombs has provided information in support of the plaintiffs in Quntero v. the City of Santa Cruz, a civil right lawsuit filed on April 9 by a group of homeless residents of the Ross Camp, which maintained the closure of the encampment by the city would violate their constitutional rights.
(2019-05-07). Sanders Campaign Unveils 'Gold-Standard' Blueprint for Combating Sexual Harassment and Discrimination on 2020 Campaign. commondreams.org Four months after meeting with former staffers to discuss their experiences while working on his 2016 presidential campaign, Sen. Bernie Sanders unveiled new guidelines that his 2020 team will follow to combat inequality, discrimination, and sexual harassment on his campaign. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/gettyimages-1140888810-2_0.jpg…
(2019-05-07). As Countries Seek Trade With China, Imprisoned Uyghur Muslim Community Has Become "Collateral Damage" democracynow.org 
China's top trade negotiator is traveling to Washington this week as tension over trade intensifies between the two nations. President Trump is threatening to impose a 25 percent tariff on nearly all Chinese imports after the U.S. accused China of backtracking on trade commitments. Talks are expected to resume on Thursday, but the Trump administration is facing criticism for refusing to address China's human rights record as part of the negotiations. The United Nations and a number of human rights groups have accused the Chinese government of setting up massive camps in the far-west Xinjiang province to hold an u…
(2019-05-07). At least 7 Killed, 17 Injured in Shooting at Guatemala Prison. telesurenglish.net At least seven people were killed and 17 injured after shooting broke out at a prison near Guatemala City on Tuesday, according to officials, who said that authorities have regained control at the prison. | RELATED: | Another Guatemalan Teenager Killed in Texas While in US Custody | "Security forces have already entered and have regained control of the center. Regarding the number of deceased inmates, there are seven confirmed. That is a preliminary number," Carlos Morales, a…
(2019-05-07). Voting rights for prisoners and the gasp heard 'round the world. peoplesworld.org 
At a recent CNN town hall, reporter Anderson Cooper asked the up-and-coming Democratic candidate "Mayor Pete" Buttigieg if he supported the rights of incarcerated people to vote. His response that he did not inspire cheers and applause from the mostly white audience, while the lone expression of dissent was an audible gasp from Kenya Hunter, …
(2019-05-07). Headlines for May 7, 2019. democracynow.org Reuters Reporters Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe Oo Released from Burmese Prison, 500+ Ex-Prosecutors: Trump Would Be Charged with Obstruction If He Weren't President, House Dems to Vote on Holding AG Barr in Contempt Over Mueller Report, Treasury Misses Deadline To Hand Over Trump's Tax Returns, Russia Warns Against Military Intervention in Venezuela, Pompeo: Reduction of Arctic Sea Ice Opens Up "Opportunities for Trade", Turkey Scraps Istanbul Election Results After Ruling AKP Candidate Loses, Syria: Air Raids Destroy Hospitals, Kill at Least 17 Civilians, Panama Elects Centrist Laurentino Cortizo in Close Presidential R…
(2019-05-07). "Endorsement of Murder": Trump Pardons US Soldier Who Tortured, Killed Iraqi Prisoner. theantimedia.com (CD) — President Donald Trump on Monday evening pardoned an American soldier for murdering an Iraqi prisoner in 2008, generating outrage from progressives and human rights activists. First Lt. Michael Behenna was sentenced to 25 years in prison in 2009 for the murder, and released on parole in 2014. The killing came a month after two of Behenna's fellow …
(2019-05-07). BBC to Broadcast Lula's Interview Banned by Local Brazilian TV. telesurenglish.net The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) announced Tuesday that it will air next Saturday an interview with former President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva. The interview, one of Lula's first since he was imprisoned in April 2018, was recorded from the Curitiba prison where the politician has been held for over a year by independent journalist Kennedy Alencar. It was expected to be brodcast by Brazilian media RedeTV that pulled the plug on its airing at the last minute. | RELATED: | <...
(2019-05-07). Beyond Prisons: Abolition Is A Horizon feat. Sarah K. Tyson. shadowproof.com CONTENT WARNING: SEXUAL VIOLENCE, CHILD SEXUAL ABUSE | Sarah K. Tyson joins Beyond Prisons for a conversation about her work as a philosopher, anti-violence advocate, and prison educator. | We explore the contradiction between anti-violence work and its reliance on the criminal punishment system, what it's like to do philosophy in prison, the importance of building relationships with people inside, and so much more. | Sarah Tyson is an Associate Professor of Philosophy and Affiliated Faculty of Women and Gender Studies at the University of Colorado, Denver. | Her research focuses on questions of authority, histor…
(2019-05-07). Joe Biden's Son Hunter Is Invested in China's Mass Surveillance Program Used to Monitor Uyghur Muslims. democracynow.org 
As the United Nations accuses the Chinese government of setting up massive camps in the far-west Xinjiang province to imprison an unknown number of ethnic Uyghurs and other Muslims, Human Rights Watch reports that China is carrying out mass surveillance there using a mobile app that lets authorities monitor the Muslim population. We speak with investigative reporter Lee Fang about an unexpected investor in Chinese surveillance: Hunter Biden, Joe Biden's son. And we speak with Human Rights Watch China director Sophie Richardson.
(2019-05-07). Pamela Anderson Urges to 'Save the Life' of Julian Assange. telesurenglish.net Actor Pamela Anderson Tuesday called to "save the life" of Julian Assange whom she visited in the London prison of Belmarsh where he has been held since his arrest on April 11 from the Ecuadorean embassy. | RELATED: | Assange's Defense File Complaint on Ecuadorean Diplomats for Espionage | "We have to save the life" of Assange, said the Canadian…
(2019-05-07). 'War criminal': Outrage as Trump pardons former US soldier who killed Iraqi prisoner. rt.com 
US President Donald Trump is facing heavy criticism for pardoning a former US soldier, once sentenced to 25 years in prison for murdering an Iraqi prisoner in 2009.
(2019-05-06). Assange's father tells demonstrators Australian government must secure son's release. wsws.org Friday's protest in Sydney was held two days after Assange was sentenced in a British court to 50 weeks' jail on bogus bail charges.
(2019-05-06). Headlines for May 6, 2019. democracynow.org Gaza: Ceasefire Reached After Intense Fighting Kills 25 Palestinians and 4 Israelis, U.N. Report: 1 Million Species at Risk of Extinction, Trump Nominates Obama-Era Border Patrol Chief Mark Morgan to Head ICE, Ex-WH Chief of Staff John Kelly Joins Board of U.S.'s Largest Jailer of Migrant Children, John Bolton: U.S. Deploying Warships to Send "Message" to Iran, North Korea Tests Missiles As Trump Admin Affirms Nuclear Deal Still on Track, U.N. Warns 40% of North Koreans in Need of Food Assistance, Colombia: Renowned Activist Francia Márquez Escapes Attack by Gunmen, Afghanistan: Taliban Raid Security HQ, Killing…
(2019-05-06). NAACP Opposes Michael Park's Nomination to Second Circuit, Says Failure to Support Brown V. Board is Disqualifying. naacp.org Today, the NAACP announced its opposition to the nomination of Michael Park to the U.S Circuit Court for the Second Circuit. The Senate will vote on Mr. Park's nomination later this week. Derrick Johnson, president and CEO, made the following statement: "Next week, we celebrate the 65th anniversary of the Supreme Court's seminal decision in …
(2019-05-06). Nationalism blinds Québecers to Oppression at Home and Abroad. dissidentvoice.org To protect its culture Québec has decided veiled women shouldn't be allowed to teach. But the crucifix adorning the National Assembly can stay, as well as a large cross atop the highest point in Montréal, not to mention the streets named after Catholic saints. The government has decided laàØcité (secularism) should be pursued on the …
(2019-05-06). Asylum Officers Are Being Replaced By CBP Agents. aclu.org Having a CBP officer conduct a credible fear interview is like having an arresting police officer also sit as the judge. | Last week, President Trump issued a memorandum outlining his latest wishlist of ways to undermine the integrity of our nation's asylum system. Among them was a direction to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to change how it conducts credible fear interviews, the threshold screening interview given to thousands of asylum…
(2019-05-06). The Use of Solitary Confinement in Virginia Is Inhumane and Unlawful. aclu.org Instead of keeping its word to courts and reforming its use of solitary, the VA Dept. of Corrections built two massive super maximum-security prisons. | William Thorpe has spent nearly 24 straight years in solitary confinement in Virginia prisons stuck in a cell about half of the size of a parking space for more than 22 hours a day, every day, with no outside light and almost no human contact. | In his nearly two and a half decades in solitary, Thorpe has seen changes in leadership at the Virginia Department of Corrections (VDOC) and attempts to reform how solitary confinement is used in our state prisons. | The…
(2019-05-06). Federal judge orders reforms to prevent suicides in Alabama prisons. splcenter.org Nearly two years after a federal judge deemed mental health care for Alabama's prisoners "horrendously inadequate," the Alabama Department of Corrections (ADOC) is again the subject of a scathing court order in the SPLC's long-running Eighth Amendment case against the department.
(2019-05-04). Guilt by Association? Arrest of Assange Friend Has No Basis. therealnews.com 
Cyber-security and privacy expert Ola Bini was arrested in Ecuador the same day that Ecuador revoked Julian Assange's asylum. A court now affirmed his pre-trial detention, while his parents and his lawyers say it has no basis…
(2019-05-04). Racist attack is cover for police crimes. fightbacknews.org Fight Back News Service is circulating the following statement from the Chicago Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression (CAARPR) | The Chicago Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression (CAARPR) condemns the Fraternal Order of Police (FOP) targeted anti-Black racist campaign against Kim Foxx. | The Fraternal Order of Police (FOP) attack on State's Attorney Kim Foxx has nothing to do with moral outrage and everything to do with humiliation. Foxx, an elected Black official brought to power by a movement for racial justice, has been exposing and undoing the decades-old work of the Chicago Police…
(2019-05-04). Students march against University of Georgia's historical and present-day racism. liberationnews.org 
In November 2015, the expansion and reconstruction of Baldwin Hall came to a temporary halt when the University of Georgia uncovered the remains of former slaves.
(2019-05-04). Scott Warren Worked to Prevent Migrant Deaths in the Arizona Desert. The Government Wants Him in Prison. theintercept.com 
Thousands of migrants have died crossing the desert in Arizona. The U.S. government is prosecuting activists who try to save lives and recover bodies.
(2019-05-03). "We Shall Overcome": Remembering Folk Icon Pete Seeger on What Would Have Been His 100th Birthday. democracynow.org 
It was 100 years ago today that the late folk singer and activist Pete Seeger was born. In 2004, Seeger came into our Firehouse studio for an in-depth interview. We play an excerpt to mark his centennial celebration, in which he recalls how he learned about the classic civil rights anthem "We Shall Overcome," that he helped to popularize. Watch the "full interview": www.democracynow.org/2006/7/3/we_shall_overcome_an_hour_with and our "full archive of interviews": www.democracynow.org/appearances/pete_seeger with Seeger.
(2019-05-03). NAACP Files Suit Challenging Restrictive Tennessee Voter Registration Law. naacp.org NASHVILLE, TN — The NAACP, the Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, pro bono firm Hogan Lovells US LLP, Memphis-based firm Burch, Porter, & Johnson PLLC, Bromberg Law LLC, and community practitioner Daniel Ayoade Yoon filed suit today challenging Tennessee's new third-party registration law. The complaint alleges that the law, which imposes burdensome requirements …
(2019-05-03). Migrants, asylum seekers detained in Hungary 'deliberately deprived of food': UN human rights office. un.org The UN human rights office (OHCHR) said on Friday it was alarmed by reports that migrants and asylum seekers who are being held in Hungarian detention centres are being "deliberately deprived of food in contravention of international laws and standards".
(2019-05-03). Climate Change legislation passes the US House. naacp.org H.R. 9, which was authored by Congresswoman Kathy Castor (FL), who is also the Chairwoman of the House Select Committee on the Climate Crisis, would prohibit the U.S. from withdrawing from the accord and also would require the administration to develop a plan for the U.S. to meet its voluntary commitments under the Paris Agreement. …
(2019-05-03). Black News Weekly. naacp.org 
BET: Black 22-Year-Old Software Engineer Murdered By White Neighbor Months After Court Denied Request For Protective Order A 22-year-old Baltimore resident was gunned down by his 53-year-old white neighbor just months after trying to obtain a protective order against the man. According to ABC 11, Tyrique Hudson was fatally shot in the stairwell of his apartment complex …
(2019-05-03). Explosive new book dissects the soft coup that brought fascism to Brazil. thecanary.co On 28 October 2018, Brazil elected a fascist, racist, sexist, and homophobic president. And an explosive new book delves into how that happened, providing a crucial point of reference for resistance in the process. | Washingt…
(2019-05-03). What Officer Noor's Conviction Says About Racism in America. aclu.org For the first time, Minnesota convicted a police officer for killing someone. That he was Black and the woman he shot was white must not be ignored. | On Tuesday, April 30, a Minnesota jury convicted police officer Mohamed Noor of third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter for shooting and killing Justine Damond, a white Australian woman. Damond had called 9-1-1 to report a possible sexual assault near her apartment and then approached Noor's squad car when he and his partner responded to the call. Noor killed Damond, and he deserved to be found guilty. His decision to shoot and kill an unarmed person wit…
(2019-05-03). Spanish elections: Important battle won against the right. greenleft.org.au 
The question on everyone's lips in the last week of the Spanish election campaign was just how strongly the filthy brown tide of reaction would run — encapsulated in the vote for the racist, xenophobic, Islamophobic, anti-feminist, pro-gun and, above all, anti-Catalan outfit Vox. | The average of legal polling, allowed by the Central Electoral Board until one week before the vote, had Vox at 11.2%, yielding around 30-35 seats in the 350-seat Congress of Deputies. | However, illegal and internal party polls in the last week of the campaign — or deliberately scary leaks about them — were assigning…
(2019-05-03). Angry Yemeni shop owners boycott NY Post after attack on Ilhan Omar. liberationnews.org 
Stand up to Islamophobia and all forms of racism, say with one voice, "We stand with Ilhan."
(2019-05-03). Two Members of Rise Above Movement Plead Guilty in Charlottesville 'Unite the Right' Rioting Case. splcenter.org The leader of the antisemitic and racist Rise Above Movement and a fellow member of the group pleaded guilty Friday to a federal charge of conspiracy to riot.
(2019-05-03). Roger Waters on Palestine: "You Have to Stand Up for People's Human Rights All Over the World" democracynow.org 
After a judge ruled a panel can move forward Saturday at the University of Massachusetts Amherst on "Israel, Free Speech, and the Battle for Palestinian Human Rights," we speak with one of the event's scheduled participants: Roger Waters, co-founder of Pink Floyd, one of the most popular rock bands of all time. He says he welcomes the lawsuit that challenged the event, because "what it does is it serves to shine a light on the predicament of the Palestinian people."