(2019-05-29). Six Children Have Died While in ICE Custody — Why? therealnews.com 
Undocumented immigrants seeking asylum are being separated from their children and detained in prison camps as more restrictive racist policies are being imposed by Trump. We discuss the policy with the Border Rights Center Director of ACLU Texas, Astrid Dominguez…
(2019-05-29). ACLU Lawyer: "Abortion Today Is Still Legal in All 50 States" Despite Draconian Anti-Choice Bills. democracynow.org 
As states around the country ramp up their attacks on reproductive rights, the Supreme Court on Tuesday declined to rule on an Indiana law that would bar abortions based on the sex, race or disability of the fetus. The decision will keep in place a lower court's injunction on the measure. However, the Supreme Court decided to allow Indiana's so-called fetal burial law to go into effect, which stipulates that abortion clinics must dispose of fetal remains either through burial or cremation. The measure was signed into law by then-Governor Mike Pence in 2016. We speak with Alexa Kolbi-Molinas, senior staff attorney…
(2019-05-29). The Government Needs to Get a Warrant if It Wants Access to Our Private Health Information. aclu.org Choosing between obtaining health care and giving up one's privacy rights is no choice at all. | The Drug Enforcement Administration is once again trying to access private prescription records of patients — this time in New Hampshire — without a warrant, despite a state law to the contrary. Today the ACLU filed a brief in support of the state of New Hampshire's fight to defend the privacy of our sensitive medical information against unwarranted searches by law enforcement. | New Hampshire — like 48 other states, the…
(2019-05-29). Baltimore Cop Charged with Perjury, Misconduct. therealnews.com 
Baltimore police officer Michael O'Sullivan was indicted Tuesday by a grand jury for falsely accusing a city resident of committing a crime. The charges allege the officer perjured himself when he testified that a Baltimore youth possessed a gun, despite body camera footage that allegedly contradicts his testimony. | O'Sullivan was indicted on one count of perjury and one count of misconduct in office. | The charges stem from testimony against a Baltimore resident, who O'Sullivan accused of possessing a handgun during a district court trial last year. The Baltimore resident spent several months in jail before pro…
(2019-05-29). Learn Costs of War & Celebrate Peace Heroes Assange & Manning. indybay.org To counteract the jingoism of all capitalist media in this country in its promotion of the war machine which only exists to maximize the profits of the oil companies and the munitions makers, a few websites are in order to remind us all of the Costs of War and the Peace Heroes Assange & Manning currently jailed by the US war machine.
(2019-05-29). Scott Warren Faces Up to 20 Years in Prison for Providing Aid to Migrants. truthout.org An Arizona humanitarian aid volunteer goes to trial today for providing water, food, clean clothes and beds to two undocumented migrants crossing the Sonoran Desert in southern Arizona. If convicted, Scott Warren could spend up to 20 years in prison. Warren, an activist with the Tucson-based No More Deaths, is charged with three felony counts of allegedly "harboring" undocumented immigrants. For years, No More Deaths and other humanitarian aid groups in southern Arizona have left water and food in the harsh Sonoran Desert, where the temperature often reaches three digits during summer, to help refugees and mig…
(2019-05-29). Wikileaks Confirms Assange Moved to Prison Medical Area. telesurenglish.net Wikileaks issued a statement about the "grave health concerns" they have over Julian Assange who is currently being held in Belmarsh prison in the United Kingdom and confirmed that he has been moved to the health ward. | RELATED | US Announces 17 New Charges Against Julian Assange | According to the statement, Assange's health "had already significantly deteriorated after seven years in the Ecuadorean embassy" in London "under conditions that were incompatible with human rights." | The st…
(2019-05-29). Pope Francis to Lula: 'Good Will Defeat Evil'. telesurenglish.net Pope Francis sent a letter to imprisoned Brazil's former President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva in order to give him hope and faith, as reported by Brazilian daily Folha de S. Paulo. | RELATED: | Thousands of Brazilians Join the 'Free Lula' Campaign | "Good will defeat evil, truth will defeat lies and Salvation will defeat condemnation," said the pope, adding th…
(2019-05-29). Scott Warren Provided Food & Water to Migrants in Arizona; He Now Faces Up to 20 Years in Prison. democracynow.org 
An Arizona humanitarian aid volunteer goes to trial today for providing water, food, clean clothes and beds to two undocumented migrants crossing the Sonoran Desert in southern Arizona. If convicted, Scott Warren could spend up to 20 years in prison. Warren, an activist with the Tucson-based No More Deaths, is charged with three felony counts of allegedly "harboring" undocumented immigrants. For years, No More Deaths and other humanitarian aid groups in southern Arizona have left water and food in the harsh Sonoran Desert, where the temperature often reaches three digits during summer, to help refugees and migran…
(2019-05-29). 'Criminalizing Compassion': Trial Begins for Humanitarian Facing 20 Years in Prison for Giving Water to Migrants in Arizona Desert. commondreams.org Human rights advocates accused the U.S. Justice Department of "criminalizing compassion" as a federal trial began in Arizona Wednesday for activist Scott Warren, who faces up to 20 years in prison for providing humanitarian aid to migrants in the desert. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/scott-warren.jpg…
(2019-05-29). In the End Truth will Overcome Lies, Pope Wrote in a Letter to Lula. plenglish.com Brasilia, May 29 (Prensa Latina) Pope Francisco has written in a recent letter to former Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, a political prisoner for more than a year, that good will defeat evil, according to the portal Brasil 247.
(2019-05-29). Call both your US Senators! The Violence Against Women Act needs to be updated and strengthened. naacp.org On 4-4-19, the House passed, by a bipartisan margin of 263 yeas to 158 nays, H.R. 1585, a bill to reauthorize, or update, and strengthen the NAACP-supported and very successful Violence Against Women Act (VAWA). Despite its huge successes, the current law establishing VAWA expired on February 15, 2019. We must now let the Senate know …
(2019-05-29). National Civil Rights Group Condemns Senator McConnell's Statement Regarding the Filling of a Supreme Court Vacancy in the 2020 Election Cycle. commondreams.org ______________________________…
(2019-05-29). Raising Some Issues at Oral Communications. indybay.org Continued delay and inaction on providing homeless shelter and services (to say nothing of civil rights) for homeless folks was the silent part of yesterday's Santa Cruz City Council agenda. Several of us raised issues at Oral Communications…
(2019-05-29). The only certainty of Brexit is rising racism in the UK. thecanary.co This article is one of three Opinion pieces looking at what's next for Brexit in the aftermath of the EU elections. You can also read Josh Funnell argue why Labour must now campaign fully to Remain and Tracy Keeling on why Labour mustn't support a second referen…
(2019-05-29). Corbyn-supporting Labour members like me have tried to make Brexit work, but it's time to dump it completely. thecanary.co This article is one of three Opinion pieces looking at what's next for Brexit in the aftermath of the EU elections. You can also read Tracy Keeling argue why Labour mustn't support a second referendum and Frea Lockley on how racism has been the biggest winner from Brexit. | You don't hear much about people like…
(2019-05-29). Delay of Harriet Tubman $20 bill undergirded by racism, misogyny. splcenter.org Throughout my life, Harriet Tubman symbolized strength, courage, and determination.
(2019-05-29). Here's how much the democrat-when-it-suits-us Remainers have now fu*ked up Britain. thecanary.co This article is one of three Opinion pieces looking at what's next for Brexit in the aftermath of the EU elections. You can also read Josh Funnell argue why Labour must now campaign fully to Remain and Frea Lockley on how racism has been the biggest winner from Brexit. | Nigel Farage's…
(2019-05-29). Dayton: KKK rally vastly outnumbered by anti-racist protest. liberationnews.org 
Message sent: broadest masses of workers reject all forms of divisiveness and bigotry.
(2019-05-28). MOVE 9 women freed after 40 years. workers.org 
MOVE 9 members Janet Holloway Africa, 68, and Janine Phillips Africa, 63, were freed on parole May 25, after over 40 years of incarceration. That included a decade of consistently being denied parole petitions by the Pennsylvania Department of Corrections. Janine (left) and Janet Africa upon their release. While two . . . | Continue reading MOVE 9 women freed after 40 years at Workers.org
(2019-05-28). Georgia Project Organization Raises Alarms About Persistent Voter Suppression Amid Plans To Close Minority Polling Place. blackstarnews.com 
Civic engagement leaders across Georgia raise concern over the possible closing of a majority minority polling place in Jeff Davis County, GA. Atlanta. | The New Georgia Project together with allies, issued the following statements in response to the Jeff Davis County Board of Elections' possible closure of a majority minority polling place in their already consolidated voting precincts. | New Georgia Project's purpose is to grow political engagement in historically underrepresented communities. | Nsé Ufot, Executive Director of the New Georgia Project Action Fund stated that Wednesday's "decision in Jeff Da…
(2019-05-28). Pack the court for NYC subway elevators, June 5! workers.org 
The fight for accessibility in New York's public transportation system is approaching a critical milestone on June 5. That's when New York State Supreme Court Judge Hagler will make a fateful decision on the lawsuit to mandate elevators in the subway. Christine Serdjenian-Yearwood addresses the courthouse rally before the hearing . . . | Continue reading Pack the court for NYC subway elevators, June 5! at Workers.org
(2019-05-28). US High Court Takes Up Case of Mexican Shot by Border Patrol. telesurenglish.net The U.S. Supreme Court agreed Tuesday to review for the second time a lawsuit over the case of a Mexican teen shot dead inside Mexico by a Border Patrol Agent firing from the U.S. side of the frontier. | RELATED: | 5th Guatemalan Migrant Minor Dies in US Immigration Custody | The family of Sergio Hernandez, who was 15 when he was killed by U.S. agent Jesus Mesa on June 7, 2010, has been seeking compensation over the death in a lawsuit. | Hernandez and three friends had been playi…
(2019-05-28). Marijuana Activist Faces 10 Years in Prison for Using Facebook Live. therealnews.com 
A 20-year-old student activist was charged with felony wiretapping for using Facebook Live while in the office of Rep. Andy Harris, known for pushing back against the legalization of marijuana in DC…
(2019-05-28). DeJaun Davis-Correia & Ben Jealous on Billionaire's Pledge to Pay Debt of Morehouse Graduating Class. democracynow.org 
Earlier this month, the billionaire investor Robert Smith stunned many when he offered to pay off the student loans of the 2019 graduating class at the historically black Morehouse College. The average student debt is now $32,000. Nationwide, 44 million people owe nearly $1.5 trillion. Student debt is expected to increase to $2 trillion by 2022. We speak with Ben Jealous, former national president of the NAACP, and De'Jaun Davis-Correia, a 2019 Morehouse graduate who will benefit from Smith's donation.
(2019-05-28). What's Trending: Black News Recap. naacp.org 
The Root: Did You Know Lady Liberty Was a Monument to Slavery Abolition, Not Immigration? The new Statue of Liberty Museum, which opened Thursday in New York Harbor, brings to light a little-spoken-of aspect of the statue's history: Lady Liberty was originally intended celebrate the end of slavery, not the arrival of immigrants. …
(2019-05-28). Police Brutality Protest Erupts After New Jersey Cop's Acquittal For Assaulting Black Teenager in 2017. blackstarnews.com 
Did Officer Joseph Reiman's brother Mayor Daniel Reiman help him escape justice? | On Sunday, New Jersey protesters marched in demonstration against Friday's acquittal of Officer Joseph Reiman who brutally beat teenager Monte Stewart in 2017, during a traffic stop in Carteret, New Jersey. | Marchers poured into the streets of Carteret Sunday to illustrate their outrage at the verdict, in a city where Officer Reiman is the brother of Carteret Mayor Daniel Reiman. The protests were peaceful. | How long will prosecutors continue to refuse to hold racist police accountable who criminally assault and kill Black…
(2019-05-26). UN Mission in Afghanistan gravely concerned about ill-treatment of prisoners by Taliban, following first-hand testimony. un.org The UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) expressed "grave concern" on Sunday over "credible accounts" it has been given that Taliban militants have been mistreating prisoners, which in some cases "may amount to torture".
(2019-05-26). After 200 days, Kurdish hunger strikes end in victory. thecanary.co Thousands of Kurdish activists have finally ended their hunger strike. Politicians, political prisoners and activists around the world had been starving themselves to protest the isolation of Kurdish leader Abdullah àñcalan. | Kurdish MP Leyla Gàºven started the hunger strikes in November 2019, and on 26 May — her 200th day without food — she announced…
(2019-05-26). 'Time for some statue removals?' Twitter reacts to MLK sex life claims, rape comments. rt.com 
US civil rights icon Martin Luther King Jr. allegedly "looked on and laughed" as a Baptist minister friend raped a woman, according to FBI records accessed by an American historian.
(2019-05-25). Philippines: Expect the people's resistance to rise further. fightbacknews.org Fight Back News Service is circulating the following May 22 statement by Jose Maria Sison, the National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP) Chief Political Consultant. | Expect the people's resistance to rise further against the escalation of oppression and exploitation | As a result of his rigging the May 13 elections, Duterte has more than two-thirds majority in the Senate and is in a position to dictate the realization of his fascist dictatorship through charter change to bogus federalism and declare martial law nationwide at his whim. | Foreign monopoly capitalism, domestic feudalism and bureaucratic c…
(2019-05-25). Virginia Prisons Putting Up Obstacles to Ramadan Observance. theintercept.com For the last three weeks, Muslims around the world have been observing the month of Ramadan by fasting from food and drink from dawn to sunset — a period of about 16 to 18 hours in the United States. The six to eight non-fasting hours, then, are an important time to recharge and rehydrate. Yet in at least two Virginia state prisons, according to civil rights groups, Muslims are being denied basic rights, despite constitutional protections and federal laws around religious freedom. | In one Virginia prison, Muslims known to be fasting are not being served breakfast before sunrise, while at another prison, Mu…
(2019-05-24). When President Trump Rejects Congressional Subpoenas, He Rejects the Constitution and the Powers It Gave Congress. aclu.org What President Trump objects to so strenuously is nothing more than a system of accountability. | President Trump really, really doesn't like the fact that congressional committees are investigating him. On Wednesday, he was so mad that he stormed out of a meeting with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi about critically needed infrastructure legislation after only three minutes, much like the proverbial boy who takes the football home if he loses a disputed call. | Trump's tantrum reflects the fact that the American people and their representatives are getting closer to seeing behind the curtain of secrecy that Trump has…
(2019-05-24). Alabama Is Trying to Ban Abortion. Today We Filed Suit to Stop Them. aclu.org Abortion is a right and this attack on abortion rights won't succeed. | Last week, Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey signed legislation banning nearly all abortions. The law, which threatens doctors with up to 99 years in prison for performing abortions, is the anti-abortion opposition's true agenda on display: ban abortion, jail doctors, and push this essential health care out of reach. | These are undoubtedly dark times in the fight for reproductive freedom as Alabama and states across the South and Midwest aggressively push to place such onerous restrictions on abortion so that the procedure is all but rendered inaccessib…
(2019-05-24). DHS Is Locking Immigrants in Solitary Confinement. aclu.org As ICE detention numbers reach record high, new reports are extremely troubling. | In 2012, I visited the federal supermax prison ADX Florence in Colorado and spoke with men living in solitary confinement. I listened closely to their stories of anguish, but I could not understand how they survived it. They told me of the horror of being trapped in a small room, without access to fresh air or sunlight, for at least 22 hours a day — alone, afraid, and not knowing when it would end. I learned that people in solitary confinement talk to the walls, to themselves, to no one — sometimes they stop talking alt…
(2019-05-24). US abortion rights attacks escalate. greenleft.org.au 
Legislative attacks on abortion rights in the US have escalated this year, as social conservatives have shifted tactics with an unprecedented wave of state abortion bans adopted. | The most restrictive legislation was signed into law by Alabama's governor on May 15. It bans abortion altogether, except for cases of medical emergency. Pregnancy resulting from sexual assault is no exception and doctors performing abortions are criminalised with penalties of up to 99 years in jail. | On May 7, Georgia became the fourth state this year (after Kentucky, Mississippi and Ohio) to sign into law an abortion ban from t…
(2019-05-24). The mainstream media is exploiting 'veganism' for clicks in an article about serious child neglect. thecanary.co British media reported that Swedish parents were convicted for "gross negligence" after their child became dangerously malnourished. But headlines have focused on the family's plant-based diet. And by doing so, the media is pushing myths about veganism. | "VEGAN": | A court in Gothenburg, Sweden, jailed two paren…
(2019-05-24). Jeremy Scahill: New Indictment of Assange Is Part of a Broader War on Journalism & Whistleblowers. democracynow.org 
The Espionage Act charges filed against Julian Assange mark just the latest attempt by the Trump administration to criminalize journalism and whistleblowers. Army whistleblower Chelsea Manning is back in jail for refusing to testify before a grand jury. Two weeks ago, drone whistleblower Daniel Hale was arrested in Tennessee. We air a new video by The Intercept titled "Why You Should Care About Trump's War on Whistleblowers," featuring Jeremy Scahill. We also speak to Scahill and Pentagon Papers whistleblower Daniel Ellsberg about how the corporate media has failed to stand up for Assange and others.
(2019-05-24). Daniel Ellsberg: Espionage Charges Against Assange Are Most Significant Attack on Press in Decades. democracynow.org 
As the Justice Department charges WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange with 17 counts of violating the Espionage Act, we speak to Pentagon Papers whistleblower Daniel Ellsberg. In 1971, he was charged with violating the Espionage Act for leaking a top-secret report on U.S. involvement in Vietnam to The New York Times and other publications. At the time, Ellsberg faced over 100 years in prison. He tells Democracy Now!, "There hasn't actually been such a significant attack on the freedom of the press … since my case in 1971."
(2019-05-24). MintCast Episode 3: Iran, Chelsea Manning, ElectionGuard and the Embassy Protection Collective. mintpressnews.com MinCast hosts Alan MacLeod and Whitney Webb discuss the week's top stories, including U.S. attempt to escalate the situation in Iran, the unjust re-imprisonment of Chelsea Manning, Microsoft's new ElectionGuard product and get a first-hand account of the Venezuelan Embassy Protection Collective from Alex Rubenstein.
(2019-05-23). An Outright Reversal of Roe V. Wade Isn't All We Should Fear. aclu.org The anti-abortion movement can decimate the right to abortion even without getting it overturned. | Across the country, people are talking about abortion as legislatures in the South and Midwest mount a full-scale attack on our reproductive freedom. Naturally, people are stressed and angry. I am too. I've been fighting to protect abortion access for more than 25 years. | I'm worried about the future of Roe v. Wade — deeply worried. But I'm worried about more than that. I'm worried that the courts will gut the right to abortion and that there won't be an ou…
(2019-05-22). We're Suing Maricopa County Attorney Bill Montgomery to Release the Records He's Hiding From Arizonans. aclu.org Prosecutorial transparency serves everyone. But in Maricopa County, Arizona, secrecy trumps transparency, and the people suffer for it. | Maricopa County Attorney Bill Montgomery claims to be a big believer in data. As reported last year, Montgomery has blocked effective, commonsense criminal justice reform proposals from becoming law in part by criticizing them as having "no data to support" them, and as being "pet projects" "base…
(2019-05-22). CONTACT YOUR HOUSE MEMBER TO "VOTE YEA" FOR H.R. 1500, THE "CONSUMERS FIRST ACT" TODAY! naacp.org The NAACP worked with friends, colleagues, the Obama Administration and coalition partners on Capitol Hill, to create The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) as part of the 2010 Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act. It was crafted to help consumers navigate the often-complicated world of finances; to ensure that high-cost, unsustainable loans of …
(2019-05-21). How the 'war on gangs' feeds mass incarceration. liberationnews.org 
Why gang databases and raids are not a solution.
(2019-05-21). U.S. HOUSE PASSES THE NAACP-SUPPORTED EQUALITY ACT. naacp.org On May 17, 2019, by a bipartisan vote of 236 yeas to 173 nays the U.S. House voted to approve and send to the Senate H.R. 5, the NAACP-supported Equality Act. We must now do all we can to ensure the U.S. Senate takes up and passes the Equality Act as soon as possible, so …
(2019-05-20). Alabama's Abortion Ban Is a Political Stunt That Will Cost Its Taxpayers. aclu.org The draconian law is a flagrantly unconstitutional attack on more than 40 years of established Supreme Court precedent. | This piece originally appeared at the Alabama Political Reporter. | For years, the Alabama legislature has been passing laws that push abortion out of reach. Now politicians have finally shown their true colors and are trying to ban abortion outright. | On Wednesday, Governor Ivey signed H.B. 314 — one of the most extreme attacks on the ri…
(2019-05-20). What's Trending: Black News Recap. naacp.org 
Washington Post: Billionaire Robert F. Smith pledges to pay off Morehouse College Class of 2019‚Ä≤s student loans Smith told the graduates how he launched his lucrative career. He gave them wise words on grit and success. Then he deviated from his prepared remarks. "My family is going to create a grant to …
(2019-05-17). NAACP and Civil Rights Groups Hold Rally on the 65th Anniversary of Brown v. Board. naacp.org 
On May 16, NAACP along with civil rights organizations and members of Congress held a rally on Capitol Hill to make the promise of Brown v. Board of Education a reality for all. In honor of the 65th anniversary of Brown v. Board of Education, speakers addressed the still urgent struggle for education equity as well …
(2019-05-16). Chelsea Manning Faces More Jail And Steep Fines To Force Compliance With Grand Jury Subpoena. shadowproof.com *Listen to the story by clicking the above player. Unable to break Chelsea Manning's spirit by jailing her, the United States escalated efforts to force her to testify before a grand jury investigating WikiLeaks by imposing steep financial penalties. Judge Anthony Trenga held Manning in civil contempt and ordered her…
(2019-05-15). Justice Department: If FDA Regulated Execution Drugs, They Would Ban Them. shadowproof.com The Justice Department's Office of Legal Counsel drafted an opinion that definitively argues the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) may not ban or regulate drugs used to execute prisoners. | As state governments that have yet to abolish the death penalty struggle to obtain drugs for lethal injections, a key issue is whether certain lethal injection protocols violate the Constitution's prohibition against cruel and unusual punishment. | Texas sued the FDA in 2017 after the agency blocked [ PDF] a shipment of lethal in…