(2019-07-25). Prison violence continues to soar as self-harming hits new high. thecanary.co 
Attacks on prison staff rose 15% in a year, while self-harm incidents in jails reached a new record level, official figures show.Assaults behind bars hit a new high of 34,425 in the 12 months to March 2019, up 11% from the previous year, and a rate of 415 incidents per 1,000 prisoners.There were 10,311 attacks on staff — the highest since comparable records began, a Ministry of Justice (MoJ) report showed.Of those, 1,002 assaults were classed as "serious" — such as those which require medical treatment or result in fractures, burns, or extensive bruising — an increase of 12% from 2017/18.The MoJ re…
(2019-07-25). Trump's Declaration of Inhuman Rights Includes Children in Migrant Jails. truthout.org | | Lately, I've been thinking about the Grimm's fairy tale, Hansel and Gretel. Terrified by cruel conditions at home, the brother and sister flee, winding their way, hungry and scared, through unknown woods. There, they encounter an old woman who lures them in with promises of safety. Instead, she locks one of them in a cage and turns the other into a servant, as she prepares to devour them both. | Written in nineteenth-century Germany, it should resonate eerily in today's America. In place of…
(2019-07-25). Modern-Day "Poll Taxes" Disenfranchise Millions of Low-Income Voters. truthout.org | | In 2018, Florida voters made history by approving an amendment to the state constitution restoring the right to vote to formerly incarcerated people with nonviolent felony convictions, overturning a Jim Crow-era law that disenfranchised an estimated 1.4 million potential voters. Low-income people and people of color are disproportionally criminalized, and Florida incarcerates more of its people than any single country on Earth. As a res…
(2019-07-25). Our Ruling Elites Have No Idea How Much We Want to See Them All in Prison Jumpsuits. globalresearch.ca Even the most distracted, fragmented tribe of the peasantry eventually notices that they're not in the top 1%, or the top 0.1%. | Let's posit that America will confront a Great Crisis in the next decade. This is the presumption of …
(2019-07-25). SPLC: Resuming barbaric practice of federal executions serves no useful purpose. splcenter.org The U.S. Department of Justice announced today that it plans to resume the executions of people who are awaiting the death penalty in federal prisons, ending nearly two decades in which the federal government had not imposed capital punishment.
(2019-07-25). Trump Admin Reinstates Federal Capital Punishment. telesurenglish.net The U.S. Justice Department announced Thursday it was reinstating a two-decades long-dormant policy to resume the federal government's use of capital punishment and immediately scheduled the executions for five death row federal inmates. | RELATED: | What's Hidden Behind the Walls of US Prisons? | "Congress has expressly authorized the death penalty through legislation adopted by the people's representatives in both houses of Congress and signed by the President," Attorney General William Barr…
(2019-07-25). Trump's DOJ Is Resuming the Death Penalty. Bernie Sanders Vows to Abolish It. truthout.org | | Sen. Bernie Sanders on Thursday vowed to abolish the death penalty at the federal level if elected president after news broke that Attorney General William Barr has directed the Bureau of Prisons to resume capital punishment for the first time in nearly two decades. | "There's enough violence in the world. The government shouldn't add to it," tweeted Sanders, the first 2020 Democratic presidential candidate to respond to the news. "When I am president, we will abolish the death penalty."
(2019-07-25). Puerto Rico: The people rise up against oppression and exploitation. greenleft.org.au The people of Puerto Rico have risen up and forced Governor Ricardo Rosselló to resign, writes Barry Sheppard.
(2019-07-25). Day of Action: Shut Down 850 Bryant at SF City Hall. indybay.org Front Steps of City Hall | San Francisco…
(2019-07-25). Sex workers thrown under bus in Latimer case. greenleft.org.au The case of the release from prison of repeat sex offender Edward William Latimer shines a light on WA's archaic laws which place sex workers in harm's way, writes Emma Softly.
(2019-07-24). Democrats to Seek More Russia Probe Information. truthdig.com 
WASHINGTON — The Latest on former special counsel Robert Mueller's congressional testimony on the Russia probe (all times local): | 6: 35 p.m. | House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerrold Nadler says his panel will file lawsuits this week to obtain more information about special counsel Robert Mueller's report and to enforce a subpoena against former White House counsel Donald McGahn. | Democrats have been preparing the lawsuits for weeks and were waiting until after Mueller's testimony on Wednesday. They will seek to obtain secret grand jury…
(2019-07-24). Trump Sues House Panel, NY, to Protect State Tax Returns. truthdig.com NEW YORK — Opening up another legal front against the Democrats investigating him, President Donald Trump on Tuesday sued the House Ways and Means Committee and New York state officials to prevent his state tax returns from being turned over to the congressional committee. | The lawsuit seeks an injunction to block the application of a new New York state law that could allow the Democratic-controlled House and Ways Means Committee to obtain the returns. The lawsuit, filed in Was…
(2019-07-24). Lawsuit Challenges Political Meddling in EPA Public Records Changes. commondreams.org ______________________________…
(2019-07-24). Mexico: Homicides in First Half of 2019 Reach Record Numbers. telesurenglish.net The number of killings continues to rise in Mexico with more than 17,000 homicides registered over the first six months of the year, reaching an all-time high in spite of the efforts made by the government of Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador to combat violence in the country. | RELATED: | Mexican Drug Lord 'El Chapo' Sentenced to Life in US prison | The problem of violence and insecurity is one — if not the main — challenge facing the administration of left-wing President AMLO,…
(2019-07-24). Trans people led the fight against HB2 in North Carolina. And we're winning. aclu.org Transgender people in North Carolina cannot be banned from facilities based on their gender under H.B. 2 replacement law. | It's been more than three years since North Carolina lawmakers passed House Bill 2, the hateful North Carolina law that compromised the ability of transgender people like me to safely navigate our daily lives. | As the lead plaintiff in the lawsuit the ACLU and Lambda Legal filed to stop this measure, I've spent the last three years fighting alongside LGBTQ North Carolinians and others to mitigate the harm caused by H.B. 2…
(2019-07-23). Libya: Renewed commitment to Mediterranean rescues encouraging, but 'overriding priority' must be 'lasting peace', say UN officials. un.org The heads of the two key UN agencies championing refugees and migrants have called for an end to their "arbitrary detention" across Libya, following an agreement on Tuesday by European Union countries to offer those fleeing across the Mediterranean a safe berth through a new distribution mechanism.
(2019-07-22). Arkansas Wants to Make Sure You Know 'Almonds Don't Lactate'. aclu.org An Arkansas law censoring plant-based products isn't just absurd and unnecessary, it's unconstitutional. | The state of Arkansas thinks you're confused about whether a veggie burger comes from a cow. In fact, it thinks you're so confused that it passed a law making it illegal for companies to use words like "meat," "roast," and "sausage" to describe products that are not made from animals. Under the law, it doesn't matter if those words are modified by "vegan…
(2019-07-22). Never Again: What about the Palestinians? dissidentvoice.org concentration camp: a guarded compound for the detention or imprisonment of aliens, members of ethnic minorities, political opponents, etc., especially any of the camps established by the Nazis prior to and during World War II for the confinement and persecution of prisoners.1 The people seeking a new life in the United States are mainly an …
(2019-07-22). Headlines for July 22, 2019. democracynow.org Iran Says It Has Captured and Killed Spies as Oil Tanker Standoff Intensifies, Trump Revs Up Racist Attacks on Squad as AOC Hits Back: "We're Not Going Anywhere", Heat Wave Grips U.S. as July on Track for Hottest Month Ever Recorded, Fire Breaks Out at Brooklyn Jail as Prisoners Face Dangerous Heat Without Relief, Puerto Ricans Continue Mass Protests as Gov. Rosselló Says He Will Not Seek Re-election, Boris Johnson Expected to Become New U.K. Prime Minister, Hong Kong Pro-Democracy Protesters Face Police Tear Gas and Violent Mob, Israel Begins Razing Palestinian Homes in Occupied Territories, Mueller to Testify B…
(2019-07-21). Justice Dept decision not to charge Eric Garner's killer sparks outrage. liberationnews.org 
In a blow to all who seek to keep their communities safe from hostile police, on July 1 the Federal government announced that Officer Daniel Pantaleo will not face any federal civil rights charges for murdering Eric Garner in Staten Island, New York, five years ago.
(2019-07-19). Headlines for July 19, 2019. democracynow.org 70 Catholics Arrested in Capitol Hill Protest of Trump's Immigration Policies, Asylum Seekers in Texas ICE Jail Launch Hunger Strike, House Democrats Grill Acting DHS Chief over Migrant Deaths and Squalid Jails, Rep. Ocasio-Cortez Confronts DHS Chief over Racist & Sexist Border Patrol Posts, Trump Disavows "Send Her Home" Chant After Racist Attacks on Rep. Ilhan Omar, Rep. Ilhan Omar Greeted in Minnesota with Chants of "Welcome Home", House Approves Minimum Wage Hike to $15 an Hour, Domestic Workers Bill of Rights Would Bring Overtime Pay, Union Rights, Trump to Nominate Anti-Union Lawyer Eugene Scalia as Labor S…
(2019-07-18). Thousands join vigil at Los Angeles detention center. liberationnews.org 
On July 12, members of ANSWER Coalition and the Party for Socialism and Liberation joined thousands of people for a vigil outside the Metropolitan Detention Center in Downtown Los Angeles.
(2019-07-18). The Dark Side of the Moon Mission. progressive.org "For that kind of money," Vonnegut cracked on the CBS Evening News, "the least [NASA] can do is discover God." Civil rights activists, anti-Vietnam War protesters and even top scientists were skeptical of the Apollo moon mission at the time.
(2019-07-17). SPLC sues Trump administration over new rule that makes migrants who pass through other countries ineligible for asylum. splcenter.org The SPLC and its partners filed a lawsuit and an emergency motion this week seeking to block a new Trump administration rule that categorically bars asylum for migrants who cross the southern border without applying for and being denied asylum in any country that they pass through on their way to the U.S.
(2019-07-17). "They Didn't Do Their Job": Eric Garner Family Outraged DOJ Won't Prosecute His Death by Police. democracynow.org 
It's been five years since Eric Garner, an African-American father of six, was killed when a white New York City police officer wrestled him to the ground and applied a fatal chokehold, while Garner, who was unarmed, said "I can't breathe" 11 times. On Tuesday, federal prosecutors announced they will not bring civil rights charges against Daniel Pantaleo, the police officer implicated in Garner's death. The move reportedly came after Attorney General William Barr ordered that the case be dropped. Earlier this year, a medical examiner testified that it was a chokehold that triggered an asthma attack that led to Ga…
(2019-07-17). Headlines for July 17, 2019. democracynow.org House Votes to Condemn Trump's Racist Tweets, Rep. Al Green Introduces Impeachment Articles, Kellyanne Conway to Reporter Asking About Trump's Racism: "What's Your Ethnicity?", Rights Groups File Lawsuits to Stop Trump's Draconian New Asylum Rule, White Police Officer Who Killed Eric Garner Will Not Face Federal Charges, Ex-Peruvian President Alejandro Toledo Arrested in California over Corruption Scandal, Press Freedom Advocates Call for Release of Yemeni Journalist Yahya al-Sawari, Planned Parenthood Removes President Dr. Leana Wen over Disagreements on Direction of Org., Organizations Say They Will Not Comply…
(2019-07-17). Free the children, close the camps. liberationnews.org 
Trump's racist statements against Mexicans and Central Americans is intended for one purpose: To stir up hatred of immigrants, to mobilize his base and deflect blame away from millionaires and billionaires, who are the real cause of the economic crisis and unemployment.
(2019-07-16). Migrants Are Fleeing Something Worse. progressive.org Clearly, if the appalling conditions in detention centers are an improvement from what they are fleeing, these migrants have a sufficient basis for seeking asylum in the United States.
(2019-07-16). 2020 Hopeful Julián Castro Vows to Break Up ICE & Calls Trump's New Asylum Rule Unconstitutional. democracynow.org 
As Trump faced national rebuke for his racist comments against four progressive congresswomen, his administration announced a new rule essentially banning most immigrants from seeking refuge in the United States. The rule, which the ACLU has already vowed to challenge in court, would deny asylum to any migrant who failed to apply for protection in another country they passed through on the way to the U.S. border—including children traveling alone. If enacted, the law would effectively block people from Honduras, El Salvador, Guatemala, as well as Haitians, Cubans and many people from African countries, who…
(2019-07-15). Author of 'Emanuel Nine' church massacre book to speak at Civil Rights Memorial Center. splcenter.org As the prosecution made its closing argument, photos of the nine people that Dylann Roof had shot to death in a Charleston, South Carolina, church appeared on the screen in bloody, gruesome detail.
(2019-07-15). Hundreds join united action in Palo Alto, Calif., to shut down Palantir Technologies for complicity with ICE. liberationnews.org 
In a great show of unity in action, more than a dozen groups from all over the San Francisco Bay Area joined together July 19 to protest at Palantir Technologies in Palo Alto for the company's provision of software facilitating ICE raids, detentions and deportations.
(2019-07-12). Pompeo's New 'Human Rights' Commission is Up To No Good. aclu.org The Trump administration appears to be trying to find new moral footing for the president's discriminatory policies. | This week, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo formally announced the creation of a "Commission on Unalienable Rights." Its stated purpose, according to a notice published in the Federal Register in May, is to provide "fresh thinking about human rights discourse where such discourse has departed from our nation's founding principles of natural law and natural rights." | Th…
(2019-07-11). Manuel Duran, journalist who reported on ICE, freed from detention. splcenter.org Manuel Duran, an investigative journalist who was detained after reporting on the collusion between U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and local law enforcement in Memphis, Tennessee, was released today from ICE detention and will be reunited with his fiancée.
(2019-07-11). CBP Can't Detain Domestic Flight Passengers for Refusing Suspicionless ID Checks. aclu.org 
The Constitution protects passengers deplaning domestic flights just as it protects people on the street or in a car. | In February 2017, two U.S. CBP officers stood on a jet bridge at New York's JFK Airport to meet Delta Flight 1583 as it taxied to the gate upon arrival from San Francisco. As passengers prepared to deplane, they were told by flight attendants — at the direction of the two officers — that all passengers would have to show identification documents to the officer…
(2019-07-03). I Spent 16 Months in Solitary Confinement and Now I'm Fighting to End It. aclu.org A new report proves that the degrading conditions in solitary confinement continue to harm people and communities. | I was just 17 years old when I was sent to solitary confinement in "Camp J," one of the most severe lockdown units at one of America's most brutal prisons, the Louisiana State Penitentiary at Angola. I languished in solitary for 16 months. | Back then I didn't know that Louisiana was the solitary confinement capital of the world. All I knew was that I'd been convicted of a crime I didn't commit, and I had to maintain my humanity in one of the most dehumanizing places on earth. | It's called "23 and…
(2019-07-03). Thousands of Voices Are Telling the Supreme Court: Don't Roll Back LGBTQ Rights. aclu.org Businesses, women CEOs, civil rights organizations, Republicans tell the Supreme Court to protect LGBTQ employees like Aimee Stephens and Don Zarda. | President Trump has told the Supreme Court it should be legal to fire someone just because they're LGBTQ. The President may be a bully, but he's just one voice. Today, more than 2,000 voices from across the country joined together to tell the Supreme Court: Don't roll back our rights. | The message came in the form of friend-of-the-court briefs—nearly 50 in all—filed in a…
(2019-07-02). SPLC sues Florida officials to keep citizens from losing right to vote again. splcenter.org After completing her prison sentence and probation time, Rosemary McCoy had her voting rights restored and cast a ballot in the Jacksonville, Florida, runoff city council election earlier this year.
(2019-06-28). Why the ACLU Is Suing Florida For Its New Poll Tax. aclu.org The law forces returning citizens with criminal records to pay for the right to vote. | On November 6, 2018, nearly 65 percent of Florida voters—more than 5 million people—resoundingly approved Amendment 4, restoring voting rights to over a million of their fellow citizens. By passing Amendment 4, Floridians successfully ushered in the largest expansion of the electorate in nearly 50 years. The people of Florida did it on their own, using a constitutional ballot initiative, to finally achieve change where Florida politicians had failed. | Instead of celebrating this progress, Florida politicians are t…
(2019-06-24). UN Human Rights Head Visits Venezuela, Meets Maduro and Guaido. venezuelanalysis.com Michelle Bachelet commented on access to food and medicine, allegations of political prisoners, and the impact of sanctions, among other issues.
(2019-06-21). Brian Mier on Brazilian Political Scandal. fair.org 
The Brazilian anti-corruption crusade, called Car Wash or Lava Jato, that put popular ex-president Lula da Silva in prison and paved the way for fascist president Jair Bolsanaro—all while being celebrated in the US corporate press—was actually, as critics contended, less interested in corruption than in keeping Lula's Workers Party out of power.