(2019-09-14). Drug Companies Seek to Disqualify Judge in Opioids Suits. truthdig.com 
CLEVELAND— Attorneys for eight drug distributors, pharmacies and retailers facing trial next month for their roles in the opioid crisis want to disqualify the federal judge overseeing their cases, saying he has shown bias in his effort to obtain a multibillion-dollar global settlement. | According to the motion filed late Friday in U.S. District Court in Cleveland, where Judge Dan Polster presides over most of the 2,000 lawsuits filed by state, local and tribal governments, the judicial code requires judges to recuse themselves when there is an appearance of prejudice or bias. | The attorneys wrote that Pol…
(2019-09-14). Sackler family behind OxyContin busted trying to hide $1bn as lawsuits over opioid crisis pile up. rt.com 
New York's attorney general has uncovered over $1 billion in wire transfers by the Sackler family and accused the OxyContin magnates of trying to shield their wealth from mounting lawsuits over their role in the opioid crisis. | The prodigious stash was discovered in the records of just one of the 33 financial institutions Attorney General Letitia James subpoenaed last month in an effort to trace the extent of the Purdue Pharma owners' wealth, James' office said in a statement on Friday. The money passed through several Swiss bank accounts, indicating the family may have tried to hide profits from the sale of…
(2019-09-14). British judge jails Assange indefinitely, despite end of prison sentence. wsws.org The ruling, which confines Assange to prison indefinitely, is the latest in a series of attacks on his legal and democratic rights by the British judiciary.
(2019-09-14). The Prosecution Against Julian Assange: Where 2020 Presidential Candidates Stand. theantimedia.com Julian Assange has been jailed since April 11, when Ecuador authorities revoked his political asylum and British authorities arrested him.
(2019-09-14). New Hearing to be Held for Peruvian Opposition Leader. telesurenglish.net Peru's Constitutional Court (CC) will hold a hearing Sept. 25 regarding the appeal filed by opposition leader Keiko Fujimori whose lawyers are seeking to annul the legislator's preventive detention that has kept her in prison since late October 2018 on allegations of corruption. | RELATED: | Us Judge Keeps Peru Ex-President in Prison to Wife's Protest | The date was announced Friday by Constitutional Court President Ernesto Blume one day after the court reduced Fujimori's pretrial…
(2019-09-14). Yemen Was Called the Forgotten War, but Activists Are Refusing to Forget. truthout.org | | Janine Jackson: When observers who have spent years in war-rocked places describe events as "staggering," you know you're talking about a disturbing new order. That's how the UN humanitarian coordinator in Yemen responded to the September 1 bombing by Saudi Arabia of a detention center in southwest Yemen that killed more than 100 people, some believed to be prisoners of war. And yet this h…
(2019-09-14). Russia, Ukraine carry out high-profile prisoner exchange. wsws.org The prisoner exchange was strongly backed by France and Germany with media reports suggesting that French President Emmanuel Macron, in particular, played a central role.
(2019-09-13). Huffman Gets 14 Days Behind Bars in College Admissions Scam. truthdig.com 
BOSTON — "Desperate Housewives" star Felicity Huffman was sentenced Friday to 14 days in prison for paying $15,000 to rig her daughter's SAT scores in the college admissions scandal that ensnared dozens of wealthy and well-connected parents. | Huffman, 56, became the first of 34 parents to be sentenced in the case. She was also given a $30,000 fine, 250 hours of community service and a year of supervised release. | Before sentencing, she tearfully described her daughter asking why Huffman didn't trust her. | Related Articles: …
(2019-09-13). Uncensored Tony Serra: Consummate Criminal Defense Lawyer. counterpunch.org 
"In the 1960s I was dropping acid and doing cases pro-bono and decided then and there that I didn't want to own things. In that sense I'm a Marxist. I've been in jail three times for not paying taxes. I've always helped prisoners. There's usually a long line of people waiting to see me for More
(2019-09-13). NYC: Fight continues for 'No new jails!'. liberationnews.org 
"It's up to us to keep the pressure on these shameless, opportunistic politicians, hold them accountable, and fight back!"
(2019-09-13). Felicity Huffman's 14-DAY sentence shows you can get away with ANYTHING if you're rich & famous. rt.com 
That actress Felicity Huffman will go to jail for only 14 days over college entrance fraud shows there are really two justice systems in the US: one for the rich, famous and politically correct — and another for everyone else. | The 'Desperate Housewives' star pleaded guilty to paying $15,000 to falsify her daughter Sophia's SAT — a college admissions test — and was sentenced to two weeks in jail, 250 hours of community service, a $30,000 fine and a year of supervised release. Altogether, a slap on the wrist to a Hollywood celebrity. | Judge Indira Talwani has sentenced Felicity Huffman to 14 d…
(2019-09-13). Pamela Anderson defends Julian Assange: "Journalism is not a crime!" wsws.org In an interview with the World Socialist Web Site, actress Pamela Anderson says imprisoned journalist Julian Assange is "depending on all of us to save him."
(2019-09-13). The War in Eastern Ukraine May be Coming to an End But Do Any Americans Care? counterpunch.org On Saturday September 7, Russia and Ukraine agreed to a prisoner swap which has brought hope of improved relations between the two countries and an end to the 5-year long conflict in Eastern Ukraine. A peace accord is being planned for later this month in Normandy involving Ukraine, Russia, France and Germany. Ukraine's newly elected More
(2019-09-13). The Prison Industry in the United States: Big Business or a New Form of Slavery? globalresearch.ca This incisive and carefully researched article was first published by Global Research eleven years ago in March 2008. | In recent developments, California has adopted legislation which bans the private prison industry from operating in the state. | "The move will probably …
(2019-09-13). Thousands of Poor Patients Face Lawsuits From Nonprofit Hospitals. truthdig.com This article was originally published on ProPublica and produced in partnership with MLK50, a member of the ProPublica Local Reporting Network. | ProPublica is a nonprofit newsroom that investigates abuses of power. Sign up for ProPublica's Big Story newsletter to receive stories like this one in your inbox as soon as they are published. | Investigative re…
(2019-09-13). Challenging the NDP on Palestine During the Election Campaign. dissidentvoice.org Last week I interrupted Jagmeet Singh at a public event to criticize the NDP's suppression of Palestine solidarity activism. Holding a placard with the words "Jagmeet, Palestinian Lives Matter", I demanded the NDP leader apologize for overturning the vote of members who elected Rana Zaman to represent the Dartmouth-Cole Harbour ridding because she defended Palestinians …
(2019-09-13). West Papua: End Australian and US training of Indonesian military. greenleft.org.au 
civil rights Peter BoyleIssue 1237 Australia West Papua independence Indonesian repressionSeptember 13, 2019″We are winning the struggle with Indonesia," said Benny Wenda, chair of the…
(2019-09-13). Pedophile Priest Sentenced to 30 Years of Prison in US. telesurenglish.net A former Catholic priest who sexually abused an 11-year-old boy in the early 1990s in New Mexico and was extradited to the United States from Morocco, was sentenced Friday to 30 years in prison. | RELATED: | Sex Abuse Crusaders Graduate from Vatican University | Federal judge, Martha Vazquez gave the former religious leader, Arthur Perrault, the maximum sentence possible after a jury found him guilty last April. | Perrault, now 81, sexually abused a then 11-year-old altar boy at the Sa…
(2019-09-12). Marca Bristo leaves behind a legacy of disability justice. peoplesworld.org 
After a long battle with cancer, disability justice pioneer Marca Bristo passed away this week. The veteran community organizer was one of the key players in drafting and passing the Americans with Disabilities Act, civil rights legislation that prohibits discrimination against people with disabilities. Bristo also founded Access Living, a Chicago-based disability rights organization that …
(2019-09-12). 48 States to Investigate Google: Anti-Trust or Politicking? therealnews.com 
While there are real reasons to be concerned about Google's immense power, this investigation is quite politically motivated, explains former financial regulator Bill Black…
(2019-09-12). California Outlaws For-Profit Prisons Including ICE Facilities. telesurenglish.net California lawmakers passed a bill Wednesday to ban for-profit prisons and migrant detention facilities to operate in the state. | RELATED: | US: Protests Against Salvadoran Deportation, Child with Cancer | California's governor Gavin Newsom still has to sign the bill under which the contracts of private prisons companies with the…
(2019-09-12). Trump Condemned for Refusing to Grant Protected Status to Dorian Victims. truthout.org | | Reports late Wednesday that the Trump administration will not offer Temporary Protected Status to Bahamians displaced by Hurricane Dorian drew outrage from lawmakers and rights advocates, who condemned the decision as an inhumane…
(2019-09-12). Us Judge Keeps Peru Ex-President in Prison to Wife's Protest. telesurenglish.net Former first lady of Peru, Eliane Karp, was dragged out of a San Francisco courtroom Thursday by authorities as she cursed a judge's decision to keep her husband, ex-president Alejandro Toledo, in jail pending extradition proceedings. | RELATED: | Former Peruvian President Alejandro Toledo Arrested in US | Toledo, 73, has been held in a California prison since July under a judge's orders because he's considered a flight risk after the was arrested by United States FBI agents with a…
(2019-09-12). France Finds Saudi Crown Prince's Sister Guilty in Beating Case. telesurenglish.net A Saudi princess was found guilty by a French court Thursday of beating a workman inside her luxury flat in Paris. | RELATED: | Dozens of Palestinians Forcibly Disappeared in Saudi Arabia: NGO Warns | Princess Hassa bint Salman, the daughter of King Salman bin Abdul-Aziz, was found to be complicit in violence with a deadly weapon and complicit in the kidnapping of a workman in her flat. | The French court sentenced the Saudi princess to a ten-month suspended prison sentence…
(2019-09-12). In Chicago, Survivors of Police Violence Heal Through Song. truthout.org | | Over a slice of caramel cake on a Tuesday evening last month, Mark Clements shared his story with me. At the young age of 16, Clements was tortured into confessing to crimes he did not commit. He subsequently spent nearly 30 years in prison. | "You know," he began, settling back into his chair, "when I went to prison, sister, I couldn't read that word right there." He pointed to a bulletin board behind me. The word displayed was "love." | "As a kid, you go into the prison system naive," Clements continue…
(2019-09-12). Stop Jailing Kids: Australian Boy Pleads UN Human Rights Body. telesurenglish.net A 12-year-old Indigenous boy from Australia's Northern Territory addressed the United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva Wednesday during the 42nd session, appealing to its members to help bring an end to the jailing of children in Australia. | RELATED: | 'Can't Feel My Heart': Caged Migrant Children Face PTSD Report Warns | "I want adults to stop putting 10-year-old kids in jail," Dujuan Hoosan said before the council, becoming the youngest person to speak at the U.N. body. | In his speec…
(2019-09-11). Nationalism, borders, and the state. mronline.org 
Last summer, protesters in Oregon set up a makeshift camp outside the Portland office of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). Similar encampments soon spread across the country, from Chicago to Los Angeles and New York. Horrified by stories of family separation and images of children in detention centers along the southern border, a consequence of […] | Source
(2019-09-11). Incarcerated Pregnant Women Face Enormous Challenges With Few Reproductive Rights. therealnews.com 
Kimberly Haven, Reproductive Justice Inside Coalition Director, talks about the horror stories from pregnant women in prisons that were originally designed for men. Haven talks about what needs to change to protect women and their unborn children that will eventually come home to the community.
(2019-09-11). The War in Eastern Ukraine May be Coming to an End but Do Any Americans Care? dissidentvoice.org 
On Saturday September 7, Russia and Ukraine agreed to a prisoner swap which has brought hope of improved relations between the two countries and an end to the 5-year long conflict in Eastern Ukraine. A peace accord is being planned for later this month in Normandy involving Ukraine, Russia, France and Germany. Ukraine's newly elected …
(2019-09-11). Being Black is Not a Crime: Yunek's Story of Police Brutality. aclu.org A personal story of police brutality at the hands of the police in Peoria, Illinois. | My name is Yunek Moore. I am a Black woman, a college graduate, and a survivor of police brutality. I'm choosing to tell my story because, sadly, this wasn't the last time something like this happened to a person of color in Peoria, Illinois, and that must change. | On June 4, 2013, I was a happy 17-year-old looking forward to attending college at Millikin University. I had just graduated high school, where I was ranked 11th in my entire class and spoke at graduation as one of my final duties as Senior Class President. | That n…
(2019-09-11). UN report on Syria conflict highlights inhumane detention of women and children. un.org As the people of north-west Syria face intensifying violence, tens of thousands of women and children continue to be kept in "inhumane conditions" in a remote camp on the other side of the country, UN-appointed independent investigators said on Wednesday.
(2019-09-11). Chrystul Kizer bail reduction and justice denied. fightbacknews.org Kenosha, WI – When Cyntoia Brown's case was brought forward to the media, there was a large public outcry for justice. How could a victim of human trafficking be imprisoned for killing her rapist and trafficker? Unfortunately, her case is not novel. Chrystul Kizer, a Milwaukee native, has been charged with multiple counts for defending herself against a sexual predator, Randall Volar III. | Only 17 years old at the time of the incident, Kizer's case is incredibly similar to Cyntoia Brown's. Even more concerning is the fact that they were young, Black teenagers, charged with killing older white males who had sexua…
(2019-09-11). Chrystul Kizer bail reduction and justice denied. fightbacknews.org Kenosha, WI – When Cyntoia Brown's case was brought forward to the media, there was a large public outcry for justice. How could a victim of human trafficking be imprisoned for killing her rapist and trafficker? Unfortunately, her case is not novel. Chrystul Kizer, a Milwaukee native, has been charged with multiple counts for defending herself against a sexual predator, Randall Volar III. | Only 17 years old at the time of the incident, Kizer's case is incredibly similar to Cyntoia Brown's. Even more concerning is the fact that they were young, Black teenagers, charged with killing older white males who had sexua…
(2019-09-10). NRA sues San Francisco after city brands it a 'domestic terrorist organization'. rt.com 
The National Rifle Association (NRA) is taking the city of San Francisco to court over a recent resolution calling it a domestic terrorist entity and discouraging businesses from dealing with it. | The powerful gun lobbying organization, which has borne the brunt of liberal anger in the wake of mass shootings that have rattled the US over the past several years, has filed a complaint against the City and County of San Francisco and its super…
(2019-09-08). UN chief welcomes prisoner exchange between Russia and Ukraine. un.org United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres welcomed on Sunday, yesterday's exchange of prisoners and detainees between Russia and Ukraine.
(2019-09-07). Texas protest says "No kids in cages" fightbacknews.org Arlington, TX – 60 people showed up at a protest organized by the Progressive Student Union (PSU) at the University of Texas at Arlington, September 4, against the Trump administration's change to of policy on the detention of undocumented children. | Mark Napieralski, an organizer from the Progressive Student Union, spoke about how the Flores Agreement banned holding children indefinitely – and how the Trump administration is moving to keep children in indefinite detention in concentration camps along the southern border. | Speakers at the rally included Minister Katie Hays from the Galileo Church and Harold Ch…
(2019-09-07). Texas protest says "No kids in cages" fightbacknews.org Arlington, TX – 60 people showed up at a protest organized by the Progressive Student Union (PSU) at the University of Texas at Arlington, September 4, against the Trump administration's change to of policy on the detention of undocumented children. | Mark Napieralski, an organizer from the Progressive Student Union, spoke about how the Flores Agreement banned holding children indefinitely – and how the Trump administration is moving to keep children in indefinite detention in concentration camps along the southern border. | Speakers at the rally included Minister Katie Hays from the Galileo Church and Harold Ch…
(2019-09-06). End religious discrimination. greenleft.org.au 
civil rightsIssue 1236 Australia religious discrimination bill LGBTI MelbourneSeptember 6, 2019A rally against the proposed religious exemptions bill was held in Melbourne on August 31. | The bill wo…
(2019-09-06). Robert Mugabe, Ousted Zimbabwean President & Liberation Leader, Dies at 95. democracynow.org 
Zimbabwe's first post-independence leader, Robert Mugabe, has died at the age of 95. In 1963, he helped found the Zimbabwe African National Union in an effort to liberate the country from decades of white-minority rule. He was jailed from 1963 to 1974. Once freed, Mugabe became a leader of the liberation movement which successfully led to the formation of an independent Zimbabwe in 1979. He became Zimbabwe's first prime minister in 1980, but he would continue ruling the country for the next 37 years. While Mugabe has been hailed as one of the most significant anti-colonial leaders of the 20th century, he was wide…
(2019-09-05). Was the imprisonment of Iranian-American journalist Marzieh Hashemi spun into expanded US sanctions? thegrayzone.com The relationship between former Air Force analyst-turned-Iranian spy Monica Witt and Hashemi — who was jailed by US authorities this…
(2019-09-05). Judge blocks ICE from denying parole to asylum-seekers. splcenter.org A federal judge ordered the Trump administration today to change its blanket policy of locking up people lawfully seeking asylum in the United States as a lawsuit filed by the SPLC and the American Civil Liberties Union of Louisiana makes its way through the federal courts.
(2019-09-04). Civil rights conference featuring renowned activist Angela Davis to gather in Chicago this November. fightbacknews.org Chicago, IL – Founded in 1973 as an organization that grew out of the movement to free the wrongfully imprisoned Angela Davis and other political prisoners, the National Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression is set to relaunch this November. This refounding, led by the Chicago Alliance against Racist and Political Repression (CAARPR) and other organizations, will be taking place in Chicago, Illinois on November 22-24 at the Chicago Teachers' Union Hall. | The organizers' main objectives for this conference are to continue to build the struggle for police accountability as well as stand in solidari…
(2019-09-04). Civil rights conference featuring renowned activist Angela Davis to gather in Chicago this November. fightbacknews.org Chicago, IL – Founded in 1973 as an organization that grew out of the movement to free the wrongfully imprisoned Angela Davis and other political prisoners, the National Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression is set to relaunch this November. This refounding, led by the Chicago Alliance against Racist and Political Repression (CAARPR) and other organizations, will be taking place in Chicago, Illinois on November 22-24 at the Chicago Teachers' Union Hall. | The organizers' main objectives for this conference are to continue to build the struggle for police accountability as well as stand in solidari…
(2019-09-04). Nigerian Journalist & Activist Omoyele Sowore Remains Jailed for Calling for Peaceful Protests. democracynow.org 
Journalist and pro-democracy activist Omoyele Sowore is entering his second month in jail for calling for peaceful nationwide protests against the government. Sowore called his movement "Revolution Now" and mobilized activists to take to the streets August 5. But just two days before the protests were set to begin, Sowore was arrested by the state and accused of attempting to take over the government. He's been imprisoned for more than a month now as human rights groups continue to call for his immediate release. We speak with his wife Opeyemi Sowore and Nani Jansen Reventlow, one of the attorneys representing Om…
(2019-09-03). No' Money, Mo' Problems: Militiaman's Fundraising Plea Devolves into Lawsuit and Mistrust. splcenter.org The jailed militiaman had an interesting fundraising appeal.
(2019-09-03). A New York Jail Forced a Trans Woman Into a Men's Facility. aclu.org Trans women routinely face harassment and discrimination in jails and prisons. | Jena Faith's experience in the Steuben County Jail was a living nightmare. | The military veteran spent four weeks in the jail awaiting trial last spring. She was initially housed in the jail's women's facility without incident, but things changed when officials suddenly transferred her to the men's facility, despite the fact that she is a woman. | During the weeks that Jena spent as a woman in a men's jail, she was routinely targeted with physical and verbal harassment from other incarcerated people and guards. On her first day in t…
(2019-08-29). The Growing Push for Politicians to #VisitAPrison. progressive.org "It's our job. We represent them too. So whether or not they're enfranchised or disenfranchised, we are still their representative."
(2019-08-29). Taxpayers Have Been Ordered to Pay Over $2 Million For Discriminating Against LGBTQ People. aclu.org Government officials should know that discrimination comes with a cost to taxpayers. | Last week, a federal appeals court ruled that the Commonwealth of Kentucky was liable for $224,000 for the actions of Kim Davis, who refused to do her job and issue marriage licenses (to same-sex or different-sex couples) as county clerk. | While Davis' story made national headlines, her case isn't the only one in the past year where a court case filed by the ACLU has led to a bill for discriminatio…
(2019-08-27). Stripped of Their Rights. aclu.org In 2011, guards at an Illinois prison violated the constitution when they carried out a mass strip-search of incarcerated women. | In March 2011, a tactical team of guards at a state prison in Lincoln, Illinois gathered 200 women and ushered them into a gymnasium, where they were brought in small groups into a separate room nearby. Inside that room, they were told to strip naked in plain view of other guards, cadets, and civilians, without any explanation. Women on their periods were ordered to remove their tampons and sanitary pads. One-by-one, each woman was ordered to lift her breasts, cough and squat, and dis…
(2019-08-27). New Resource Tool Sheds Light on Government's Prepublication Review System. aclu.org Millions of current and former government employees are subjected to this far-reaching censorship system. | This piece was originally published in Just Security. | For more than three years, the American Civil Liberties Union and the Knight First Amendment Institute at Columbia University have been litigating a series of Freedom of Information Act requests relating to "prepublication review." Under this far-reaching censorship system, millions of current and former government employees, con…