(2019-10-07). Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe questions detention as Australians freed from Iran. thecanary.co 
Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe has asked why she is still incarcerated in Iran more three years after being detained — after Australia secured the release of two citizens from the country last week.Jolie King, a dual British-Australian citizen, and her Australian boyfriend Mark Firkin were returned to Australia last week, some three months after being arrested.The couple, who had been blogging and vlogging on their extended journey across Asia, were arrested on spying charges after flying a drone near a military base, Iranian officials confirmed.Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, the British-Iranian woman jailed in Iran…
(2019-10-07). With Rikers Island Jail to Close, Activists Fight Against Four New Jails. therealnews.com 
Eddie Conway speaks to Brittany Williams and Ngozi Alston from No New Jails NYC about the four new jails planned for construction in New York in 2020, which have $11 billion earmarked for their construction and will be the tallest jails in the world. They say these will continue the legacy of mass incarceration.
(2019-10-07). Julian Assange's life is in danger! wsws.org John Shipton, the father of WikiLeaks' founder Julian Assange, has warned that his son "may die" as a result of the conditions under which he is being imprisoned in Belmarsh Prison in London.
(2019-10-07). Supreme Court Will Decide If Workers Can Be Fired for Being Trans or LGBQ. truthout.org | | On October 8, the Supreme Court will hear arguments on whether it is legal to fire workers for being trans, and whether it is legal to fire workers for being LGBQ. | Aimee Stephens, a funeral director, lost her job when she told her boss she was a transgender woman. Don Zarda, a sky diving instructor, and Gerald Bostock, an advocate for abused and neglected children, were both fired for being gay…
(2019-10-07). Two women face 110 years in prison for attempting to sabotage the Dakota Access pipeline. nationofchange.org Two Catholic worker activists have been indicted on charges for their efforts to try and stop the Dakota Access pipeline. If found guilty, the women face up to 110 years in prison as well as hundreds of thousands of dollars in fines. | Two years ago Ruby Montoya and Jessica Reznicek confessed to acts of sabotage on the Dakota Access pipeline, including damaging pipeline vale sites using a welding torch. The women claimed that the actions were necessary to protect the rivers and waterways that the pipline's construction threatened. According to The Intercept, the woman reported that they had "no choice but to a…
(2019-10-07). Judge Rules, Winnemem Wintu and WATER Prepare for Appeal in Siskiyou County CEQA Lawsuit. counterpunch.org Mt. Shasta, CA The Siskiyou Superior Court, on August 29, 2019, issued a Statement of Decision on Writ in the case of We Advocate Thorough Environmental Review (W.A.T.E.R.) and the Winnemem Wintu Tribe (WWT) v. Siskiyou County and Crystal Geyser Water Company, denying the Petitioners' challenge. The Petitioners, W.A.T.E.R. and WWT, had challenged the validity More
(2019-10-07). "We Have to Mass Mobilize": Laverne Cox & Chase Strangio Sound the Alarm on Major LGBTQ SCOTUS Cases. democracynow.org 
At the start of its new term, the U.S. Supreme Court will hear arguments on Tuesday in three cases to determine whether LGBTQ people can be fired from their jobs due to their sexual orientation or gender identity. Under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act, employers cannot discriminate against employees on the basis of sex, as well as race, color, national origin and religion, but the Trump administration claims the law does not cover discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity. The cases mark the first time the Supreme Court will rule on LGBTQ rights since conservative Justice Brett Kavanaugh re…
(2019-10-07). Unions to Supreme Court: Ban all employers' discrimination against LGBTQ people. peoplesworld.org 
WASHINGTON—The nation's largest unions and the nation's largest labor federation are backing a ban on employer discrimination against lesbian-gay-bisexual-transgender people — a ban bosses are challenging in top cases at the U.S. Supreme Court. And the Oct. 8 argument over whether bosses can discriminate against and fire LGBTQ people solely because of their sexual orientation …
(2019-10-07). Laverne Cox and Chase Strangio Sound Alarm on Major LGBTQ Supreme Court Cases. truthout.org | | At the start of its new term, the U.S. Supreme Court will hear arguments on Tuesday in three cases to determine whether LGBTQ people can be fired from their jobs due to their sexual orientation or gender identity. Under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act, employers cannot discriminate against employees on the basis of sex, as well as race, color, national origin and religion, but the Trump administration claims the law does not cover discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender i…
(2019-10-06). EU Could Face Refugee Crisis Worst Than 2015: German Gov't. telesurenglish.net Europe may face a new refugee and migrant influx, Germany's Interior Minister Horst Seehofer said Sunday, urging the EU to support Greece and Turkey and to agree on a quota system. | RELATED: | Judge Blocks Trump's Migrant Child Detention Law | "We must do more to help our European partners with controls on the EU external borders. We have left them alone for too long," the minister told German Bild am Sonntag newspaper after visiting Greece and Turkey. | Seehofer, a member of the German co…
(2019-10-05). Legacy of the Sugar Land 95. workers.org 
The Sugar Land 95 are the 95 unnamed African-American people buried in unmarked graves in the city of that name, 30 miles south of Houston. The people were buried on property sold to the Fort Bend Independent School District (FBISD) by the Texas prison system. The graves were unearthed during . . . | Continue reading Legacy of the Sugar Land 95 at Workers.org
(2019-10-05). UN chief encouraged by release of Cameroon opposition leader. un.org The UN Secretary-General is encouraged by the release of the leader of the main opposition party in Cameroon. Maurice Kamto had spent the past nine months in jail following peaceful protests disputing the outcome of the October 2018 presidential election in which he was a candidate.
(2019-10-05). Bloody Outrage: How party politics is obscuring human rights violations in China. nationofchange.org Earlier this year, a United Nations international tribunal concluded that the illegal, widespread, and systematic practice of forced organ harvesting in China is still ongoing. | Despite the overwhelming evidence of China's on-demand killing of prisoners — many of which are members of peaceful groups that the Chinese government has deemed "prisoners of conscience" — the Chinese government has denied the claims. | Such extraordinary acts of violence on hundreds of thousands of victims should be front and center in the media. Unfortunately, it seems party politics in the United States is getting in t…
(2019-10-04). Fearful of Lula's Exoneration, His Once-Fanatical Prosecutors Request His Release From Prison. But Lula Refuses. theintercept.com 
Lula's accusers are desperately trying to get him out of prison, while he insists on staying there until he's fully exonerated.
(2019-10-04). Dakota Access Pipeline Activists Face 110 Years in Prison, Two Years After Confessing Sabotage. theintercept.com 
Two women who vandalized the Dakota Access pipeline in an effort to halt construction have been indicted on charges that carry up to 110 years in prison and hundreds of thousands of dollars in fines. They are among the harshest penalties environmental activists have faced in the last decade. | Civil liberties lawyers say the charges are in line with industry-inspired scare tactics meant to deter citizens from participating in direct-action protests or acts of sabotage against oil and gas companies. As the deadly impacts of carbon emissions grow ever clearer, the fossil fuel industry has increased pressure on lawm…
(2019-10-04). Former Dallas police officer gets 10 years after shooting neighbor in his home. peoplesworld.org 
A former Dallas police officer, Amber Guyger, was sentenced to serve ten years in prison on Wednesday afternoon. Guyger was arrested in September 2018 after she shot and killed Botham Jean, 26. Jean lived in the unit directly below Guyger's apartment, which she alleged led her to believe that an intruder had entered "her" home. …
(2019-10-04). US Supreme Court to Decide Fate Of Baltimore v. Big Oil Suit. therealnews.com 
The city sued 26 oil and gas companies over their role in the climate crisis, but the companies have appealed to the Supreme Court to stop the case from proceeding at the state level.
(2019-10-04). Labor unions to join national civil rights conference with Angela Davis in November. fightbacknews.org Chicago, IL – Unions are on the march in defense of their members across the country, with the autoworker strike against GM and strike authorization votes by teachers and other city employees in Chicago. Unions are also defending their members when they leave work and find their lives in danger from the very people paid to protect them: the police. | Labor is joining a new effort to hold the police accountable for the killing, wrongful conviction, and even torture of young Blacks and Latinos. On November 22-24, veteran human rights activist Angela Davis will be in Chicago to re-establish the National Alliance Ag…
(2019-10-04). Headlines for October 4, 2019. democracynow.org Trump Publicly Calls on Ukraine and China to Investigate the Bidens, Trump Discussed Campaign Rivals in June Call with China's Xi Jinping, FEC Chair: Illegal for Candidates to Solicit Foreign Help in U.S. Elections, Messages Detail How U.S. Officials Pressured Ukraine on Trump's Behalf, IRS Whistleblower: Treasury Official Tried to Interfere with Trump or Pence Tax Audit, Trump Administration to Collect DNA of All Immigrants Jailed in U.S., Iraq Death Toll at 44 as Violent Repression of Protests Continues, Honduran President Denies Narcotrafficking Ties as His Brother Faces U.S. Trial, Protests Rock Ecuador as IM…
(2019-10-03). Trump's War on Asylum-Seekers is Endangering Pregnant Women. aclu.org 
CBP officers are forcibly returning pregnant asylum-seekers to Mexico in violation of their own rules. | The view from the Matamoros, Mexico side of the Rio Grande — just across from Brownsville, Texas — reveals an unsettling scene. | Young women and children bathe openly in the murky green water, while others wash their clothes on the bank of the river that has claimed so many lives — most recently those of Idalia and her 21-month-old son Iker. This is the new painful reality of seeking asylum in the U…
(2019-10-03). Young Lords remember martyrs and march for the future. fightbacknews.org Chicago, IL – A standing room only crowd filled the Holy Covenant United Methodist Church on September 29 to commemorate Reverend Bruce Johnson and Eugenia Johnson. The reverend and his wife Eugenia were remembered for supporting the Young Lords and their role in the struggle against poverty, war and oppression. They were savagely murdered in their own home 50 years ago, stabbed to death, during a U.S. government campaign of repression known as COINTELPRO or the Counterintelligence Program. | Ministers of the United Methodist Church, the Bishop of Chicago's Episcopal Church and leaders from the Presbyterian McCo…
(2019-10-03). As Man Dies in ICE Custody, California Moves to Ban For-Profit Prisons, Including Immigrant Jails. democracynow.org 
A Cameroonian immigrant died this week in the custody of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement in California. The man, identified as 37-year-old Nebane Abienwi, died on Tuesday after suffering a brain hemorrhage. This comes as California lawmakers passed a bill last month that would ban private prisons statewide, a major blow to the for-profit prison industry in the U.S. that is deeply entangled in immigration detention. The legislation also orders the closure of four ICE prisons that can jail up to 4,500 immigrants. The bill is currently awaiting the signature of Governor Gavin Newsom, who said in his January…
(2019-10-03). Trump vs. California: In Blow to Climate, U.S. Revokes State's Stricter Auto Emissions Standards. democracynow.org 
California is in a legal battle with the Trump administration over tailpipe emissions, air quality and climate change. California recently joined nearly two dozen other states to file a lawsuit against the Trump administration after it revoked the state's air pollution standards for cars and light trucks, in its latest regulatory rollback of laws aimed at slowing the climate crisis. Auto emissions are California's single largest source of greenhouse gases. From Los Angeles, we're joined by Mary Nichols, the longtime chair of the California Air Resources Board. She has led the board in crafting California's intern…
(2019-10-03). Headlines for October 3, 2019. democracynow.org House Democrats Prepare White House Subpoena in Impeachment Probe, Trump Rages Against Impeachment Probe with Profanity and Insults, Bernie Sanders Has Surgery to Clear Blocked Artery, Deaths and Injuries Mount as Iraqi Police and Soldiers Fire on Protesters, EU Officials Wary as British PM Boris Johnson Unveils Brexit Plan , Hong Kong Teen Shot During Protests Charged with Assaulting Officer, Record-Breaking Hurricane Lorenzo Lashes Azores, Heads for Ireland, London Climate Protesters Spray British Treasury with Fake Blood, Cameroonian Asylum Seeker Dies in For-Profit Immigration Jail, Plácido Domingo Quits L.A.
(2019-10-03). Why Do Black People Always Have to Forgive? therealnews.com 
As Botham Jean's brother makes headlines for "forgiving" Amber Guyger, Real News hosts Jacqueline Luqman and Lisa Snowden-McCray discuss what Christian forgiveness in the face of oppression means.
(2019-10-01). Newark Water Crisis: Mayor Ras Baraka Responds to Critics & Promises City Is Working on Solution. democracynow.org 
Newark, New Jersey, city officials recently announced thousands of water filters handed out to residents have significantly reduced lead in drinking water to safe levels. Lead contamination has plagued the city for years, spiking even higher in 2019. Over the summer, the Natural Resources Defense Council filed a lawsuit against Newark, accusing it of violating federal safe drinking water laws. The crisis came to a head last month following revelations that water filters distributed to residents may not have been effective. Meanwhile, New Jersey officials have signed off on a $120 million bond with Essex County to…
(2019-09-27). Trump Announces Plan to Admit Fewer Refugees Than Any Previous President. aclu.org Another attack on Muslims and communities of color seeking safety. | The Trump administration yesterday announced its plan to admit 18,000 refugees this fiscal year, taking another step in its agenda to dismantle the program that has long provided protection for people and families seeking safety from persecution. This sickening announcement is consistent with Trump's attacks on refugees, Muslims, and immigrants across the board — particularly those who are Brown or Black. | The U.S. has long been a global leader in refugee admissions. By the end of the Obama administration, the United States' annual refuge…
(2019-09-27). The Trump Administration Can't Force Colleges to Further Its Anti-Muslim Agenda. aclu.org We're demanding the administration end its politicized investigation into Duke-UNC's Middle East Studies program, and turn over all related records. | In a move that would make even Senator McCarthy blush, the Trump administration is threatening to pull federal funding from a Middle East Studies program for failing to toe the government's line on Islam and Muslims. | Last week, Betsy DeVos's Department of Education sent a letter to administrators…
(2019-09-27). Time to stand up for public healthcare. greenleft.org.au 
civil rights Mischa FrankIssue 1239 Australia Medicare private health insurance funding cutsSeptember 27, 2019The federal Coali…
(2019-09-26). Kentucky's Abortion Law Forces Me to Humiliate My Patients. aclu.org H.B. 2 is cruel, offensive, and the Supreme Court should strike it down. | I'm a doctor at the only abortion clinic in Kentucky. Providing safe, compassionate medical care has been my life's calling, and my patients' well-being is always my first priority. But Kentucky politicians — determined as usual to interfere with access to reproductive healthcare — are trying to force me to harm and humili…
(2019-09-25). They're Murdering My Son: Father of Julian Assange Tells of Pain and Anguish. mintpressnews.com 
John Shipton, the father of imprisoned whistleblower Julian Assange, says that if his son is extradited to the US, "They will murder Julian one way or the other."
(2019-09-25). White Supremacist Violence Is On the Rise. Expanding the FBI's Powers Isn't the Answer. aclu.org Expanding law enforcement's powers will harm the communities of color that white supremacist violence targets—and undermine our constitutional rights. | In response to the increase in white supremacist violence, Congress has been holding hearings — including one today — on the urgent need to address it. But, rather than getting to the bottom of why our law enforcement agencies have failed to address white supremacist violence, some lawmakers are rushing to give law enforcement agencies harmful additional powers and creating new crimes. That approach ignores the way power, racism, and nation…
(2019-09-24). International Human Rights Bodies Provide a Case for Reparations. aclu.org International human rights programs provide models for reparations. | It is common for nations where mass atrocities have taken place to engage in the process of reparation and repair. This process happened in Germany after the Holocaust, South Africa after apartheid, and here in the United States, forty years after the internment of Japanese-Americans during World War II. As a result, international human rights bodies have sought to lend their expertise to the process, often by holding hearings an…
(2019-09-23). Opportunity Costs: Community corrections program offers a roadmap for client success. splcenter.org Positive client outcomes indicate promising investment for fiscally sound prison alternatives, rather than prison construction.
(2019-09-18). Join the Global Climate Strike. Oppose Israel's climate apartheid. bdsmovement.net 
Join the Global Climate Strike. Oppose Israel's climate apartheid.: Action AlertTell multinational corporations to stop investing in fossil fuels and in Israel's oppression of the Palestinian people. | Economic BoycottSeptember 19, 2019 | By: | | Palestinian BDS National Committee (BNC)
(2019-09-15). Remembering the Birmingham church bombing. splcenter.org Fifty-six years ago today, four precious little girls were murdered in one of the most heinous acts of white supremacist terror of the civil rights era.