2020-03-20: News Headlines

IWOC Oakland (2020-03-20). Santa Rita Jail Solidarity During the Coronavirus Pandemic. indybay.org As businesses, schools, and institutions close to reduce the transmission of COVID-19, many people are wondering how to support people in jails, prisons, and immigration detention centers.

WSWS (2020-03-20). Immigrants in US detention facilities plea for help as coronavirus pandemic spreads. wsws.org The lack of medical care and the extremely close quarters in America's detention camps create excellent conditions for the coronavirus to spread rapidly if even a single person catches the disease.

WSWS (2020-03-20). Immigrants in US detention facilities plead for help as coronavirus pandemic spreads. wsws.org The lack of medical care and the extremely close quarters in America's detention camps create excellent conditions for the coronavirus to spread rapidly if even a single person catches the disease.

Staff (2020-03-20). Headlines for March 20, 2020. democracynow.org Worldwide COVID-19 Death Toll Tops 10,000 as Italian Nurses "Stop Counting the Dead", Refugee Groups Warn of COVID-19 "Carnage" in Camps Housing Millions of Refugees, Coronavirus Multiplies Across Australia, Latin America, Africa and Middle East, California Gov. Gavin Newsom Issues Statewide "Stay at Home" Order for 40 Million, New York Mayor Calls on Trump to Mobilize Military to Aid Overwhelmed Hospitals, Georgia State Legislators Urged to Self-Quarantine; Spring Break Revelers Party On in Florida, Demands Grow to Empty ICE Jails as NJ Detention Center Worker Tests Positive, Trump Blasts "Corrupt" Media at Ramb…

ACLU-NC (2020-03-20). ACLU Demands the Release from Prisons and Jails of Communities Vulnerable to COVID-19. indybay.org ACLU Also Calls for Release of People Currently in Pretrial Detention Because of Cash Bail to Prevent a Public Health Crisis…

Fight Back (2020-03-20). FRSO condemns the murder of Communist Party of the Philippines leader Julius Giron. fightbacknews.org Freedom Road Socialist Organization (FRSO) condemns the brutal government murder of the prominent Filipino communist Julius Giron, his wife Lourdes Tan Torres and their aide. We extend our condolences to his family, friends and our comrades of the Communist Party of the Philippines. | We are given to understand Julius Giron made a lifetime of huge contributions to revolutionary struggle of the people of the Philippines to end all oppression and exploitation. This cruel and cowardly killing, carried out by police thugs at 3 a.m., stands as an indictment of the Duterte regime and its imperialist masters. This crimi…

Alan Macleod (2020-03-20). "A Storm is Coming" — Doctors Warn of COVID-19 Wave Racking US Prisons. mintpressnews.com Doctors are warning that the huge numbers of inmates locked inside large communal cells, often with dozens of other people, a perfect breeding ground for disease.

WSWS (2020-03-20). Australian government continues to imprison Tamil refugee family. wsws.org Despite legal challenges and widespread opposition, the government remains determined to deport the family to Sri Lanka.

sputniknews (2020-03-20). Hundreds of EU Citizens Denied Right to Stay in UK Following Brexit. sputniknews.com Home affairs spokesperson Christine Jardine said the British government's deadline for a settled status would leave thousands of EU nationals at risk of eviction, detention, and even deportation.

Staff (2020-03-19). Trump's Deportation Machine Is Still Churning Despite Coronavirus Outbreak. truthout.org This story has been updated. | Federal deportation proceedings for incarcerated migrants and immigration defendants continue nationwide despite pleas from defense attorneys, human rights groups and some judges who fear that in-person court hearings and conditions of confinement inside immigration jails could facilitate the rapid spread of the coronavirus that causes COVID-19. | The Trump administration's decision to continue pursuing deportation orders and immigration charges against jailed immi…

Corene Kendrick (2020-03-19). We Know Prisons Need COVID-19 Plans, but our Arizona Prison Tour Suggests it's not Happening. aclu.org Earlier this month, the

Eva Bartlett (2020-03-19). Video: Aleppo Man Imprisoned and Tortured by West's "Rebels" in Terrorist-Occupied Hospital Complex. globalresearch.ca Long, productive, rewarding, and also sad, day in Aleppo. The sad—tragic—part was meeting a man, Abdel Aziz, who was held in the terrorists' underground prison in the Eye/Children's Hospital complex, occupied by terrorist factions until liberation of eastern Aleppo areas …

Staff (2020-03-19). Headlines for March 19, 2020. democracynow.org Italy Records Record 475 Coronavirus Deaths as Infections Continue Climbing, British PM Boris Johnson Closes Schools After Reversing Lax Virus Containment Plan, Millions of Brazilians Protest from Windows and Balconies Demanding President's Ouster, World Health Organization Warns Critical Lack of Testing Is Costing Lives, Egypt Arrests Protesters Calling for Release of Prisoners at Risk of COVID-19, Yemen, Already Wracked by U.S.-Supported, Saudi-Led War, Braces for Coronavirus, Trump Admin Tightens Sanctions That Have Devastated Iran's Public Health System, Trump Signs Coronavirus Relief Bill Providing Paid Leav…

Staff (2020-03-19). US Drone Assassinations Continue Despite German Effort to Restrict Them. truthout.org Berlin— A year after a German court The lawsuit, filed by Yemeni engineer Faisal bin Ali Jaber over the killing of two family members, alleges that the German government intentionally…

Staff (2020-03-19). If Social Distancing Is Impossible in Prisons, People Should Be Freed. truthout.org In early March, Michelle Tran drove 1,500 miles from her home in Wichita, Kansas, to visit her husband Thai at California's Avenal State Prison. | It's a trek that Tran makes every 45 to 60 days. She typically spends a week in California so that she can visit her husband for two weekends. During the week, she visits family in Fresno and drives to Los Angeles to check on Thai's mother, who is battling Stage IV cancer. | That first weekend, the couple sat at the small round tables in the prison's visit…

teleSUR (2020-03-19). Brazil: Sao Paulo Police Capture Nearly Half of Escaped Inmates. telesurenglish.net Brazilian Police captured more than 500 of the 1400 inmates who escaped from Sao Paulo's penitentiary institutions. | RELATED: | The massive escape occurred on March 16 in three prisons located in Managua, Mirandopolis, and Taubate. The inmates started fires, riots, and took guards as hostages after authorities announced several departures and visiting restrictions as a measure to prevent Covid-19 spreading in Brazilian territo…

news.un (2020-03-19). Preventing discrimination against people with disabilities in COVID-19 response. news.un.org Unless Governments and communities take action, discrimination against people with disabilities could increase during the COVID-19 pandemic, an expert with the World Health Organization (WHO) has warned.

Staff (2020-03-18). Delay or Hold Primaries: Can the 2020 Election Be Safeguarded Amid the Coronavirus Pandemic? democracynow.org Tuesday night's primary election for the Democratic presidential nomination was marred by chaos, confusion and fears over the spread of coronavirus at polling places as former Vice President Joe Biden consolidated his lead as he won Florida and Illinois by a wide margin and scored a victory in Arizona. We are joined by Vanita Gupta, former head of the Justice Department's Civil Rights Division in the Obama administration, now president of the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, the nation's oldest and largest civil rights coalition. They issued a call with 100 voting rights groups for states to proce…

Shaw Drake (2020-03-18). The Military Should not be Searching Cars or Checking Documents at the Border. aclu.org There's an old saying that goes, "When all you have is a hammer, everything looks like a nail." This adage is especially applicable to the Trump administration's approach toward border policy, which is ever more militarized. On March 6th, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officials

Staff (2020-03-18). Headlines for March 18, 2020. democracynow.org Global COVID-19 Cases Top 200,000 Worldwide with Over 8,000 Dead, Researchers: Left Unchecked, Coronavirus Could Kill 2.2 Million in U.S. , New Yorkers Prepare to Shelter in Place as Hospitals Face Severe Shortages, Coronavirus Fears Grow for Prisoners and Migrants in ICE Jails, Trump Admin Pushes Economic Stimulus Package Worth Over $1 Trillion, WHO Considers Airborne Precautions for Medical Workers After Coronavirus Found in Aerosols, Rewriting History, Trump Says "I've Always Known" About Pandemic, Internet Providers Drop Data Caps as Calls for Net Neutrality Grow, Biden Wins 3 States as Coronavirus Fears Caus…

Rami Almeghari (2020-03-18). Israeli Forces Abduct 7 Palestinian Civilians in Pre-Dawn Raids in West Bank. imemc.org Israeli soldiers on Tuesday before dawn abducted eight Palestinians from different areas in the West Bank. According to the Palestinian Prisoner Society(PPS), Israeli troops stormed both Awarta and Beita villages of Nablus District, in northern West Bank, and abducted two Palestinian young men, Mojahed Awwad and Sameh Barakat. In a …

Rami Almeghari (2020-03-18). Updated: "Israeli Soldiers Abduct Ten Palestinian In West Bank" imemc.org Israeli soldiers abducted, earlier Wednesday, at least ten Palestinians from their homes in several parts of the occupied West Bank, the Palestinian Prisoners' Society (PPS) has reported. In the central West Bank city of Ramallah, a squadron of Israeli soldiers invaded a town in the Ramallah district and abducted six …

Staff (2020-03-17). Inside Prison Amid Coronavirus Pandemic: Incarcerated Journalist Says Millions Behind Bars at Risk. democracynow.org As San Francisco takes the most severe measures in the country in response to COVID-19, telling 7 million people to shelter in place, we go inside the Bay Area's San Quentin State Prison, where two prison blocks are under partial quarantine, to speak with incarcerated journalist Juan Moreno Haines. We look at how the coronavirus pandemic is a growing threat to the 2.3 million people locked up in U.S. prisons and jails, as prisons across the country have been shut down in response to the spreading virus and calls grow for mass prison releases around the United States.

splcenter (2020-03-17). SPLC's Three Strikes Project helps nonviolent offenders move from prison to parole. splcenter.org Drugs were a way of life in the economically struggling "Brickyard" neighborhood of Clarksdale, Mississippi, where Nicky Patterson grew up.

Delilah Boxstein (2020-03-17). The Coronavirus Outbreak is Revealing the Appalling Conditions Faced by Palestinians in Israeli Prisons. mintpressnews.com "Ailing prisoners traveled three days in a metal van tied to metal chairs with feet and hands cuffed. They don't have access to food or a toilet as they spend hours picking up other sick prisoners. Most sick inmates won't even go to Ramleh [Hospial] because they know how excruciating the journey can be."

Sputnik News (2020-03-16). Iranian Hails New UK Stance on Arrested Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe & Repayment Of Debt. iranian.com Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, who possesses both British and Iranian passports, has been under arrest in Iran since April 2016 over allegations that she plotted against the government, claims that she has consistently denied. She was sentenced to five years in an Iranian jail. The Iranian ambassador to the United Kingdom, Hamid Baeidinejad, welcomed a new approach …

splcenter (2020-03-14). SPLC offices, Civil Rights Memorial Center close. splcenter.org Our work continues with fervor and is needed more now than ever.

Staff (2020-03-13). Headlines for March 13, 2020. democracynow.org Coronavirus Infections Around the Globe Reach 135,000 People, Nearly 5,000 Dead, U.S. Coronavirus Infections Rise to 1,650 as Actual Number Believed to Be Higher | , Dow Jones Plummets 10% in Biggest Drop Since 1987 | , Trump Administration Faces Backlash for Handling of Coronavirus Outbreak, Testing | , Brazilian President Bolsonaro's Aide Tests Positive for COVID-19 Days After Meeting with Trump, Philippines President Duterte Orders Lockdown in Manila Amid Coronavirus Pandemic | , Advocates Afraid of Deadly Coronavirus Outbreak in Immigration Jails Plagued by Medical Neglect, Democratic Presidential Debate Relo…

Julie Hollar (2020-03-12). Elite Media Dismiss Voter Suppression on Grounds That It's 'Complicated'. fair.org Some voters—disproportionately black and brown ones—waited in line for several hours on Super Tuesday to cast their ballots in the Democratic primary, and media paid attention. But their love for a good visual doesn't always correspond with a love for connecting the dots, and so most of the coverage downplayed any suggestion that there might be voter suppression going on in 2020. The New York Times ( "Why Did It…

Alora Thomas-Lundborg (2020-03-12). This Law Makes Voting Nearly Impossible for Native Americans in Montana. aclu.org Voting has never been easy for In a state where the majority of individuals vote | by mail, rural tribal communities often work with get-out-the-vote organizer…

Ashley Gorski (2020-03-12). The Government Has a Secret Plan to Track Everyone's Faces at Airports. We're Suing. aclu.org U.S. Customs and Border Protection and the Transportation Security Administration are putting us on an extraordinarily dangerous path toward the normalization of face surveillance. But because key facts about this surveillance are still secret, the public lacks the information it needs to hold these agencies to account. We're

Nicole Hansen (2020-03-11). Keep Calm and Carry on Voting: How to Vote By Mail During the Coronavirus Outbreak. aclu.org Coronavirus should not be a political issue, but with presidential primaries and the general election coming up, it could soon directly impact our politics. We should protect not only our health, but our civil liberties at this time — and one of those civil liberties is our fundamental right to vote. , , For many, the best way to vote while safeguarding your health during this time may be to vote by mail. It's easy to request an absentee ballot and there's still enough time to do so for most states with upcoming primaries. While some states limit who can vote absentee — for example, to people with…

Staff (2020-03-10). Immigrants in WA Detention Center Demand Protection from Coronavirus, Not Posters in English. democracynow.org As the world responds to the COVID-19 outbreak, we look at how the Trump administration's immigration policies may put everyone at risk. We go to Seattle, Washington, not far from the Life Care Center in the suburb of Kirkland, which was the epicenter of the U.S. coronavirus outbreak. In nearby Tacoma, Washington, our guest says she saw posters in English only when she went to visit immigrants held in the Northwest Detention Center, which is run by private prison company GEO Group. We speak with Maru Mora-Villalpando, an activist and undocumented immigrant with the groups La Resistencia and Mijente, who issued a…

splcenter (2020-03-10). Civil Rights Memorial Center closed through March. splcenter.org The Civil Rights Memorial Center (CRMC) in Montgomery, Alabama, is closed and will remain closed through the end of March 2020.

Chelsey Birgisdóttir (2020-03-10). San Diego Police Stop Black People at a Rate 219 Percent Higher Than White People. aclu.org "They did what human beings looking for | freedom, throughout history, have often done. They left." | These | are the words of Pulitzer Prize-winning author Isabel Wilkerson in her book, "The | Warmth of Other Suns." The book | follows the story of three Black Southerners and their journey escaping racial | violence — a sharecropper's wife who | left Mississippi in the 1930s for Chicago, an agricultural | worker who left Florida for New York City in the 1940s, and a doctor who left Louisiana in the early 1950s. | Their | journey was part of the Great Migration that occurred between 1916 and 1970,…

Maria Morris (2020-03-06). Are Our Prisons and Jails Ready for COVID-19? aclu.org The | country and the world face a public health emergency in the new coronavirus | causing COVID-19. The media is filled with concerns about how we will respond. | Will we close schools? Cancel sporting events and other large gatherings? Work | from home? Avoid public transportation? | But | little has been said about one of the most vulnerable sectors of our | population: the people in our prisons and jails. Although people often think of | prisons and jails as closed environments, they are not. Medical staff, correctional | staff, and visitors come from the community into the facilities every day and | then…

Marjorie Cohn (2020-03-02). Extradition of Assange Would Set a Dangerous Precedent. zcomm.org The Trump administration is seeking extradition of WikiLeaks founder, Julian Assange, to the United States for trial on charges carrying 175 years in prison…

CounterSpin (2020-02-28). Carol Anderson on Voter Suppression. fair.org Media…

Tyler Durden (2020-02-04). Biden Threatens Lawsuit to Halt Release of Real Iowa Caucus Results. theantimedia.com American democracy—ain't it grand?>