2020-04-29: News Headlines

en.mehrnews (2020-04-29). Iranian scientist in US jail contracts coronavirus. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Apr. 29 (MNA) — An Iranian scientist who has been pleading for weeks to be released from a US immigration jail due to his fragile health has contracted Covid-19, according to his family and attorneys.

Monica Moorehead (2020-04-29). U.S. is a prison house of oppressed peoples. workers.org Based on a talk given during an April 9 Workers World Party national webinar: "Free them all! COVID-19 and racist mass incarceration." Mass incarceration is nothing new to the U.S. This brutal policy of social control of workers — especially the white supremacist oppression of people of color — harkens . . . |

Staff (2020-04-29). CARES Act Funding For Native Tribes Reveals Continued US Colonization. therealnews.com The recent CARES Act is another example of the continued effort to dismiss Indigenous peoples' sovereignty, and doesn't provide adequate funding to fight COVID-19.

Jesse Jackson (2020-04-29). Let Prisoners Go During COVID-19 pandemic. counterpunch.org Across the United States and across the world, prisoners are among the most vulnerable to the coronavirus. Overcrowded facilities, shortages of food and medicine, and totally inadequate testing expose prisoners who are disproportionately poor and afflicted with prior conditions that render them vulnerable to the disease. Prisoners increasingly are protesting their conditions, objecting to being

Margie Mason, Robin McDowell (2020-04-28). Parents fear for their children's safety as coronavirus hits juvenile jails. peoplesworld.org Nicole Hingle wasn't surprised when the call came. Frustrations had been building inside juvenile detention centers nationwide as the number of coronavirus cases continued to climb. Now, her 17-year-old son Jace was on the phone telling her around 40 kids had rioted at his facility in Louisiana—the same state where more than a dozen youths …

Tiffany Cabán (2020-04-28). This Crisis Demands an End to Mass Incarceration. thenation.com This Crisis Demands an End to Mass Incarceration…

commondreams (2020-04-28). COVID-19 and Mass Incarceration: Action Needed Now to Stem the Epidemic. commondreams.org ______________________________…

Staff (2020-04-28). Headlines for April 28, 2020. democracynow.org Known U.S. Deaths Top 56,000 as New Study Shows True Number Likely Much Higher, Trump Ignored Early Intelligence Reports as Coronavirus Spread, Trump Denies Responsibility for Spike in Disinfectant Poisonings, Texas Reopens Businesses, California Warns Against Violating Restrictions | , Trump's Plan to Give Commencement Address at West Point Could Bring Back 1,000 Cadets to Campus, NY Cancels Primary After Removing Bernie Sanders from the Ballot , U.N. Calls for Release of Immigrant Prisoners as San Diego Facility Refuses to Allow Face Mask Delivery, More Cases Reported at Prisons as New Study Shows 96% of Inmate…

Aviva Levine (2020-04-28). Trump attacks trans health access during a pandemic. liberationnews.org Under an expected rewrite of part of the ACA, discrimination against trans people in health care would be legally permitted.

Staff (2020-04-28). White Collar Criminals, Celebrities, Wealthy Use Privilege For Early Release Amidst Pandemic. therealnews.com Michael Cohen and Michael Avenatti were released, and some Los Angeles prisons offer pay-to-stay rooms for celebrities. But a huge number of people are still imprisoned and at risk of COVID-19 just because they can't afford cash bail.

Workers World Philadelphia bureau (2020-04-28). Happy birthday, Mumia! workers.org A global audience was able to view a virtual press conference on April 23 focused on journalist and Pennsylvania political prisoner Mumia Abu-Jamal and why he should be immediately released from prison. Speakers from the U.S. and around the world participated. Pam Africa speaks at Philadelphia rally Feb. 28. (WW . . . |

teleSUR (2020-04-28). Brazil: Workers' Party Files Lawsuit Against Bolsonaro and Moro. telesurenglish.net The Workers' Party (PT) of Brazil filed a lawsuit against President Jair Bolsonaro and former Justice Minister Sergio Moro at the Supreme Federal Court (STF) on suspicions of prevarication, extortion and corruption. | RELATED: | According to the PT, those crimes were unveiled in the war of accusations between them on Friday, when Moro resigned to his post and Bolsonaro refuted his confessions. | Moro left his post after the presid…

Slomski A. (2020-04-28). Long-Acting Injectable HIV Therapy Noninferior to Daily Pills. jamanetwork.com A pair of trials in the New England Journal of Medicine found that long-acting monthly injectable therapy for HIV-1 infection was noninferior to standard daily oral regimens for maintaining viral suppression.

Staff (2020-04-28). To Understand COVID in Prisons, Listen to Incarcerated People. truthout.org The last few years I have written I have also attempted to expose and explain how over time, communities have been forced to give up their rights and power to help their mem…

teleSUR (2020-04-28). Chaos and Fear in Latin America's Prisons as COVID-19 Spreads. telesurenglish.net As the coronavirus pandemic is starting to spread across Latin America's massively overcrowded prisons, putting the lives of tens of thousands at risk, riots have been reported in almost all the region's countries as inmates say their fundamental rights to safety and protection are being violated. | RELATED: | A riot was reported Monday in the Castro Castro prison in Peru's capital, Lima, resulting in a fire and the d…

teleSUR (2020-04-28). Life Imprisonment for the Argentine Dictatorship's Criminals. telesurenglish.net After a trial that lasted two years, a Mar del Plata court Monday sentenced 28 former military personnel to life in prison for crimes against humanity committed during Argentina's last dictatorship (1976-1983). | RELATED: | "The sentences were decided unanimously… This is the first trial in which the complete situation was analyzed, that is, the repression committed by the Navy, the Army, the Argentine Naval Prefe…

Adriaan Alsema (2020-04-28). Francisco Barbosa: Colombia's saddest excuse for a chief prosecutor ever? colombiareports.com The fine for violating Colombia's quarantine is $230 (COP935,320), unless President Ivan Duque thinks you're mean and trumped up charges could send you to prison for eight years. In chief…

Fight Back (2020-04-27). FRSO online event: COVID-19 pandemic striking Black and brown communities. fightbacknews.org New York City, NY — On Sunday, April 26, Freedom Road Socialist Organization (FRSO) Central Committee members Frank Chapman and Masao Suzuki gave talks in the livestreamed webinar "Pandemic + Racism = Genocide: Impact of the COVID-19 Crisis on Oppressed Nationalities & How We can Fight Back!". | As COVID-19 continues to spread throughout the country, certain communities are affected more than others. The webinar's purpose was to explore how COVID-19 has affected Black and brown communities, why the virus is especially dangerous in prisons and detention centers, and how imperialism is at the center of it all…

Miko Peled (2020-04-27). How Israel Legitimizes the Abuse of Palestinian Political Prisoners. mintpressnews.com Each year Palestinian Prisoners Day comes and goes while the prisoners remain in their cells and their conditions worsen. The destructive effects that Israel's imprisonment of thousands of Palestinians has on society cannot be overstated. Israel justifies its treatment of these prisoners with false claims that the Palestinian men, women, and children who languish in its jails are terrorists. These false claims must be rejected in their entirety. Palestinian prisoners are political prisoners, they are prisoners of conscience and must be viewed and treated as such by the international community. | Israeli claims th…

Fight Back (2020-04-27). Jacksonville protests for the incarcerated impacted by COVID-19. fightbacknews.org Jacksonville, FL – Around three dozen cars joined a Jacksonville Community Action Committee (JCAC) protest on Friday evening, April 24, calling for a mass release of Duval County inmates in the overpopulated Duval County jail. Along with the JCAC, the New Florida Majority, Dignity Florida, Northside Coalition of Jacksonville along with other organizations and community supporters came out Friday evening for a caravan protest to demand that Melissa Nelson and Sheriff Mike Williams #FreeThemAll. The protesters taped signs to their vehicles that demanded the release of prisoners, to avoid the Duval County Jail becom…

Ali Salam (2020-04-27). Family Receives Body of Deceased Palestinian Prisoner. imemc.org The Palestinian Authority's Detainees Affairs Commission announced on Sunday that Israeli authorities are set to release the corpse of the Palestinian detainee, Nour Barghouthi to his family late on Sunday evening, the Palestinian WAFA News Agency reported. After serving 4 years in Israel's Naqab prison, Barghouthi, 23, died on Wednesday, …

Gianluca Gaidano, Raffaella Balocco, Wael Al Essa, Andrea Turolla, Roberto Barbato, Umberto Dianzani, Menico Rizzi, Raffaella Ravinetto (2020-04-25). [Correspondence] European education corridors: opportunity for academic solidarity. thelancet.com In times of growing political tensions around migration, health-care providers can help to protect migrant populations from exclusion.1,2 The UCL—Lancet Commission on Migration and Health called for a strengthening, through regulatory and training bodies, of health professionals' and organisations' awareness of discrimination.2 We add that organisations engaged in health science and biomedical education can fulfil their moral and deontological duty to protect populations that are susceptible to discrimination by also promoting the right to education.

Scarlet Kim (2020-04-24). They Were Willing to Make the Ultimate Sacrifice for the U.S., but Trump Won't Let Them Become Americans. aclu.org Ange Samma, a 22-year-old green card holder from Burkina Faso, came to the United States seven years ago, when he was still a teenager. After studying electrical engineering at community college, he decided to enlist in the U.S. Army in 2018. He wanted to give back to his adopted country and also hoped joining the military would help him achieve his goal of becoming an electrical engineer. , , Ange currently serves on active duty as a soldier in South Korea. But despite serving this country on a U.S. military base in a foreign country, he still hasn't been able to obtain citizenship through his military servic…

Daniel Tilley (2020-04-24). We're Going to Court on April 27 to Strike Down This Poll Tax for Good. aclu.org On April 27, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), ACLU of Florida, and our litigation partners will go to trial in U.S. District Court against the state of Florida to win the ability to vote for hundreds of thousands of eligible state voters now being denied that basic right. | In November 2018, more than 64 percent of Florida voters approved Amendment 4, returning the right to vote to Floridians convicted of felonies who completed their sentence and supervision. The only persons excluded are those convicted of homicide or sexual crimes. | Immediately, the Florida Legislature set out to undermine voters'

Staff (2020-04-24). Despite Pandemic, Police Continue To Retaliate. therealnews.com We speak with cop watcher and auditor John Filax and find out first hand what police retaliation looks like as we interview Deja, Ramsey Orta's fiancee who has spent months in prison after filming Eric Garner's death from an illegal chokehold.

Staff (2020-04-23). Headlines for April 23, 2020. democracynow.org ACLU Warns Spread of Coronavirus in Jails Could Add 100,000 Deaths to U.S. Toll, Government Scientist Claims Reprisal for Opposing Trump's Unproven Coronavirus Treatment, As Coronavirus Reached the U.S., Trump Admin Tapped Ex-Labradoodle Breeder to Lead Task Force, President Trump "Disagrees Strongly" with Governor's Plans to Reopen Georgia, Scientists Skeptical of Reports of High Rates of Coronavirus Antibodies in California Residents, Funeral Directors Association Warns U.S. COVID-19 Deaths Are Underreported, Doctors Report Life-Threatening Blood Clotting in COVID-19 Patients, More Human Trials of Experimental…

Leila Rafei (2020-04-23). After a Lifetime Apart, COVID-19 Prison Release Reunites Mother and Daughter. aclu.org "You're on the list.", , It took a few seconds for Chalana McFarland to grasp what was happening. Her name was one of just a few on the list of people who would be released from prison early due to COVID-19. Behind her stood a line of dozens of other women waiting to see if they made it. Only some of them had. But as Chalana received the news, they started cheering, and caused such an uproar that the correctional staff had to reprimand them. That's when it finally clicked for Chalana — after 15 years in prison, she was finally going home. , , Chalana immediately contacted her daughter., , "I was watching…

Udi Ofer (2020-04-22). New Model Shows Reducing Jail Population will Lower COVID-19 Death Toll for All of Us. aclu.org The Trump administration optimistically projects that "substantially under" 100,000 people will die from COVID-19 in the United States. Horrific as that statistic is,

splcenter (2020-04-22). First person to die in Alabama's prisons with COVID-19 spent more than four decades behind bars. splcenter.org

yenisafak (2020-04-29). Riot erupts at coronavirus-hit prison in Sierra Leone. yenisafak.com Smoke billowed from the central prison in Sierra Leone's capital and gunfire could be heard from nearby streets on Wednesday after a riot broke out following the confirmation of a coronavirus case there, a Reuters reporter said.Inmates at Pademba Road Prison had earlier set some buildings on fire in a protest that police and security forces were subsequently able to quell, Information Minister Mohamed Rahman Swaray told reporters."There are casualties, but these are early days. When the dust settles we will be able to give you a more comprehensive account," Swaray said in a video streamed online.The prison was r…

Staff (2020-04-21). Death Trap Jail: Pepper-Sprayed, Otay Mesa Detainees Demand Release as COVID-19 Spreads Inside. democracynow.org We look at the mounting number of COVID-19 cases inside immigration jails across the country and one of the largest outbreaks at the Otay Mesa Detention Center near San Diego, run by private prison company CoreCivic. Prisoners were told to sign contracts, written only in English, in exchange for receiving face masks. When some refused to sign, guards pepper-sprayed them. This comes as activists say hundreds imprisoned in detention centers in California are on hunger strike. We get an update from Ruth Mendez, community activist and volunteer with Otay Mesa Detention Resistance.

Ashoka Mukpo (2020-04-21). Defying Medical Experts, Lawmakers are Weaponizing COVID-19 to Restrict Abortion Access. aclu.org In the latest development in a fast-moving court case, on Monday the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals

Liberation Staff (2020-04-20). Massachusetts #FreeHer car protest demands the release of incarcerated women during COVID-19. liberationnews.org COVID-19 is spreading in Massachusetts prisons and jails. As reported by WBUR, five incarcerated people have already died of the virus in Massachusetts, and over 150 cases of the virus have been confirmed among prisoners and prison staff.

Steven Powers (2020-04-18). "All gas no mask!": In life and death situation, inmates rebel amid pandemic. liberationnews.org Spontaneous prison actions of resistance have become increasingly regular in the face of the Coronavirus pandemic.

Ryan Cristián (2020-04-18). David Meiswinkle Interview — Ongoing Suppression Of 9/11 Truth & Proof Of Controlled Demolition. thelastamericanvagabond.com Joining me today is the President and Executive Director of the Lawyers' Committee for 9/11 Inquiry, David R. Meiswinkle, Esq. David is a retired New Brunswick police officer and a United States Army veteran, as well as a criminal defense attorney. He is here today to discuss the continuing cover up of 9/11 truth, and …

ACLU (2020-04-17). What it's Like in ICE Detention During a Pandemic. aclu.org As millions of people in the U.S. shelter in their homes, and millions more who aren't able to stay indoors practice social distancing or other measures to reduce the spread of COVID-19, a crisis is brewing in the facilities where immigrants are detained. Cramped conditions and inadequate access to hygiene or medical care have created what one medical expert called a "tinderbox" for the disease in a letter to Congress., , Many of those in detention are asylum seekers, who came to the U.S. to ask for protection after fleeing violence and persecution in their home countries. Many others were long-time U.S. resi…

ACLU (2020-04-17). A Tale of Two Countries: Racially Targeted Arrests in the Era of Marijuana Reform. aclu.org