(2020-08-25). "A Human Tragedy": Wildfires Reveal California's Reliance on Incarcerated Firefighters. democracynow.org 
As climate-fueled wildfires engulf California, tens of thousands of firefighters have been deployed across the state to combat the blazes amid a record heat wave and deadly pandemic. We look at how more than 1,300 incarcerated firefighters — who are annually deployed to the frontlines in California for just $1 an hour — are fighting back the blazes as coronavirus outbreaks in state prisons limit how many are available to fight the fires, and lay bare the state's reliance on prison labor to control its ever-growing wildfire season with an exploitative system many have called slave labor. "What they're…
(2020-08-25). 'Are you a christian!?' BLM activists harass restaurant patrons who refuse to raise fists and shout slogans (VIDEOS). rt.com 
Disturbing videos have emerged online showing Black Lives Matter demonstrators screaming and yelling at restaurant patrons in Washington DC., demanding that they raise their fists in support of the protest movement. | In one scene which spread like wildfire on Tuesday, a large group of white protesters can be seen crowding around the table of a white woman at a Washington DC restaurant and demanding that she raise her fist to comply. | "Are you a Christian?" one activist repeatedly yells. Others yell slogans including "White Silence is Violence" and "No Justice, No Peace." As no videos have emerged showing the…
(2020-08-25). 'You don't recognize my existence!': Former DNC head Donna Brazile has meltdown on Fox News (VIDEO). rt.com 
Former Democratic National Committee chairwoman Donna Brazile melted down in spectacular fashion on Fox News, accusing fellow commentator Tammy Bruce of racism and demanding she "recognize my existence." | Discussing Monday night's Republican National Convention on Tuesday morning's Fox & Friends, Brazile accused the GOP of "speaking to the choir" with their unabashedly pro-Trump lineup of speakers. Conservative contributor Tammy Bruce shot back, accusing the Democrats of being out of touch with ordinary Americans, and slamming the left for not speaking out strongly enough against the Black Lives Matter riots…
(2020-08-25). Hundreds of Thousands of People in Limbo as They Wait for Justice. aclu.org Every day, nearly 400,000 people in America with Temporary Protected Status (TPS) wake up wondering whether today will bring news of a court ruling that could effectively end their immigration status and put them at risk for deportation. Perhaps worse is the impact the decision could have on their U.S. citizen children. Thousands of young Americans could face an impossible choice: leave the U.S. to stay with their parents or lose their parents if they choose to stay in the only country they've ever known. They can't have both, at least if the Trump administration has its way., , The court case on which the fat…
(2020-08-25). Unlocking the Trauma Shall Set Ye Free. progressive.org New documentary chronicles a restorative justice program at San Quentin State Prison.
(2020-08-25). The Republican convention: Four nights of fascist filth begin. indybay.org While the Democratic Party is running the 2020 election with the same strategy as 2016, Trump has a program—the forcible suppression of social contradictions using fascist methods.
(2020-08-25). Are Postal Service Cuts Motivated By Voter Suppression, Privatization Or Both? popularresistance.org Throughout its 245-year history,…
(2020-08-25). Family of Black Man Paralyzed in Police Shooting in Wisconsin to File Lawsuit, Lawyer Says. sputniknews.com WASHINGTON (Sputnik) – Lawyers for the Kenosha, Wisconsin police shooting victim Jacob Blake said they were filing a civil lawsuit to seek financial remedy for the man that a video clip showed being shot at least seven times from behind by police officers apprehending him.
(2020-08-25). California's Dependence on Incarcerated Labor Exposed as Wildfires Rage. truthout.org As climate-fueled wildfires engulf California, tens of thousands of firefighters have been deployed across the state to combat the blazes amid a record heat wave and deadly pandemic. We look at how more than 1,300 incarcerated firefighters — who are annually deployed to the frontlines in California for just $1 an hour — are fighting back the blazes as coronavirus outbreaks in state prisons limit how many are available to fight the fires, and lay bare the state's reliance on prison labor to…
(2020-08-25). More than 20 FETàñ suspects get jail terms in Turkey. yenisafak.com A Turkish court on Tuesday handed down jail terms to 24 FETàñ suspects in a case related to the infiltration of the armed forces.The sentences range from one-and-a-half years to 15 years. A total of 33 suspects stood trial.Three suspects benefited from the remorse law and their sentence was reduced to three years.Four suspects were acquitted and one was let off without a charge.FETO and its U.S.-based leader Fetullah Gulen orchestrated the defeated coup of July 15, 2016, which left 251 people martyred and nearly 2,200 injured.Ankara also accuses FETO of being behind a long-running campaign to overthrow the…
(2020-08-24). Responding to Voter Suppression, Understanding Manipulated Elections. dissidentvoice.org 
Stop Voter Suppression from the Union of Concerned Scientists Voter suppression in the 2020 election has become a topic of great concern. In reality, voter suppression has been part of US politics since the founding of the country. The oligarchs who wrote the US Constitution enabled voter suppression by not including the right to vote in …
(2020-08-24). What's it Like to be in Immigration Lockup During a Pandemic? aclu.org 
In the 1980s, fewer than 2,000 people were locked up in an immigration detention facility on an average day in America. , , Since then,
(2020-08-24). Prisoners say they were intimidated over Black lives matter movement. therealnews.com 
Black prisoners were grabbed from their bunks and corralled without masks.
(2020-08-24). African Asylum Seekers Jailed in Louisiana Stop Eating in Protest. counterpunch.org 
In the Mankon language, spoken in northwest Cameroon, mughu is a word for hell. Northwest Cameroon was home to more than a dozen of the 48 African asylum seekers now confined in Louisiana at Pine Prairie ICE Processing Center, where COVID has taken a firm grip. Along with men from Uganda, Ghana, Kenya, Senegal, and Burkino
(2020-08-24). 'We simply have no choice': TikTok officially sues Trump administration over ban threat. rt.com 
TikTok has responded to Donald Trump's looming threat of a ban with a lawsuit against the government, arguing it has been denied due process as the president has deemed the company a national security risk. | The short-form video app, which has approximately 100 million users in the US, officially moved forward with the lawsuit on Monday, having announced its intention of litigation on Sunday. The company said that the administration has not given them a choice in the matter. | "We far prefer constructive dialogue over litigation," TikTok said in a statement. | "With the Executive Order threatening to bring a…
(2020-08-24). Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe is an Iranian 'hostage', documentary claims. thecanary.co 
Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe is a "hostage" in Iran and was on the brink of being freed from jail in Iran almost two-and-a-half years ago until a planned deal collapsed, according to a new documentary.The mother-of-one's husband Richard Ratcliffe said the family had even been given a date of 28 December 2017 for his wife's return to the UK.It is unclear why the deal fell through.The revelations were made during a BBC Panorama investigation into the detention of British and other western citizens in Iran, which airs on 24 August on BBC One at 7.30pm.It has long been claimed Zaghari-Ratcliffe is being held in order to…
(2020-08-24). Belarus detains three leading opposition activists amid continuing protests. thecanary.co 
Belarusian authorities have detained three leading opposition activists who've helped spearhead a wave of protests demanding the resignation of the country's authoritarian ruler.The opposition's Co-ordination Council said its members Sergei Dylevsky and Olga Kovalkova were detained by police in the capital, Minsk. Later in the day, the opposition also reported the detention of Alexander Lavrinovich, the leader of striking workers at a major industrial plant.Show of force: The move signals president Alexander Lukashenko's determination to stifle the massive demonstrations that have entered their third week.
(2020-08-24). New York Attorney General Sues Trump Organization, Accusing President's Company of Misleading Lenders and Dodging Investigation. commondreams.org New York Attorney General Letitia James revealed Monday that she filed a lawsuit against President Donald Trump's business empire, calling on the New York State Supreme Court to force the Trump Organization to comply with seven subpoenas which would release thousands of documents regarding the company's alleged misleading of lenders regarding its assets. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/7236974336_96aab23dd1_o.jpg …
(2020-08-24). Jordanian Teachers' Syndicate leaders and members released after one month in jail. peoplesdispatch.org The union leaders, along with other protesting teachers, were arrested last month while protesting the government's decision to go back on its promise to fulfill their demands on salary hikes and better working conditions…
(2020-08-24). Lawsuit Claims Merck's Gardasil Papilloma Virus Vaccine Caused Severe Injuries to Teen. globalresearch.ca It is vitally important to acknowledge that the same so-called "experts" in the medical/academic/scientific community, many of whom have serious undisclosed financial conflicts of interest at the NIH, the CDC, the NIAID, the FDA, the WHO, Medical Schools, teaching hospitals …
(2020-08-24). China Defends TikTok's Lawsuit to Protect Its Interests. telesurenglish.net In response to questions concerning the lawsuits that TikTok and some WeChat users have filed against the U.S. government executive order banning TikTok in the United States, Lijian defended their decision, assuring that "China will also continue to take all necessary measures to resolutely safeguard the legitimate rights and interests of Chinese enterprises." | RELATED: | Trump Signs Order to Ban TikTok Operations in the United States | He went on to say that some U.S. politicians are tr…
(2020-08-24). Florida court set to rule on lawsuit challenging in-person schooling. wsws.org The court is set to decide on a challenge by the Florida Education Association to Governor Ron DeSantis's edict for face-to-face instruction.
(2020-08-24). Reforms Are Won When Social Movements Inflict Real Costs On The Economic Elite. popularresistance.org In an interview over email, co-author Kevin A. Young discussed the limits of electoral politics to advance a more egalitarian social contract and the strategies today's social movements can employ to fight injustice. The challenges are formidable, especially given the Trump administration's exercise of a new and despotic federal police power in reaction to nationwide Black Lives Matter protests against police violence. As Levers of Power demonstrates through examples from the labor movement and the Civil Rights Movement, the path to enduring change requires mobilization that inflicts real costs on capitalists and…
(2020-08-24). Grand Jury Resistor Jailed For Fighting Federal Repression Against BLM. popularresistance.org At 3: 00 pm, Wednesday, August 19th, Jesse Shackelford, 28, was taken into federal custody at the Dane County Jail and joined a long history of grand jury resisters. He claimed his Fifth Amendment right to silence in order to protect himself and his community and in a strong stand against both this grand jury in particular and the grand jury process as an oppressive, movement-busting tactic. | For refusing to testify in front of a grand jury targeting the Black liberation struggle and uprisings in Madison, Jesse was charged with civil contempt and put in a cage: he is currently being held in solitary confinement.
(2020-08-24). Tennessee To Strip Right To Vote From Protesters. popularresistance.org Tennessee protesters will face harsh penalties, including losing the right to vote, as punishment for participating in protests under a law enacted by the Tennessee GOP-dominant General Assembly. Right-wing Governor Bill Lee quietly signed off on the bill Thursday, AP reports. | Under the new law, demonstrators who camp on state property can now be charged with a Class E felony, punishable by up to six years in prison, rather than a misdemeanor it was previously. | Since George Floyd's killing earlier this year, protesters have camped outside the Tennessee Capitol in Nashville, demanding a meeting with the govern…
(2020-08-24). Border Town Links Fight Against Trump's Wall to the Black Lives Matter Movement. truthout.org Under a sweltering August sun, just blocks from the U.S.-Mexico border, four local activists busily stage-direct the movements of about 100 residents of Laredo, Texas, who are lined up, fists raised, along the street in front of the city's George P. Kazen federal courthouse. | The four are standing on a 30-foot high scissor lift, making sure the crowd below is placed just perfectly along the giant street mural they have planned for weeks and just finished painting that Sunday morning, August 16.
(2020-08-24). Judges Are Buying the GOP's Lie That Mail-In Voting Causes Fraud. truthout.org The Trump campaign and the Republican National Committee These high-profile lawsuits make the same argument that Republicans have made in many lesser-known lawsuits that were filed around the country during the primary season. In all of these lawsuits, Republicans argue that voting by ma…
(2020-08-24). ACLU Statement on Police Shooting of Jacob Blake. commondreams.org ______________________________…
(2020-08-24). Environment America joins lawsuit challenging Trump administration's push to drill in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. commondreams.org ______________________________…
(2020-08-24). Lawsuit Aims to Block Drilling in Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. commondreams.org ______________________________…
(2020-08-23). New FOIA Docs Expose Conditions In Private Immigration Prison. popularresistance.org New documents shed light on what activists are calling "a dark pattern of abuse" at a privately-run, for-profit prison in Virginia used by Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE). Obtained by the civil rights group the Advancement Project under the Freedom of Information Act, the documents describe a long pattern of abuse, neglect and mismanagement of detainees at Immigration Centers of America (ICA) Farmville — a facility where almost everyone has coronavirus. | In 2015, for instance, one detainee was pepper sprayed in the face while in full restraints.
(2020-08-23). Voter Suppression Has Haunted The United States Since It Was Founded. popularresistance.org In 1787, the Founding Fathers wrestled over how to address suffrage in the U.S. Constitution. At the time, voting was restricted to wealthy white landowners. The framers debated whether it should be extended to commoners who had joined arms with them in the American Revolution, but who might overrule their interests. Ultimately, the question was punted to the states in Article I, Section 4, of the Constitution, which declares: "The times, places and manner of holding elections for Senators and Representatives, shall be prescribed in each state by the legislature thereof; but the Congress may at any time by law ma…
(2020-08-22). Global campaign frees Mahmoud Nawajaa. workers.org 
Mahmoud Nawajaa is free! An international campaign pressured Israel to release the general coordinator of the Palestinian Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement from detention. Armed Israeli forces charged into Nawajaa's home near Ramallah in occupied Palestine on July 30 and brutally seized him. He was illegally held without charges until . . . |
(2020-08-22). Proud Boys vs. BLM & Antifa: VICIOUS Portland clashes with paintballs & street brawls caught on VIDEO. rt.com 
After months of violent Black Lives Matter protests in Portland, Oregon, hardline right-wing groups like the Proud Boys and other Donald Trump supporters showed up to support police, and things descended into chaos. | Proud Boys members gathered around the Justice Center in downtown Portland around noon on Saturday, some carrying rifles and others sporting shields that referenced c…
(2020-08-22). Defeat COVID-19 and put an end to hate and discrimination: UN chief. news.un.org In a message published on the International Day Commemorating the Victims of Violence Based on Religious Belief, which falls on 22 August, UN Secretary-General António Guterres warned of a rise in racism since the spread of COVID-19 across the world.
(2020-08-22). Justice Department accuses Yale of discriminating against Asian American and white students. wsws.org The lawsuit is a cynical provocation by an administration that seeks to stir the pot of racial antagonisms.
(2020-08-22). Antifascists Are Facing Off Against The Far-Right, Backed By Local Cops. popularresistance.org Every Friday in Sunland-Tujunga, a small neighborhood in the San Fernando Valley region of the city of Los Angeles, just 15 minutes from Downtown LA, a group of violent far-Right Trump supporters meets under the guise of rallying in support of the police. Here's how local antifascists have responded. | They assemble out front of a Big 5 on Foothill Blvd from around 11 am to sundown every Friday and have since the start of the George Floyd uprising. Their hate has been countered by members of the local community since day one. Early demos would have 2-3 Black Lives Matter protesters standing across from a group of…
(2020-08-22). Lenders Deny Mortgages For Black Homeowners At A High Rate. popularresistance.org Discrimination in home lending goes back to the beginning of home lending itself. During the last housing boom, when subprime mortgages were all the rage, predatory lending to minority borrowers was rampant. When the mortgage market came crashing down, taking the economy with it, some major lenders were held accountable. They ended up paying massive, multibillion-dollar settlements to the federal government. But there is clearly still bias in the market. | A majority (59 percent), of Black homebuyers, are concerned about qualifying for a mortgage, while less than half (46 percent) of white buyers are, according t…
(2020-08-22). Protesters hold seventh anti-Kremlin march over detained governor. yenisafak.com Around 1,500 people marched through the streets of the Russian far eastern city of Khabarovsk on Saturday, marking the seventh consecutive weekend of protests after the region's governor was detained in early July.Residents of Khabarovsk, 6,110 km (3,800 miles) east of Moscow, have protested since the detention of Sergei Furgal, the region's popular governor, on July 9 in connection with murder charges which he denies.His supporters say the detention is politically motivated.People marched on Saturday with posters reading "Freedom to Furgal" and "Belarus – Khabarovsk is with you" – a sign of support for oppositio…
(2020-08-22). Which Black Voices Should Their White Supporters Heed? commondreams.org Travon Brown, with megaphone, leads the Black Lives Matter Protest march through Marion, Virginia on Friday, July 3, 2020. (Earl Neikirk for The Washington Post via Getty Images) | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/views-article/thumbs/blm-va-955px.jpg …
(2020-08-22). Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law Slams Controversial Tennessee Anti-Protester Law. commondreams.org ______________________________…
(2020-08-21). Federal judge orders second investigation into Virginia immigrant detention center hit by mass outbreak of COVID-19. wsws.org The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found prison staff were refusing to use safety equipment or provide inmates with protection from COVID-19.
(2020-08-21). Build solidarity with prisoners: Fight for abolition! workers.org 
This slightly edited talk was given at an Aug. 13 Workers World Party webinar, "From Black August to Black Lives Matter," hosted by the WWP Prisoners Solidarity Committee. Texas: Credit: Kavin Rashid Johnson Revolutionary greetings from Houston, Texas, a city that contains the country's third largest jail. The Harris County Jails . . . |
(2020-08-21). Why Starbucks wouldn't let us say 'Black Lives Matter'. liberationnews.org 
More than media backlash, what corporations fear the most is a united workforce.
(2020-08-21). The psychological impact of solitary confinement. workers.org 
The following is a slightly edited commentary recorded for "Voices From the Inside" by PrisonRadio.org. The brain and nervous system, or "the mind," cannot function normally without stimulation. Neither can it function normally when given too much stimulus. The brain and the nervous system must be maintained in a "steady . . . |
(2020-08-21). Former US Army Green Beret indicted for 'conspiring with RUSSIAN SPIES'. rt.com 
A former member of the US Army Special Forces has been charged with providing classified information to Russian intelligence for over 15 years and faces life in prison, the Department of Justice has announced. | Peter Rafael Dzibinski Debbins, 45, was arrested in Gainesville, Virginia on Friday and charged with "conspiracy to provide US national defense information to agents of a foreign government," He allegedly made contact with agents of the R…