2020-09-30: News Headlines

Craig Murray (2020-09-30). Your Man in the Public Gallery: Assange Hearing Day 20. globalresearch.ca Tuesday has been another day on which the testimony focused on the extreme inhumane conditions in which Julian Assange would be kept imprisoned in the USA if extradited. The prosecution's continued tactic of extraordinary aggression towards witnesses who are patently …

Peoples Dispatch (2020-09-30). Witnesses in Assange trial say complete isolation very likely in US. peoplesdispatch.org As the final week of the extradition trial of Julian Assange continues, expert witnesses presented by the witness have focused on the treatment Assange is likely to get once extradited. Maureen Baird, who worked in the US Bureau of Prisons (BOP) for two decades, and Lindsay Lewis, a lawyer who represented Abu Hamza, told the court on September 29, that Assange is very likely to be put under effective solitary confinement, once he is extradited. | Baird's and Lewis' testimonies challenge the claims made by the prosecution witness, US attorney Gordon Kromberg. In a submission made to the court yesterday, Kromberg a…

Staff (2020-09-30). Headlines for September 30, 2020. democracynow.org Trump Refuses to Condemn White Supremacists or Rule Out Post-Election Violence, New York City Coronavirus Infections Surge for First Time in Months, Indian Health Officials Claim 60 Million Coronavirus Infections Nationwide, House Democrats Unveil Pared-Down $2.2 Trillion Coronavirus Relief Bill, Texas Sheriff and Prosecutor Indicted for Evidence Tampering in Javier Ambler Police Killing, Kentucky AG Didn't Recommend Murder Charges for Breonna Taylor's Killers, Trump Plans Pre-Election ICE Raids in U.S. Sanctuary Cities, More Women Detail Forced Sterilizations, Unnecessary Surgeries at Georgia ICE Jail, World Hea…

Staff (2020-09-30). "Vigilantism at the Polls": Trump Attacks Election Integrity, Ballots & Backs Illegal Poll Watching. democracynow.org "It's a rigged election," claimed President Trump when he and his Democratic challenger Joe Biden were asked about election integrity during last night's debate as the two men sparred over mail-in voting. Trump ended the debate by calling for poll watchers. We speak with Kristen Clarke, president and executive director of the Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, who says Trump is promoting unlawful intimidation and voter suppression, and has vowed to go to court to block any attempt to discourage or block people from freely casting their ballots.

Brigitte Amiri (2020-09-30). Victory: After Three Years of Battling in Court, the Trump Administration Abandons its Policy of Banning Abortion for Unaccompanied Immigrant Minors. aclu.org As a direct result of the immense courage of our clients and three years of litigation, the Trump administration has officially abandoned its policy of preventing young immigrants in its custody from accessing abortion care. Yesterday, the administration adopted a new policy that prohibits Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR) staff and staff employed by any ORR-funded shelter from blocking or interfering with unaccompanied pregnant minors' access to abortion. ORR's adoption of this new

Eds. (2020-09-30). Online Charter schools are not a solution to education in a pandemic. mronline.org Nicholas Trombetta, the founder of Pennsylvania Cyber Charter School, which is unaffiliated with K12, received just 20 months in prison in 2018 for tax conspiracy after he moved $8 million from the school to a network of businesses he created and failed to pay $437,632 in taxes.

Andrew Emett (2020-09-30). Texas sheriff arrested for tampering with evidence in police custody death. nationofchange.org If convicted, the sheriff could face up to 10 years in prison.

_____ (2020-09-30). New law Surfaces South's Racist Beginnings Of Felon Voter Disenfranchisement. popularresistance.org Tennessee – In June, large crowds of Black Lives Matter protesters occupied the plaza in front of Tennessee's State Capitol, where inside, a 44-inch bust of the first Klu Klux Klan Grand Wizard, Nathan Bedford Forrest, has sat still in his bronze bearing for over 40 years. | A line of state troopers stood silently on the other side of the encampment, making arrests and dragging protesters away. Those who remained chained themselves to the property, chanting and playing Kendrick Lamar through loudspeakers, annoying representatives inside the capitol, and making it clear—they were not leaving until the immort…

Communities United Restorative Youth Justice (2020-09-30). Tuesday 9/29: No on Prop 20: Virtual Rally to Stop The Police & Prison Spending Scam w/ CURYJ Oakland. indybay.org Online via livestream…

Max Blumenthal (2020-09-29). Exclusive: Spanish judge seeks Sheldon Adelson security chief in Assange spying case. thegrayzone.com A Spanish judge's request to probe a Las Vegas Sands staffer's apparent role in a criminal spying operation against Julian Assange indicates the investigation is homing in on US intelligence. Tellingly, the Department of Justice is stonewalling the application. By Max Blumenthal The Spanish judge presiding over the trial of a security firm owner apparently hired to spy on jailed Wikileaks publisher Julian Assange has sent a request to the US Department of Justice for an interview with Zohar Lahav, …

_____ (2020-09-29). Assange Faces 'Torturous' Months In Tiny Cell If Extradited. popularresistance.org The 49-year-old is fighting extradition to the US on charges related to leaks of classified documents allegedly exposing war crimes. | Assange's defence have claimed he is a "high" suicide risk, having already spent 16 months in top security Belmarsh jail in south London. | On Monday, the Old Bailey heard from witnesses with experience of the Alexandria Detention Centre in Virginia, Assange's likely pre-trial destination if he was extradited. | The court heard that due to his high profile and his perceived national security risk, he could be placed in an administrative segregation (ad seg) unit.

WSWS (2020-09-29). Assange faces a fate "worse than death" in US prisons, witnesses tell court. wsws.org No amount of lame denials can hide the fact that if Assange is put in the clutches of these people, he will be disappeared into the darkest corner of the US prison system.

Staff (2020-09-29). Headlines for September 29, 2020. democracynow.org As COVID-19 Claims Over 1 Million Lives, Reports of Rift Among White House Advisers, Another Immigrant Prisoner Dies from COVID-19; Nurses Union Says U.S. Failed to Protect Medical Workers, Kentucky AG to Release Breonna Taylor Grand Jury Tapes as Juror Calls for Information to Be Made Public, Family of Black Man Shot Dead by Police While Handcuffed in Car Reaches $20 Million Settlement, Trump and Biden to Face Off in 1st Debate as NYT Drops Second Report on Trump's Taxes, Channel 4 Report Says Trump Campaign Sought to Deter Black Voters in 2016, Artist Ai Weiwei Holds Protest in Support of Julian Assange, Press…

Marjorie Cohn (2020-09-29). From a Justice for Gender Equality to a "Justice" for Gender Oppression. zcomm.org Amy Coney Barrett and Ruth Bader Ginsburg could not be more different when it comes to their respective notions of justice…

Maya Manian (2020-09-29). Immigration Detention and Coerced Sterilization: History Tragically Repeats Itself. aclu.org The recent news of a

commondreams (2020-09-29). As a Result of ACLU Litigation, Trump Administration Ends Policy Prohibiting Immigrant Minors From Accessing Abortion. commondreams.org ______________________________…

Devin Cole (2020-09-29). A 'protester suppression' bill launched in Florida. workers.org Occupied Creek/Muscogee territory — Pensacola Fla. In a Sept. 21 press conference, Florida far-right Governor Ron DeSantis launched a new attack against the continuing protests for Black lives with the announcement of a reactionary legislative bill, the "Combating Violence, Disorder and Looting and Law Enforcement Protection Act." The bill would . . . |

Ronald Newman (2020-09-29). How the ACLU is Flexing its Political Muscle in the 2020 Elections. aclu.org This week, the presidential candidates will face off in their first debate of the general election. Voters will hear Donald Trump and Joe Biden talk about their views on the COVID-19 pandemic, the economy, and the Supreme Court vacancy created by the untimely passing of ACLU alumna Ruth Bader Ginsburg. The ACLU and our supporters will be listening closely for how their answers relate to key civil liberties issues, including racial justice and reproductive freedom, just as we have throughout the presidential campaign., , This cycle, the ACLU has gotten involved in the presidential campaign in a serious way for…

_____ (2020-09-29). US Accountant Found Guilty In Panama Papers Case. popularresistance.org A U.S. accountant who helped American residents evade taxes in a case exposed by the Panama Papers investigation has been sentenced to more than three years in prison. | Over a sometimes choppy internet connection on Thursday, federal judge Richard M. Berman in New York sentenced Richard Gaffey, 74, to jail. | Gaffey, a Massachusetts-based accountant, previously pleaded guilty to eight crimes, including conspiracy to commit tax evasion and defraud the United States. From 2000 to 2018, prosecutors said, Gaffey worked with others, including lawyers at the Panamanian law firm Mossack Fonseca, to evade paying income…

_____ (2020-09-29). The Next Steps In Eviction Defense. popularresistance.org Oregon – Here in Portland, there are signs that the movement for Black lives and the movement for actually affordable housing are increasingly intersecting in all kinds of ways. Among the networks engaged in popular education and resistance organizing efforts around housing issues, you'll find groups normally focused on the massive problems of killer cops and institutional racism, such as Don't Shoot PDX. Outside of the home of a family facing foreclosure in North Portland on Mississippi, you'll find people who have long been involved with the daily protests that have been going on in Portland since the murder of…

sputniknews (2020-09-29). Russian National Nikulin Sentenced by US Court to 7 Years in Prison Over Cybercrime. sputniknews.com The United States has accused Nikulin of illegally accessing a range of websites, including LinkedIn, Dropbox and Formspring, with the aim of fraud.

Julia Conley, staff writer (2020-09-29). 'No Question' Trump and Daughter Ivanka Could Face Jail Time for Tax Fraud After Leaving White House, Says Legal Expert. commondreams.org Both President Donald Trump and his daughter Ivanka are liable to face jail time due to tax fraud should the president lose his reelection bid in November, a former Watergate prosecutor told CNN on Tuesday. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/gettyimages-4525656041_0_0.jpg

Scott Michelman (2020-09-29). Punished for Reporting Sexual Harassment: How One Law School Almost Got a Student Survivor Banned From the Bar. aclu.org George Washington University law student Dorea K. Batté saw the texts, missed calls, and voicemails pour into her phone by the hundreds. When she blocked the number they were coming from, her stalker found a way to use different numbers to contact her. She kept blocking the numbers; he kept reaching her using new ones. Feeling helpless and overwhelmed and after warning her stalker twice to stop contacting her — to no avail — Batté finally went to her law school's Title IX office to get help. As a reminder, Title IX is the federal law that prohibits sex discrimination — including sexual harass…

Prof Michel Chossudovsky (2020-09-28). The Covid-19 Numbers Game: The "Second Wave" is Based on Fake Statistics. globalresearch.ca "Red zones", travel bans, quarantines, "red lists". A "Second Wave". Millions of people are lining up for Covid-19 testing. The "Numbers Game". How statistics and "estimates" are used by politicians to justify the closure of the national economy and the derogation of fundamental civil rights.

David Swanson (2020-09-28). Two-Thirds of Presidential Debate Should Be About Militarism. counterpunch.org Source: here and here. Over half of the money that Congress decides what to do with every year is for wars and war preparations, year after year. When you add in police and prisons, and the militarization of police and prisons — and of borders and airports — and the Veterans Administration, you're talking about two-thirds of the

Albert Bender (2020-09-28). Wyoming Indigenous face coronavirus treatment discrimination. peoplesworld.org RIVERTON, Wyoming—There is a hotbed of controversy raging about the treatment of Tribal members of the Wind River Indian Reservation by a local hospital and inflammatory statements made by the Fremont County Commission Chairman Travis Becker. In the early days of the pandemic Northern Arapaho Tribal members of the Wind River Indian Reservation in west central …

_____ (2020-09-28). Unrest In Kenosha Didn't Come Out Of Thin Air. popularresistance.org Eddie: A study in 2013 shows that Wisconsin incarcerated more black men than any other state in the United States in spite of the fact that the black population is only 6.5%. Also, Wisconsin has a very high rate of incarceration for indigenous people. So in light of the recent events in Kenosha, the Department of Corrections building was burned to the ground. And I have with me today, two people that work with the Incarcerated Workers Organizing Committee to talk about Wisconsin, its prison population, and what's going on inside the prison in terms of organizing the incarcerated workers.

_____ (2020-09-28). 'Political Prisoner' Freed Under US Pressure Caught Planning Terrorism. popularresistance.org Managua, Nicaragua — A Nicaraguan right-wing extremist who was dubbed a "political prisoner" by a US government-funded NGO and subsequently freed under pressure by Washington has once again been arrested. The man was caught with explosives and illegal firearms, and was allegedly plotting terror attacks against his country's elected, UN-recognized government. | The disturbing incident is just the latest example of a growing series of former "political prisoners" who have unleashed violent chaos in Nicaragua, aimed at destabilizing the leftist Sandinista government.

MEE staff (2020-09-28). Turkish prosecutors prepare second indictment over Khashoggi murder. middleeasteye.net Turkish prosecutors prepare second indictment over Khashoggi murder | Two of the six suspects face life jail sentences for premeditated murder with monstrous intent | Mon, 09/28/2020 – 12: 17 | Khashoggi was killed in Saudi Arabia's Istanbul consulate and later dismembered (Reuters) | Turkish prosecutors have prepared a second indictment in connection with the 2018 murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi in…

teleSUR (2020-09-28). Spain's Supreme Forces Catalonia's President To Leave Office. telesurenglish.net Spain's Supreme Court disqualified the Catalonia president Quim Torra from his post for 18 months. The verdict argues that he did not comply with an Electoral Board's order, which requested him to remove banners supporting Catalan political prisoners. | RELATED: | Torra must also pay a fine of 30,000 euros for his "forceful, repeated, and stubborn resistance" to obeying an order "invested with authority and dictated u…

Peoples Dispatch (2020-09-28). After 49 years in prison, former Black Panther activist Jalil Abdul Muntaqim to be released on parole. peoplesdispatch.org Jalil Muntaqim has been in jail since 1971 and was sentenced only in 1993. He was eligible for parole since 1998, but his requests were rejected twelve times…

teleSUR (2020-09-28). Peru's Govt. Sued for Forced Sterilizations in Fujimori's Rule. telesurenglish.net Peru's government was sued before the United Nations (UN) for the forced sterilizations that thousands of women suffered under the government of Alberto Fujimori (1996-2001). | RELATED: | This is the first time that a complaint has been filed before the UN Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) to demand full reparation for the harm caused to the victims and their families. | "The government has not conduct…

Andrew Emett (2020-09-28). Former corrections officer sentenced to federal prison for assaulting inmate. nationofchange.org "The abuse of authority by this law enforcement officer and the violation of the inmate's civil rights will not be tolerated."

Nathan Freed Wessler (2020-09-28). Wi-Fi is Another Way We Can Be Tracked 24/7. aclu.org Wireless internet has become essential to modern life, enabling us to use our smartphones, tablets, and laptops as we move about in the world. Easy internet connectivity that comes from having Wi-Fi access points spread through office buildings, transit systems, parks, businesses, college campuses, and city streets is a public good. But Wi-Fi networks also collect information about when and where our devices connect to them, information that can precisely reveal our locations and movements. This is revealing data that shouldn't carelessly end up in the hands of police., , That is why today, the ACLU, along wi…

Gary D. Barnett (2020-09-28). The State's Response to this 'Virus' Is Nothing More than a Weapon of Mass Submission. globalresearch.ca "The great masses of men, though theoretically free, are seen to submit supinely to oppression and exploitation of a hundred abhorrent sorts. Have they no means of resistance? Obviously they have. The worst tyrant, even under democratic plutocracy, has but …

Brett Wilkins, staff writer (2020-09-28). In Effort to 'Cultivate Hopelessness,' Trump 2016 Campaign Used Facebook for Deterrence Operation Targeting Millions of Black Voters. commondreams.org The social media giant, said one critic, "is the newest frontier in a long history of suppression of the Black vote." | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/vote_4.jpg

Karen Rothmyer (2020-09-28). One Black Lives Matter Protest in Rural New York Opens the Door to Change. thenation.com One Black Lives Matter Protest in Rural New York Opens the Door to Change…

MEE and agencies (2020-09-27). Yemen warring parties agree to exchange over 1,000 prisoners. middleeasteye.net Yemen warring parties agree to exchange over 1,000 prisoners | The Houthis and Saudi-backed government in largest swap deal since peace talks in Stockholm in December 2018 | Sun, 09/27/2020 – 11: 57 | Houthi prisoner exchange committee head Abdulkader al-Murtada (L) shakes hands with the Yemeni delegation leader Hadi Haig, next to UN Special Envoy Martin Griffiths after exchange deal talks…

RT (2020-09-27). Return of CHAZ? Protesters erect barricades, set fires & loot store amid showdown with police in Seattle (VIDEOS, PHOTOS). rt.com Protesters wreaked havoc in downtown Seattle, erecting barricades and setting them on fire to block police from moving in. Violence erupted in the heart of the former 'autonomous zone' created by Black Lives Matter protesters. | At least seven people were arrested after a Black Lives Matter protest in Seattle turned violent on Saturday night, and saw activists storming a boarded store and vandalizing businesses and Seattle City Hall with graffiti. | Footage emerged showing masked protesters spray painting "Kill Pigs" and "Kill SPD [Seattle Police Department]" on the walls of the building that hosts the mayor's…

news.un (2020-09-27). Yemen's warring parties agree to free more than 1,000 prisoners. news.un.org At the end of a week-long meeting in Switzerland, the parties to the conflict in Yemen reached what the UN envoy there called "a very important milestone", in agreeing to release a first group of detainees.

Peadar O'Cearnaigh (2020-09-27). Concerns grow for the welfare of a Palestinian activist on hunger strike in a Belfast prison. thecanary.co As Now the political activist group Scotland Against Criminalising Communities (

Penny M. Venetis (2020-09-26). Ginsburg's Legal Victories for Women Led to Landmark Anti-Discrimination Rulings for the LGBTQ Community, Too. commondreams.org An RBG flag is flown in front of the U.S. Supreme Court for the late Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg September 21, 2020 in Washington, D.C. Justice Ginsburg died Sept. 18 from complications of pancreatic cancer at the age of 87. (Photo: Alex Wong/Getty Images) | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/views-article/thumbs/rbg-women-lgbtq.jpg

Daniel Fernando, Terrance Gardet (2020-09-26). [Correspondence] The recent interest of medical science in Black lives. thelancet.com We read with great interest the important Editorial1 about racism in medicine and medical science. Despite an eagerness to agree that Black lives must matter more, particularly given the historical disrespect for Black lives,2,3 and the police shooting of Rayshard Brooks on June 12, 2020, during demonstrations against the cruel murder of George Floyd, we argue that Black lives matter like any other lives matter; neither more nor less, because anything else will lead to the same conundrum that we are trying to overcome.