2020-10-01: News Headlines

_____ (2020-10-01). Reportback: Julian Assange Hearing On Tuesday September 29. popularresistance.org 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 well informed played less well, and there were distinct signs that Judge Baraitser was becoming irritated by this approach. The totality of defence witnesses and the sheer extent of mutual corroboration they provided could not simply be dismissed by the prosecution attempting to characterise all of them as uninformed on a particular detail, still les…

David Rovics (2020-10-01). The Next Steps in Eviction Defense. counterpunch.org A few thoughts on intentions, tactics, and building eviction defense networks 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

Andrea Germanos, staff writer (2020-09-30). Human Rights Groups Applaud London Mayor for Boycotting Saudi Summit. commondreams.org "No mayors in good conscience should agree to attend the U20 Summit until Loujain and the other imprisoned Saudi human rights defenders are freed and the bombing and blockading of Yemen ceases." | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/london-mayor-khan-u20-saudi.jpg

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…

Brett Wilkins, staff writer (2020-09-30). Life in Supermax for the Crime of 'Merely Doing Journalism'? UK Court Told Assange Likely to Be Sent to Notorious US Prison. commondreams.org A former warden at ADX Florence has described doing time in the Colorado prison as "a fate worse than death." | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/getty-assange_protestors_0.jpg

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.

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…

Martha Grevatt (2020-09-30). Thousands raise up Black Lives outside presidential debate. workers.org Cleveland protest targets first presidential debate, Sept. 29. Cleveland While presidential candidates Joe Biden and Donald Trump were debating in what many have labeled a "shitshow," thousands of Greater Clevelanders came out for a "Protest for Black Lives and Climate Justice." A broad coalition spread the word about the action . . . |

Shaw Drake (2020-09-30). CBP Wants to Destroy Records of Misconduct. We Can't Let Them. aclu.org Customs and Border Protection (CBP), the nation's largest federal law enforcement agency, operates with

Jim McMahan (2020-09-30). Justice for Breonna Taylor and Black lives in Seattle. workers.org Decriminalize Seattle. Seattle — Demonstrators marched here on Sept. 24 to protest the previous day's decision by a grand jury in Louisville, Ky., not to bring charges against the cops who murdered Breonna Taylor. Hundreds took to the streets for hours, until after midnight, and marched on the Capital Hill . . . |

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.

MEE staff (2020-09-30). Lawmakers urge Trump to 'personally' intervene in trial of US-Saudi national. middleeasteye.net Lawmakers urge Trump to 'personally' intervene in trial of US-Saudi national | Salah al-Haidar faces as long as 33 years in prison as he goes before court that has imprisoned rights activists, journalists, clerics and minority Shia Muslims | Wed, 09/30/2020 – 17: 43 | Lawmakers have also urged president to intervene in case of Salah al-Haidar's mother, prominent Saudi women's rights activist Aziza al-Yousef (A…

_____ (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…

Editor (2020-09-30). Letter from LA: To Rehabilitate Prisoners, Rehabilitate Jails. scheerpost.com By Wellford "Buzz" Wilms / Original to Scheerpost When newly elected Sheriff Jim McDonnell appointed me to the Los Angeles Sheriff's Inmate Welfare Commission in 2015, I had no idea of what I was getting into. To be honest, I'd never heard of the commission, so I went to my computer to check it out. I was astonished to learn that it had $25 million to spend on inmates' welfare annually ($35… |

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.

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…

commondreams (2020-09-30). Trump Refusal to Disavow White Supremacy Presents Threat to Black Lives. commondreams.org ______________________________…

Peter Dreier, Dave Zirin (2020-09-30). Making Black Lives Matter On and Off the Diamond. thenation.com Making Black Lives Matter On and Off the Diamond…

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.

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.

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…

Staff (2020-09-29). David Cay Johnston: Trump Deserves to Be Jailed, But System Is Set Up to Let Rich Avoid Paying Taxes. democracynow.org Ahead of the first of three presidential debates between President Trump and Joe Biden, we speak with David Cay Johnston, founder and editor-in-chief of DCReport.org, who says the bombshell New York Times report on Trump's taxes highlights the existence of "two income tax systems, separate and unequal." The Times reports that Trump paid no federal income tax in 10 of the past 15 years and just $750 in 2016 and 2017. In a follow-up report, the Times reveals Trump made $427 million in connection to the hit reality TV show "The Apprentice," providing him a financial lifeline as other investments lost money. "People…

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…

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…

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…

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 …

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…

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…

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."

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…