2020-10-25: News Headlines

Kameron Hurt (2020-10-25). Free Ruchell "Cinque" Magee! liberationnews.org Ruchell Magee is the longest-held political prisoner in the United States and the world.

_____ (2020-10-25). Life Of Palestinian Hunger Striker In Immediate Danger. popularresistance.org Maher al-Akhras, who has been on a hunger strike since his administrative detention on July 27, is waging a battle against the mighty Israeli occupation apparatus. Every day brings him closer to death, as Israel seems to be trying to prove through his case that the life of Palestinians, like their freedom and human rights, are worth nothing. But the formidable insistence of his hunger strike against the principle of administrative detention, and his determination that the strike will end only once he is free or becomes a martyr, is mobilizing more and more people to his support.

Staff (2020-10-25). You Cannot Decarcerate by Using the Tools of Incarceration, Says Mumia Abu-Jamal. truthout.org The somber baritone of Mumia Abu-Jamal is unmistakable. Before we can exchange greetings, one of several automated announcements interrupts the call, reminding us that our conversation will be subject to recording and monitoring. Abu-Jamal is phoning from State Correctional Institution Mahanoy, a medium-security prison in Pennsylvania. Convicted in 1982 for the alleged killing of white Philadelphia Police Officer Daniel Faulkner in a racially charged trial that, according to Amnesty Intern…

Prof Michel Chossudovsky (2020-10-24). 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.

Staff (2020-10-24). The Squad Calls for UN Inquiry Into Alleged Human Rights Abuses at Trump's DHS. truthout.org The four first-term progressive congresswomen collectively called the Squad led a letter Friday calling for independent international investigation of "recent, ongoing, and credible allegations of egregious human rights abuses by the United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS), its components, and its private contractors." | "From the unwanted and unnecessary hysterectomies of migrant women, to the forced separation of children from their families, to the indefinite detention of immi…

RT (2020-10-24). CEO of new Russian cosmodrome's operator arrested on charges of abuse of office & forgery. rt.com A high-ranking official at the helm of the new state-of-the-art Vostochny spaceport has been arrested on charges of fraud in a high-profile scandal. The scheme reportedly cost the state over $6.5 million. | Roman Bobkov, the head of the space center, a state entity operating the cosmodrome, has been placed in pre-trial detention for two months by a local

RT (2020-10-24). Vostochny spaceport scandals continue: CEO of company operating new Far Eastern Russian cosmodrome arrested on corruption charges. rt.com A high-ranking official at the helm of the new state-of-the-art Vostochny spaceport, in Russia's Far East, has been arrested on charges of fraud in a high-profile scandal. The scheme reportedly cost the state over $6.5 million. | Roman Bobkov, the head of the state entity operating the cosmodrome, has been placed in pre-trial detention for two months by a local

WSWS (2020-10-24). Russian court extends prison sentence for historian of Stalinist terror to 13 years. wsws.org The brutal vendetta against Dmitriev speaks to the enormous fear of the Russian oligarchy about the growing interest in the historical truth about the October revolution and the Stalinist terror in broad sections of the population.

_____ (2020-10-24). Prisoners Won The Right To Stimulus Checks. popularresistance.org Last week, Thomas Root emailed his weekly legal newsletter from his office in Ohio to nearly 11,000 federal prisoners around the country — just as he's done every Monday since 2015. That same day, attorney Brandon Sample in Vermont fired off his own weekly legal updates to more than 6,700 federal prisoners — as he's done for three years. | Within days, the men were flooded with rejection emails declaring that the Federal Bureau of Prisons had abruptly banned their newsletters, saying they were "detrimental to the security, good order, or discipline of the facility, or might facilitate criminal activit…

_____ (2020-10-24). USPS Ordered To Reassemble Sorting Machines. popularresistance.org A federal judge has ordered the United States Postal Service (USPS) to restore previously decommissioned high-speed mail sorting machines at offices that can't process election mail fast enough ahead of the upcoming presidential election. The order is the result of a lawsuit filed by New York state in late August. | In the order, U.S. District Judge Emmet Sullivan wrote that, if a post office or distribution center is unable to process election mail, "available processing equipment will be restored to service to ensure that USPS can comply with its prior policy of delivering Election Mail in accordance with First…

sputniknews (2020-10-24). Trump Campaign Files Lawsuit in Nevada, Asks Court to Stop Officials From Counting Early Votes. sputniknews.com According to Forbes magazine, more than 50 million Americans have already voted in the presidential election in the United States, as authorities have adjusted the electoral system due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. Many Americans have voted by mail, a measure that Donald Trump has harshly criticised, saying it may result in voter fraud.

sputniknews (2020-10-24). Texas AG Office 'Turbulence' May Delay Multistate Ad Suit Against Google, US Media Says. sputniknews.com Earlier this week, Texas became the 11th US state to join the Justice Department's antitrust lawsuit against Google over the Internet giant's alleged abuse of online search dominance.

Jake Johnson, staff writer (2020-10-24). Trump Lawsuit to Stop Mail-In Vote Counting in Nevada Condemned as 'Obvious' and 'Desperate' Suppression Attempt. commondreams.org www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/nevada_trump.jpg

Staff (2020-10-23). Biden Admits Past Mistake Supporting Crime Bill as Trump Defends Attacks on Black Lives Matter. democracynow.org President Trump and Joe Biden sparred on their records over race and criminal justice in Thursday's presidential debate. Trump simultaneously promoted his criminal justice reform efforts while continuing to lean on "tough on crime" rhetoric. Trump also criticized Biden for authoring the 1994 crime bill and supporting other laws that intensified mass incarceration in the U.S., which Biden acknowledged was "a mistake." Rashad Robinson, spokesperson for Color of Change PAC, says Biden's admission highlights the importance of continued pressure on politicians on racial justice issues. "The Democrats can't just make t…

Judy Greenspan (2020-10-23). Film review — "Belly of the Beast": Sterilizations inside the world's largest women's prison. workers.org With the world spotlight currently on the forced sterilizations of migrant women inside the ICE detention center in Georgia, the release of the documentary "Belly of the Beast" is timely. The film, by Erica Cohn, exposes the inhumane and illegal practice of sterilizations inside the Central California Women's Facility, the . . . |

_____ (2020-10-23). U.S. Spends More Than $80 Billion a Year Incarcerating 2.3 Million People. strategic-culture.org Laura FLANDERS | The U.S. today spends more than $80 billion a year incarcerating 2.3 million people in state and federal prisons, local jails, youth facilities and deportation centers. That's $80 billion that comes out of public coffers and goes into public confinement. | With the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic, many were shocked to see woman, children and migrants — including many pre-trial and pre-hearing — who had never been convicted of anything crammed into overcrowded lock-ups that might as well have been petri dishes for community spread of the disease. | By the middle of October, close to 150…

Staff (2020-10-23). Who is 'the least racist person in the room'? therealnews.com Burn It Down with Kim Brown — airing live on 10/23/2020. As YouTube restricts embedding for new channels, please click over to the YouTube link below. | Trump and Biden traded blows over each other's character, and what they would do for the country. Our panel discusses the final 2020 presidential debate, along with the recent developments in the fight against voter suppression.

Steve Early, Suzanne Gordon (2020-10-23). A Common Defense: Mobilizing Veterans in Labor. counterpunch.org During his 2016 presidential campaign, Donald Trump dissed a Gold Star family that lost a son in Iraq. He called Senator John McCain, America's most famous prisoner of war, a "loser" for being captured in Vietnam. When asked about widespread sexual assault in today's military, he dismissed it as a problem. He had to be publicly shamed into making

Beau Peters (2020-10-23). Early Voting, Long Lines, and Voter Suppression. dissidentvoice.org November 3rd, Election Day in America, is rapidly approaching. However, early in-person voting has started in several states across the country and there are some concerning issues already coming to light this election year. Videos by voters have been circulating on social media sites such as Twitter, showing extremely long lines and long waiting periods. …

RT (2020-10-23). Twitter locks socialist for urging people to 'kill' late anti-communist McCarthy IN THEIR HEADS. rt.com Metaphorically telling people to get rid of their censorship instinct got one prominent Twitter user censored herself, after the platform decided that went against their harassment rules for wishing someone "physical harm." | "Boomers need to kill the Joseph McCarthy that's still alive in their heads! He is dead but he still censors the thinking of many Boomers!" is what the user, who goes by the name Esha, tweeted on Thursday. She was addressing the generation of Americans born right after the Second World War, and referring to the Wisconsin senator who infamously claimed the US government was infiltrated by…

ACLU (2020-10-23). The Supreme Court Case That Could Jeopardize LGBTQ Rights. aclu.org In March 2018, the city of Philadelphia learned that two of the agencies it contracted with to provide foster care services would not, based on religious objection, accept same-sex couples as foster parents. The city told the agencies their contracts with the city were in jeopardy unless they complied with basic nondiscrimination requirements., , While one of the agencies agreed to comply, the other — Catholic Social Services (CSS) — refused. Instead, CSS sued the city, claiming the Constitution gives it the right to opt out of the nondiscrimination requirement. After a lower court and a federal ci…

WSWS (2020-10-23). 50 years since Canadian Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau invoked the War Measures Act. wsws.org During the October Crisis, the Canadian state, led by Trudeau, exploited two terrorist kidnappings to carry out a coup de force, jailing and intimidating left-wing government opponents amid a growing working class upsurge.

WSWS (2020-10-23). Right-wing groups sue Michigan over ban on weapons at polling stations. wsws.org Three right-wing organizations have filed a lawsuit to overturn Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson's order banning open carry of firearms at polling stations.

repost (2020-10-23). Eight Black workers sue S.F. health department for racial discrimination. indybay.org Eight Black workers in the City and County of San Francisco filed suit against the city for systemic racism and bullying.

Staff (2020-10-23). USPS Ordered to Reassemble Sorting Machines for Election Mail After States Sue. truthout.org A federal judge has ordered the United States Postal Service (USPS) to restore previously decommissioned high-speed mail sorting machines at offices that can't process election mail fast enough ahead of the upcoming presidential election. The order is the result of a lawsuit filed by New York state in late August. | In the order, U.S. District Judge Emmet Sullivan

Staff (2020-10-23). Biden Acknowledged Crime Bill "Mistake" Because of Massive Grassroots Pressure. truthout.org President Trump and Joe Biden sparred on their records over race and criminal justice in Thursday's presidential debate. Trump simultaneously promoted his criminal justice reform efforts while continuing to lean on "tough on crime" rhetoric. Trump also criticized Biden for authoring the 1994 crime bill and supporting other laws that intensified mass incarceration in the U.S., which Biden acknowledged was "a mistake." Rashad Robinson, spokesperson for Color of Change PAC, says Biden's admission h…

Jeremy Brecher (2020-10-23). How Workers Can Help Defeat a Trump Coup. commondreams.org Protesters gathered outside of the Target Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota, where President Donald J. Trump held a campaign rally on October 10, 2019. (Photo: Tony Webster, Wikimedia) | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/views-article/thumbs/trumpforprison.jpg

Alesdair H. Ittelson (2020-10-23). Attacks on Trans Athletes are Also an Attack on Intersex People. aclu.org Intersex people make up as much as

Staff (2020-10-22). Headlines for October 22, 2020. democracynow.org Columbia Researchers Say Trump's Failures Led to at Least 130,000 Coronavirus Deaths, California to Slash San Quentin Prison Population After Massive Coronavirus Outbreak, Obama Blasts Trump's Record as Candidates Head to Nashville for Final Presidential Debate, NYT: Trump Maintains Chinese Bank Account and Paid Nearly $200,000 in Taxes to China, DNI John Ratcliffe Claims Iran Is Meddling in 2020 Election to "Damage President Trump", Democrats to Boycott Senate Committee Vote on Amy Coney Barrett's SCOTUS Nomination, Billionaire Sackler Family Gets No Jail Time in $8 Billion OxyContin Settlement, In Historic Shif…

_____ (2020-10-22). Migrant Parents Separated From Their Kids Still Can't Be Found. popularresistance.org Lawyers tasked with identifying and reuniting families separated in 2017 and 2018 under the Trump administration's so-called "zero tolerance" border policy say they still haven't been able to locate the parents of at least 545 migrant children, according to a Tuesday court filing from the American Civil Liberties Union. | A majority of these parents — "approximately two-thirds," the filing said — are believed to have been deported to Central America without their children, some of whom were "just babies" at the time of the separation, ACLU attorney Lee Gelernt told CNN this week.

_____ (2020-10-22). Say Racism's Name, And Fight It With Solidarity. popularresistance.org The instability of Trump's presidency and the rise of the Black Lives Matter movement have upset the U.S. power structure. White supremacist groups such as the Proud Boys and the Boogaloo Movement have increased in number and visibility to protect the right of white America to the historic spoils of stolen land and stolen labor. These groups have found their Great White Hope in Donald Trump and his many appeals to keep them safe from Black Americans, immigrants, and oppressed nations all over the world.

Staff (2020-10-22). COVID-19 is raging in prisons. Why are America's aging political prisoners still behind bars? therealnews.com Ericka Payne discusses the struggle to get her uncle Ed Poindexter released, and how political prisoners are left out of the conversation about protecting aging prisoners from the pandemic.

Patricia Gorky (2020-10-22). Purdue Pharma settlement: Opioid kingpin Sackler family gets away with murder. liberationnews.org From this pain and suffering the Sackler family has built their enormous wealth estimated at $13 billion. The Sacklers will not face any jail time or significant fines despite the charges against Purdue Pharma…

RT (2020-10-22). US federal judge says Trump's tweet calling to release Russiagate docs with 'no redactions' was NOT official order amid FOIA suits. rt.com A US judge has ruled that a tweet sent by President Donald Trump earlier this month did not constitute an order to declassify material linked to the Russiagate probe, as CNN and Buzzfeed press for the docs in ongoing lawsuits. | US District Judge Reggie Walton said on Wednesday that, while the tweet appeared to order the release of new material free of any redactions, a clarification from White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows qualified as a reversal of the move. The judge was also critical of the administration for a lack of clarity on the question. | "It is unfortunate that we are in this situation because,…

RT (2020-10-22). ISIS-linked stabbing suspect monitored on day of Dresden attack right after he left prison, police chief reveals. rt.com A man suspected of killing one person and seriously injuring another in Dresden this month was under observation by German intelligence at the time of the attack, says the region's head of police. | Law enforcement agents arrested a 20-year-old Syrian man on Tuesday in connection with the double stabbing on October 4, with prosecutors saying he has an Islamist background. | Read more | | The suspect was being monitored by Germany's domestic inte…

commondreams (2020-10-22). Rushed Judicial Confirmation Poses Severe Threat to Civil Rights, Damages Legitimacy of the Supreme Court. commondreams.org ______________________________…

Susan Price (2020-10-22). United States: Racism, democracy in the 'land of the free'. greenleft.org.au The racism and lack of democracy that underpins the institutions of the United States has been exposed thanks to the Black Lives Matter movement and President Donald Trump's rush to confirm a new Supreme Court, writes Barry Sheppard.

Susan Price (2020-10-22). Racism, democracy in the 'land of the free'. greenleft.org.au The racism and lack of democracy that underpins the institutions of the United States has been exposed thanks to the Black Lives Matter movement and President Donald Trump's rush to confirm a new Supreme Court, writes Barry Sheppard.

Carl Takei (2020-10-22). When Black Mourners are Threatened with Official Violence. aclu.org In early June, as people around the globe joined in massive protests against the police brutality and racism that killed him, George Floyd was laid to rest at the same Pearland, Texas cemetery where his mother is buried. Led by a horse-drawn carriage containing his body, George Floyd's grieving family and hundreds of supporters walked slowly from the church to the burial ceremony. , , What they did not know is that on the rooftops above them, six teams of snipers were positioned to fire on the crowd of mourners. Manned surveillance aircraft and drones circled in the sky above. And hundreds of local and state…

Newsclick (2020-10-22). Explained: The antitrust case against Google. peoplesdispatch.org Newsclick's Prabir Purkayastha examines the reasons for the US justice department filing a landmark antitrust lawsuit against Internet giant Google. He talks about how Google has achieved a near monopoly and the risks of such an approach.

Press TV (2020-10-22). Yemen: Prisoner Swap and What May be Behind It. dissidentvoice.org Transcript of an Interview with Press TV Background The fourth batch of Yemeni detainees has arrived in Sana'a as part of the largest prisoner swap between the country's warring sides. The residents in the capital received 112 prisoners after their plane landed in the Sana'a international airport. 1,081 men will be released in two days. …

Abayomi Azikiwe (2020-10-22). Voter Suppression and Right-wing Threats Fail to Keep Millions Away from the Polls. globalresearch.ca Efforts aimed at thwarting the fundamental bourgeois democratic rights of the majority of people in the United States are well underway. | President Donald J. Trump has said repeatedly that mail-in voting and early opportunities to cast ballots are inherently fraudulent …

WSWS (2020-10-22). US Justice Department and eleven states file antitrust lawsuit against Google. wsws.org The US Department of Justice submitted a lawsuit against Google on Tuesday saying the $1 trillion corporation was in violation of the Sherman Anti-Trust Act.

ACLU NorCal (2020-10-22). Wednesday 10/21: Voting Plan, CA Ballot Info, & Voting Rights During COVID-19 Webinar w/ ACLU. indybay.org Online voter webinar and online volunteering opportunities…

NAACP (2020-10-22). Sunday 10/25: The Value of a Black Woman's Vote Rountable w/ NAACP. indybay.org Online roundtable…

Fight Back (2020-10-22). Justice for Eric Briceno, killed by ELA Sheriffs. fightbacknews.org Los Angeles, CA – Family, neighbors, supporters and Centro Community Service Organization (CSO) attended an October 16 press conference, rally and celebration of the life of Eric Briceno, who was killed by East LA Sheriffs in Maywood, California. Other families who have lost loved ones to police killings also joined the Briceno family. Well-known civil rights attorney Samuel Paz had asked Centro CSO to help the Briceno family. | Briceno was killed on March 16 after his parents called 911 for help with a mental health crisis. Briceno was beaten and tased to death in his bedroom, after he woke up to sheriffs shouti…

Brett Wilkins, staff writer (2020-10-22). Blasting 'Deliberate Indifference' to Inmate Health, California Court Orders San Quentin Prison to Reduce Population by Half. commondreams.org The ruling called the Covid-19 outbreak at the notorious lockup "the worst epidemiological disaster in California correctional history." | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/sq.jpg

commondreams (2020-10-22). Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law Activates Network of 23,000 Legal Volunteers to Safeguard Voting Rights For 2020 General Election. commondreams.org ______________________________…

Bill Meyer (2020-10-21). Malcolm and Martin come to the 2020 Toronto International Film Festival. peoplesworld.org [To enhance the reading of this review, I suggest you play this classic in the background.] A couple of new films on the lives of two of the most prominent figures in the civil rights movement, the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and Malcolm X, were released at this year's Toronto International Film Festival. …

MEE correspondent (2020-10-21). European MPs tell Egypt's Sisi to release prisoners of conscience. middleeasteye.net European MPs tell Egypt's Sisi to release prisoners of conscience | Egyptian president facing mounting calls by lawmakers from the US and Europe to end his government's rights violations | Wed, 10/21/2020 – 11: 17 | Egypt's President Sisi has been accused by international rights groups of presiding over the country's worst crackdown on human rights in its modern history (AFP/file photo)…