2020-10-26: News Headlines

Staff (2020-10-26). "They Wanted to Take My Womb Out": Survivor of Medical Abuse in ICE Jail Deported After Speaking Out. democracynow.org An independent medical review team has submitted a report to Congress on a lack of informed consent and "disturbing pattern" of questionable gynecological surgical procedures at the Irwin County Detention Center in Georgia, after an account from a nurse whistleblower in September prompted congressional and federal investigations. At least 19 women, most of whom are Black and Latina, have come forward to allege they were pressured into "unnecessary" gynecological treatment and surgeries — including procedures that left them sterile — while they were detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement. We s…

Staff (2020-10-26). Prisons are COVID-19 cluster sites, but this federal law denies recourse for the incarcerated. therealnews.com The Litigation Reform Act makes it harder for prisoners to file lawsuits—Including over unsafe conditions that could put them at risk of COVID-19.

LGBTQ, homelessness, family, prison at 2020 Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival (2020-10-26). LGBTQ, homelessness, family, prison at 2020 Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival. peoplesworld.org In what is likely my final report from this year's Festival, here are more capsule reviews of short films from Hawaii being screened at the Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival, which is taking place through Oct. 31. The topics include LGBTQ, homelessness, family, and prison. Gimme shelter: Strangers in their own homeland Writer/director Kimi …

Gabriel Arkles (2020-10-26). Don't Let the Supreme Court Open the Door to More Discrimination Against LGBTQ People. aclu.org The Supreme Court will soon hear oral arguments in

WSWS (2020-10-26). ICE uses torture to pressure African asylum seekers to agree to deportation. wsws.org In a blatant violation of international law and the US constitution, ICE officials in the privately run detention center in Mississippi have been forcing asylum seekers from Cameroon to sign their own deportation forms and quickly shipping them back on secret flights.

Brett Wilkins, staff writer (2020-10-26). "I'm Gonna Die in Here": Investigation Shows How Jails' Privatized Healthcare Places Profit Over Prisoners, With Deadly Results. commondreams.org A Reuters report found that inmates in jails with contracted medical services were more likely to die and suffer substandard care than those in facilities with publicly managed care. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/gettyimages-5660331311_0.jpg

Pip Hinman (2020-10-26). Black Lives Matter rally as NSW parliamentary inquiry begins. greenleft.org.au About 200 people rallied in rain at the Sydney Domain on October 26, just before the NSW Parliamentary inquiry into Aboriginal deaths in custody began, reports Peter Boyle.

Staff (2020-10-26). Survivor Deported After Speaking Out About Medical Abuse in ICE Jails. truthout.org An independent medical review team has submitted a report to Congress on a lack of informed consent and "disturbing pattern" of questionable gynecological surgical procedures at the Irwin County Detention Center in Georgia, after an account from a nurse whistleblower in September prompted congressional and federal investigations. At least 19 women, most of whom are Black and Latina, have come forward to allege they were pressured into "unnecessary" gynecological treatment and surgeries — includin…

Tamar Sarai Davis (2020-10-26). Jailed Voters Can Swing Elections if they Know and Can Exercise their Rights. zcomm.org Unlike many people incarcerated in state and federal prisons legally ineligible to vote, moat in local jails — detained pretrial or held on misdemeanor charges — are legally eligible to vote, but are unable to do so…

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.

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.

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). 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). 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.

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…

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

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.

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). 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.

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.

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.

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 (2020-10-23). 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

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…

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. …

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.

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…

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 ______________________________…

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…