2020-12-12: News Headlines

Sung Mo Jung (2020-12-12). Queens, NY man jailed on fake confession, community rallies to free Prakash Churaman. liberationnews.org Even though his conviction was reversed this past June, Churaman remains at Rikers awaiting a new trial.

Nayanah Siva (2020-12-12). [World Report] Experts call to include prisons in COVID-19 vaccine plans. thelancet.com As some countries begin vaccination, experts are questioning the allocation and prioritisation lists. Nayanah Siva reports.

_____ (2020-12-12). Jewish People Worldwide Applaud Statement On Definition Of Anti-Semitism. popularresistance.org We, Jewish groups and individuals from across the globe, applaud the recent powerful statement and set of principles signed by 122 Palestinian and Arab academics, journalists, and intellectuals regarding the definition of antisemitism by the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) and the way this definition has been applied, interpreted and deployed. | As the letter states so compellingly: " The fight against antisemitism should not be turned into a stratagem to delegitimize the fight against the oppression of the Palestinians, the denial of their rights and the continued occupation of their land."

NAACP (2020-12-12). Wednesday 12/16: NAACP Town Hall: Slowing Pandemic Spread, #COVID19 Vaccine, & Health of Black Community. indybay.org Online town hall…

Alex MacDonald (2020-12-11). Turkish lawyer on hunger strike sent back to prison after release. middleeasteye.net Turkish lawyer on hunger strike sent back to prison after release | Aytac Unsal re-arrested as a flight risk despite being released on health grounds in September after 213-day hunger strike | Fri, 12/11/2020 – 11: 44 | Aytac Unsal recovering in bed following his hunger strike (People's Law Bureau) | A Turkish lawyer who was released from prison on medical grounds after spending more than seven…

Mark Gruenberg (2020-12-11). McConnell's virus lawsuit ban far worse than advertised. peoplesworld.org WASHINGTON—Kentucky Sen. Mitch McConnell's ban on lawsuits through 2024 against firms that don't protect workers and consumers from the coronavirus is even worse than advertised, the National Council on Occupational Safety and Health reports, and an inspection of the measure's underlying text confirms. The GOP Majority Leader's bill is actually S4317, introduced July 27 by …

C.J. Atkins (2020-12-11). Trustbusters target Facebook, but anti-monopoly effort shores up capitalism. peoplesworld.org Coming on the heels of a Justice Department lawsuit against Google filed in October, social networking giant Facebook is now in the crosshairs of the trustbusters at the Federal Trade Commission and a coalition of more than 48 state and territorial governments. Anti-monopoly momentum is picking up as regulators, long regarded as asleep at the …

RT (2020-12-11). Migrant smugglers exploiting Covid-19 pandemic, Interpol warns. rt.com Interpol has made more than 200 arrests as part of an international operation to bring down criminal smuggling networks, and warned human traffickers are exploiting the Covid-19 pandemic. | The one-week op, named Operation Turquesa II, saw officials in 32 countries conduct more than 50,000 checks. The massive crackdown lead to the identification of around 3,500 irregular migrants and the detention of over 200 people linked to migrant smuggling and human trafficking. | Interpol Secretary General Juergen Stock warned that the operation "shows how organized crime groups continue to take advantage of vulnerable pe…

Bryant Arroyo (2020-12-11). PA prisons: Disdain, distrust and deprivation. workers.org Incarcerated workers across Pennsylvania are demanding that Department of Corrections Secretary John Wetzel reverse his disastrous decision to begin mass transfers of prisoners during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. The following commentary is part 2 from an interview by Joe Piette with jailhouse organizer and environmentalist Bryant Arroyo, who . . . |

Chauncey K. Robinson, Matt Bernico (2020-12-11). PW Podcast: Rev. Liz Theoharis talks voter suppression and poverty. peoplesworld.org Beyond the Page is a companion podcast to the award-winning publication People's World. With every episode, we'll take you deeper into the topics covered at PeoplesWorld.org. Our program brings you in-depth interviews with journalists and activists on the most pressing stories in progressive politics, labor, and the struggle for socialism in the United States. As …

Manar Waheed (2020-12-11). Biden Must Restore Citizenship for Black and Brown People. aclu.org President Trump's relentless destruction of our immigration system is well documented. However, the myriad ways in which he attacked and targeted Black and Brown people seeking immigration benefits or citizenship, and even U.S. citizens is less discussed. , , There have been three substantial attacks on citizenship for Black and Brown immigrants: | Indefinite delays of immigration benefits, including citizenship, through the Controlled Application Review and Resolution Program (CARRP), which has targeted Muslims and people from Muslim-majority countries since 2008;Blocking the expedited path to citizenship fo…

Ralph Nader (2020-12-11). Go Vote Yourself a Raise, Georgia — You've Long Earned It. counterpunch.org All political eyes are on Georgia's runoff election on January 5th, 2021. Two Senate seats are up for grabs and will decide whether the evil Trumpster and corporatist Senator Mitch McConnell stays in total control of the U.S. Senate or not. If the Democrats win both seats, the Senate would be split, 50-50. Vice President

sputniknews (2020-12-11). Videos: Several People Injured as Vehicle Drives Into Manhattan Black Lives Matter Protest. sputniknews.com According to reports, a vehicle has crashed into a Black Lives Matter protest in New York City, injuring at least seven people.

ACLU (2020-12-11). Glennon Doyle on Telling Loved Ones Hard Truths. aclu.org On our podcast, At Liberty, we learn a lot about history, civil rights and civil liberties issues, and how we can use legal advocacy to move the needle. This week, we spent time talking about how we can best share that knowledge with others, especially the people in our lives who may not be as tuned into these conversations. , , Bestselling author Glennon Doyle, who knows a thing or two about difficult truth-telling, joined us to break down how those of us who are invested in civil rights work can better draw the people closest to us into our fights for justice and equality. Doyle is also the founder and presi…

Annie Levin (2020-12-11). Rebuilding the Solidarity Economy During COVID-19. progressive.org The pandemic and Black Lives Matter protests have shown New York's mutual aid collectives how to navigate the line between mutual aid, solidarity, and charity.

Julia Conley, staff writer (2020-12-11). 'Harebrained' Texas Election Lawsuit a Serious GOP Attack on Democracy, Warn Experts. commondreams.org {olitical observers on Friday warned that Texas's legal challenge of the election results, which has garnered the support of more than 100 Republican officials, is nonetheless a sign that democracy is under significant attack in the United States. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/gettyimages-1219321528_1.jpg

WSWS (2020-12-11). US Federal Trade Commission sues Facebook over monopolistic acquisitions and anticompetitive practices. wsws.org The FTC, along with 48 US attorneys general, filed an antitrust lawsuit against the social media giant Facebook on Wednesday, seeking to split off its popular Instagram and WhatsApp properties and regulate the firm's business practices.

Peoples Dispatch (2020-12-11). On International Human Rights Day, Chileans demand release of political prisoners. peoplesdispatch.org This December 10, on International Human Rights Day, hundreds of Chileans took to the streets to demand the release of all political prisoners in the country. There was special emphasis on the demand to release the protesters arrested during Several small demonstrations were c…

Binoy Kampmark (2020-12-10). Julian Assange: Covid Risks and Campaigns for Pardon. dissidentvoice.org Before the January 4 ruling of District Judge Vanessa Baraitser in the extradition case of Julian Assange, the WikiLeaks publisher will continue to endure the ordeal of cold prison facilities while being menaced by a COVID-19 outbreak. From November 18, Assange, along with inmates in House Block 1 at Belmarsh prison in south-east London, were …

MEE staff (2020-12-10). Al Jazeera anchor files lawsuit against Saudi, UAE rulers over alleged phone hacking. middleeasteye.net Al Jazeera anchor files lawsuit against Saudi, UAE rulers over alleged phone hacking | The lawsuit was brought against Mohammed bin Salman and Mohammed bin Zayed over alleged operation against Oueiss because of her reporting on Gulf states | Thu, 12/10/2020 – 12: 25 | Prominent Al Jazeera TV anchor Ghada Oueiss says she was hacked in the operation (Facebook) | Prominent Al Jazeera TV anchor Ghada Oueiss has fi…

Umar A Farooq (2020-12-10). US Supreme Court rules Muslims placed on no-fly list can sue for damages. middleeasteye.net US Supreme Court rules Muslims placed on no-fly list can sue for damages | Ruling paves way for lawsuits against FBI officers who placed Muslims on travel blacklist for refusing to spy on their communities | Thu, 12/10/2020 – 21: 05 | In unanimous decision, court rules in favour of lead plaintiff (AFP/File photo) | The US Supreme Court on Thursday ruled that Muslim Americans who were placed on the…

Global Research News (2020-12-10). Selected Articles: Net Worth of US Billionaires Has Soared by $1 Trillion Since Pandemic Began. globalresearch.ca By A lawsuit against the Trudeau Government for its…

Robert P. Alvarez (2020-12-10). Mass incarceration is declining — but not for women. peoplesworld.org Election after election, voters are turning against mass incarceration and the war on drugs that sustains it. In 2020, the people of Arizona, Montana, New Jersey, and South Dakota voted to legalize marijuana, joining 11 other states and the District of Columbia. In Oregon, voters opted to decriminalize possession of all drugs. And even during the deeply divisive …

progressive (2020-12-10). One Question: How Have the Black Lives Matter Protests Impacted the Prison Abolition Movement? progressive.org Q: How Have the Black Lives Matter Protests Impacted the Prison Abolition Movement?

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Ashley Curtin (2020-12-10). Federal and state lawsuits brought against Facebook calls for an end to BigTech's predatory practices. nationofchange.org "[Facebook] used its monopoly power to crush smaller rivals and snuff out competition, all at the expense of everyday users."

Andrew Emett (2020-12-10). DOJ files lawsuit against Alabama for unconstitutional prison conditions. nationofchange.org "The United States Constitution requires Alabama to make sure that its prisons are safe and humane."

D. Watkins (2020-12-10). "40 Years a Prisoner" confronts the police we're supposed to trust "telling bold-faced lies" salon.com Mike Africa, Jr., who was born in prison, appeared on "Salon Talks" to discuss MOVE and freeing his parents…

Abayomi Azikiwe (2020-12-10). Lawsuit Filed to Halt Voter Suppression in the Runoff Senate Elections in Georgia. globalresearch.ca After the third certification of the results of the presidential elections in the state of Georgia, efforts are underway to ensure equal access to the franchise leading up to the pivotal race to determine the composition of the United States …

Vania Leveille (2020-12-10). The Biden Administration's Disability Rights To-Do List. aclu.org People with disabilities face enormous barriers in the United States today — from a pandemic that is killing disabled people, especially those in institutions, at staggering rates; to schools that too often fail, traumatize, and criminalize students with disabilities; to a criminal legal system that unnecessarily targets, incarcerates, and kills Black and Brown people with mental disabilities. The administration must make disability rights a priority from day one, with a commitment to addressing head-on these harms and the intersection of discrimination and marginalization around disability, race, and po…

Terrell Jermaine Starr (2020-12-10). Activists Fight Voter Suppression in Georgia Runoffs. zcomm.org Groups go to court to reverse wrongful purge of 200,000 voters that could have significant impact on the election's outcome…

Prof Michel Chossudovsky (2020-12-10). 2009 H1N1 Vaccine Caused Brain Damage in Children. Dr. Anthony Fauci on "Vaccine Safety" Issues. globalresearch.ca A lawsuit against the Trudeau Government for its handling of the COVID-19 Crisis has been launched. What is at stake is the violation of fundamental rights of Canadians. | "The mass and indiscriminate containment of citizens, the restriction of access to …

Matthew Rozsa (2020-12-10). "Wrath of Mark": Antitrust lawsuits against Facebook accuse Zuckerberg of stifling competition. salon.com 48 attorneys general joined the federal government in antitrust lawsuits against Facebook…

Editor (2020-12-09). Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin: A Certain Kind of Diversity. scheerpost.com by Maj. Danny Sjursen, USA (ret.) / Original to ScheerPost America's first black presumptive secretary of defense grew up in the same town — Thomasville, GA — as the first black West Point graduate, Henry O. Flipper. I actually took select cadets from my civil rights history class to visit the southwest Georgia city on an academic trip in the summer of 2016. In fact, I vaguely remember the owner… |

The Canary (2020-12-09). Shamed Tory ex-minister asked judge to show mercy to 'sexual predator' Charlie Elphicke. thecanary.co Disgraced former cabinet minister Jonathan Aitken was among those leaping to the defence of ex-Tory MP Charlie Elphicke after his conviction for sexually assaulting women, court documents show."Sexual predator": Aitken, who was jailed in 1999 after admitting perjury and perverting the course of justice, was among those who sent testimonies on behalf of his friend ahead of Elphicke's sentencing at Southwark Crown Court in September.Aitken also said he offered Elphicke "some advice" about being a prisoner, but pleaded for the court to exercise "mercy".Elphicke, the former MP for Dover, was jailed for two yea…

Areeb Ullah (2020-12-09). Egypt: World Bank warned funding for Covid-19 is neglecting jailed doctors. middleeasteye.net Egypt: World Bank warned funding for Covid-19 is neglecting jailed doctors | Human Rights Watch calls on the World Bank to condemn Egypt's arrest of medical workers who criticised Cairo's Covid-19 response | Wed, 12/09/2020 – 10: 58 | Data collected by the Doctors' Syndicate shows Egypt to have one of the highest numbers of Covid-19 deaths among health workers in the world (AFP) | The World Bank was urge…

Staff (2020-12-09). Georgia Moves to Shut Down Early Voting Sites Ahead of Senate Runoff. truthout.org Civil rights groups warned on Monday that a decision by election officials in Georgia to shutter numerous early-voting sites ahead of the state's Senate runoff elections would disproportionately impact people of color. | The NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, the ACLU's Georgia branch and other groups