Daily Archives: 2020-02-05

2020-02-05: News Headlines

Robert Norse (2020-02-05). Encampment Struggle and Suppression in Santa Cruz. indybay.org The history below was intended as a prologue to an earlier post entitled "Documents on Homeless Encampments and Civil Rights". However its length grew, so I'm posting it separately. For the Documents go to www.indybay.org/newsitems/2020/02/01/18830292.php .

Eds. (2020-02-05). A murderous system is being created before our very eyes. mronline.org A made-up rape allegation and fabricated evidence in Sweden, pressure from the UK not to drop the case, a biased judge, detention in a maximum security prison, psychological torture—and soon extradition to the U.S., where he could face up to 175 years in prison for exposing war crimes. For the first time, the UN Special […] |

Fight Back (2020-02-05). Free Bolivian political prisoner Facundo Molares! fightbacknews.org Bolivia suffered a vicious coup d'état on November 10, 2019 that was provoked by right-wing gangs rampaging in the street, traitorous police and military officers, the old guard political elite, and, of course, supported by the United States Embassy. As soon as Evo Morales was elected to a fourth term as president of Bolivia on October 20, with almost 47% of the vote, right-wing elements, centered in Santa Cruz de la Sierra, started a campaign to destabilize the progressive government headed by Evo. | Directly after the results announcing that Morales won in the first round of the presidential election, reactiona…

WSWS (2020-02-04). Boris Johnson's government uses London terror attack to call for indefinite detention. wsws.org For all the cries of "apologist!" in the corporate media, the roots of terrorist groups in the predatory intrigues of the major powers are widely known.

IMEMC & Agencies (2020-02-04). PPS: Twelve Palestinians Detained From West Bank, Including a Mother of Four. imemc.org According to the Palestinian Prisoners' Society (PPS), the Israeli occupation forces arrested 12 Palestinian civilians from the occupied West Bank, on Tuesday night, including a mother of four. The PPS said that six Palestinian citizens were arrested from several towns in the Hebron governorate, including a woman. 1.

WSWS (2020-02-04). White supremacist Coast Guard officer sentenced to thirteen years in federal prison after plotting massacre of Democrats and "leftists in general" wsws.org Christopher Hasson, a fascist Coast Guard Lieutenant who had amassed an arsenal in his Silver Spring, Maryland home, was sentenced Friday after pleading guilty to firearm and drug charges.

Direct Action Monterey Network (2020-02-04). Monterey Anarchist Black Cross – political prisoner support. indybay.org Old Capitol Books | 559 Tyler St, Monterey…

WSWS (2020-02-04). Pennsylvania cancer patient sentenced to 10 months in prison for shoplifting $109.63 in groceries. wsws.org Ashley Menser, 36, and her family were hoping that the fact that she was being treated for cancer would persuade the judge to either delay or defer her sentencing. They were wrong.

Staff (2020-02-04). Headlines for February 4, 2020. democracynow.org Delay in Iowa Democratic Primary Results Causes Confusion, Mixed Messages, Final Arguments Made in Impeachment Trial of President Trump Ahead of SOTU, Hong Kong Medical Workers Demand Border Closure as Coronavirus Claims Life of Hong Kong Man, Leaked Audio Shows Iran Knew It Downed Ukraine Jet Despite Early Denials, Syrian and Turkish Forces Escalate Attacks as Turkey Suffers First Losses from Direct Combat, Massachusetts Prisoners Allege Violent Retaliatory Abuse by Guards, Trial Begins For Ex-CIA Software Engineer Accused of "Vault 7" Leak, Weinstein Rape Accuser Breaks Down During Harsh Questioning, Shooting a…

Tyler Durden (2020-02-04). Biden Threatens Lawsuit to Halt Release of Real Iowa Caucus Results. theantimedia.com American democracy—ain't it grand?>

Steven Sahiounie (2020-02-04). The Shame of the Century: Kushner's Deal Is Dead on Arrival. globalresearch.ca Imagine a lawsuit being tried in a courtroom. The case is coming to a close, and one side is sure of their position of being 'in the right', and then the opposing side offers a 'deal' to settle the case …

Julia Conley, staff writer (2020-02-04). Ruling Against Rape Victim in Alabama, Say Critics, Shows Stand-Your-Ground Laws 'Not Created for Women'. commondreams.org A woman in Alabama could face life in prison after losing her "Stand Your Ground" hearing in which she testified that when she shot a man in her home in January 2018, she was acting in self defense after he raped her and attacked her brother. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/33340396865_269251d1ce_o1.jpg

Jon Queally, staff writer (2020-02-04). Teachers, Farmers, Veterans, and Grassroot Leaders: Sanders Campaign Unveils Yuuge Slate of California Endorsements. commondreams.org "As a proud immigrant, long-time union leader, and advocate for women's rights, civil rights, and environmental justice, I have a moral responsibility to support the candidate whose values align with mine," said one of hundreds of people in the Golden State to announce their official support on Tuesday. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/bernie_sanders_california_1.png

Jordan Davidson (2020-02-03). Belugas dying off in Alaska — oil, gas operations likely to blame. peoplesworld.org Two environmental groups made a formal announcement that they will file a lawsuit to protect endangered beluga whales whose numbers have plummeted recently, as the AP reported. The suit aims to void permits allowed by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) that opened up oil and gas exploration in Cook Inlet in southern Alaska. The suit alleges that …

Vijay Prashad (2020-02-03). I will hold you in my arms a day after the war. mronline.org On Monday, 27 January, the South African photographer Santu Mofokeng slipped away. His camera had been a familiar presence in the anti-apartheid struggle; after years of photographing police violence and popular resistance, he tired of making 'images bespeaking gloom, monotony, anguish, struggle, [and] oppression', he wrote in 1993. |

Leila Rafei (2020-02-03). Block the Vote: Voter Suppression in 2020. aclu.org Voting should be as easy and convenient as possible, and in many cases it is. But across the U.S., too many politicians are passing measures making it harder to cast a ballot. The goal is to manipulate political outcomes, and the result is a severely compromised democracy that doesn't reflect the will of the people. Our democracy works best when all eligible voters can participate and have their voices heard. | Suppression efforts range from the seemingly unobstructive, like voter ID laws and cuts to early voting, to mass purges of voter rolls and systemic disenfranchisement. And long before election cycles ev…

Staff (2020-02-03). ACLU: Trump Is Expanding His Racist Travel Ban, This Time Targeting Africans. democracynow.org The Trump administration has expanded its contested travel ban to six additional countries — most of which are African nations. Under the new restrictions, nationals of Nigeria, Eritrea, Myanmar and Kyrgyzstan will no longer be able to obtain visas to live and work in the U.S., while Sudan and Tanzania will no longer be able to participate in the diversity visa lottery program. The ban, commonly referred to as the "Muslim ban," already affects citizens from Iran, Libya, Syria, Yemen, Somalia, Venezuela and North Korea. The expansion is expected to affect more than 350 million people. Democrats say they will…

WSWS (2020-02-03). Council of Europe's parliamentary assembly calls for Assange's release, condemns threatened extradition. wsws.org Members of the assembly undoubtedly recognised that their report on media freedom would have no credibility if it remained silent on Europe's most famous imprisoned journalist and publisher.

teleSUR, jg (2020-02-03). Bolivia: Evo Morales' Legal Representative Arrested. telesurenglish.net The legal representative of former Bolivian President Evo Morales has been sentenced to six months in prison in a new attack on the reputation of the Movement towards Socialism (MAS) ahead of the upcoming elections. | Judge Armando Zeballos ordered the pre-trial detention…

Andrew Emett (2020-02-03). White supremacist Coast Guard Lt. sentenced to prison on gun and drug charges. nationofchange.org "There is little if any doubt he was planning a mass casualty assault to further his white nationalist views."

Jim Miles (2020-02-03). These Chains Will be Broken — Palestinian Stories of Struggle and Defiance in Israeli Prisons. globalresearch.ca These Chains Will be Broken, there is a series of references from five distinguished activists praising, in different ways, the short anecdotes from those who have been or are imprisoned within the …

IMEMC News (2020-02-03). Army Abducts Thirteen Palestinians In West Bank. imemc.org Israeli soldiers abducted, on Monday at dawn, thirteen Palestinians, from their homes in several parts of the occupied West Bank, the Palestinian Prisoners' Society (PPS) has reported. The PPS said the soldiers invaded and ransacked dozens of homes across the West Bank, including occupied East Jerusalem, and interrogated the residents …

splcenter (2020-02-02). SPLC and the SPLC Action Fund Hire Internationally Renowned Human and Civil Rights Leader as New President and CEO. splcenter.org Margaret Huang brings 25 years of experience advocating against discrimination and oppression around the world.

Fight Back (2020-01-31). Minnesotans tell Klobuchar to drop White House run. Reports say she sent innocent Black teen to prison for life. fightbacknews.org Minneapolis, MN – "A young African American man by the name of Myon Burrell has spent more than half of his life incarcerated in Minnesota prisons under the leadership of Amy Klobuchar. She was the Hennepin County Attorney and she played a role in Myon Burrell being prosecuted for a crime that he did not commit," said Nekima Levy Pounds of Racial Justice Network, as she opened a press conference on January 29. "We want to lift up family of Tyesha Edwards, who was the victim in this case, an 11-year-old innocent child who was shot and killed. The incident that happened to Tyesha is extremely devastating. It sent s…

Arianna Demas (2020-01-30). The Government Is Trying to Strip Student Workers of the Ability to Unionize. aclu.org The federal government recently

Amber Duke (2020-01-29). We're Back in Court this Week Defending Access to Safe Abortion in Kentucky. aclu.org The ACLU is back | in court today once again to stop Kentucky's attempt to block access to | abortion. We've been here before. Over the past three years, the Kentucky | General Assembly has passed bill after bill that limits — and even bans — a | person's ability to get an abortion. And time after time, we've gone to court to | protect people's rights to get the care they need. | At issue this | week is a law that makes it a crime for doctors at Kentucky's last remaining | abortion clinic to perform an abortion procedure that is the standard of care. | In reality, the law is nothing more than a…

Staff (2020-01-29). Headlines for January 29, 2020. democracynow.org McConnell Tries to Secure Votes to Block Impeachment Witnesses, "Our Rights Are Not for Sale": Palestinians Reject Trump's Middle East Plan, Trump Praises Pompeo for Shouting and Cursing at NPR Reporter, WaPo Reinstates Reporter Suspended for Tweeting About Kobe Rape Case, Death Toll from Coronavirus Virus Hits 132, with 6,000 Infected, Over 100,000 Syrian Civilians Flee Regime Offensive in Idlib, Floods Kill 30, Displace 16,000 in Madagascar, Mississippi to Shut Down Unit of Parchman Prison After Deaths of 9 Prisoners, Maryland Cop Charged with Murder for Killing Handcuffed Man in Police Car…

Ashoka Mukpo (2020-01-28). Asylum-Seekers Are Being Abandoned in Guatemala in a New Policy Officials Call a "Total Disaster" aclu.org In late November, U.S. immigration authorities began | deporting some Central American asylum-seekers to Guatemala under a new | policy that makes it nearly impossible for them to seek asylum in the U.S. | But Guatemalan human rights workers say that their country's | asylum system isn't capable of handling even the relatively small numbers that | have been sent there so far, and that asylum seekers' precarious status in the | country has already pushed many to leave. | "They're preferring to move on…

Jay Stanley (2020-01-28). What You Need to Know About the Coronavirus Outbreak: A Civil Liberties Perspective. aclu.org The world is watching anxiously to see what happens with the | coronavirus that originated in Wuhan, China. As scientists and public health | officials in the United States learn more about the virus, and as we all see | how bad the outbreak turns out to be, it is important that public policymaking | remain firmly centered around science. | Unfortunately, our history of reactions to infectious | disease outbreaks suggests that if this outbreak becomes severe, we're likely | to see strong pressure to the contrary. In particular, we can expect three | things: | We can expect some to | panic.: | Unfortu…

Jennifer Stisa Granick (2020-01-23). In Latest Encryption Battle with Apple, Justice Department Still Wrong. aclu.org The | federal government is once again trying to force Apple to weaken the security | of millions of iPhones. On Wednesday, President Trump Switzerland for Apple to assist law enforcement in unlocking iPhones. Last week, | Trump made the same demand of Apple, company should unlock cell phones as a quid pro quo for any benefits it enjoys | as a result of favo…

Orion Danjuma (2020-01-23). Amendment 4 is Still on the Line. Here's What's New. aclu.org The right to vote cannot depend on how much money you have. That's what

Luiz ignacio lula Da silva (2019-12-28). Prison gave me a greater will to fight. zcomm.org Interview on the reality that Brazil is experiencing and the social protests that have occurred in several Latin American countries…

2020-02-05: Social Media Postees

Please be social by posting these 'POSTEES' on social media!

Encampment Struggle and Suppression in Santa Cruz
Robert Norse | indybay.org | 2020-02-05
The history below was intended as a prologue to an earlier post entitled "Documents on Homeless Encampments and Civil Rights". However its length grew, so I'm posting it separately. For the Documents go to www.indybay.org/newsitems/2020/02/01/18830292.php .
indybay.org/newsitems/2020/02/03/18830350.php

A murderous system is being created before our very eyes
Eds. | mronline.org | 2020-02-05
A made-up rape allegation and fabricated evidence in Sweden, pressure from the UK not to drop the case, a biased judge, detention in a maximum security prison, psychological torture–and soon extradition to the U.S., where he could face up to 175 years in prison for exposing war crimes. For the first time, the UN Special […] | Source…
mronline.org/2020/02/04/a-murderous-system-is-being-created-before-our-very-eyes/

Free Bolivian political prisoner Facundo Molares!
Fight Back | fightbacknews.org | 2020-02-05
Bolivia suffered a vicious coup d'état on November 10, 2019 that was provoked by right-wing gangs rampaging in the street, traitorous police and military officers, the old guard political elite, and, of course, supported by the United States Embassy. As soon as Evo Morales was elected to a fourth term as president of Bolivia on October 20, with almost 47% of the vote, right-wing elements, centered in Santa Cruz de la Sierra, started a campaign to destabilize the progressive government headed by Evo. | Directly after the results announcing that Morales won in the first round of the presidential election, reactiona…
fightbacknews.org/2020/2/5/free-bolivian-political-prisoner-facundo-molares

Encampment Struggle and Suppression in Santa Cruz
Robert Norse | indybay.org | 2020-02-04
The history below was intended as a prologue to an earlier post entitled "Documents on Homeless Encampments and Civil Rights". However its length grew, so I'm posting it separately. For the Documents go to www.indybay.org/newsitems/2020/02/01/18830292.php .
indybay.org/newsitems/2020/02/03/18830350.php

Witness to a Farce – Watching impeachment through the lens of the New York Times
Dorothee Benz | fair.org | 2020-02-04
Watching the actions of the Trump administration through the lens of the New York Times' coverage has been by turns dumbfounding, disheartening and infuriating. While the white nationalists running our government have rolled out one attack after another on civil rights, civil liberties, the independence of the judiciary, procedural democracy, human rights laws and planetary survival, the "paper of record" has offered a soothing translation of these threats into the familiar language of…
fair.org/home/witness-to-a-farce/

Boris Johnson's government uses London terror attack to call for indefinite detention
wsws.org | 2020-02-04
For all the cries of "apologist!" in the corporate media, the roots of terrorist groups in the predatory intrigues of the major powers are widely known.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2020/02/04/lond-f04.html

Monterey Anarchist Black Cross – political prisoner support
Direct Action Monterey Network | indybay.org | 2020-02-04
Old Capitol Books | 559 Tyler St, Monterey…
indybay.org/newsitems/2020/02/03/18830335.php

White supremacist Coast Guard officer sentenced to thirteen years in federal prison after plotting massacre of Democrats and "leftists in general"
wsws.org | 2020-02-04
Christopher Hasson, a fascist Coast Guard Lieutenant who had amassed an arsenal in his Silver Spring, Maryland home, was sentenced Friday after pleading guilty to firearm and drug charges.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2020/02/04/whit-f04.html

Canada: Court Dismisses Challenge to Trans Mountain Pipeline
telesurenglish.net | 2020-02-04
Canada's Federal Court of Appeal approved Tuesday the Trans Mountain Pipeline expansion project, dismissing four legal challenges from First Nations. | RELATED: | Canada: One-Third of Prison Population is Indigenous | The court had to determine whether Canada had adequately consulted with Indigenous groups living along the Trans Mountain route (1,150km), from Edmonton, Alberta, to a terminal on the British Columbia (BC) coast. | It said the government's consultation process "was…
telesurenglish.net/news/Canada-Court-Dismisses-Challenge-to-Trans-Mountain-Pipeline-20200204-0017.html

Pennsylvania cancer patient sentenced to 10 months in prison for shoplifting $109.63 in groceries
wsws.org | 2020-02-04
Ashley Menser, 36, and her family were hoping that the fact that she was being treated for cancer would persuade the judge to either delay or defer her sentencing. They were wrong.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2020/02/04/canc-f04.html

PPS: Twelve Palestinians Detained From West Bank, Including a Mother of Four
IMEMC & Agencies | imemc.org | 2020-02-04
According to the Palestinian Prisoners' Society (PPS), the Israeli occupation forces arrested 12 Palestinian civilians from the occupied West Bank, on Tuesday night, including a mother of four. The PPS said that six Palestinian citizens were arrested from several towns in the Hebron governorate, including a woman. 1.
imemc.org/article/pps-twelve-palestinians-detained-from-west-bank-including-a-mother-of-four/

The Shame of the Century: Kushner's Deal Is Dead on Arrival
Steven Sahiounie | globalresearch.ca | 2020-02-04
Imagine a lawsuit being tried in a courtroom. The case is coming to a close, and one side is sure of their position of being 'in the right', and then the opposing side offers a 'deal' to settle the case …
globalresearch.ca/shame-century-kushner-deal-dead-arrival/5702743

Biden Threatens Lawsuit to Halt Release of Real Iowa Caucus Results
Tyler Durden | theantimedia.com | 2020-02-04
American democracy–ain't it grand?>…
theantimedia.com/biden-threatens-lawsuit-to-halt-release-of-real-iowa-caucus-results/

Teachers, Farmers, Veterans, and Grassroot Leaders: Sanders Campaign Unveils Yuuge Slate of California Endorsements
Jon Queally, staff writer | commondreams.org | 2020-02-04
"As a proud immigrant, long-time union leader, and advocate for women's rights, civil rights, and environmental justice, I have a moral responsibility to support the candidate whose values align with mine," said one of hundreds of people in the Golden State to announce their official support on Tuesday. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/bernie_sanders_california_1.png
commondreams.org/news/2020/02/04/teachers-farmers-veterans-and-grassroot-leaders-sanders-campaign-unveils-yuuge-slate?cd-origin=rss

Ruling Against Rape Victim in Alabama, Say Critics, Shows Stand-Your-Ground Laws 'Not Created for Women'
Julia Conley, staff writer | commondreams.org | 2020-02-04
A woman in Alabama could face life in prison after losing her "Stand Your Ground" hearing in which she testified that when she shot a man in her home in January 2018, she was acting in self defense after he raped her and attacked her brother. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/33340396865_269251d1ce_o1.jpg
commondreams.org/news/2020/02/04/ruling-against-rape-victim-alabama-say-critics-shows-stand-your-ground-laws-not?cd-origin=rss

Council of Europe's parliamentary assembly calls for Assange's release, condemns threatened extradition
wsws.org | 2020-02-03
Members of the assembly undoubtedly recognised that their report on media freedom would have no credibility if it remained silent on Europe's most famous imprisoned journalist and publisher.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2020/02/03/assa-f03.html

I will hold you in my arms a day after the war
Vijay Prashad | mronline.org | 2020-02-03
On Monday, 27 January, the South African photographer Santu Mofokeng slipped away. His camera had been a familiar presence in the anti-apartheid struggle; after years of photographing police violence and popular resistance, he tired of making 'images bespeaking gloom, monotony, anguish, struggle, [and] oppression', he wrote in 1993. | Source…
mronline.org/2020/02/03/i-will-hold-you-in-my-arms-a-day-after-the-war/

Block the Vote: Voter Suppression in 2020
Leila Rafei | aclu.org | 2020-02-03
Voting should be as easy and convenient as possible, and in many cases it is. But across the U.S., too many politicians are passing measures making it harder to cast a ballot. The goal is to manipulate political outcomes, and the result is a severely compromised democracy that doesn't reflect the will of the people. Our democracy works best when all eligible voters can participate and have their voices heard. | Suppression efforts range from the seemingly unobstructive, like voter ID laws and cuts to early voting, to mass purges of voter rolls and systemic disenfranchisement. And long before election cycles ev…
aclu.org/news/civil-liberties/block-the-vote-voter-suppression-in-2020

ACLU: Trump Is Expanding His Racist Travel Ban, This Time Targeting Africans
Staff | democracynow.org | 2020-02-03
The Trump administration has expanded its contested travel ban to six additional countries

Bolivia: Evo Morales' Legal Representative Arrested
teleSUR, jg | telesurenglish.net | 2020-02-03
The legal representative of former Bolivian President Evo Morales has been sentenced to six months in prison in a new attack on the reputation of the Movement towards Socialism (MAS) ahead of the upcoming elections. | RELATED: | Bolivia's Coup-Born Regime Arrests Socialist Political Refugees | Judge Armando Zeballos ordered the pre-trial detention…
telesurenglish.net/news/bolivia-evo-morales-legal-representative-arrested-20200203-0006.html

Army Abducts Thirteen Palestinians In West Bank
IMEMC News | imemc.org | 2020-02-03
Israeli soldiers abducted, on Monday at dawn, thirteen Palestinians, from their homes in several parts of the occupied West Bank, the Palestinian Prisoners' Society (PPS) has reported. The PPS said the soldiers invaded and ransacked dozens of homes across the West Bank, including occupied East Jerusalem, and interrogated the residents …
imemc.org/article/army-abducts-thirteen-palestinians-in-west-bank/

White supremacist Coast Guard Lt. sentenced to prison on gun and drug charges
Andrew Emett | nationofchange.org | 2020-02-03
"There is little if any doubt he was planning a mass casualty assault to further his white nationalist views."
nationofchange.org/2020/02/03/white-supremacist-coast-guard-lt-sentenced-to-prison-on-gun-and-drug-charges/

SPLC and the SPLC Action Fund Hire Internationally Renowned Human and Civil Rights Leader as New President and CEO
splcenter.org | 2020-02-02
Margaret Huang brings 25 years of experience advocating against discrimination and oppression around the world.
splcenter.org/news/2020/02/03/splc-and-splc-action-fund-hire-internationally-renowned-human-and-civil-rights-leader-new

Minnesotans tell Klobuchar to drop White House run. Reports say she sent innocent Black teen to prison for life
Fight Back | fightbacknews.org | 2020-01-31
Minneapolis, MN – "A young African American man by the name of Myon Burrell has spent more than half of his life incarcerated in Minnesota prisons under the leadership of Amy Klobuchar. She was the Hennepin County Attorney and she played a role in Myon Burrell being prosecuted for a crime that he did not commit," said Nekima Levy Pounds of Racial Justice Network, as she opened a press conference on January 29. "We want to lift up family of Tyesha Edwards, who was the victim in this case, an 11-year-old innocent child who was shot and killed. The incident that happened to Tyesha is extremely devastating. It sent s…
www.fightbacknews.org/2020/1/30/minnesotans-tell-klobuchar-drop-white-house-run-reports-say-she-sent-innocent-black-teen-p

The Government Is Trying to Strip Student Workers of the Ability to Unionize
Arianna Demas | aclu.org | 2020-01-30
The federal government recently proposed a rule that would strip graduate student workers of their ability to organize under the National Labor Relations Act, the law that grants most private sector employees the right to engage in collective bargaining. In justifying its proposed rule, the National Labor Relations Board, a government agency, asserted that allowing graduate student a…
aclu.org/news/civil-liberties/the-government-is-trying-to-strip-student-workers-of-the-ability-to-unionize

We're Back in Court this Week Defending Access to Safe Abortion in Kentucky
Amber Duke | aclu.org | 2020-01-29
The ACLU is back | in court today once again to stop Kentucky's attempt to block access to | abortion. We've been here before. Over the past three years, the Kentucky | General Assembly has passed bill after bill that limits

Headlines for January 29, 2020
Staff | democracynow.org | 2020-01-29
McConnell Tries to Secure Votes to Block Impeachment Witnesses, "Our Rights Are Not for Sale": Palestinians Reject Trump's Middle East Plan, Trump Praises Pompeo for Shouting and Cursing at NPR Reporter, WaPo Reinstates Reporter Suspended for Tweeting About Kobe Rape Case, Death Toll from Coronavirus Virus Hits 132, with 6,000 Infected, Over 100,000 Syrian Civilians Flee Regime Offensive in Idlib, Floods Kill 30, Displace 16,000 in Madagascar, Mississippi to Shut Down Unit of Parchman Prison After Deaths of 9 Prisoners, Maryland Cop Charged with Murder for Killing Handcuffed Man in Police Car…
www.democracynow.org/2020/1/29/headlines

Asylum-Seekers Are Being Abandoned in Guatemala in a New Policy Officials Call a "Total Disaster"
Ashoka Mukpo | aclu.org | 2020-01-28
In late November, U.S. immigration authorities began | deporting some Central American asylum-seekers to Guatemala under a new | policy that makes it nearly impossible for them to seek asylum in the U.S. | But Guatemalan human rights workers say that their country's | asylum system isn't capable of handling even the relatively small numbers that | have been sent there so far, and that asylum seekers' precarious status in the | country has already pushed many to leave. | "They're preferring to move on…
aclu.org/news/human-rights/asylum-seekers-are-being-abandoned-in-guatemala-in-a-new-policy-officials-call-a-total-disaster

What You Need to Know About the Coronavirus Outbreak: A Civil Liberties Perspective
Jay Stanley | aclu.org | 2020-01-28
The world is watching anxiously to see what happens with the | coronavirus that originated in Wuhan, China. As scientists and public health | officials in the United States learn more about the virus, and as we all see | how bad the outbreak turns out to be, it is important that public policymaking | remain firmly centered around science. | Unfortunately, our history of reactions to infectious | disease outbreaks suggests that if this outbreak becomes severe, we're likely | to see strong pressure to the contrary. In particular, we can expect three | things: | We can expect some to | panic.: | Unfortu…
aclu.org/news/privacy-technology/what-you-need-to-know-about-the-coronavirus-outbreak-a-civil-liberties-perspective

Amendment 4 is Still on the Line. Here's What's New
Orion Danjuma | aclu.org | 2020-01-23
The right to vote cannot depend on how much money you have. That's what a federal court ruled in October, when it blocked Florida's attempt to force returning citizens

In Latest Encryption Battle with Apple, Justice Department Still Wrong
Jennifer Stisa Granick | aclu.org | 2020-01-23
The | federal government is once again trying to force Apple to weaken the security | of millions of iPhones. On Wednesday, President Trump issued a call from Davos, | Switzerland for Apple to assist law enforcement in unlocking iPhones. Last week, | Trump made the same demand of Apple, tweeting that the | company should unlock cell phones as a quid pro quo for any benefits it enjoys | as a result of favo…
aclu.org/news/privacy-technology/in-latest-encryption-battle-with-apple-doj-still-wrong