(2020-03-09). Tehran sends home 70,000 prisoners to mitigate coronavirus outbreak. rt.com 
Iran's top judge said around 70,000 people across the country have been granted temporary leave from prisons. The measure is meant to curb the spread of coronavirus infections in the struggling country. | Speaking to a judicial council on Monday, Chief Justice Ebrahim Raisi said Iranian courts have identified 70,000 people eligible for furlough, Tasnim News Agency reported. The number of vetted inmates announced last week was 52,000. | The furlough is meant to decrease the health risk in prisons as the country is struggling to tackle an outbreak of the Covid-19 epidemic. The Iranian authorities said they will…
(2020-03-09). Italian prisoners RIOT over coronavirus safety measures (VIDEOS). rt.com 
Italy, which is battling the worst Covid-19 outbreak in Europe, has experienced a series of prison riots in virus-plagued areas. The unrest has been triggered by a move to suspend family visits over the coronavirus threat. | "There have been a series of rebellions across the country," Italy's prison administration head Francesco Basentini said on Monday. | The government's efforts to contain the virus, which has already killed over 360 people across the nation, triggered riots at several prisons in Italy. While staying inside might be not the worst way to avoid the coronavirus, some prisoners, apparently, want…
(2020-03-09). Cuomo unveils New York-made hand sanitizer…made by prison 'slave labor' not allowed to use it themselves. rt.com 
New York's governor has put prison inmates to work making gallons of hand sanitizer to combat alleged "price gouging" by mass-market brands, but what many see as slave labor doesn't quite square with the state's progressive image. | Andrew Cuomo debuted a state-branded hand sanitizer in a showy press conference on Monday, touting the prison-made formula as a way to fight skyrocketing prices on the dwindling supplies of mass-market hand sanitizer flying off the shelves. After pretending to solicit solutions from his audience, the second-generation statesman staged a cheesy curtain-opening reveal on an eye-catch…
(2020-03-09). Italian prisoners RIOT over coronavirus safety measures (WATCH LIVE). rt.com 
Italy, which is battling the worst Covid-19 outbreak in Europe, has experienced a series of prison riots in virus-plagued areas. The unrest has been triggered by a move to suspend family visits over the coronavirus threat. | "There have been a series of rebellions across the country," Italy's prison administration head Francesco Basentini said on Monday. | The government's efforts to contain the virus, which has already killed over 360 people across the nation, triggered riots at several prisons in Italy. While staying inside might be not the worst way to avoid the coronavirus, some prisoners, apparently, want…
(2020-03-09). Civil Rights Leader Jesse Jackson Endorses Bernie Sanders for President. truthdig.com 
The reverend urges black voters to reject the "moderate path" in favor of a progressive agenda that aims to meet their communities' needs.
(2020-03-09). Julian Assange: The Power of Truth. globalresearch.ca Julian Assange — an innocent journalist/publisher — is being constantly strip-searched, handcuffed and confined either in an iron cell in the infamous Belmarsh prison or in a glass cage during his show trial. The aim is to make Assange feel …
(2020-03-09). Joe Biden is Demented Racist Shark Food. counterpunch.org Biden helped author and worked to pass the racist federal mass incarceration Three Strikes crime bill of 1994. He has boasted of his ability to work with segregationists as a U.S. senator in the 1970s, when he opposed federal desegregation busing orders and worried about sending his children to desegregated schools. He boasts about his ability to work with racist Republicans today. He offered creepy racialized praise for presidential candidate Barack Obama by calling him "articulate" and "clean."
(2020-03-09). Many New Voting Systems Aren't Ready for Prime Time. truthdig.com Put aside, for now, foreign meddling in U.S. elections, social media propaganda and partisan voter suppression. The newest emerging threat to elections in 2020 is new voting systems that have been insufficiently tested and phased in, but have been debuting in many of 2020's presidential primaries and caucuses. | Since the Iowa Democratic Party's presidential caucuses, there has been a string of new technology-based failures and frustrations—despite officials' and voting system designers' intentions. The failures share some common elements, from data connectivity issues to machinery breakdowns to poor planni…
(2020-03-09). Students Petition UC Irvine After Campus Police Arrest a Black Alumna. indybay.org Shikera Chamndany, a Black alumna in biomedical engineering at UC Irvine, went to campus to collect her transcripts on Feb. 20. She ended up spending the night in Orange County Women's Jail.
(2020-03-09). Iran Frees 70,000 Prisoners to Contain Coronavirus Spread — Report. sputniknews.com As coronavirus continues spreading around the world and crippling global markets, Iran is the worst-hit county after China, with over 2,000 deaths and more than 7,100 people infected as of Sunday.
(2020-03-09). Mechanism reached for release of Taliban inmates: Ghani. yenisafak.com A mechanism for the release of Taliban prisoners has been reached and a presidential decree would be issued in this regard on Tuesday, the country's president said on Monday.President Ashraf Ghani's remarks came after he took an oath as president for another five-year term.During the inauguration ceremony, loud explosions and gunfire were heard. Ghani said such explosions and gunfire "cannot deter him from serving the nation".At a distance of few meters, his electoral rival Abdullah Abdullah also held a parallel oath-taking ceremony, rejecting results of September elections.
(2020-03-09). Six die in Italy prison riot over anti-coronavirus measures. yenisafak.com Six inmates were killed in a prison riot in Italy and guards were taken hostage at another jail, as unrest spread in prisons across the country over measures to contain the coronavirus, including restrictions on visits.Italy's government has imposed a virtual lockdown across much of its wealthy northern regions at the epicentre of the contagion, in an effort to contain a virus which as of Sunday had killed 366 people.In a TV interview the head of Italy's prison administration Francesco Basentini said three inmates had died inside a jail in the northern town of Modena, and three others had died after being transfe…
(2020-03-08). Voices From America's Brutal Prisons. truthdig.com 
"Prison Truth: The Story of the San Quentin News" | In 2017, Oprah Winfrey visited Pelican Bay State Prison in California for "60 Minutes" and openly empathized with an inmate's predicament. It was a departure from the standard primetime interviews with an inmate in which the journalist extracts lurid details about crimes. (Dr. Phil once asked a man convicted of murdering his mother with a sledgehammer what it sounded like.) | As celebrated journalist and UC Berkeley professor William Dr…
(2020-03-08). Biden and Sanders fight for black voters with competing endorsements from Kamala Harris, Jesse Jackson. rt.com 
Shortly after Joe Biden received an endorsement from Senator Kamala Harris, Bernie Sanders' campaign announced support from civil rights activist Jesse Jackson. | "A people far behind cannot catch up choosing the most moderate path," Jackson said in a public statement announcing his support for Sanders. "The most progressive social and economic path gives us the best chance to catch up and Senator Bernie Sanders represents the most progressive path. That's why I choose to endorse him today." | While the statement doesn't directly name Biden, the mention of a "moderate" choice versus a "progressive" choice is h…
(2020-03-08). Civil Rights Leader Rev. Jesse Jackson Endorses Bernie Sanders. telesurenglish.net Civil rights activist Reverend Jesse Jackson Sr. endorsed Sunday 2020 United States (U.S.) Democratic presidential candidate Senator Bernie Sanders, hailing him as the most progressive option. | RELATED: "The most progressive social and economic path gives us the best chance to catch up and Senator Bernie Sanders represents the most progressive path. That's why I choose to endorse him today," Jackson said. | Since…
(2020-03-08). Mexico Vows to End Violence Against Indigenous Women. telesurenglish.net In recent years, the violence against women in Mexico has reached alarming figures, and the wave of femicides has soared to a record 1,010 victims in 2019. | RELATED: | Statistics reflect the potential danger of being a woman in Mexico, something that gets worse when women belong to an Indigenous community. | Violence against Indigenous women has increased on a daily basis, while discrimination based on gender, et…
(2020-03-08). 'Our Needs Are Not Moderate': Civil Rights Leader Rev. Jesse Jackson Endorses Bernie Sanders for President. commondreams.org Civil rights leader Rev. Jesse Jackson Sr. on Sunday endorsed 2020 Democratic presidential primary candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders and urged black voters to reject the "moderate path" in favor of a progressive agenda that aims to actually meet the needs and demands of their communities. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/sanders_democratic_socialism.jpg …
(2020-03-07). Fear pervades Black politics, and makes us agents of our own oppression. mronline.org 
Black youth see the truth, and will act on it, we are certain. |
(2020-03-07). Chile: Pinochet's Agents Will Remain in Jail for up to 20 Years. telesurenglish.net Santiago de Chile's First Court of Appeals Friday sentenced 31 secret police officers to penalties of up to 20 years for their participation in the disappearance of two filmmakers on Nov. 29, 1974. | RELATED: | The ruling established the responsibility of members of the National Intelligence Directorate (DINA) in the kidnapping of Carmen Bueno and Jorge Muller, who were militants of the Revolutionary Left Movement (MI…
(2020-03-06). Are Our Prisons and Jails Ready for COVID-19? aclu.org The | country and the world face a public health emergency in the new coronavirus | causing COVID-19. The media is filled with concerns about how we will respond. | Will we close schools? Cancel sporting events and other large gatherings? Work | from home? Avoid public transportation? | But | little has been said about one of the most vulnerable sectors of our | population: the people in our prisons and jails. Although people often think of | prisons and jails as closed environments, they are not. Medical staff, correctional | staff, and visitors come from the community into the facilities every day and | then…
(2020-03-06). Lecturing 'angry black woman' on MLK? Hilary Rosen botches apology after CNN row on 'white moderate' Biden with Sanders surrogate. rt.com 
Democratic pundit Hilary Rosen had to apologize thrice to Bernie Sanders' national co-chair Nina Turner after lecturing her on the meaning of a famous Martin Luther King Jr quote about "white moderates" in a heated row on CNN. | It all began during a Thursday night segment on CNN's Cuomo Prime Time, when Turner referenced MLK's famous Letter from Birmingham Jail, in which he wrote that he had been "gravely disappointed with the white moderate" in the struggle for civil rights. | Rosen then jumped in to "correct" Turner, who is black herself, saying this was "not what Martin Luther King said," and claiming he h…
(2020-03-05). Trump is Sending Special Forces-style Agents into Pro-Immigrant Cities. aclu.org As part of its governments that choose not to collaborate with Immigration and Customs | Enforcement (ICE), Trump administration officials have confirmed plans for two new tactics in their anti-immigrant | agenda. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) will deploy Border Patrol's | special forces-style unit, known as BORTAC, and other Customs and Border | Protection (CBP) agents — dressed in plainclothes [m…
(2020-03-05). Women and girls still vulnerable to HIV due to gender inequality: UNAIDS. news.un.org Gender discrimination and violence, as well as "huge" gaps in education, are among the factors why women and girls remain vulnerable to HIV, according to the UN agency working to end the AIDS epidemic.
(2020-03-03). 'We Are Going to Be Back to Where We Were After Reconstruction—Unless We Stop It' – CounterSpin interview with Carol Anderson about voter suppression. fair.org 
Janine Jackson interviewed Emory University's Carol Anderson about voter suppression for the Media…
(2020-03-03). TRAP Laws are the Threat to Abortion Rights You Don't Know About. aclu.org This week, the Supreme Court is set to hear arguments in a case | that will have wide-reaching consequences for reproductive freedom and abortion | rights in America. It's the first time the Court has weighed those rights since | gaining a new conservative majority with the appointments of Justices Neil | Gorsuch and Brett Kavanaugh. And the stakes are high. | The case that the court will | hear, June Medical Services LLC v. Russo, | is being argued by the Center for Reproductive Rights (CCR), and it involves a | law in Louisiana known as a "TRAP" — Targeted Restriction on Abortion | Providers. The detai…
(2020-03-03). Headlines for March 3, 2020. democracynow.org Super Tuesday Kicks Off as Moderate Dems Coalesce in Support of Joe Biden, 6 Dead in Washington from Coronavirus, as Criticism Mounts over CDC Handling of Outbreak, U.S. to Start Troop Withdrawal as Taliban Vows to Resume Attacks and Afghan Gov't Rejects Prisoner Swap, Migrant Child Drowns Off Greek Coast, Refugees Attacked as Asylum Crisis Deepens, Iraqi Power Vacuum as Caretaker PM and Designated Successor Both Walk Away from Post, Benjamin Netanyahu Holds Lead Over Rival Benny Gantz But Falls Short of Outright Majority, Report: 80,000+ Uyghur Muslims Forced into Factory Labor for Nike, Apple, Revolutionary Nic…
(2020-03-02). Julian Assange Lawyer: What's at Stake in Extradition Case Is Freedom of the Press. democracynow.org 
British Judge Vanessa Baraitser has suspended the extradition hearing for WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange until mid-May. This comes after four days of intense deliberations last week between Assange's legal team and attorneys representing the United States government. Assange faces 18 charges of attempted hacking and breaches of the Espionage Act for his role in publishing classified documents exposing U.S. war crimes in Iraq and Afghanistan. He could be sentenced to up to 175 years in prison. Assange has been held in London's Belmarsh prison since last April, when he was removed from the embassy by British poli…
(2020-03-02). Extradition of Assange Would Set a Dangerous Precedent. zcomm.org The Trump administration is seeking extradition of WikiLeaks founder, Julian Assange, to the United States for trial on charges carrying 175 years in prison…
(2020-03-02). Contra-supporting CNN pundit Ana Navarro lobbied for corrupt right-wing Latin American governments. thegrayzone.com Bernie-bashing "Never Trump conservative" CNN pundit Ana Navarro lobbied for El Salvador's right-wing government, whose president was imprisoned for corruption,…
(2020-03-02). Can We Trust the Government to Respond to the Coronavirus in a Fair and Effective Manner? aclu.org A group of over 450 public health experts signed a It is essential that all govern…
(2020-03-02). Refugee rights supporters rally for freedom outside detention hotel. greenleft.org.au 
(2020-02-28). Carol Anderson on Voter Suppression. fair.org Media…
(2020-02-28). US and OAS lobby for Nicaraguan 'political prisoners' who butcher their pregnant girlfriends. thegrayzone.com Ben Norton reports from Nicaragua, where the US embassy and OAS successfully lobbied for the release of violent criminals who…
(2020-02-27). Defending Immigrants' Rights and Reproductive Freedom in the U.S. Supreme Court. aclu.org The U.S. Supreme Court will hear a number of cases this term that will have a crucial impact on civil rights and civil liberties — from LGBTQ equality to reproductive freedom and immigrants' rights. Earlier in the term, the ACLU had two cases asking whether workers can be fired for being LGBTQ. On March 2, we will be arguing a case on immigrants' rights, and we have filed or will file friend-of-the-court briefs in major cases involving reproductive freedom, contraceptive access, and religious freedom. | We sat down with David | Cole, the ACLU's national legal director, to discuss what's in store for the…
(2020-02-26). Stopping the Anti-Abortion Ordinances of East Texas. aclu.org Waskom. | Naples. Joaquin. Tenaha. Rusk. Gary. Wells. These names might sound unfamiliar | now, but you'll be hearing more about them soon enough. | They | are seven cities in East Texas that, within the last several months, each | passed so-called "sanctuary city for the unborn" ordinances — moves that are | blatantly unconstitutional. | Waskom, Texas was the
(2020-02-26). As Alabama primary nears, voter suppression is alive and well. splcenter.org All across this country, the right to vote is under attack. But with your support, we're fighting back in Southern courts and state legislatures with a newly formed team of legal, policy, and grassroots advocates.
(2020-02-21). Weekend Read: SPLC files civil rights complaints as asylum seekers wage hunger strikes. splcenter.org …
(2020-02-14). Weekend Read: Department of Justice may force Mississippi to fix deadly prison system. splcenter.org …
(2020-02-11). Desperate asylum seekers 'starving for justice' in immigrant prison hunger strikes across Louisiana. splcenter.org Guards shackled Sai Mahad to a chair, placed a mask over his mouth and snaked a long tube through one of his nostrils.
(2020-02-04). Biden Threatens Lawsuit to Halt Release of Real Iowa Caucus Results. theantimedia.com American democracy—ain't it grand?>