(2020-03-26). First immigrant in ICE custody tests positive for coronavirus in New Jersey. wsws.org This development highlights the criminal lack of basic sanitation that the Trump administration maintains in immigrant detention centers, as well as the ruling class' callous disregard for public health.
(2020-03-26). Julian Assange's bail request denied despite coronavirus risk. wsws.org Judge Vanessa Baraitser's refusal came amid mounting calls for the release of vulnerable, low-risk prisoners from the UK's overcrowded and woefully unprepared prison systems during the coronavirus crisis.
(2020-03-26). The Supreme Court Just Made It Easier to Get Away With Discrimination. thenation.com The Supreme Court Just Made It Easier to Get Away With Discrimination…
(2020-03-26). Tehran Has No Knowledge of Missing US Agent Levinson's Whereabouts. sputniknews.com MOSCOW (Sputnik) – Iran has no knowledge of the whereabouts of former FBI agent Robert Levinson, who disappeared in the country in 2007, the spokesman for Iran's UN Mission, Alireza Miryousefi, said Thursday, in the wake of claims by his family that he had died in detention in Iran.
(2020-03-26). 84-Year-Old Man is First UK Prisoner to Die of COVID-19 – Report. sputniknews.com The president of the Prison Governors Association recently warned that prisoners will start dying from COVID-19 due to the overcrowded and supbar conditions throughout the prison estate in England and Wales. Meanwhile WHO Europe released new guidelines which warn that prisoners are especially vulnerable to the illness.
(2020-03-26). British prisons have now seen their first coronavirus death. thecanary.co An 84-year-old man has become the first British prisoner to die after contracting coronavirus (Covid-19). | The inmate at HMP Littlehey, a category C male sex offenders' prison in Cambridgeshire, died in hospital on 22 March. | He reportedly had underlying health issues. | A Prison Service spokesman said: "An 84-year-old prisoner at HMP Littlehey died in hospital on March 22. | "Our thoughts are with his family at this time. | "As with all deaths in custody, there will be an independent investigation by the Prisons and Probation Ombudsman." | As of 25 March, 19 inmates had tested positive for coronavirus across 1…
(2020-03-25). Settling equal pay lawsuit a top priority for new U.S. Soccer leadership. peoplesworld.org 
Slow weeks are the new normal (what is 'normal' anyway?). The slow drag of time is also reinforced by the lack of sports—except for golf, which is not at all surprising. But it doesn't mean there can't be a bit of good sports news tucked behind all the Covid-19 pandemic bad news. The newly minted president …
(2020-03-25). UN rights chief urges quick action by governments to prevent devastating impact of COVID-19 in places of detention. news.un.org COVID-19 has begun to strike in prisons, jails and immigration detention centres, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet warned on Wednesday, as she urged Governments "not to forget hose behind bars" and to protect those working in closed facilities in their overall efforts to contain the pandemic…
(2020-03-25). British Court Refuses Julian Assange's Bail Plea. telesurenglish.net The founder of Wikileaks Julian Assange will not be let out of a London Prison amid the recent COVID-19 outbreak, the British court announced on Wednesday. | RELATED: | The Westminster Magistrates' Court in London has rejected a plea from the Assange defense team that called on the British authorities to release the Wikileaks founder from the high-security Belmarsh prison. | Judge Vanessa Baraitser, who is overlooking the Assang…
(2020-03-25). Palestine Demands Israel Release Prisoners Amid Virus Outbreak. telesurenglish.net Palestine on Wednesday urged Israel to immediately release over 5,000 Palestinian prisoners from its jails amidst an outbreak of COVID-19 in the country. | RELATED: | In a press statement, the Palestinian Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that Israeli Prisons Service (IPS) is not providing proper health protection to Palestinian prisoners, despite an alarming increase of coronavirus cases in Israel. | "Israel is in…
(2020-03-25). MN shows solidarity with Palestine during COVID-19 pandemic. fightbacknews.org Minneapolis, MN – The MN Anti-War Committee (AWC) wanted to be a part of Samidoun Palestinian Prisoner Solidarity Network's global week of action for Palestinian Land Day but they couldn't do it as a protest the way they had originally planned. Instead on March 24 the MN AWC reorganized their protest as a call-in day, and then did a five-person social distancing bannering protest. | In 1976, Land Day marked a turning point as the first mass mobilization by Palestinians within Israel against colonialism and land theft. Israeli police shot and killed six Palestinian citizens of Israel for protesting the Israeli go…
(2020-03-25). 'The Only Plan the Prison Has Is to Leave Us to Die in Our Beds'. thenation.com 'The Only Plan the Prison Has Is to Leave Us to Die in Our Beds'
(2020-03-25). Palestinians Prisoners in Israeli Jails Appeal for Their Safety. imemc.org Around 5,000 Palestinian prisoners appealed, on Wednesday, to concerned local and international bodies to ensure their own safety, inside Israeli jails. The prisoners' appeal came in response to the widely-spread Coronavirus, worldwide and in Israel, where the prisoners are jailed. A statement released by the prisoners read; "Increasingly, we feel …
(2020-03-25). Coronavirus and the Prison Industrial Complex. globalresearch.ca The legacy of the coronavirus pandemic, at least in so far as responses are concerned, is thickening by the day. Behavioural changes are being urged, language is rapidly evolving (spot the "covidiot" amongst you) and the policy of health surveillance …
(2020-03-25). Arrest the virus, free the prisoners! mronline.org 
We cannot allow the capitalist ruling class to turn a blind eye to the plight of the incarcerated population — not in general, nor in the particular circumstance of the global pandemic of Covid-19. In the U.S., there are 2.3 million human beings in state, federal, and county jails and more than 52,000 in immigrant …
(2020-03-24). "Top Priority Is Release": Will Rikers Island Free More Prisoners as 60+ Test Positive for COVID-19? democracynow.org 
As COVID-19 begins to spread in the U.S. prison system, calls are growing in the New York City epicenter of the pandemic to release people from Rikers Island, the second-largest jail system in the country. At least 39 prisoners and 21 staff at Rikers Island have tested positive. Mayor Bill de Blasio said Monday the city had released 75 people, but advocates are calling for the release of thousands more. We speak with Dr. Homer Venters, former chief medical officer for New York City's Correctional Health Services and author of "Life and Death in Rikers Island." His piece for The Hill is headlined "Coronavirus behi…
(2020-03-24). Exclusive: ICE Detainees Are Being Quarantined. thenation.com Exclusive: ICE Detainees Are Being Quarantined…
(2020-03-24). Will Rikers Island Free More People After Over 60 Test Positive for COVID-19? truthout.org As COVID-19 begins to spread in the U.S. prison system, calls are growing in the New York City epicenter of the pandemic to release people from Rikers Island, the second-largest jail system in the country. At least 39 prisoners and 21 staff at Rikers Island have tested positive. Mayor Bill de Blasio said Monday the city had released 75 people, but advocates are calling for the release of thousands more. We speak with Dr. Homer Venters, former chief medical officer for New York City's Correctiona…
(2020-03-24). Palestinian PM Presses for ICRC-applied Safety Standards for Prisoners. imemc.org Palestinian Prime Minister, Mohammad Shtayyeh, on Tuesday, called on the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), to apply all necessary international standards of safety and protection on the 5,000 Palestinian prisoners, held in Israeli jails. Shtayyeh's call came in response to the current Coronavirus crisis that has plagued many …
(2020-03-23). Former ICE Director: Release Immigrants from Detention or COVID-19 Will Spread Like Wildfire Inside. democracynow.org 
Alarm is growing about the safety of more than 37,000 people held in immigrant detention centers and private jails that contract with Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or ICE, where it is nearly impossible for them to avoid close contact to stop the spread of the coronavirus. Nearly half of those detained by ICE are accused of no crime other than civil immigration violations. Immigrants at three jails in New Jersey are now on hunger strikes over unsanitary conditions that put them at high risk during the pandemic.‚Ä®‚Ä® We hear from a detained person on hunger strike and speak wit…
(2020-03-23). Car protest at Gov. Walz's mansion demands immediate release of immigrants in Minnesota jails. fightbacknews.org Saint Paul, MN – In one of the first known protests organized since the widespread implementation of 'social distancing' and 'shelter-in-place' with the spread of the COVID-19 coronavirus, a car caravan lined Summit Avenue outside Governor Tim Walz's mansion in Saint Paul to demand immediate release of all immigrant detainees in Minnesota jails. | The protest participants stayed in their cars to avoid social spread of coronavirus. Cars were painted and adorned with posters with slogans like "Governor Walz: Free them all." People in some cars led chants with megaphones. Periodically, all the cars would honk at the…
(2020-03-23). This is No Time to Play Politics with our Democracy. aclu.org To ensure elections proceed and eligible Americans can vote, any federal legislative package addressing the impact of COVID-19 on our elections must include an immediate, substantial infusion of federal funding and federal requirements for no-excuse mail-in absentee voting and early in-person voting. While the coronavirus pandemic should not be a political issue, with presidential primaries and the general election coming up, it could soon directly impact our politics. It is simply not an option for Congress to fail to act on these basic issues to protect American elections while the pandemic is ongoing. , , F…
(2020-03-23). Headlines for March 23, 2020. democracynow.org Global COVID-19 Death Toll Passes 15,000 as Italy Drafts Military to Enforce Lockdown, Angela Merkel to Self-Quarantine After Her Doctor Tests Positive for COVID-19, First COVID-19 Cases Reported in Occupied Gaza, War-Stricken Syria and Afghanistan | , Coronavirus Cases Mount Across Africa, Two Nigerians Overdose Self-Medicating with Chloroquine After Trump Praised Anti-Malaria Drug as Possible COVID-19 Treatment, Coronavirus Leads to Lockdowns, Travel Bans in Latin America, as a Colombian Prison Riot Turns Deadly | , Fate of Tokyo Olympics Still Unknown as Canada, Australia Refuse to Send Athletes | , India Lock…
(2020-03-22). Coronavirus hits US prisons: "thousands face death sentence" thegrayzone.com Red Lines host Anya Parampil speaks with Dr. Amanda Klonsky, the chief program officer at a prison education organization, about…
(2020-03-20). How the ACLU Organized to end Racial Profiling on Greyhound Buses. aclu.org Two years ago, the ACLU set a clear goal: push Greyhound to refuse Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers access to their buses to conduct warrantless searches. As part of the Trump administration's immigration crackdown, CBP officers were targeting bus passengers around the country, boarding their buses to racially profile, harass, and too often, detain people who they suspected of being undocumented. Of course, you can't tell someone's immigration status by how they look or sound — this practice is unconstitutional and blatantly racist. By pushing aggressively with the help of our membership and…
(2020-03-20). Headlines for March 20, 2020. democracynow.org Worldwide COVID-19 Death Toll Tops 10,000 as Italian Nurses "Stop Counting the Dead", Refugee Groups Warn of COVID-19 "Carnage" in Camps Housing Millions, Coronavirus Multiplies Across Australia, Latin America, Africa and Middle East, California Gov. Gavin Newsom Issues Statewide "Stay at Home" Order for 40 Million, New York Mayor Calls on Trump to Mobilize Military to Aid Overwhelmed Hospitals, Georgia State Legislators Urged to Self-Quarantine; Spring Break Revelers Party On in Florida, Demands Grow to Empty ICE Jails as NJ Detention Center Worker Tests Positive, Trump Blasts "Corrupt" Media at Rambling Coronav…
(2020-03-20). The Fight to Vote: Overcoming voter suppression in the South. splcenter.org Voter suppression is alive and well across the South.
(2020-03-19). We Know Prisons Need COVID-19 Plans, but our Arizona Prison Tour Suggests it's not Happening. aclu.org Earlier this month, the
(2020-03-19). Headlines for March 19, 2020. democracynow.org Italy Records Record 475 Coronavirus Deaths as Infections Continue Climbing, British PM Boris Johnson Closes Schools After Reversing Lax Virus Containment Plan, Millions of Brazilians Protest from Windows and Balconies Demanding President's Ouster, World Health Organization Warns Critical Lack of Testing Is Costing Lives, Egypt Arrests Protesters Calling for Release of Prisoners at Risk of COVID-19, Yemen, Already Wracked by U.S.-Supported, Saudi-Led War, Braces for Coronavirus, Trump Admin Tightens Sanctions That Have Devastated Iran's Public Health System, Trump Signs Coronavirus Relief Bill Providing Paid Leav…
(2020-03-18). Delay or Hold Primaries: Can the 2020 Election Be Safeguarded Amid the Coronavirus Pandemic? democracynow.org 
Tuesday night's primary election for the Democratic presidential nomination was marred by chaos, confusion and fears over the spread of coronavirus at polling places as former Vice President Joe Biden consolidated his lead as he won Florida and Illinois by a wide margin and scored a victory in Arizona. We are joined by Vanita Gupta, former head of the Justice Department's Civil Rights Division in the Obama administration, now president of the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, the nation's oldest and largest civil rights coalition. They issued a call with 100 voting rights groups for states to proce…
(2020-03-18). Headlines for March 18, 2020. democracynow.org Global COVID-19 Cases Top 200,000 Worldwide with Over 8,000 Dead, Researchers: Left Unchecked, Coronavirus Could Kill 2.2 Million in U.S. , New Yorkers Prepare to Shelter in Place as Hospitals Face Severe Shortages, Coronavirus Fears Grow for Prisoners and Migrants in ICE Jails, Trump Admin Pushes Economic Stimulus Package Worth Over $1 Trillion, WHO Considers Airborne Precautions for Medical Workers After Coronavirus Found in Aerosols, Rewriting History, Trump Says "I've Always Known" About Pandemic, Internet Providers Drop Data Caps as Calls for Net Neutrality Grow, Biden Wins 3 States as Coronavirus Fears Caus…
(2020-03-18). The Military Should not be Searching Cars or Checking Documents at the Border. aclu.org There's an old saying that goes, "When all you have is a hammer, everything looks like a nail." This adage is especially applicable to the Trump administration's approach toward border policy, which is ever more militarized. On March 6th, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officials
(2020-03-17). Inside Prison Amid Coronavirus Pandemic: Incarcerated Journalist Says Millions Behind Bars at Risk. democracynow.org 
As San Francisco takes the most severe measures in the country in response to COVID-19, telling 7 million people to shelter in place, we go inside the Bay Area's San Quentin State Prison, where two prison blocks are under partial quarantine, to speak with incarcerated journalist Juan Moreno Haines. We look at how the coronavirus pandemic is a growing threat to the 2.3 million people locked up in U.S. prisons and jails, as prisons across the country have been shut down in response to the spreading virus and calls grow for mass prison releases around the United States.
(2020-03-17). SPLC's Three Strikes Project helps nonviolent offenders move from prison to parole. splcenter.org Drugs were a way of life in the economically struggling "Brickyard" neighborhood of Clarksdale, Mississippi, where Nicky Patterson grew up.
(2020-03-14). SPLC offices, Civil Rights Memorial Center close. splcenter.org Our work continues with fervor and is needed more now than ever.
(2020-03-12). This Law Makes Voting Nearly Impossible for Native Americans in Montana. aclu.org Voting has never been easy for In a state where the majority of individuals vote | by mail, rural tribal communities often work with get-out-the-vote organizer…
(2020-03-12). The Government Has a Secret Plan to Track Everyone's Faces at Airports. We're Suing. aclu.org U.S. Customs and Border Protection and the Transportation Security Administration are putting us on an extraordinarily dangerous path toward the normalization of face surveillance. But because key facts about this surveillance are still secret, the public lacks the information it needs to hold these agencies to account. We're
(2020-03-11). Keep Calm and Carry on Voting: How to Vote By Mail During the Coronavirus Outbreak. aclu.org Coronavirus should not be a political issue, but with presidential primaries and the general election coming up, it could soon directly impact our politics. We should protect not only our health, but our civil liberties at this time — and one of those civil liberties is our fundamental right to vote. , , For many, the best way to vote while safeguarding your health during this time may be to vote by mail. It's easy to request an absentee ballot and there's still enough time to do so for most states with upcoming primaries. While some states limit who can vote absentee — for example, to people with…
(2020-03-04). [Research Paper] Gender discrimination and depressive symptoms among child-bearing women: ELSPAC-CZ cohort study. thelancet.com The findings provide the first evidence that perceived gender discrimination is associated with depressive symptoms among child-bearing women. Social intervention programs aimed at reducing gender discrimination can potentially contribute to better mental health of women.
(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…
(2020-02-28). Carol Anderson on Voter Suppression. fair.org 
Media…
(2020-02-04). Biden Threatens Lawsuit to Halt Release of Real Iowa Caucus Results. theantimedia.com American democracy—ain't it grand?>