Daily Archives: 2020-05-12

2020-05-12: News Headlines

Joshua Hanks (2020-05-13). China reacts with Zero tolerance for racist incidents. workers.org Reports surfaced in April of cases of discrimination against African workers in the southern Chinese province of Guangdong as pictures appeared on the internet of a sign refusing service to Africans at a McDonald's restaurant and allegations that Africans were being evicted from hotels. Ambassador Liu Yuxi, head of Mission . . . |

Judy Greenspan (2020-05-13). At San Quentin: 'No state execution by COVID-19!'. workers.org May 9 — It was no coincidence or geographical convenience that prisoners' rights advocates organized a car caravan today to San Quentin State Prison in Marin County, Calif. San Quentin, a mere 11 miles from San Francisco, is the state prison where death row prisoners are incarcerated. It is also . . . |

Staff (2020-05-12). "Losing the Fabric of the City": COVID-19 Took Chicago Black Lives First & Exposed Structural Racism. democracynow.org We look at the coronavirus pandemic's disproportionate toll on African Americans through the story of Chicago's first 100 recorded deaths. A report by ProPublica found that 70 of the first 100 people to die were African American. Black people account for 30% of Chicago's population and 72% of COVID-19 deaths. We speak with ProPublica reporter Adriana Gallardo, who contributed to the report "COVID-19 Took Black Lives First. It Didn't Have To." She says the story paints a picture of "sophisticated structural racism" in Chicago.

RT (2020-05-12). Facebook paying $52 million settlement to moderators who claim they developed PTSD through work. rt.com Current and former moderators for Facebook will each be receiving $1,000 or more, as part of a settlement in a lawsuit that claimed having to deal with censoring content made them develop post traumatic stress disorder. | The social media giant will be paying out extra to individuals for additional mental health issues stemming from their jobs, such as depression. The settlement, first reported by

Teresa Gutierrez (2020-05-12). Political Prisoners Teach-In: Mumia, migrant rights and cages. workers.org These slightly edited remarks were made April 24 at the "U.S. Empire vs. Political Prisoners" teach-in webinar sponsored by Mobilization4Mumia and held in honor of the 66th birthday of political prisoner and revolutionary Mumia Abu-Jamal, incarcerated for 38 years by the U.S. state. Teresa Gutierrez First of all, happy . . . |

Robin McDowell, Margie Mason (2020-05-12). Crime doesn't pay but prison does, even amidst a pandemic. peoplesworld.org MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — As factories and other businesses remain shuttered across America, people in prisons in at least 40 states continue going to work. Sometimes they earn pennies an hour, or nothing at all, making masks and hand sanitizer to help guard others from the coronavirus. Those same men and women have been cut off …

Bahia Mahmud Awah (2020-05-12). Saharawi political prisoner Bachir Khada: "I only dream of my freedom" peoplesdispatch.org The story of Saharawi journalist Bachir Khada, political prisoner condemned to more than 20 years in Morocco because of his participation in the struggle to free Western Sahara. Today he is one of the thousands of prisoners that demands to be freed amid the pandemic…

ACLU Northern California (2020-05-12). ACLU of California Legislative Webinar: COVID-19, Current Bills, & Building Community. indybay.org Online via Zoom…

Staff (2020-05-12). COVID-19 Took Chicago Black Lives First and Exposed Structural Racism. truthout.org We look at the coronavirus pandemic's disproportionate toll on African Americans through the story of Chicago's first 100 recorded deaths. A report by ProPublica found that 70 of the first 100 people to die were African American. Black people account for 30% of Chicago's population and 72% of COVID-19 deaths. We speak with ProPublica reporter Adriana Gallardo, who contributed to the report "COVID-19 Took Black Lives First. It Didn't Have To." She says the story paints a picture of "sophisticated struct…

NationAction (2020-05-12). Fight Mass Incarceration Amid the Pandemic. thenation.com Fight Mass Incarceration Amid the Pandemic…

NationAction (2020-05-12). Fight Mass Incarceration Amidst the Pandemic. thenation.com Fight Mass Incarceration Amidst the Pandemic…

WSWS (2020-05-12). Russian court keeps historian of Stalinist massacres jailed amid COVID-19 outbreak. wsws.org The vendetta against Dmitriev is part of the campaign by Russia's state and ruling oligarchy to suppress all efforts to uncover the truth about the crimes of Stalinism.

Santa Cruz Police News (2020-05-12). 21-Year-Old Dies in Santa Cruz County Jail. indybay.org The Santa Cruz Sheriff's Office says on Sunday evening, May 10, correctional officers discovered 21-year-old Tamario Smith was unresponsive in his cell at the County Jail. At about 6pm, paramedics administered medical aid, however Smith was pronounced deceased at the scene. According to the Sheriff's Office, Smith did not share a cell, and foul play is not suspected. The Sheriff's Office states there were no signs of trauma or visible injuries, and that Smith did not show signs of COVID-19 symptoms.

Dr. Judy Mikovits (2020-05-12). Video: Plandemic Documentary: The Hidden Agenda Behind COVID-19. globalresearch.ca Humanity is imprisoned by a killer pandemic. People are being arrested for surfing in the ocean and meditating in nature. Nations are collapsing. Hungry citizens are rioting for food. The media has generated so much confusion and fear that people …

teleSUR (2020-05-12). Bolivia: Inmates Riot Due to COVID Outbreak in Prison. telesurenglish.net Bolivian police forces repressed May 11 an inmate riot in Palmasola prison, in Santa Cruz city. Convicts protested due to a Covid-19 outbreak among the prison population. | RELATED: | The authorities at the Palmasola penitentiary said two inmates who died last week after presenting respiratory distress. Local news media reported first deceased autopsy revealed he was COVID positive and was buried acco…

en.mehrnews (2020-05-12). FM spox rejects US claims over Tehran's delay in prisoner swap. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, May 12 (MNA) — Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman strongly rejected a claim put forward by a US official who had said that Iran is delaying the process of the prisoner swap.

G. Dunkel (2020-05-11). In Haiti ICE is spreading COVID-19. workers.org Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the agency charged with deporting people from the United States, scheduled five deportations to Haiti on May 11 from the Pine Prairie Detention Center in Louisiana. The agency claims the five individuals have either tested positive for COVID-19 or show signs of having the disease. (Miami . . . |

Ted Kelly (2020-05-11). Black prisoners win victory vs. racist officials. workers.org Through strength and perseverance, Eric McGill and Leonttay Pratt have won a meaningful victory against the racist officials at the Lebanon County Correctional Facility in Pennsylvania. Held in solitary confinement for refusing to cut their dreadlocks, McGill and Pratt — both adherents of the Rastafarian faith — have been released . . . |

Patrick Anderson (2020-05-11). The Execution of Julian Assange. mintpressnews.com I do not respect anyone who has not been to prison." Julian Assange once said to Renata Avila, a Guatemalan human rights activist who serves as legal counsel for WikiLeaks. "What he meant," Avila After a decade of being shuttled from house arrest to confinement in an embassy to Belmarsh Prison to, if the United States government ge…

Staff (2020-05-11). Headlines for May 11, 2020. democracynow.org COVID-19 Cases Mount as States Reopen Economies, NY Investigating Deaths of at Least 3 Children Linked to COVID-19, Bronx Hospital Investigating Nurse Who Shared Video of Medical Staff Speaking Out About Lack of PPE, Cheyenne River Sioux Defies South Dakota Order to Remove Coronavirus Checkpoints, Another COVID-19 Case Confirmed at White House as Barack Obama Blasts Trump's "Chaotic" Response, Hunger-Striking Immigrant Women Released from California Prison, U.S. Continues to Deport Haitian Immigrants, Including Those with COVID-19 Infections, WSJ: Trump Planning to Ban H-1B Visas, Three Prisoners Die at Chino Fac…

Billy Easley (2020-05-11). Our Privacy is on the Clock. aclu.org This piece originally appeared in

Fight Back (2020-05-11). Tampa Bay SDS demands justice for Ahmaud Arbery. fightbacknews.org "Trayvon Martin, Emmett Till. How many Black lives will you kill?" This was one of many chants heard across downtown Tampa on Saturday, May 9, as protesters gathered to demand justice for Ahmaud Arbery. The South Georgia resident was murdered by two white supremacist vigilantes, father and son Gregory and Travis McMichael, while he out for a jog. | Tampa Bay Students for a Democratic Society (SDS), along with members of the community, parked outside the Sam M. Gibbons Federal Courthouse to participate in the socially-distanced protest. After the protesters were forced to leave by the building's security, the ral…

splcenter (2020-05-11). SPLC fights to keep children out of juvenile detention, other confined settings during pandemic. splcenter.org

news.un (2020-05-11). UN officials call for release of detained Palestinian children amid pandemic. news.un.org Three senior United Nations officials in the Middle East are calling for the release of Palestinian children from Israeli-run prisons and detentions centres, saying they are at particular risk of COVID-19 infection.

Linda Wiggins-Chavis (2020-05-11). We Also Face a Pandemic of Racism. progressive.org COVID-19 sheds light on America's systemic oppression of people of color.

Ryan Cristián (2020-05-11). Doctors Speak Out About COVID 19 & The Violent Suppression Of Your Rights. thelastamericanvagabond.com The only question, is whether We The People have the courage to stand for what we know to be right, or if we will allow ourselves to be scared into passively accepting the "new normal," a locked down controlled society that was prepped for, planned out, and designed years ago. I for one, will never …

David Quinn-Jacobs (2020-05-11). Sat. May 16, Last KBP7 Webinar Before Sentencing, 12 Noon to 1 PM EDT. kingsbayplowshares7.org MAY 16, Noon ET WEBINAR: Disarm and Divest The Kings Bay Plowshares defendants will hold their final webinar before sentencing this Saturday, May 16 at noon, ET. The six defendants who are out of jail will speak for a few minutes and then take some questions. Lead attorney Bill Quigley will also be…

IMEMC & Agencies (2020-05-11). Israeli Troops Shoot, Injure and Abduct Two Palestinian Youths. imemc.org Israeli troops abducted, early on Monday, two Palestinian youths, shortly after they shot and wounded them, in the Qafeen village, north of the northern West Bank city of Tulkarem. The Tulkarem-based Palestinian Prisoners' Committee reported that Arqam Harsha, 20 and Awni T'oma, 24, were been abducted during invasion of their …

Prerss TV (2020-05-12). US must stop acting callously, let Iranian hostages go: Foreign Ministry. iranian.com Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesman has urged the US to stop acting callously and release the Iranian "hostages" jailed in America and other parts of the world upon Washington's request. Abbas Mousavi made the remarks on Monday in reaction to remarks made by US Acting Deputy Secretary of Homeland Security Ken Cuccinelli, who claimed the Iranian …

Jessica Corbett, staff writer (2020-05-11). Rights Groups Work to Stop 'Unnecessary and Potentially Disenfranchising Purges' of Voter Rolls in Pennsylvania. commondreams.org American civil rights groups on Monday moved to intervene in a lawsuit filed by the right-wing activist group Judicial Watch that critics warn could result in "the unnecessary and potentially disenfranchising purges" of voter rolls in three Pennsylvania counties ahead of the November elections. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/vote_here.jpg

IMEMC & Agencies (2020-05-11). Palestinian PM Seeks to Counter Israel's Threats over Prisoners' Monthly Allowances. imemc.org Palestinian Prime Minister, Mohammad Shtayyeh asserted, on Monday, that his cabinet has recently sought some prospects for solutions to the standoff of Palestinian prisoners' monthly allowances, created by a recent Israeli decision. During a weekly cabinet session, held in the West Bank city of Ramallah, Dr. Shtayyeh said that Israel …

RT (2020-05-10). That was quick! Tesla files LAWSUIT against California county for not allowing factory to reopen after Musk threatens pullout. rt.com Hours after Tesla CEO Elon Musk said that he would pull the car maker's plant from the Golden State, the company sued Alameda county, accusing officials of "defying" state laws by refusing to allow the facility to reopen. | The

graham (2020-05-10). Something about Julian Assange you should know. truepublica.org.uk Anyone watching the current events surrounding Julian Assange will know that justice in Britain is not the driving motivation behind his incarceration. His treatment by the state is truly shameful, immoral and reprehensible. What you are witnessing in real-time is the abuse and oppression of a journalist all funded by the taxpayer to further the …

IMEMC & Agencies (2020-05-10). Israeli Authorities Extend Detention of Palestinian Teen. imemc.org For the fifth time in row, Israeli authorities reportedly extended, on Sunday, the imprisonment of a Palestinian teen from the West Bank city of Jenin, in the northern occupied West Bank. Family members of the teen detainee, Qassem Abu Bakr, 17, told media outlets, on Sunday, that the Israeli military …

Martha Grevatt (2020-05-09). Solidarity with Ohio prisoners. workers.org Over 200 people demonstrated outside the state prison in Marion, Ohio, May 2 to protest the conditions inside and demand prisoners who meet certain criteria be released. The prison drew national attention after 80 percent of the prisoners tested positive for COVID-19. Prisoners' family members demonstrate outside Marion, Ohio, state . . . |

Staff (2020-05-09). Women In Prisons Say They're Being Punished For Speaking Out About COVID-19 Risks. therealnews.com Women say they're being punished for contacting people outside about their living conditions. Activists are planning an action May 23 at Jessup Correctional Facility in response.

Staff (2020-05-08). "A Lynch Mob": After Months of Inaction, 2 White Men Are Charged with Murder of Ahmaud Arbery in GA. democracynow.org The two white men caught on camera shooting and killing Ahmaud Arbery, an unarmed 25-year-old African American man, were arrested and charged Thursday with murder. The arrests came two days after video of the attack in February was shared with the public, sparking widespread outrage. Today would have been Arbery's 26th birthday. We speak with civil rights attorney Benjamin Crump, who represents the Arbery family and formerly represented Trayvon Martin.

Staff (2020-05-08). Headlines for May 8, 2020. democracynow.org U.S. Coronavirus Deaths Pass 75,000 as Trump Sidelines Top Medical Experts, Trump to Be Tested for Coronavirus Daily After Valet Tests Positive, Vigil at White House Honors 88 Who Died from "Trump's Abhorrent Failure to Protect Nurses", U.S. Unemployment Claims Soar to 33.3 Million Amid Pandemic | , Democrats Promise "Rooseveltian" Coronavirus Relief Bill | , Mitch McConnell Prioritizes Judicial Confirmations as Senate Returns Amid Pandemic | , Data Shows 35 of 40 People Arrested in NY for Social Distancing Violations Are Black | , Texas Stops Jailing Lockdown Violators; Nebraska Ends Reporting on Meat Plant COVI…

Andrea Arroyo (2020-05-08). The Pandemic's Impact on Immigration Detention Centers. thenation.com The Pandemic's Impact on Immigration Detention Centers…

ACLU (2020-05-08). Poetry, Prison, and the Pandemic. aclu.org In his third book of poetry, "Felon," Reginald Dwayne Betts contemplates life after prison: "The rooms in my head keep secrets that indict / Me still; my chorus of unspoken larcenies. / You carry that knowledge into your twilight, / & live without regret for your guilty pleas." The sense that prison sticks with you, haunts you even after you are released — as he was in 2005 — permeates the book., , Betts joined us for a second conversation on At Liberty this week. We discussed his life as an artist — the poems of "Felon," along with a recent exhibit at MoMA PS1 he collaborated on with painter…

Vivian Alana Caesar (2020-05-08). What the Caucuses Taught me About Inequities in our Electoral System. aclu.org Find the house, approach the door, ring the doorbell and wait with bated breath to see who will show on the other side — this was my daily routine while in Iowa. During the winter of my senior year of college, I volunteered in Ankeny, Iowa with a presidential campaign. The new experiences brought me relationships and campaign knowledge, but also placed the inequity of the caucus process front and center. Each time a door opened, I was reminded that people who look like me, the Black population in Iowa, constitute only

Jane R. Millar, Nomonde Bengu, Rowena Fillis, Ken Sprenger, Vuyokazi Ntlantsana, Vinicius A. Vieira, Nisreen Khambati, Moherndran Archary, Maximilian Muenchhoff, Andreas Groll, Nicholas Grayson, John Adamson, Katya Govender, Krista Dong, Photini Kiepiela, Bruce D. Walker, David Bonsall, Thomas Connor, Matthew J. Bull, Nelisiwe Nxele, Julia Roider, Nasreen Ismail, Emily Adland, Maria C. Puertas, Javier Martinez-Picado, Philippa C. Matthews, Thumbi Ndung'u, Philip Goulder, the Ucwaningo Lwabantwana Consortium (2020-05-08). HIGH-FREQUENCY failure of combination antiretroviral therapy in paediatric HIV infection is associated with unmet maternal needs causing maternal NON-ADHERENCE. thelancet.com The success of early infant testing and cART initiation strategies is severely limited by subsequent cART non-adherence in HIV-infected children. Although there are practical challenges to administering paediatric cART formulations, these are overcome by mothers who themselves are cART-adherent. These findings point to the ongoing obligation to address the unmet needs of the mothers. Eliminating the particular barriers preventing adequate treatment for these vulnerable women and infants need to be prioritised in order to achieve durable suppression of viraemia on cART, let alone HIV cure/remission, in HIV-infecte…

Staff (2020-05-07). Women In Prison Need More Than Cuomo's Order To Help Against COVID-19. therealnews.com Incarcerated women still face inadequate testing and an inability to self-isolate, and few will be helped by Cuomo's announcement releasing pregnant and elderly women.

David Cole (2020-05-07). No One, Not Even Trump, is Above the Law. aclu.org Next week, on May 12, the Supreme Court will hear arguments in three cases about whether President Trump can block subpoenas issued to his banks and accountant to hand over his personal financial documents in connection with investigations of potential crimes. We argue that Trump, no less than anyone else, has no right to block such subpoenas. No one, not even the president, is above the law. , , Our

ACLU (2020-05-07). Our Vision for Equitable Marijuana Reform. aclu.org

2020-05-12: Social Media Postees

Please be social by posting these 'POSTEES' on social media! (Copy the text of the postee below, then paste it on social media and the story images will also appear.)

China reacts with Zero tolerance for racist incidents
Joshua Hanks | workers.org | 2020-05-13
Reports surfaced in April of cases of discrimination against African workers in the southern Chinese province of Guangdong as pictures appeared on the internet of a sign refusing service to Africans at a McDonald's restaurant and allegations that Africans were being evicted from hotels. Ambassador Liu Yuxi, head of Mission . . . | Continue reading China reacts with Zero tolerance for racist incidents at Workers.org
workers.org/2020/05/48572/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=china-reacts-with-zero-tolerance-for-racist-incidents

At San Quentin: 'No state execution by COVID-19!'
Judy Greenspan | workers.org | 2020-05-13
May 9

"Losing the Fabric of the City": COVID-19 Took Chicago Black Lives First & Exposed Structural Racism
Staff | democracynow.org | 2020-05-12
We look at the coronavirus pandemic's disproportionate toll on African Americans through the story of Chicago's first 100 recorded deaths. A report by ProPublica found that 70 of the first 100 people to die were African American. Black people account for 30% of Chicago's population and 72% of COVID-19 deaths. We speak with ProPublica reporter Adriana Gallardo, who contributed to the report "COVID-19 Took Black Lives First. It Didn't Have To." She says the story paints a picture of "sophisticated structural racism" in Chicago.
www.democracynow.org/2020/5/12/chicago_70_black_people_dead_first

ACLU of California Legislative Webinar: COVID-19, Current Bills, & Building Community
ACLU Northern California | indybay.org | 2020-05-12
Online via Zoom…
indybay.org/newsitems/2020/05/12/18832990.php

COVID-19 Took Chicago Black Lives First and Exposed Structural Racism
Staff | truthout.org | 2020-05-12
We look at the coronavirus pandemic's disproportionate toll on African Americans through the story of Chicago's first 100 recorded deaths. A report by ProPublica found that 70 of the first 100 people to die were African American. Black people account for 30% of Chicago's population and 72% of COVID-19 deaths. We speak with ProPublica reporter Adriana Gallardo, who contributed to the report "COVID-19 Took Black Lives First. It Didn't Have To." She says the story paints a picture of "sophisticated struct…
truthout.org/video/covid-19-took-chicago-black-lives-first-and-exposed-structural-racism/

Fight Mass Incarceration Amid the Pandemic
NationAction | thenation.com | 2020-05-12
Fight Mass Incarceration Amid the Pandemic…
thenation.com/article/activism/fight-mass-incarceration-amidst-the-pandemic/

Fight Mass Incarceration Amidst the Pandemic
NationAction | thenation.com | 2020-05-12
Fight Mass Incarceration Amidst the Pandemic…
thenation.com/article/activism/fight-mass-incarceration-amidst-the-pandemic/

Facebook paying $52 million settlement to moderators who claim they developed PTSD through work
rt.com | 2020-05-12
Current and former moderators for Facebook will each be receiving $1,000 or more, as part of a settlement in a lawsuit that claimed having to deal with censoring content made them develop post traumatic stress disorder. | The social media giant will be paying out extra to individuals for additional mental health issues stemming from their jobs, such as depression. The settlement, first reported by The Verge, covers 11,250 moderators, while current employees will rec…
rt.com/usa/488483-facebook-settlement-moderators-ptsd/

21-Year-Old Dies in Santa Cruz County Jail
Santa Cruz Police News | indybay.org | 2020-05-12
The Santa Cruz Sheriff's Office says on Sunday evening, May 10, correctional officers discovered 21-year-old Tamario Smith was unresponsive in his cell at the County Jail. At about 6pm, paramedics administered medical aid, however Smith was pronounced deceased at the scene. According to the Sheriff's Office, Smith did not share a cell, and foul play is not suspected. The Sheriff's Office states there were no signs of trauma or visible injuries, and that Smith did not show signs of COVID-19 symptoms.
indybay.org/newsitems/2020/05/11/18832983.php

Russian court keeps historian of Stalinist massacres jailed amid COVID-19 outbreak
wsws.org | 2020-05-12
The vendetta against Dmitriev is part of the campaign by Russia's state and ruling oligarchy to suppress all efforts to uncover the truth about the crimes of Stalinism.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2020/05/12/russ-m12.html

Video: Plandemic Documentary: The Hidden Agenda Behind COVID-19
Dr. Judy Mikovits | globalresearch.ca | 2020-05-12
Humanity is imprisoned by a killer pandemic. People are being arrested for surfing in the ocean and meditating in nature. Nations are collapsing. Hungry citizens are rioting for food. The media has generated so much confusion and fear that people …
globalresearch.ca/video-plandemic-documentary-hidden-agenda-behind-covid-19/5712013

Video: Plandemic Documentary: The Hidden Agenda Behind COVID-19
Dr. Judy Mikovits | globalresearch.ca | 2020-05-12
Humanity is imprisoned by a killer pandemic. People are being arrested for surfing in the ocean and meditating in nature. Nations are collapsing. Hungry citizens are rioting for food. The media has generated so much confusion and fear that people …
globalresearch.ca/video-plandemic-documentary-hidden-agenda-behind-covid-19/5712013

FM spox rejects US claims over Tehran's delay in prisoner swap
en.mehrnews.com | 2020-05-12
TEHRAN, May 12 (MNA)

Bolivia: Inmates Riot Due to COVID Outbreak in Prison
telesurenglish.net | 2020-05-12
Bolivian police forces repressed May 11 an inmate riot in Palmasola prison, in Santa Cruz city. Convicts protested due to a Covid-19 outbreak among the prison population. | RELATED: | Bolivia De-Facto Govt Repress Protesters That Can't Afford More Lockdown | The authorities at the Palmasola penitentiary said two inmates who died last week after presenting respiratory distress. Local news media reported first deceased autopsy revealed he was COVID positive and was buried acco…
telesurenglish.net/news/bolivia-inmates-riot-due-to-covid-prison-outbreak-20200512-0002.html

Saharawi political prisoner Bachir Khada: "I only dream of my freedom"
Bahia Mahmud Awah | peoplesdispatch.org | 2020-05-12
The story of Saharawi journalist Bachir Khada, political prisoner condemned to more than 20 years in Morocco because of his participation in the struggle to free Western Sahara. Today he is one of the thousands of prisoners that demands to be freed amid the pandemic…
peoplesdispatch.org/2020/05/12/saharawi-political-prisoner-bachir-khada-i-only-dream-of-my-freedom/

Crime doesn't pay but prison does, even amidst a pandemic
Robin McDowell, Margie Mason | peoplesworld.org | 2020-05-12
MINNEAPOLIS (AP)

Political Prisoners Teach-In: Mumia, migrant rights and cages
Teresa Gutierrez | workers.org | 2020-05-12
These slightly edited remarks were made April 24 at the "U.S. Empire vs. Political Prisoners" teach-in webinar sponsored by Mobilization4Mumia and held in honor of the 66th birthday of political prisoner and revolutionary Mumia Abu-Jamal, incarcerated for 38 years by the U.S. state. Teresa Gutierrez First of all, happy . . . | Continue reading Political Prisoners Teach-In: Mumia, migrant rights and cages at Workers.org
workers.org/2020/05/48559/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=political-prisoners-teach-in-mumia-migrant-rights-and-cages

The Execution of Julian Assange
Patrick Anderson | mintpressnews.com | 2020-05-11
I do not respect anyone who has not been to prison." Julian Assange once said to Renata Avila, a Guatemalan human rights activist who serves as legal counsel for WikiLeaks. "What he meant," Avila says, "was that being in prison means that you have made so much trouble for the system that the only way for the system to deal with you is to lock you up and try to silence you." | After a decade of being shuttled from house arrest to confinement in an embassy to Belmarsh Prison to, if the United States government ge…
mintpressnews.com/opinion-media-execution-julian-assange/267393/

In Haiti ICE is spreading COVID-19
G. Dunkel | workers.org | 2020-05-11
Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the agency charged with deporting people from the United States, scheduled five deportations to Haiti on May 11 from the Pine Prairie Detention Center in Louisiana. The agency claims the five individuals have either tested positive for COVID-19 or show signs of having the disease. (Miami . . . | Continue reading In Haiti ICE is spreading COVID-19 at Workers.org
workers.org/2020/05/48501/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=in-haiti-ice-is-spreading-covid-19

Our Privacy is on the Clock
Billy Easley | aclu.org | 2020-05-11
This piece originally appeared in The Hill., , Important issues sometimes divide our nation, but one area where most of us share common ground surrounds is the belief that warrantless secret spying on Americans is unjust. , , Soon, the Senate is scheduled to vote on the USA FREEDOM Reauthorization Act of 2020, a bill that would extend provisions of the Patriot Act that expired in March. These provisions are currently not consistent with Americans' fundamental rights. However, if Congress chooses to reauthori…
aclu.org/news/national-security/our-privacy-is-on-the-clock

Tampa Bay SDS demands justice for Ahmaud Arbery
Fight Back | fightbacknews.org | 2020-05-11
"Trayvon Martin, Emmett Till. How many Black lives will you kill?" This was one of many chants heard across downtown Tampa on Saturday, May 9, as protesters gathered to demand justice for Ahmaud Arbery. The South Georgia resident was murdered by two white supremacist vigilantes, father and son Gregory and Travis McMichael, while he out for a jog. | Tampa Bay Students for a Democratic Society (SDS), along with members of the community, parked outside the Sam M. Gibbons Federal Courthouse to participate in the socially-distanced protest. After the protesters were forced to leave by the building's security, the ral…
www.fightbacknews.org/2020/5/11/tampa-bay-sds-demands-justice-ahmaud-arbery

UN officials call for release of detained Palestinian children amid pandemic
news.un.org | 2020-05-11
Three senior United Nations officials in the Middle East are calling for the release of Palestinian children from Israeli-run prisons and detentions centres, saying they are at particular risk of COVID-19 infection.
news.un.org/feed/view/en/story/2020/05/1063722

SPLC fights to keep children out of juvenile detention, other confined settings during pandemic
splcenter.org | 2020-05-11
splcenter.org/news/2020/05/11/splc-fights-keep-children-out-juvenile-detention-other-confined-settings-during-pandemic

We Also Face a Pandemic of Racism
Linda Wiggins-Chavis | progressive.org | 2020-05-11
COVID-19 sheds light on America's systemic oppression of people of color.
progressive.org/op-eds/we-face-pandemic-of-racism-wiggins-chavis-200511/

Doctors Speak Out About COVID 19 & The Violent Suppression Of Your Rights
Ryan Cristián | thelastamericanvagabond.com | 2020-05-11
The only question, is whether We The People have the courage to stand for what we know to be right, or if we will allow ourselves to be scared into passively accepting the "new normal," a locked down controlled society that was prepped for, planned out, and designed years ago. I for one, will never …
thelastamericanvagabond.com/censorship/doctors-speak-out-about-covid-19-violent-suppression-your-rights/

Sat. May 16, Last KBP7 Webinar Before Sentencing, 12 Noon to 1 PM EDT
David Quinn-Jacobs | kingsbayplowshares7.org | 2020-05-11
MAY 16, Noon ET WEBINAR: Disarm and Divest The Kings Bay Plowshares defendants will hold their final webinar before sentencing this Saturday, May 16 at noon, ET. The six defendants who are out of jail will speak for a few minutes and then take some questions. Lead attorney Bill Quigley will also be…
kingsbayplowshares7.org/2020/05/sat-5-16-last-kbp7-webinar/

Palestinian PM Seeks to Counter Israel's Threats over Prisoners' Monthly Allowances
IMEMC & Agencies | imemc.org | 2020-05-11
Palestinian Prime Minister, Mohammad Shtayyeh asserted, on Monday, that his cabinet has recently sought some prospects for solutions to the standoff of Palestinian prisoners' monthly allowances, created by a recent Israeli decision. During a weekly cabinet session, held in the West Bank city of Ramallah, Dr. Shtayyeh said that Israel …
imemc.org/article/palestinian-pm-seeks-to-counter-israels-threats-over-prisoners-monthly-allowances/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=palestinian-pm-seeks-to-counter-israels-threats-over-prisoners-monthly-allowances

Israeli Troops Shoot, Injure and Abduct Two Palestinian Youths
IMEMC & Agencies | imemc.org | 2020-05-11
Israeli troops abducted, early on Monday, two Palestinian youths, shortly after they shot and wounded them, in the Qafeen village, north of the northern West Bank city of Tulkarem. The Tulkarem-based Palestinian Prisoners' Committee reported that Arqam Harsha, 20 and Awni T'oma, 24, were been abducted during invasion of their …
imemc.org/article/israeli-troops-shoot-injure-and-abduct-two-palestinian-youths/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=israeli-troops-shoot-injure-and-abduct-two-palestinian-youths

US must stop acting callously, let Iranian hostages go: Foreign Ministry
Prerss TV | iranian.com | 2020-05-12
Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesman has urged the US to stop acting callously and release the Iranian "hostages" jailed in America and other parts of the world upon Washington's request. Abbas Mousavi made the remarks on Monday in reaction to remarks made by US Acting Deputy Secretary of Homeland Security Ken Cuccinelli, who claimed the Iranian …
iranian.com/2020/05/11/us-must-stop-acting-callously-let-iranian-hostages-go-foreign-ministry/

Rights Groups Work to Stop 'Unnecessary and Potentially Disenfranchising Purges' of Voter Rolls in Pennsylvania
Jessica Corbett, staff writer | commondreams.org | 2020-05-11
American civil rights groups on Monday moved to intervene in a lawsuit filed by the right-wing activist group Judicial Watch that critics warn could result in "the unnecessary and potentially disenfranchising purges" of voter rolls in three Pennsylvania counties ahead of the November elections. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/vote_here.jpg
commondreams.org/news/2020/05/11/rights-groups-work-stop-unnecessary-and-potentially-disenfranchising-purges-voter?cd-origin=rss

Black prisoners win victory vs. racist officials
Ted Kelly | workers.org | 2020-05-11
Through strength and perseverance, Eric McGill and Leonttay Pratt have won a meaningful victory against the racist officials at the Lebanon County Correctional Facility in Pennsylvania. Held in solitary confinement for refusing to cut their dreadlocks, McGill and Pratt

Something about Julian Assange you should know
graham | truepublica.org.uk | 2020-05-10
Anyone watching the current events surrounding Julian Assange will know that justice in Britain is not the driving motivation behind his incarceration. His treatment by the state is truly shameful, immoral and reprehensible. What you are witnessing in real-time is the abuse and oppression of a journalist all funded by the taxpayer to further the …
truepublica.org.uk/united-kingdom/something-about-julian-assange-you-should-know/

Israeli Authorities Extend Detention of Palestinian Teen
IMEMC & Agencies | imemc.org | 2020-05-10
For the fifth time in row, Israeli authorities reportedly extended, on Sunday, the imprisonment of a Palestinian teen from the West Bank city of Jenin, in the northern occupied West Bank. Family members of the teen detainee, Qassem Abu Bakr, 17, told media outlets, on Sunday, that the Israeli military …
imemc.org/article/israeli-authorities-extend-detention-of-palestinian-teen/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=israeli-authorities-extend-detention-of-palestinian-teen

That was quick! Tesla files LAWSUIT against California county for not allowing factory to reopen after Musk threatens pullout
rt.com | 2020-05-10
Hours after Tesla CEO Elon Musk said that he would pull the car maker's plant from the Golden State, the company sued Alameda county, accusing officials of "defying" state laws by refusing to allow the facility to reopen. | The lawsuit comes on the heels of a Twitter rant late on Saturday, that saw Musk branding California county's chief health official "ignorant," after the local authorities refused to give the company the green light to reopen its plant with more than 10,000 workers in Fremont due to coronavirus restrictions.
rt.com/usa/488284-musk-lawsuit-factory-california/

Solidarity with Ohio prisoners
Martha Grevatt | workers.org | 2020-05-09
Over 200 people demonstrated outside the state prison in Marion, Ohio, May 2 to protest the conditions inside and demand prisoners who meet certain criteria be released. The prison drew national attention after 80 percent of the prisoners tested positive for COVID-19. Prisoners' family members demonstrate outside Marion, Ohio, state . . . | Continue reading Solidarity with Ohio prisoners at Workers.org
workers.org/2020/05/48444/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=solidarity-with-ohio-prisoners

Women In Prisons Say They're Being Punished For Speaking Out About COVID-19 Risks
Staff | therealnews.com | 2020-05-09
Women say they're being punished for contacting people outside about their living conditions. Activists are planning an action May 23 at Jessup Correctional Facility in response.
therealnews.com/stories/women-in-prisons-say-theyre-being-punished-for-speaking-out-about-covid-19-risks

Women In Prisons Say They're Being Punished For Speaking Out About COVID-19 Risks
Staff | therealnews.com | 2020-05-09
Women say they're being punished for contacting people outside about their living conditions. Activists are planning an action May 23 at Jessup Correctional Facility in response.
therealnews.com/stories/women-in-prisons-say-theyre-being-punished-for-speaking-out-about-covid-19-risks

"A Lynch Mob": After Months of Inaction, 2 White Men Are Charged with Murder of Ahmaud Arbery in GA
Staff | democracynow.org | 2020-05-08
The two white men caught on camera shooting and killing Ahmaud Arbery, an unarmed 25-year-old African American man, were arrested and charged Thursday with murder. The arrests came two days after video of the attack in February was shared with the public, sparking widespread outrage. Today would have been Arbery's 26th birthday. We speak with civil rights attorney Benjamin Crump, who represents the Arbery family and formerly represented Trayvon Martin.
www.democracynow.org/2020/5/8/ahmaud_arbery_murder_benjamin_crump

The Pandemic's Impact on Immigration Detention Centers
Andrea Arroyo | thenation.com | 2020-05-08
The Pandemic's Impact on Immigration Detention Centers…
thenation.com/article/society/pandemic-impact-on-immigration-detention-centers/

What the Caucuses Taught me About Inequities in our Electoral System
Vivian Alana Caesar | aclu.org | 2020-05-08
Find the house, approach the door, ring the doorbell and wait with bated breath to see who will show on the other side

Poetry, Prison, and the Pandemic
aclu.org | 2020-05-08
In his third book of poetry, "Felon," Reginald Dwayne Betts contemplates life after prison: "The rooms in my head keep secrets that indict / Me still; my chorus of unspoken larcenies. / You carry that knowledge into your twilight, / & live without regret for your guilty pleas." The sense that prison sticks with you, haunts you even after you are released

HIGH-FREQUENCY failure of combination antiretroviral therapy in paediatric HIV infection is associated with unmet maternal needs causing maternal NON-ADHERENCE
Jane R. Millar, Nomonde Bengu, Rowena Fillis, Ken Sprenger, Vuyokazi Ntlantsana, Vinicius A. Vieira, Nisreen Khambati, Moherndran Archary, Maximilian Muenchhoff, Andreas Groll, Nicholas Grayson, John Adamson, Katya Govender, Krista Dong, Photini Kiepiela, Bruce D. Walker, David Bonsall, Thomas Connor, Matthew J. Bull, Nelisiwe Nxele, Julia Roider, Nasreen Ismail, Emily Adland, Maria C. Puertas, Javier Martinez-Picado, Philippa C. Matthews, Thumbi Ndung'u, Philip Goulder, the Ucwaningo Lwabantwana Consortium | thelancet.com | 2020-05-08
The success of early infant testing and cART initiation strategies is severely limited by subsequent cART non-adherence in HIV-infected children. Although there are practical challenges to administering paediatric cART formulations, these are overcome by mothers who themselves are cART-adherent. These findings point to the ongoing obligation to address the unmet needs of the mothers. Eliminating the particular barriers preventing adequate treatment for these vulnerable women and infants need to be prioritised in order to achieve durable suppression of viraemia on cART, let alone HIV cure/remission, in HIV-infecte…
thelancet.com/journals/eclinm/article/PIIS2589-5370(20)30088-2/fulltext?rss=yes

No One, Not Even Trump, is Above the Law
David Cole | aclu.org | 2020-05-07
Next week, on May 12, the Supreme Court will hear arguments in three cases about whether President Trump can block subpoenas issued to his banks and accountant to hand over his personal financial documents in connection with investigations of potential crimes. We argue that Trump, no less than anyone else, has no right to block such subpoenas. No one, not even the president, is above the law. , , Our amicus curiae briefs for the cases, Trump v. Mazars/Trump v. Deutsche Bank AG and…
aclu.org/news/civil-liberties/no-one-not-even-trump-is-above-the-law

Our Vision for Equitable Marijuana Reform
aclu.org | 2020-05-07

| Legalizing marijuana, while vital, is not enough to remedy the harms of deca…
aclu.org/news/criminal-law-reform/our-vision-for-equitable-marijuana-reform

How being a passenger almost put a man behind bars for life in Alabama
splcenter.org | 2020-05-07
When Roberto Cruz dozed off in the passenger seat of a blue Jeep Cherokee on June 23, 2003, he had no idea that he'd end up in Alabama, let alone sentenced to life without parole in a prison there.
splcenter.org/news/2020/05/07/how-being-passenger-almost-put-man-behind-bars-life-alabama

Women In Prison Need More Than Cuomo's Order To Help Against COVID-19
Staff | therealnews.com | 2020-05-07
Incarcerated women still face inadequate testing and an inability to self-isolate, and few will be helped by Cuomo's announcement releasing pregnant and elderly women.
therealnews.com/stories/women-prison-cuomo-release-covid-19

Women In Prison Need More Than Cuomo's Order To Help Against COVID-19
Staff | therealnews.com | 2020-05-07
Incarcerated women still face inadequate testing and an inability to self-isolate, and few will be helped by Cuomo's announcement releasing pregnant and elderly women.
therealnews.com/stories/women-prison-cuomo-release-covid-19

Ecuador's Moreno govt persecutes opponents as coronavirus catastrophe exposes its neoliberal war on public sector
Denis Rogatyuk | thegrayzone.com | 2020-05-06
Sentencing former President Rafael Correa and Jorge Glas to eight years in jail and barring them from public office for…
thegrayzone.com/2020/05/06/ecuadors-moreno-persecutes-coronavirus/

SPLC's Civil Rights Memorial Center publishes children's activity book online
splcenter.org | 2020-05-06
splcenter.org/news/2020/05/06/splcs-civil-rights-memorial-center-publishes-childrens-activity-book-online

SPLC's Civil Rights Memorial Center, closed due to COVID-19, publishes children's activity book online
splcenter.org | 2020-05-06
splcenter.org/news/2020/05/06/splcs-civil-rights-memorial-center-closed-due-covid-19-publishes-childrens-activity-book