Monthly Archives: May 2020

2020-05-25: News Headlines

Leila Rafei (2020-05-25). For Betty Riddle, Amendment 4 Win Makes Her A Part of Society, Not Apart. aclu.org Betty Riddle made sure she was first in line to vote in the Florida primary this year. At age 62, it was her first time voting. "It was one of the greatest moments of my life," she told the ACLU. Her family made her a T-shirt just for the occasion, which read first in line, first time voting. | As a Floridian, Betty was subject to one of the nation's harshest felony disenfranchisement laws. Before

Dante Strobino (2020-05-25). Safe Jobs Save Lives': N.C. union rallies to free prisoners, support city workers. workers.org Union workers and community members organized a car caravan protest in front of Neuse Correctional Institute in Goldsboro, N.C., on May 12 to demand the freedom of all prisoners. This was in response to the fifth COVID-19 related death of a prisoner in state prisons the week prior. At Neuse . . . |

WSWS (2020-05-25). US juvenile detention centers record 474 COVID-19 cases. wsws.org As more information about COVID-19's effects on minors emerges, the virus's unchecked spread in the juvenile prison population is leading to deadly consequences.

IMEMC & Agencies (2020-05-25). Hamas's Political Head : No Prisoners Swap Deal without an Acceptable Price. imemc.org Hamas's political head, Ismail Haniyeh, reportedly said over the weekend, that his Islamist party, that rules the Gaza Strip, will agree to a prisoner swap deal with the state of Israel, only in return for an acceptable price. Haniyeh's remarks came on the eve of the Al-Fitr Muslims' Feast or …

IMEMC & Agencies (2020-05-24). Three Palestinian Prisoners enter 12th and 18th Years of Israeli Imprisonment. imemc.org The Ramallah-based Palestinian Prisoners' Society (PPS) confirmed, on Saturday, that both Palestinian prisoners, Mohammad Alkhaldi and Mohammad Auda, from the Arrana village, on the outskirts of Jenin, have both entered their 12th year of life sentences in Israeli prison. Montaser Sammour, Director of the Prisoners' Society in Jenin, further noted …

Staff (2020-05-23). Correction Officers And Inmate Advocates Prepare For Action At Jessup Prison. therealnews.com Corrections officers and prison abolitionists will join together Saturday to protest the lack of PPE and testing, and the need for parole, during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Fight Back (2020-05-23). March on the DNC meets with city of Milwaukee. fightbacknews.org Milwaukee, WI—The Coalition to March on the Democratic National Convention met with officials from the city of Milwaukee on May 21 to discuss the coalition's permit and plan to protest. The goals of the coalition are to defeat President Trump and to advance a progressive people's agenda, thus building stronger movements to challenge the Democratic Party. Lawyers for the Wisconsin ACLU arranged the meeting and led the discussions. | The meeting with the city of Milwaukee confirmed that the COVID-19 health crisis is causing most in the Democratic Party to consider alternatives to an indoor convention with th…

Judy Rohrer (2020-05-23). COVID-19 Reveals Viral Discrimination, Higher Ed Should Pay Attention. commondreams.org A sign asking Navajo residents to stay safe and warning of a curfew near the Navajo Nation town of Casamero Lake in New Mexico on May 20, 2020. – The Navajo Nation now has the highest per capita COVID-19 infection rate in the country after surpassing New York. (Photo by MARK RALSTON/AFP via Getty Images) | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/views-article/thumbs/gettyimages-1214296001.jpg

Birgit Sawitzki, Paul N Harden, Petra Reinke, Aurélie Moreau, James A Hutchinson, David S Game, Qizhi Tang, Eva C Guinan, Manuela Battaglia, William J Burlingham, Ian S D Roberts, Mathias Streitz, Régis Josien, Carsten A Bà∂ger, Cristiano Scottà , James F Markmann, Joanna L Hester, Karsten Juerchott, Cecile Braudeau, Ben James, Laura Contreras-Ruiz, Jeroen B van der Net, Tobias Bergler, Rossana Caldara, William Petchey, Matthias Edinger, Nathalie Dupas, Michael Kapinsky, Ingrid Mutzbauer, Natalie M Otto, Robert àñllinger, Maria P Hernandez-Fuentes, Fadi Issa, Norbert Ahrens, Christoph Meyenberg, Sandra Karitzky, Ulrich Kunzendorf, Stuart J Knechtle, Josep Grinyó, Peter J Morris, Leslie Brent, Andrew Bushell, Laurence A Turka, Jeffrey A Bluestone, Robert I Lechler, Hans J Schlitt, Maria C Cuturi, Stephan Schlickeiser, Peter J Friend, Tewfik Miloud, Alexander Scheffold, Antonio Secchi, Kerry Crisalli, Sang-Mo Kang, Rachel Hilton, Bernhard Banas, Gilles Blancho, Hans-Dieter Volk, Giovanna Lombardi, Kathryn J Wood, Edward K Geissler (2020-05-23). [Articles] Regulatory cell therapy in kidney transplantation (The ONE Study): a harmonised design and analysis of seven non-randomised, single-arm, phase 1/2A trials. thelancet.com Regulatory cell therapy is achievable and safe in living-donor kidney transplant recipients, and is associated with fewer infectious complications, but similar rejection rates in the first year. Therefore, immune cell therapy is a potentially useful therapeutic approach in recipients of kidney transplant to minimise the burden of general immunosuppression.

Jamal Rich (2020-05-22). From 'Free Angela Davis' to #NoNewJailsDC: Organizing against incarceration across generations. peoplesworld.org WASHINGTON—The Black Youth Project 100 (BYP100) D.C. Chapter and the Claudia Jones School for Political Education, based in Washington, D.C., came together online on the evening of May 18 to co-host an event regarding the twin ideas of freeing political prisoners and prison abolition. The event featured elders from the Communist Party USA who were …

Chauncey K. Robinson (2020-05-22). 'Mossville: When Great Trees Fall' exposes environmental and racial terror of capitalism. peoplesworld.org "When great souls die, the air around us becomes light, rare, sterile. We breathe, briefly. Our eyes, briefly, see with a hurtful clarity." — Maya Angelou A piece of American history, showcasing the perseverance of a people despite centuries of oppression and enslavement, is on the verge of being lost forever due to greed, negligence, and …

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

Lynda Carson (2020-05-25). California and mail-out ballot plan sued by Republicans. indybay.org Lawsuit By Republicans Against California & Mail-Out Ballot Plan:…

Animal Liberation Press Office (2020-05-25). Animal Liberation Prisoner Walter Bond Will be Released from Prison June 18. indybay.org Walter was arrested July 23, 2010 as the alleged ALF "Lone Wolf" charged with arson of the Sheepskin Factory in Colorado. The FBI alleged Bond admitted to an informant to setting two additional fires — one at Tandy Leather Factory, the other at Tiburon (foie gras restaurant), both in Utah. In anonymous communiques, "A.L.F. Lone Wolf" took credit.

RT (2020-05-25). 'Brazen power grab': GOP sues California Gov. Newsom over plan to send mail-in ballots to ALL registered voters. rt.com Republicans have filed a lawsuit to overturn the California Governor's executive order, that will see every voter receive an absentee ballot for the November election, denouncing it as a "direct assault" on the vote's integrity. | "In a direct usurpation of the legislature's authority, Governor [Gavin] Newsom issued an executive order purporting to rewrite the entire election code for the November 2020 election cycle," the lawsuit, which was filed on Sunday, reads. | Slamming Newsom's decision to mail ballots to all registered voters, which means that inactive voters will also be covered by the scheme, the pla…

RT (2020-05-23). 'Rhetorical hyperbole' and NOT FACT: Court rejects OAN suit over MSNBC host Rachel Maddow's claim about 'Russian propaganda'. rt.com A US judge dismissed a defamation lawsuit by One America News Network against MSNBC over Rachel Maddow's claims that OAN was "literally" Russian propaganda, ruling that her segment was merely "an opinion" and "exaggeration." | OAN sued the liberal talk show host and MSNBC for defamation, demanding over $10 million in damages, back in September 2019. The lawsuit was based on the July 22 episode of The Rachel Maddow Show, where Maddow launched a scathing broadside against the conservative television network, labeling it "the most obsequiously pro-Trump right wing news outlet in America" and "really literally pai…

en.mehrnews (2020-05-25). Iran ready to share COVID-19 experiences with African countries: Zarif. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, May 25 (MNA) — In a Monday Tweet, Iranian FM congratulates Africa Day, which reminds everyone of the Africans struggles against oppression.

sputniknews (2020-05-25). Moscow Court Orders Detention for Bank Attacker Until 23 July. sputniknews.com MOSCOW (Sputnik) – Moscow's Khamovniki district court on Monday ordered the detention until 23 July of a man who barricaded himself with hostages in a bank on Saturday, spokesman Irakli Sokhadze said.

IMEMC & Agencies (2020-05-23). Israeli Authorities Place Palestinian under Administrative Detention. imemc.org Israeli Prison Service (IPS) reportedly placed, on Saturday, a Palestinian man from the northern West Bank city of Jenin, under administrative detention, with no charges, for a period of six months. Family members of Mahmoud Said Alsa'dy, 40, told the Palestinian WAFA News Agency that the Israeli prison authority of …

2020-05-24: News Headlines

Staff (2020-05-23). Correction Officers And Inmate Advocates Prepare For Action At Jessup Prison. therealnews.com Corrections officers and prison abolitionists will join together Saturday to protest the lack of PPE and testing, and the need for parole, during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Fight Back (2020-05-23). March on the DNC meets with city of Milwaukee. fightbacknews.org Milwaukee, WI—The Coalition to March on the Democratic National Convention met with officials from the city of Milwaukee on May 21 to discuss the coalition's permit and plan to protest. The goals of the coalition are to defeat President Trump and to advance a progressive people's agenda, thus building stronger movements to challenge the Democratic Party. Lawyers for the Wisconsin ACLU arranged the meeting and led the discussions. | The meeting with the city of Milwaukee confirmed that the COVID-19 health crisis is causing most in the Democratic Party to consider alternatives to an indoor convention with th…

Judy Rohrer (2020-05-23). COVID-19 Reveals Viral Discrimination, Higher Ed Should Pay Attention. commondreams.org A sign asking Navajo residents to stay safe and warning of a curfew near the Navajo Nation town of Casamero Lake in New Mexico on May 20, 2020. – The Navajo Nation now has the highest per capita COVID-19 infection rate in the country after surpassing New York. (Photo by MARK RALSTON/AFP via Getty Images) | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/views-article/thumbs/gettyimages-1214296001.jpg

Birgit Sawitzki, Paul N Harden, Petra Reinke, Aurélie Moreau, James A Hutchinson, David S Game, Qizhi Tang, Eva C Guinan, Manuela Battaglia, William J Burlingham, Ian S D Roberts, Mathias Streitz, Régis Josien, Carsten A Bà∂ger, Cristiano Scottà , James F Markmann, Joanna L Hester, Karsten Juerchott, Cecile Braudeau, Ben James, Laura Contreras-Ruiz, Jeroen B van der Net, Tobias Bergler, Rossana Caldara, William Petchey, Matthias Edinger, Nathalie Dupas, Michael Kapinsky, Ingrid Mutzbauer, Natalie M Otto, Robert àñllinger, Maria P Hernandez-Fuentes, Fadi Issa, Norbert Ahrens, Christoph Meyenberg, Sandra Karitzky, Ulrich Kunzendorf, Stuart J Knechtle, Josep Grinyó, Peter J Morris, Leslie Brent, Andrew Bushell, Laurence A Turka, Jeffrey A Bluestone, Robert I Lechler, Hans J Schlitt, Maria C Cuturi, Stephan Schlickeiser, Peter J Friend, Tewfik Miloud, Alexander Scheffold, Antonio Secchi, Kerry Crisalli, Sang-Mo Kang, Rachel Hilton, Bernhard Banas, Gilles Blancho, Hans-Dieter Volk, Giovanna Lombardi, Kathryn J Wood, Edward K Geissler (2020-05-23). [Articles] Regulatory cell therapy in kidney transplantation (The ONE Study): a harmonised design and analysis of seven non-randomised, single-arm, phase 1/2A trials. thelancet.com Regulatory cell therapy is achievable and safe in living-donor kidney transplant recipients, and is associated with fewer infectious complications, but similar rejection rates in the first year. Therefore, immune cell therapy is a potentially useful therapeutic approach in recipients of kidney transplant to minimise the burden of general immunosuppression.

commondreams (2020-05-22). ACLU Asks Supreme Court to Deny Bureau of Prisons Request to Block Order That Will Save Lives. commondreams.org ______________________________…

Richard D. Wolff (2020-05-22). An Old Story Again: Capitalism vs. Health and Safety. counterpunch.org The U.S. president recently ordered meatpacking employees back into workplaces plagued by coronavirus. He did not order the employers to make their slaughterhouses safe. GOP-proposed legislation exempts employers from lawsuits by employees sickened or killed by coronavirus infections at workplaces. The GOP is mostly silent about requiring employers to maintain safe or healthy workplaces. Employers

V.P. Franklin (2020-05-22). Georgetown Students Demonstrate How Reparations Can Be Made to African-American Students. aclu.org This spring, something extraordinary and worthy of imitation occurred on Georgetown University's campus in Washington, D.C., , On April 11, two-thirds of the undergraduate student body who took part in a referendum

Jeffery Robinson (2020-05-22). America, It Is Time to Talk About Reparations. aclu.org We are two months away from the 400th anniversary of the first enslaved people arriving in what would become the United States of America. It is time to renew the public discussion about reparations to descendants of Africans who were enslaved as our country was forming and growing rich. , , First as colonies and then as a nation, America has existed longer with slavery (1619-1865: 246 years) than without it (1865-2019: 154 years). And the reality of the institution of enslaving people is not the "good food and a decent place to live" narrative of Bill O'Reilly on Fox News and others who minimize the horror of…

Jamal Rich (2020-05-22). From 'Free Angela Davis' to #NoNewJailsDC: Organizing against incarceration across generations. peoplesworld.org WASHINGTON—The Black Youth Project 100 (BYP100) D.C. Chapter and the Claudia Jones School for Political Education, based in Washington, D.C., came together online on the evening of May 18 to co-host an event regarding the twin ideas of freeing political prisoners and prison abolition. The event featured elders from the Communist Party USA who were …

Chauncey K. Robinson (2020-05-22). 'Mossville: When Great Trees Fall' exposes environmental and racial terror of capitalism. peoplesworld.org "When great souls die, the air around us becomes light, rare, sterile. We breathe, briefly. Our eyes, briefly, see with a hurtful clarity." — Maya Angelou A piece of American history, showcasing the perseverance of a people despite centuries of oppression and enslavement, is on the verge of being lost forever due to greed, negligence, and …

commondreams (2020-05-22). ACLU and Partners Challenge Michigan Absentee Ballot Deadline. commondreams.org ______________________________…

Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee (2020-05-22). H.R. 40 Is Not a Symbolic Act. It's a Path to Restorative Justice. aclu.org For nearly three decades, my former colleague Rep. John Conyers of Michigan would introduce

Eunice Cho (2020-05-22). ICE's Lack of Transparency About COVID-19 in Detention Will Cost Lives. aclu.org Even before the COVID-19 pandemic, Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) detention system was marked by its

Peoples Dispatch (2020-05-22). Indian trade unions protest attack on workers' rights. peoplesdispatch.org Ten central trade unions in India issued a nationwide protest call against the changes being made to labour laws. On Friday, May 22, unions across the country took to the streets to stage demonstrations against the attack on workers' rights. The protestors were peaceful and followed physical distancing and other safety norms. Still, multiple instances of repression and detentions took place.

David Cole (2020-05-21). The Absurd Attacks on the ACLU. aclu.org On May 19, the National Review editors condemned the ACLU's "absurd" lawsuit against Education Secretary Betsy DeVos's new Title IX regulations, which govern sexual harassment and assault at schools that receive federal funding. They argue that we had sacrificed our principles by seeking to "weaken" due process standards. President Trump promptly retweeted it, though showed no evidence that he actually read it. But the National Review's criticism bears no relation to the lawsuit we actually filed. Our suit challenges provisions letting schools ignore serious claims of sexual harassment altogether. It does not…

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

Staff (2020-05-22). Third White Man Arrested for Murder in Ahmaud Arbery Shooting as DOJ Considers Hate Crime Charges. democracynow.org Authorities have arrested a third white man for the killing of Ahmaud Arbery, this one charged with felony murder and criminal attempt to commit false imprisonment. We speak with civil rights attorney Benjamin Crump about how William Bryan filmed Arbery jogging down a narrow road in Brunswick, Georgia, in broad daylight, before he was confronted by two armed white men — retired police officer Gregory McMichael and his son Travis — who shot him three times. "This was never about any trespassing or burglary," Crump says. "This was always about profiling Ahmaud Arbery because of the color of his skin."

Staff (2020-05-22). FBI Says It Will Investigate Breonna Taylor Shooting Death as Police Chief Announces Retirement. democracynow.org We speak with Ben Crump, attorney for the family of Breonna Taylor, a 26-year-old aspiring nurse who was shot to death by police inside her own apartment. Her family has filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the Louisville Metro Police Department that details how police shot Taylor at least eight times after they burst into her apartment, unannounced, with a search warrant. The man police were looking for did not live in Taylor's apartment and was reportedly already detained by police when officers arrived at Taylor's residence on the night of March 13. At the time of her killing, Taylor had been working as an e…

Staff (2020-05-23). Immigrants Jailed by ICE Are Winning Court Battles to Get Free. truthout.org By the time the coronavirus pandemic reached a crisis level in the United States in March, José Velásquez had already spent almost 900 days in Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention. A Guatemalan asylum seeker, Velásquez had celebrated his 18th and 19th birthdays behind bars, and, as the pandemic worsened, he worried about making it to his 20th. Over the course of two years in the notorious Adelanto detention center in California, the teenager had developed serious hypertension, a condition th…

Staff (2020-05-22). FBI Says It Will Investigate Breonna Taylor Shooting Death. truthout.org We speak with Ben Crump, attorney for the family of Breonna Taylor, a 26-year-old aspiring nurse who was shot to death by police inside her own apartment. Her family has filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the Louisville Metro Police Department that details how police shot Taylor at least eight times after they burst into her apartment, unannounced, with a search warrant. The man police were looking for did not live in Taylor's apartment and was reportedly already detained by police when officers arrived at Ta…

RT (2020-05-24). Lawsuits targeting China are mere 'daydreaming', but Beijing's 'open' to impartial Covid-19 probe — Chinese FM. rt.com Threats to sue China for its alleged role in the coronavirus pandemic are misguided, the country's foreign minister has stated, adding that Beijing would co-operate with an even-handed inquiry into the global health crisis.
| Threats to sue China for its alleged role in the coronavirus pandemic are misguided, the country's foreign minister has stated, adding that Beijing would co-operate with an even-handed inquiry into the global health crisis. | Lawsuits being threatened…

RT (2020-05-23). 'Rhetorical hyperbole' and NOT FACT: Court rejects OAN suit over MSNBC host Rachel Maddow's claim about 'Russian propaganda'. rt.com A US judge dismissed a defamation lawsuit by One America News Network against MSNBC over Rachel Maddow's claims that OAN was "literally" Russian propaganda, ruling that her segment was merely "an opinion" and "exaggeration." | OAN sued the liberal talk show host and MSNBC for defamation, demanding over $10 million in damages, back in September 2019. The lawsuit was based on the July 22 episode of The Rachel Maddow Show, where Maddow launched a scathing broadside against the conservative television network, labeling it "the most obsequiously pro-Trump right wing news outlet in America" and "really literally pai…

IMEMC & Agencies (2020-05-23). Israeli Authorities Place Palestinian under Administrative Detention. imemc.org Israeli Prison Service (IPS) reportedly placed, on Saturday, a Palestinian man from the northern West Bank city of Jenin, under administrative detention, with no charges, for a period of six months. Family members of Mahmoud Said Alsa'dy, 40, told the Palestinian WAFA News Agency that the Israeli prison authority of …