(2020-08-04). "Release Them All": Calls Grow to Stop Jailing Immigrants as Transfers & Deportations Spread COVID. democracynow.org 
The U.S. government continues to hold tens of thousands of asylum seekers and immigrants in detention centers and jails, ignoring the advice of medical experts as the coronavirus continues to spread. ICE has also continued to transfer and deport people — including those who are infected — making it a global superspreader. We speak with Luis Angel Reyes Savalza, an immigration attorney and co-director of Pangea Legal Services in San Francisco, who himself is undocumented and recently got arrested at a protest outside the mansion of California Governor Gavin Newsom demanding the release of people in sta…
(2020-08-04). "It's Basically a Death Sentence": Hunger Strikers Demand Release as Virus Surges in ICE Jails. democracynow.org 
People being held in Immigration and Customs Enforcement jails are holding work strikes and hunger strikes over the lack of access to personal protective equipment or quality medical care, and to demand their release. We speak with Joe Mejia, an asylum seeker who was among a group of prisoners at Yuba County Jail in California who led a hunger strike while he was held there for nearly 11 months. "That place is dangerous," Mejia says. "It is a death sentence to detainees, especially right now with the coronavirus."
(2020-08-04). Cornel West and Tricia Rose Talk AOC, Racial Justice, and More. therealnews.com 
The two say they want to address the urgency of the civil rights movement happening right now.
(2020-08-04). As Prison COVID-19 Cases Rise, A Mental Health Crisis Intensifies. therealnews.com 
Family visits, job programs, and recreational activities have all been put on hold because of the virus.
(2020-08-04). Updated: PPS: "Israeli Soldiers Abduct Fifteen Palestinians In West Bank" imemc.org Updated: The Palestinian Prisoners' Society (PPS) has reported that Israeli soldiers abducted, overnight until dawn hours Tuesday, fifteen Palestinians, including a young woman, during extensive and violent searches of homes across the occupied West Bank. The soldiers also shot two Palestinians in Jericho.
(2020-08-04). Saturday 8/8: How much do Black Lives Matter? Enough to share land values? indybay.org Join Zoom Meeting | zoom.us/j/94061550597?pwd=d1hRVUxITVYwUTVYeFFIbE5HbWhJdz09 | Meeting ID: 940 6155 0597 | Passcode: uuc6Gd…
(2020-08-04). Fifth COVID-19 Demonstration at San Quentin. indybay.org About 600 people marched to the west gate of San Quentin Prison on August 2nd. While they rallied inmates called out, confirming the horrific conditions inside the walls where the COVID-19 virus has spread like wildfire. | Top photo by Stephanie Mohan, Pro Bono Photo…
(2020-08-03). Report: "Woke" Corporations Supporting Black Lives Matter Quietly Funding Police. mintpressnews.com 
Corporations like JPMorgan Chase, Chevron and Marathon claim to support the movement for black lives, but their donations to police help "tyrannize the very communities" they claim to stand with.
(2020-08-03). "They Have No Evidence": Moroccan Journalist Omar Radi Jailed, Surveilled After Criticizing Gov't. democracynow.org 
Award-winning journalist and human rights activist Omar Radi spoke to us from Casablanca on July 16. Two weeks later, on July 29, last Wednesday, Moroccan authorities arrested him on what press freedom advocates call "retaliatory charges." Now a court has charged Radi with undermining state security by receiving foreign funding and collaborating with foreign intelligence, and also charged him with rape. He is reportedly being held in a prison that is a COVID hot spot, and has not been allowed to have visits from his lawyer or his parents. We feature our interview with Radi, which focuses in part on an Amnesty Int…
(2020-08-03). Headlines for August 3, 2020. democracynow.org White House's Dr. Birx Warns U.S. Has Entered New Phase in Pandemic as Death Toll Tops 155,000, Lawmakers at Standstill over Coronavirus Bill as Democratic Rep. Grijalva Goes After GOP Response, Worldwide Cases Top 18 Million as Countries Across the Globe Hit Grim New Milestones, Border Patrol Raid Arizona Humanitarian Camp for 2nd Time in 2 Days, Detain 30 Asylum Seekers, SCOTUS Rules Trump Can Move Forward with Border Wall Construction, Trump Admin to Start Charging Fees for Asylum Applications, Islamic State Claims Attack on Afghanistan Jail Which Killed At Least 29 People, Award-Winning Author Tsitsi Dangarem…
(2020-08-03). 50 years of struggle from Black August to Black Lives Matter Movement — a WW commentary. workers.org 
This Aug. 7 marks the 50th anniversary of the heroic attempt by Jonathan Jackson, younger brother of George Jackson, to free three Black revolutionaries from the clutches of the California state prison system. The fact that this bold attempt failed has no bearing on its historical and revolutionary significance to . . . |
(2020-08-03). Disability movement is 'part of the global working class'. workers.org 
by Kristen Turgeon The following slightly edited remarks were made by Kristen Turgeon from the Boston branch of Workers World Party on a July 30 webinar sponsored by WWP's Disability Rights Caucus and titled "Smash Ableism, Racism, All Bigotry & Oppression!" Kristen Turgeon. WW PHOTO: Stevan Kirschbaum It has been . . . |
(2020-08-03). Free Joy Powell! America's Political Prisoner for Fighting Police Brutality. counterpunch.org 
If you protest against police brutality in America, you are definitely going to get brutalized by the police. And lately, federal marshals, homeland security, ICE officers, and assorted militarized federal goons and thugs will pile on. If you led a movement against police brutality in Rochester, NY in 2006, like Rev. Joy Powell did, you
(2020-08-03). Hundreds march on San Quentin. liberationnews.org 
"Gavin Newsom, let them go!" Five hundred participants marched on San Quentin's West Gate on Aug 2 protesting California Gov. Gavin Newsom's cruel decision to keep thousands of incarcerated people exposed to the virus in prison. Two prisoners called into the protest, reporting the disorganization at the state's oldest prison. "They still haven't cleaned out …
(2020-08-03). 'Stop politicizing economy': Beijing blasts US for threatening to ban TikTok & other Chinese apps. rt.com 
Threatening to restrict Chinese apps on groundless claims that they're feeding data on Americans to the government in Beijing only exposes Washington's hypocrisy, China's Foreign Ministry said. | Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin has called on the US to "provide an open, fair, just, and non-discriminatory environment for market entities of other countries to invest and operate in the US." | Stop politicizing trade and economic issues, and stop promoting discrimination and policies of exclusion through abusing the concept of national security. | Washington has been threatening TikTok and other Chinese software co…
(2020-08-03). BDS activist's detention extended for 15 days by military court in Israel. peoplesdispatch.org An Israeli military court approved a request by Israeli domestic intelligence agency Shin Bet to hold Mahmoud Nawajaa for 15 days. Nawajaa was illegally abducted from his home on July 30…
(2020-08-03). Islamic State militants claim responsibility for attack on Afghan prison. peoplesdispatch.org In an attack which began on Sunday evening, terrorists slammed an explosive-laden vehicle to enter a prison in Jalalabad province. As many as 24 people were killed and 43 sustained injuries in the ensuing fighting…
(2020-08-03). In Zimbabwe, no one can breathe. zcomm.org Unless the Zimbabwean state stops its looting, intimidation and suppression of dissent and finally responds to the needs of its people, it will soon face its greatest threat yet…
(2020-08-03). Black Lives Depend on the U.S. Dietary Guidelines. commondreams.org "On the road to making a healthy diet accessible to everyone, the Dietary Guidelines will continue to be an invaluable tool for health professionals, federal nutrition program operators, and many families. But we are far from reaching our destination." | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/views-article/thumbs/boston-food-justice-ordinance-1.jpg …
(2020-08-03). Thousands at Risk of COVID-19 Escalating in ICE "Superspreader" Detention Centers as US States Hit Highest Daily Records—and ICE Deportation Flights Into Central and South America Continue. commondreams.org ______________________________…
(2020-08-03). Rights Group Demands ICE End 'Beyond Inhumane' Detention and Deportations as Covid-19 Pandemic Intensifies. commondreams.org Blaming the Trump administration's "irresponsible actions" for the ongoing spread of Covid-19 in immigration detention centers, the International Rescue Committee demanded that people be released from detention immediately to mitigate the spread of the coronavirus. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/gettyimages-1222258669.png …
(2020-08-02). Multiple bomb blasts at jail compound in Afghanistan, 1 killed and 20 injured – officials. rt.com 
At least one person was killed after a series of bombs exploded outside a jail compound in the city of Jalalabad in eastern Afghanistan. Clashes broke out between police and attacking militants who made their way inside the jail. | One major car-bomb explosion was followed by two smaller blasts near the prison complex, provincial council member Sohrab Qaderi said, according to Reuters. | A large police force was deployed to counter the militants, who took up position outside the compound and have since made their way inside the complex. | Afghanistan's TOLO news agency quoted a spokesman for the Nangarhar prov…
(2020-08-02). Two guards stabbed during Georgia prison riot. Purported footage of violent uprising spreads on social media (VIDEOS). rt.com 
Two guards have been injured in a riot at Georgia's Ware State Prison, local media reported. Purported videos of the chaotic rebellion show inmates covered in blood, holding tasers, and even frog-marching handcuffed prison staff. | The situation is now under control and the facility, located near Waycross, has been put on lockdown, according to local media, citing a statement from the Georgia Department of Corrections. | "Two staff members received minor, non-life-threatening injuries and there are no reported inmate injuries at this time," the statement read. | Local reports also shared a statement from the W…
(2020-08-02). Afghan government releases over 300 Taliban prisoners. yenisafak.com On the third and last day of a cease-fire with the Taliban, the Afghan government on Sunday announced that it had released over 300 prisoners of the militant group in connection with ongoing peace efforts.Announcing the development, the Office of the National Security Council (ONSC) said in a statement that the government had released 317 more Taliban prisoners from Parwan and other provincial prisons, bringing the total to 4,917.Prisoner releases will continue until the total reaches 5,100 — 100 more than required by the US-Taliban peace deal signed in February, it said.The Taliban vowed to have already complet…
(2020-08-02). Thousands march and rally in Portland. fightbacknews.org Portland, OR – Large marches rocked downtown Portland, August 1, as thousands took to the streets in defense of Black lives. Trade unionists had a visible presence in the large protests. | Many rallied in front of the federal courthouse, which is surrounded by concrete and metal barriers. | The federal courthouse has been the scene of intense clashes between protesters and federal agents sent by the Trump administration. As of midnight, police had no visible presence. | According to reports, police declared an action in the Northeast Portland neighborhood to be an 'unlawful assembly' and arrested several people.
(2020-08-02). Large protests continue in Portland. fightbacknews.org Portland, OR — The chant of "Black lives matter!" echoed off the Federal Courthouse Friday, July 31, as nearly 3000 demonstrators assembled in downtown Portland. Federal agents and local police were not visible, but a number of protesters stated that agents remain inside the courthouse. Many rally participants were well prepared for an attack, wearing head protection and gas masks to lessen the impact of teargas and police projectiles. No clashes occurred. | The courthouse is covered with slogans and surrounded by concrete barriers topped by metal fencing. African Americans and other oppressed nationalitie…
(2020-08-02). Leaving No Roma behind during a pandemic, and beyond: a UN Resident Coordinator's Blog. news.un.org Roma people in Europe face widespread discrimination in many areas of life, including housing and health. In this opinion piece, Francoise Jacob, the UN Resident Coordinator in Serbia, explains how the UN is helping Roma communities, many of which have no access to safe water or electricity, to cope with the COVID-19 pandemic.
(2020-08-02). 'We Are On The Cusp Of Something Great'. popularresistance.org Since the nation erupted after the May 25 police killing of George Floyd, Black organizers and community members have been working around the clock to channel mass protests into tangible victories. Nikita Mitchell, 26, is national coordinator of The Rising Majority, formed in 2017 by the Movement for Black Lives, a coalition that includes Black Lives Matter. Rising Majority is led by Black people and people of color, and brings social movements together in an anti-racist, anti-capitalist Left for radical democracy.
(2020-08-01). 2009 H1N1 Vaccine Caused Brain Damage in Children. Dr. Anthony Fauci on "Vaccine Safety" Issues. globalresearch.ca A lawsuit against the Trudeau Government for its handling of the COVID-19 Crisis has been launched. What is at stake is the violation of fundamental rights of Canadians. | "The mass and indiscriminate containment of citizens, the restriction of access to …
(2020-08-01). Lawsuit exposes massive COVID-19 outbreak at privately-run immigrant detention center in Virginia. wsws.org The Farmville Detention Center has the largest COVID-19 outbreak of all immigrant detainment facilities in the United States.
(2020-08-01). Black Lives Matter Coalition calls for termination of 21 officers involved in 2019 drowning of Keshawn Stewart. liberationnews.org 
We demand an end to the war on Black America!
(2020-08-01). Portland anti-racist protesters undeterred by repression. liberationnews.org 
For 63 days, every possible attempt to derail a people's movement in defense of Black lives has been made against protesters in Portland, Oregon. Every red-baiting, reactionary talking point has been deployed. On the ground, the Portland Police Bureau, the National Guard and three different types of federal paramilitary police have attempted to crush dissent. …
(2020-08-01). ACLU gets to decide who's a journalist? Judge suggests having group vet reporters to protect press covering Portland protests. rt.com 
A federal judge in Portland has proposed making the American Civil Liberties Union an arbiter to distinguish between legitimate journalists and protesters-in-disguise — a move with important implications for press protections. | The issue stems from an
(2020-08-01). Portland man faces up to 20 years in prison after throwing explosive at federal courthouse, ID'd by vest his grandma bought him. rt.com 
A young man in Portland faces up to 20 years in prison on arson charges, accused of hurling a bomb at a courthouse amid ongoing police brutality protests. He was identified by a tactical vest gifted to him by his grandmother.
(2020-08-01). A UK-funded contractor is providing intelligence support to Trump's protester-attacking paramilitaries. thecanary.co 
Paramilitary units deployed by Donald Trump to the US city of Portland, in response to Black Lives Matter (BLM) protests, have been identified. Interestingly, intelligence for one of the units is handled by a multinational corporation that recently won a UK contract to manage NHS data. | Federal units identified: | Units engaging with protesters in Portland have been identified in a New York Times video. They
(2020-08-01). Open Letter from WSWS Chairman to Alphabet Chief Executive Officer Sundar Pichai. indybay.org Why was the World Socialist Web Site never informed that its claim of suppression was being discussed within Alphabet/Google management, or that an investigation was being conducted into its complaint?>
(2020-08-01). Honestly, People In The US Couldn't Care Less About Hong Kong. popularresistance.org I just spent two weeks in the United States, investigating, analyzing the situation there. | I worked in Washington D.C., Minneapolis, where Mr. George Floyd was murdered by deranged cops, in New York City and Boston. COVID-19 was at my tail, as the states kept opening and closing, frantically. Demonstrations were shaking the country, protests against endemic racism and discrimination have been erupting in hundreds of cities and towns. | In several of my reports, I described confusion and deep contradictions, which have been devastating this, still the most powerful nation in the Western world.
(2020-08-01). Russian Foreign Intelligence Chief Hopes Incident in Belarus Resolved for Friendly Ties. sputniknews.com MOSCOW (Sputnik) – Russia's Foreign Intelligence Chief Sergey Naryshkin said on Saturday he hoped the incident of Minsk's detention of 33 Russian nationals will be resolved in the interest of fraternal relations between the two countries.
(2020-08-01). Black Teen Jailed for Not Doing Her Online Schoolwork Is Released. truthout.org A Michigan teenager who has been detained since mid-May after not doing her online schoolwork was set free on Friday, after the Michigan Court of Appeals ordered her immediate release from a juvenile facility in suburban Detroit. | Grace, a high school sophomore, spent 78 days at the Children's Village after an Oakland County family court judge found she had violated her probation on earlier charges of assault and theft. Friday's decision comes a week after that judge denied her lawyer's request to set…
(2020-07-31). Civil Rights Hero John Lewis Remembered at Funeral as "Patriot Who Risked His Life" for Democracy. democracynow.org 
As family, friends and dignitaries paid their final respects at the Atlanta funeral of John Lewis, the civil rights leader and 17-term Georgia Congressmember was remembered as a singular force for equality and justice. The funeral took place at the historic Ebenezer Baptist Church, once led by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., where senior pastor Rev. Raphael Warnock contrasted Lewis' legacy with "some in high office who are much better at division than vision," and described the late politician as "a true American patriot who risked his life and bled for the hope and promise of democracy."
(2020-07-31). Rev. James Lawson: John Lewis's Life Is Call to Action Against U.S. Violence & Plantation Capitalism. democracynow.org 
As mourners gathered at Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta to honor the life of Georgia Congressmember John Lewis, among those who spoke was civil rights icon Rev. James Lawson, who helped to train John Lewis in nonviolence when Lewis was a student in Nashville. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. once described Rev. Lawson as "the leading theorist and strategist of nonviolence in the world." Lawson invoked John Lewis's life as a call to action. "We will not be quiet as long as our nation continues to be the most violent culture in the history of humankind," Lawson said. We feature his extended remarks.
(2020-07-31). Headlines for July 31, 2020. democracynow.org U.S. Coronavirus Deaths Top 1,000 for Fourth Consecutive Day, U.S. Economy Recorded Worst Quarterly Drop on Record as Coronavirus Spread, New Orleans Protesters Block Eviction Court Proceedings as Rent Comes Due, Brazil's First Lady Tests Positive for COVID-19 as Deaths Top 91,000, Coronavirus Cases Spike in European Countries that Lifted Lockdowns, Donald Trump Suggests Election Delay, Sparking Bipartisan Outrage, U.S. Postal Delays Spark Fears Over Mail-In Ballots in November Election, Civil Rights Icon and Georgia Congressmember John Lewis Laid to Rest, Herman Cain, Co-Chair of Black Voices for Trump, Dies of…
(2020-07-31). Barack Obama: Honor John Lewis by Renewing Voting Rights Act & Ballot Access in the U.S. democracynow.org 
In his stirring eulogy at the funeral service for Congressmember John Lewis, President Barack Obama said expanded voting rights would be the greatest way to honor the civil rights icon's legacy. In a speech that condemned the status of American democracy without ever naming the sitting president, Obama called for election day to be declared a national holiday, full Congressional representation for Washington, D.C., and Puerto Rico, and the end of the filibuster, which he called a "Jim Crow relic." "You want to honor John? Let's honor him by revitalizing the law he was willing to die for," Obama said in reference…
(2020-07-31). The Triple Antagonist of the Police, Policing, and Policy. counterpunch.org 
In 1967, Chester Himes wrote, "Police brutality toward black people in the United States is of such common usage and longstanding to have attained acceptance as proper behavior." On the one hand, not much has changed. Every day we see the virulent and repressive state violence against Black Lives Matter protestors marching, occupying space, and
(2020-07-31). "We Charge Genocide:" Forerunner at UN of Black Lives Matter. counterpunch.org 
The police killing of George Floyd on May 25 provoked demonstrations worldwide. The United Nations Human Rights Council on June 17 debated a draft resolution introduced by the "African Group" of nations that condemned "structural racism endemic to the criminal justice system in the United States." The African nations were responding to a letter from
(2020-07-31). Alex Main on Bolivia Coup, Carol Anderson on Voter Suppression. fair.org 
Media…
(2020-07-31). Seattle City Council moving to defund 'racist' police department & replace it with 'community-led' public safety system. rt.com 
Seattle lawmakers are attempting to completely defund the city's police department and replace it with a new "civilian-led" public safety system in response to ongoing Black Lives Matter protests. | The Seattle City Council has already come under fire this week for proposing a 50 percent cut to the police department's budget — a proposal that prompted hundreds of citizens to express their concerns during a council meeting on Wednesday. | Yet, newly revealed legislation now shows that the council may be doing a lot more than simply stripping police of half their funding. Lawmakers are moving to completely…
(2020-07-31). Three teens sentenced to 42 years in prison on manslaughter charges over horror death of Andrew Harper. rt.com 
Three UK teens who dragged police officer Andrew Harper to his death on a rope behind their getaway car after a failed quad bike theft last year, have been sentenced to a total of 42 years in prison after a high-profile trial.
(2020-07-31). Cultured Convicts: survey reveals Russian prisoners prefer to read Tolstoy, Dumas & other high brow literature while doing time. rt.com 
What would you do to pass the time if you were behind bars? In Russia, they read. On Thursday, the country's prison service released a list of the most-read books, and Mikhail Bulgakov's 'Master and Margarita' came in first. | The top-10 list was released in conjunction with a national campaign called 'Books Are Your Friends.' | Bulgakov's novel, once-censored in the Soviet-era, was followed by Fyodor Dostoyevsky's 'Crime and Punishment' and 'The Count of Monte Cristo' by Alexandre Dumas – the highest-ranking foreign title. | Russian prisoners have great taste in literature. Top 6 books most popular with convi…
(2020-07-31). Prosecutors Disappoint During the Pandemic — 3rd Edition. aclu.org As the COVID-19 pandemic threatens to become a death sentence for people trapped in prisons and jails across the U.S., the actions — or inaction — of prosecutors to decarcerate have had a tangible life or death impact. We examined the responses from prosecutors in the 20 biggest cities in this country. This is the third post in the series — you can also read the